Why does bono say 1 2 3 14 in vertigo?

Answer 1

The opening line of Vertigo, first track on How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, is "uno, dos, tres, catorce" ("one, two, three, fourteen" in Spanish). There are several theories on this odd numeric sequence. In a Rolling Stone interview, Bono said "there may have been some alcohol involved."

Other fan theories include: random Spanish gibberish; counting How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb as U2's fourteenth studio album (although U2's official site counts it as twelve); a biblical reference; a reference to their producer, Steve Lilywhite, who worked on their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 14th albums; a simplified value of pi; and even a potential Three's Company reference. Another coincidence or possible answer is that the track is exactly 3:14 in length.