Latest update on Larry Mullen Jr. of U2 unveiling two tracks from the upcoming documentary Left Behind. Additionally, Bono shares in detail why some U2 songs make him feel “embarrassed.”

U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. has released two new songs created for the upcoming documentary Left Behind, which will debut in theaters this January.

The tracks, titled “Between The Lines” featuring GAYLE and “One of Us” featuring Welsh singer Donna Lewis, are now available on digital platforms. Mullen co-wrote both songs and is also a producer for the documentary.

Left Behind focuses on the efforts of New York City mothers who advocated for the creation of the city’s first public school for children with dyslexia. Their campaign led to the opening of the South Bronx Literacy Academy in September 2023.

Both Mullen and GAYLE, who collaborated on writing “Between The Lines,” have personal ties to the story, as Mullen’s son and GAYLE herself are dyslexic. The film will premiere at New York City’s QUAD Cinema on January 17 for a one-week engagement, followed by a broader release in select theaters nationwide.

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Bono has opened up about why some U2 songs leave him feeling “embarrassed,” likening the experience to the discomfort many feel when hearing their own recorded voice or recalling youthful moments.

In a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter for the Awards Chatter podcast, Bono shared, “I’ve been in a car when one of our songs has come on the radio, and I’ve turned the colour of – as we say in Dublin – scarlet. I’m just embarrassed.”

He went on to reflect on the band’s artistic risks, saying, “I do think U2 pushes out the boat on embarrassment quite a lot. And maybe that’s the place to be as an artist – right at the edge of your level of pain for embarrassment.”

Bono clarified that his embarrassment isn’t directed at U2 as a band, which he praised for sounding “amazing,” but rather at his own voice and lyrics. While he highlighted his 1995 duet with Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti on Miss Sarajevo and the 2004 hit Vertigo from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb as exceptions he can listen to, he admitted, “Most of the other ones make me cringe a little bit.”

The frontman also critiqued his early songwriting, saying, “On Boy and other albums, it was sketched out as very unique and original material. But I don’t think I filled in the details.”

Though Bono didn’t mention some of his more infamous moments—such as the 1995 trip-hop cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, his friendship with George W. Bush, or the numerical gaffe in the opening lyrics of Vertigo (“Uno, dos, tres, catorce” or “One, two, three, fourteen” in Spanish)—he did call out the band’s name, U2, as another source of embarrassment.

Bono revealed that he wasn’t a fan of the name “U2” from the beginning and had to be persuaded to keep it by the band’s original manager, Paul McGuinness. Reflecting on it now, he said, “In our head, it was like the spy plane, U-boat. It was futuristic. It turned out to imply this kind of acquiescence — no, I don’t like that name. I still don’t really like the name.”

Despite his discomfort with the band’s name, his lyrics, and even his own voice, Bono has little reason to be embarrassed by U2’s legacy. The band has amassed countless accolades, a vast global fanbase, millions of records sold, and substantial financial success throughout their storied career.

There may be a glimmer of acceptance regarding his voice, though. In the same interview, Bono remarked, “I only became a singer, like, recently. Maybe it hasn’t happened yet for some people’s ears, and I understand that.”

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