Joey Ramone

U2 frontman Bono has said many of his band's songs makes him " cringe" with embarrassment, and that he doesn't like their name much either.

The Band , comprised of Dublin schoolmates, has sold More Than 150 million albums over a 40-year career.

But the 61-year-old said that, aside from 2004 track Vertigo, he finds it hard to listen to their music.

He added that his voice sounds " very strained" on earlier recordings.

" I've been in a car when one of our songs has come on the radio, and I've been The Colour of - as we say in Dublin - Scarlet , " he told The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg during an hour-long interview.

" I'm just embarrassed. I do think U2 pushes out The Boat on embarrassment quite a lot.

" And maybe that's The Place to be as an artist is right at The Edge of your level of pain for embarrassment, your level of embarrassment. "

He added: " And the lyrics as well. I feel that on Boy and other albums it was sketched out very unique and original material. But I don't think I filled in The Details . "

In defence of his band, U2 have had 10 UK Number One albums and seven chart-topping singles, since arriving on to The Scene in the early 1980s.

Their fifth album Joshua Tree - featuring anthems like With Or Without You and Where The Streets Have No Name - was recently named as the by Radio 2 listeners.

While Bono agrees that his band " sound amazing" He Said he does not like The Sound of his own voice at all, except on Vertigo, which featured on How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. " Most of The Other ones Make Me cringe a little bit, " He Said .

And despite a career spanning four decades, the Irish singer believes his voiced sounded weak early on and that he " only became a singer recently".

" I just found The Voice very strained and kind of not macho and my Irish macho was kind of strained by that, " he continued.

" A big discovery for me was listening to the Ramones and hearing The Beautiful kind of sound of Joey Ramone and realising I didn't have to be that rock and roll singer.

" But I only became a singer recently. "

The Singer appeared on the podcast alongside bandmate The Edge , who also revealed that The Group was never particularly fond of its famous moniker.

U2, he explained, were originally supposed to be called The Hype , but ditched that plan as the name sounded unoriginal.

Their friend, the Graphic Designer Steve Averill then suggested some better ones. " Of the suggestions, it wasn't that it [U2] jumped out to us as the name we were really looking for, but it was The One that we hated the least, " said the guitarist.

He Said it sounded " fresh" at least at The Time , and it was not " obvious from the name what This Band would sound like or be about". " It was The One we chose and we didn't really love it at first. "

" I still don't, " offered Bono. " I really don't.

" But I was late into some kind of dyslexia, I didn't realise that The Beatles was a bad pun either. " (The correct spelling of The Insect is beetle. )

The Band , He Said , thought their name would conjure up " futuristic" images of " The Spy plane" and " the U-boat".

" But then as it turned out to imply this kind of acquiescence, no, I don't like that name. "

Bono and The Edge were appearing on The Film Awards Season podcast to promote Sing 2 , the Matthew Mcconaughey and Reese Witherspoon-starring animated film.

The Singer voices a character in The Film , while he and The Edge also co-wrote The Song You Saved My Life from its soundtrack.

Source of news: bbc.com