U2 “October” released on this date, October 12th, 1981. U2′s second album that to some critics at the time suffered the dreaded sophomore slump, not helped by the LP’s recording, during which Bono’s lyrics for the album were lost and the songwriting process needed to be rushed along in order to keep the studio recording schedule. The album has a heavy emphasis on religion and spirituality, not necessarily popular themes for alternative or mainstream rock-n-roll; but “Gloria,” with its soaring chorale chorus (“Gloria, in te domine”), is one of the strongest tracks on the record. The album also has an air of beautiful sadness, particularly “Tomorrow” about which Bono said, “[Its] influences: primarily Joy Division, Invisible Girls. A great example of how you can write a song and not know what you’re writing about. ‘Tomorrow’ is a detailed account of my mother’s funeral. But I had no idea when I was writing it.”