In May 2020, to mark the occasion of his 60th birthday, U2 frontman Bono decided to write fan letters to the authors of some of his favourite songs, 60 of them, to be precise. Bono being Bono, these 60 songs weren't just 'My Favourite Songs', but '60 Songs That Saved My Life'.
The diverse list, published in full on U2's website, spanned everything from The Beatles' I Want To Hold Your Hand to Kanye West's Black Skinhead, Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel to Billie Elish's Everything I Wanted, Public Enemy's Fight The Power to Lady Gaga's Born This Way. And one of the tracks included was Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, the lead single from the Aberdeen, Washington trio's second album Nevermind.
With Kurt Cobain having passed away in 1994, Bono opted to address this particular letter to Frances Bean Cobain, the singer's daughter with Courtney Love. And while Bono's earnestness and sincerity has been mocked from the very earliest days of U2's career, his message to Frances Bean was undeniably heartfelt, sincere and rather touching.
The full text of the letter is as follows:
Dear Frances Bean Cobain,
Forgive my intrusion… you know all this stuff, but by addressing it to you I remind myself that before the internet a band could only be heard by having a record out, getting it on the radio, or blowing people away at their shows. Imagine that. You couldn’t hear them otherwise… but you might hear ABOUT them…
