Editing How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (section)

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[U2]]
| cover      = U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Album Cover).png
| alt        = A monochrome image of all U2 members sitting near a wall
| released   = 22 November 2004
| recorded   = February 2003&nbsp;– {{nowrap|July 2004}}
| studio     =
*Hanover Quay ([[Dublin]])
*[[South of France]]
| genre      = 
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
| length     = 49:03
| label      =
* [[Island Records|Island]]
* [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]
| producer   = [[Steve Lillywhite]]
| prev_title = [[U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland]]
| prev_year  = 2003
| next_title = [[The Complete U2]]
| next_year  = 2004
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Vertigo (U2 song)|Vertigo]]
 | single1date = 8 November 2004
 | single2     = [[Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own]]
 | single2date = 7 February 2005
 | single3     = [[City of Blinding Lights]]
 | single3date = 6 June 2005
 | single4     = [[All Because of You (U2 song)|All Because of You]]
 | single4date = 10 October 2005
}}
}}

'''''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb''''' is the eleventh [[studio album]] by Irish [[rock music|rock]] band [[U2]]. It was released on 22 November 2004 in the United Kingdom by [[Island Records]] and a day later in the United States by [[Interscope Records]]. It was produced by [[Steve Lillywhite]], with additional production from [[Chris Thomas (record producer)|Chris Thomas]], [[Jacknife Lee]], [[Nellee Hooper]], [[Flood (producer)|Flood]], [[Daniel Lanois]], [[Brian Eno]], and Carl Glanville. Much like their previous album ''[[All That You Can't Leave Behind]]'' (2000), the record exhibits a more mainstream rock sound after the band experimented with [[alternative rock]] and [[electronic dance music|dance music]] in the 1990s.

Looking for a more hard-hitting sound than that of their previous album, U2 began recording ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' in February 2003 with Thomas. After nine months of work, the band had an album's worth of material ready for release, but they were not satisfied with the results. The group subsequently enlisted Lillywhite to take over as producer in Dublin in January 2004. Lillywhite, along with his assistant Lee, spent six months with the band reworking songs and encouraging better performances. U2 lead singer [[Bono]] described the album as "our first rock album. It's taken us twenty years or whatever it is, but this is our first rock album."<ref>"U2 and 3 Songs" documentary within the DVD packaged with the ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' album.</ref> Thematically, the record touches on life, death, love, war, faith, and family.

''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' received generally positive reviews from critics and reached number one in 34 countries, including the US, where first-week sales of 840,000 copies nearly doubled the band's previous personal best. The album and its singles won all eight [[Grammy Award]]s for which they were nominated. It was also the fourth-highest-selling album of 2004,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/top50-2004.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-03-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530025526/http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/top50-2004.pdf |archive-date=30 May 2009 }}</ref> with almost ten million copies sold,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:168713/datastream/PDF/view|last1=Endrinal|first1=Christopher|title=Form and Style in the Music of U2|date=2008|publisher=Florida State University|page=12}}</ref> and it yielded several successful singles, such as "[[Vertigo (U2 song)|Vertigo]]", "[[City of Blinding Lights]]", and "[[Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own]]". The album was included on ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s list of the "100 Best Albums of the Decade" at number 68. U2 commemorated the album's 20th anniversary with a [[remaster]]ed re-release, which includes a companion album of tracks from the recording sessions called ''How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb''.