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U2 Embrace Their Shirtless Youth on Physical ‘Songs of Innocence’ Album Cover

U2 'Songs of Innocence' Album Cover Larry Mullen Jr. son

So, it turns out that photo of a white record sleeve that you probably found on your iPhone one day isn’t the actual cover for U2’s Songs of Innocence album. Instead, the artwork for the physical edition  which you can see below  features drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. “protecting” his 18-year-old son Aaron Elvis while neither of them are wearing shirts. According to the group, the striking image was taken by British photographer Glen Luchford and stands as a metaphor for “the new songs and their inspiration in the early years of U2 as teenagers in Dublin.” 

“We’ve always been about community in U2, about family and friends,” Bono said in a post on U2’s officiate site. “Songs Of Innocence is the most intimate album we’ve ever made. With this record we were looking for the raw, naked and personal, to strip everything back.”

The physical editions of Songs of Innocence arrive October 13. The single CD will feature the same songs as the free iTunes version along with a 24-page booklet, the deluxe double CD comes with a six-song acoustic set, three new tracks, and an alternate version of “The Troubles,” while the 180-gram two-LP edition has the 11 tracks spread over three sides, with a 12-inch mix of bonus cut “Crystal Ballroom” on side four.