Editing How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (section)

==Reception==
===Critical reaction===
{{Music ratings
| MC         = 79/100<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb/u2|title=Reviews for How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb by U2|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=8 November 2013}}</ref>
| rev1       = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score  = {{rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb-mw0000259092|title=How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb&nbsp;– U2|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=21 November 2009|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>
| rev2       = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score  = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="blender-rev"/>
| rev3       = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev3score  = B<ref name="ew-rev"/>
| rev4       = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev4score  = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="guardian-rev"/>
| rev5       = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev5score  = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref name="latimes-rev"/>
| rev6       = ''[[NME]]''
| rev6score  = 9/10<ref name="nme-rev"/>
| rev7       = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev7score  = 6.9/10<ref name="pitchfork-rev"/>
| rev8       = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev8score  = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="q-rev"/>
| rev9       = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev9score  = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="RS review"/>
| rev10      = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="uncut-rev"/>
}}

''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' received generally positive reviews from critics. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[standard score|normalized]] score out of 100 to ratings from critics, the album received an average score of 79 based on 26 reviews.<ref name="metacritic"/> [[Rob Sheffield]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' described it as "grandiose music from grandiose men, sweatlessly confident in the execution of their duties", believing the album was well served by not tamping down Bono's ego or ambitions. Sheffield praised "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", calling it "a reminder that what makes U2 so big isn't really their clever ideas, or even their intelligence – it's the warmth that all too few rock stars have any idea how to turn into music".<ref name="RS review">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb-195272/|title='Bomb' Hits Big|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|issue=963|date=9 December 2004|page=172|access-date=13 April 2021}}</ref> Johnny Davis of ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' said that the Edge's guitar playing "makes this record" with his "arsenal of guitar noises that bring to mind a particularly impatient boy with a new box of indoor fireworks". Responding to Bono's quote about the group wanting to stave off a decline, Davis said, "They've succeeded in not becoming crap quite admirably."<ref name="q-rev">{{cite magazine|title=U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=221|first=Johnny|last=Davis|date=December 2004|page=126}}</ref> [[Robert Hilburn]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called the album "triumphant", praising U2's "journey from adolescence to maturity" over their career as one that few groups could make "with their creative vision so fully intact". He said that Bono lyrically "explores epic themes, from faith to family, with such indelible grace that the CD stands with 'The Joshua Tree' and 'Achtung Baby' as one of the Irish quartet's essential works".<ref name="latimes-rev">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-21-ca-u221-story.html|title=U2's spirit is still on an upward drive|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=21 November 2004|page=E43|access-date=13 April 2021|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Hilburn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227152548/http://articles.latimes.com/2004/nov/21/entertainment/ca-u221|archive-date=27 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Dan Martin of ''[[NME]]'' called it "a classic U2 album, but also a breathtakingly modern heavy fucker", adding that "Bono's genius is that his inner monologue is so huge and heroic that it matches the scale of the music".<ref name="nme-rev">{{cite magazine|title=U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb|magazine=[[NME]]|last=Martin|first=Dan|date=13 November 2004|page=55}}</ref> Steve Morse of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' called it a "nakedly honest, uplifting album" and their most personal one since ''The Joshua Tree''. He called it "a joy to see the group rekindle its shimmering '80s guitar-pop sound" and was encouraged that their music "comes so strongly from the gut once again, without the latest techno-experimental production techniques."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/ae/music/packages/U2Fleetcenter/album_review_atomic_bomb/|title=U2 returns to soulful form on 'Atomic Bomb'|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|first=Steve|last=Morse|date=23 November 2004|pages=C1, C6|access-date=13 April 2021}}</ref> [[Ann Powers]] of ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' called the album a "''tour de force'' of tune and mood", adding, "because U2's sound has come to signify an open heart... it nearly always feels fresh, the way a new flame does". She thought that Bono lyrically "wields sentimentality like a switchblade" but also said that "U2's music is so broad and welcoming it can express ardor equally well for Christ, wives, supermodels, children or Bishop [[Desmond Tutu]]".<ref name="blender-rev">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2946|title=U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|issue=32|date=December 2004|access-date=21 November 2009|last=Powers|first=Ann|author-link=Ann Powers|page=132|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041206204132/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2946|archive-date=6 December 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Stephen Troussé of ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' called it "their most unabashedly strident record since ''[[The Unforgettable Fire]]''" and said that songs such as "City of Blinding Lights" and "All Because of You" gave "the sense of a band flexing muscles they haven't used in years". He remarked about the melancholic undertow of Bono's lyrics, believing that the "lines that stay with you speak of a creeping malaise".<ref name="uncut-rev">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/u2-how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb-11232/|title=U2 – How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|first=Stephen|last=Troussé|date=December 2004|issue=91|page=136|access-date=18 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050205072044/http://uncut.co.uk/music/u2/reviews/400|archive-date=5 February 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Alexis Petridis]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' said that the album "may be unadventurous and melodramatic, but it is packed with disarming moments". He thought the group had embraced the clichéd elements of their 1980s music but said, "Driven by a ferociously powerful rhythm section, U2 sound pleasingly raw, particularly next to the current wave of stadium rock pretenders". He lamented the abandonment of their 1990s experimentation, but appreciated their retention of self-awareness, concluding, "it seems highly unlikely anyone will laugh at U2 again".<ref name="guardian-rev">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/nov/19/popandrock.shopping4|title=You're not laughing any more|newspaper=The Guardian|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|author-link=Alexis Petridis|date=19 November 2004|at=sec. Friday Review, p. 20|access-date=21 November 2009}}</ref> [[David Browne (journalist)|David Browne]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' questioned U2's motivations for back-pedaling musically but called them "one of the few remaining bands who can make pop-chart lust work for them, as ''Atomic Bomb'' intermittently demonstrates".<ref name="ew-rev">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2004/11/26/how-dismantle-atomic-bomb/|title=How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|last=Browne|first=David|author-link=David Browne (journalist)|date=26 November 2004|issue=794|pages=115–116|access-date=28 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204052741/https://ew.com/article/2004/11/26/how-dismantle-atomic-bomb/|archive-date=4 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Greg Kot]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' said that the record "marks a retreat from innovation and daring, and re-immerses the Irish quartet in the comfort zone of its earliest successes". He believed the band had "settl[ed] into middle age by recycling its best riffs and ideas" and that those musical ideas were "destined to pale in coming years as second-hand versions of those classic albums".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-11-21-0411210575-story.html|title=Secondhand U2|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|first=Greg|last=Kot|author-link=Greg Kot|date=21 November 2004|at=sec. Arts & Entertainment, p. 8|access-date=14 April 2021}}</ref> [[Amanda Petrusich]] of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' called the record "brash, grungy, and loud" but not "especially surprising", judging it to contain a "tiny handful of outstanding tracks and a whole mess of schmaltzy filler". She criticised Bono's "vague, cliched observations, his sentiments always awkwardly bombastic or hopelessly maudlin" and thought the album's biggest issue was "that it sounds so much like U2".<ref name="pitchfork-rev">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8330-how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb/|title=U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=21 November 2004|access-date=20 March 2011|last=Petrusich|first=Amanda|author-link=Amanda Petrusich|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129221034/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8330-how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb/|archive-date=29 November 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Keith Harris of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' said that the lyrics were marred by "legions of rampant clichés" and that the album's producers "simply construct a U2 album in miniature, mixing in the Edge's processed-guitar trademark whenever you fear they're straying into unforgivable un-U2ness. That's just not enough."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0447/harris.php|title=No More Than a Feeling|website=[[The Village Voice]]|first=Keith|last=Harris|date=24–30 November 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041124151100/https://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0447/harris.php|archive-date=24 November 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Commercial performance===
Following its 22 November 2004 release, ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' reached number one in 34 countries.<ref name="spin-20th">{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2024/09/u2-raid-vaults-for-atomic-bomb-companion-album/|title=U2 Raid Vaults For 'Atomic Bomb' Companion Album|website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|date=26 September 2024|access-date=27 September 2024}}</ref> In the US, the album debuted atop the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], with first-week sales of 840,000 copies, setting a new personal best for the group; it was nearly double their previous mark set by ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'', which sold 428,000 copies in its first week.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/65450/u2s-bomb-explodes-at-no-1|title=U2's 'Bomb' Explodes at No. 1|first=Margo|last=Whitmire|magazine=Billboard|date=1 December 2004|access-date=9 August 2011}}</ref> It also debuted at number one on the [[UK Albums Chart]] and the Australian [[ARIA Charts]]. The album has sold 9&nbsp;million copies worldwide.<ref name="totalsales">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u-idUSTRE51Q1WR20090303|title=New York City honors U2 by renaming street|agency=Reuters|first=Michelle|last=Nichols|date=3 March 2009|access-date=9 August 2011}}</ref> According to [[Nielsen SoundScan]], the album sold 3.3&nbsp;million copies in the US through March 2014.<ref name="billboardu2">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5930147/no-u2-album-tour-until-2015-ryan-tedder-paul-epworth|title=No U2 Album, Tour Until 2015 (Exclusive)|magazine=Billboard|first1=Andrew|last1=Hampp|first2=Shirley|last2=Halperin|date=7 March 2014|access-date=7 March 2014}}</ref>

===Accolades===
''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' was rated the best album of 2004 by ''[[USA Today]]'', ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'', and ''[[The New York Times]]''. Hilburn of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called it the second-best album of the year, and it was ranked fourth respectively by ''Q'' in its list of the best albums of the year. ''[[The Village Voice]]'' rated it the eighth-best album of 2004, while ''[[PopMatters]]'' ranked it 25th. It was included in ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s Top 50 Albums of 2004.

''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' and its songs won eight [[Grammy Award]]s overall in [[47th Annual Grammy Awards|2005]] and [[48th Annual Grammy Awards|2006]], sweeping all of the categories in which they were nominated. In 2005, "Vertigo" won in three categories: [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song]], [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video|Best Short Form Music Video]]. In 2006, "[[Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own]]" was awarded [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, "City of Blinding Lights" was awarded Best Rock Song, and ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' won for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Album|Best Rock Album]] and [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/u2/7858|title=U2 Grammy Nominations|publisher=grammy.com}}</ref> The album producer's Steve Lillywhite was also awarded [[Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical|Producer of the Year, Non Classical]] in 2006.

''Rolling Stone'' rated it the 68th-best album of the decade,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-2000s-20110718/u2-how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb-19691231|title=100 Best Albums of the 2000s: U2, 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=9 December 2009|access-date=9 August 2011}}</ref> while "Vertigo" was ranked the 64th-best song.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-songs-of-the-aughts-20110617/u2-vertigo-20110617|title=100 Best Songs of the 2000s: U2, 'Vertigo'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=9 December 2009|access-date=10 February 2017}}</ref> Despite all of the critical acclaim for the album, Bono would later state that "[t]here are no weak songs. But as an album, the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts, and it fucking annoys me."