U2’s “Silencio” debuts on two sales charts and gives the band a third new 2026 hit, tying its annual record on the Official Singles Downloads chart. SAITAMA, JAPAN – DECEMBER 04: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white.) (L-R) Adam Clayton, Bono, Larry Mullen Jr. and The Edge of U2 perform at Saitama Super Arena on December 04, 2019 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)
Getty Images
2026 has been a very busy year for U2. The group delivered a pair of EPs this spring, shortly before announcing that a full-length was on the way. The Irish rock outfit recently unveiled the title, street date and cover for its upcoming sixteenth studio LP, Carnaval da Luz, which is slated to arrive in mid-November.
Earlier this month, U2 dropped “Silencio” as the second single from the project. Months after “Street of Dreams” let fans know that a collection was on the way, “Silencio” launches on multiple rosters in the United Kingdom this week and becomes a minor bestseller.
U2’s “Silencio” Debuts on Two Sales Charts in the U.K.
“Silencio” opens on a pair of sales-focused tallies in the U.K. The tune starts at No. 66 on the Official Singles Downloads chart and No. 71 on the Official Singles Sales ranking.
With the latter debut, U2 reaches a milestone 20 appearances on the Official Singles Sales chart, which reports the bestselling tracks of any style across formats in the U.K. That includes digital downloads as well as purchases of songs made available on CD and vinyl, both of which have come back into fashion as collectibles.
U2 has scored four more placements on the Official Singles Downloads ranking, bringing its total to 24 wins. That roster focuses entirely on purchases made on download storefronts like iTunes, Amazon and others.
“Silencio” Is One of U2’s Lowest-Rising Sales Hits
Looking at all of U2’s appearances on the Official Singles Sales chart, “Silencio” ranks as one of the Grammy-winning outfit’s lowest-rising successes. Only five tracks have peaked beneath its No. 71 starting point. The new single edges out “Lights of Home” by just one rung.
“Silencio” fares somewhat better within U2’s history on the Official Singles Downloads tally. The track is the group’s eleventh-lowest-peaking of 24 appearances, placing it closer to the middle of the pack. Its No. 66 launch ranks it three spaces beneath the high point reached by “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight.” “I Will Follow,” another of U2’s lower-charting downloads hits across the Atlantic, topped out at No. 77.
U2 Matches a Career Record With Its Third 2026 Debut
“Silencio” gives U2 its third new hit of 2026 on the Official Singles Downloads chart. That makes this year one of the busiest in the band’s history on the ranking.
2026 now matches both 2006 and 2009 in terms of the most debuts U2 has managed in a single calendar year on the downloads tally. In each of those three years, the Irish musical heroes launched a trio of tracks.
The same group of U2 tunes has also debuted on the Official Singles Sales chart in 2026, though that showing does not quite match the group’s all-time most impressive performance in terms of new hits on the busier sales roster. This year is now tied with 2023 for the second-most new arrivals. U2’s biggest year for debuts on the Official Singles Sales ranking remains 2017, when the group launched five tracks on the tally.
Leave a comment