Achtung Baby

Achtung Baby (/ˈɑːxtʊŋ/ AHKH-toong) is the seventh studio album by the Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 18 November 1991 by Island Records. After criticism of their 1988 documentary film and album Rattle and Hum and a sense of creative stagnation, U2 shifted their direction to incorporate influences from alternative, industrial, and electronic dance music into their sound. Thematically, Achtung Baby is darker, more introspective, and at times more flippant than their previous work. For his lyrics, lead vocalist Bono was partly inspired by the failed marriages of two friends, including U2's guitarist the Edge.

Seeking inspiration from German reunification, U2 began recording Achtung Baby at Berlin's Hansa Studios in October 1990. The sessions were fraught with conflict, as the band argued over their musical direction and the quality of their material. After tension and slow progress nearly prompted the group to disband, they made a breakthrough with the improvised writing of the song "One". Morale and productivity improved during subsequent recording sessions in Dublin, where the album was completed in 1991. To confound the public's expectations of the band and their music, U2 chose the record's facetious title and colourful multi-image sleeve.

Achtung Baby is one of U2's most successful records; it received favourable reviews and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Top Albums, while topping the charts in many other countries. Five songs were released as commercial singles, all of which were chart successes, including "One", "Mysterious Ways", and "The Fly". The album has sold 18 million copies worldwide and won a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album and its supporting Zoo TV Tour of 1992–1993 were central to the group's 1990s reinvention in musical style and in their shift from an earnest public image to a more lighthearted, ironic one. The tour was also a success, grossing US$151 million from 5.3 million tickets sold.

Achtung Baby has since been acclaimed by writers and music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. The record has been reissued several times, including in October 2011 and November 2021 for its 20th and 30th anniversaries, respectively. U2 commemorated the album during their concert residency U2:UV Achtung Baby Live, which ran from 2023 to 2024 at Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley.