--- title: U2: Bono Apologizes for Forcing New Album on iTunes Users description: "Oops. I'm sorry about that. I had this beautiful idea and we got carried away with ourselves," says the U2 frontman. canonical: https://time.com/3508636/bono-apologizes-sorry-itunes-apple-u2-songs-of-innocence/ author: Elizabeth Barber article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-15T04:27:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:03:17.771Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Bono is Sorry og:description: He didn't mean to dump that album on you og:url: https://time.com/3508636/bono-apologizes-sorry-itunes-apple-u2-songs-of-innocence/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8331f7e3a15768b4/6986a3eccd684810cc096827/bono_1280.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1280 og:image:height: 720 og:image:alt: Bono U2 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bono is Sorry twitter:description: He didn't mean to dump that album on you twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8331f7e3a15768b4/6986a3eccd684810cc096827/bono_1280.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bono Is Sorry for Dumping a New U2 Album Onto Your Apple Device > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Bono Apologizes For That Whole ‘Free U2 Album’ Thing [Watch (HLS stream): Bono Apologizes For That Whole ‘Free U2 Album’ Thing](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/C4WrxtKs.m3u8) (1:12)  _Published 2014-10-15. During a special Facebook Q&A session, U2 lead singer Bono apologized for teaming up with Apple to automatically put his “Songs of Innocence” album onto millions of Apple devices._ by [Elizabeth Barber](https://time.com/author/elizabeth-barber/) ## Elizabeth Barber Oct 15, 2014 4:27 AM UTC by [Elizabeth Barber](https://time.com/author/elizabeth-barber/) ## Elizabeth Barber Oct 15, 2014 4:27 AM UTC Bono has [apologized](http://pitchfork.com/news/57080-bono-apologizes-about-songs-of-innocence-release-u2-share-the-miracle-of-joey-ramone-video/) for giving new meaning to the word _earworm_ and sending U2’s latest album straight into iTunes users’ music libraries, whether they wanted it or not, Pitchfork reports. In a [Facebook Q&A](https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153458076501686&set=vb.5678046685&type=2&theater) session, one non-consensual listener wrote, “Can you please never release an album on iTunes that automatically downloads to peoples \[sic\] playlists ever again? It’s really rude.” Pitchfork, a music-reviews website, reports that a seemingly chastened Bono replied, “Oops. I’m sorry about that. I had this beautiful idea and we got carried away with ourselves. Artists are prone to that kind of thing. Drop of megalomania, touch of generosity, dash of self-promotion, and deep fear that these songs that we poured our life into over the last few years mightn’t be heard.” “There’s a lot of noise out there,” the U2 front man continued. “I guess we got a little noisy ourselves to get through it.” U2’s latest album, _Songs of Innocence_, was uploaded to iTunes users’ libraries for free download on Sept. 9\. Non-U2 fans, and even U2 fans chaffing at not having a say in the matter, cried foul. \[[_Pitchfork_](http://pitchfork.com/news/57080-bono-apologizes-about-songs-of-innocence-release-u2-share-the-miracle-of-joey-ramone-video/)\] ## Transcript You might remember Bono gate in September when denizens of the Internet freaked at the sudden inexplicable appearance of U2's Songs of Innocence album on their Apple devices. The band's frontman Bono has candidly apologized. It happened during a special Facebook Q & A. Oops. Sorry about that. Had this beautiful idea. Might have got carried away with ourselves. Artists are prone to that kind of thing. Apple had touted the move as a, quote, big moment in music history. And said over 500 million people received songs of innocence. Unfortunately, some of those 500 mil were not interested in listening to U2. Let alone having it on their devices. The backlash was so bad it forced Apple to create an online tool to help folks remove the album from their iTunes' libraries. Amazon recently capitalized on the snafu, sending out a tweet earlier this week saying while the album was streaming for free, they weren't just going to add it to your library for you. But all things considered, the album has done fairly well. Speaking with Apple's senior VP of Internet Software and Services, Billboard reports it managed to be downloaded 26 million times with over 81 million listening to individual songs. 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