U2’s songs of cinema: 6 memorable movie tunes from Bono and Co.

You never know where U2 might turn up: It could be in a Super Bowl commercial, at an Apple product launch or even in your iTunes app, patiently awaiting a free download. The Irish arena rockers have proven to be savvy self-marketers and ubiquitous pop-culture presences, so it’s not terribly surprising that they boast a staggering number of movie soundtrack appearances.

In honor of the surprise release of the band’s new album, “Songs of Innocence,” here’s a (non-exhaustive) look at some of U2’s memorable songs of cinema — and one we wish we could forget.

“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” (2014)

U2’s most recent foray into movie music was written to honor Nelson Mandela, a longtime friend of the band. The song played over the end credits of Justin Chadwick’s biopic starring Idris Elba as the iconic South African leader, and it won the Golden Globe for best original song. It was also nominated for an Oscar but lost to “Let It Go” from “Frozen.”

“Zoo Station” from “About a Boy” (2002)

Will Freeman, Hugh Grant’s wealthy layabout in “About a Boy,” is a fan of U2 — children and responsibility, not so much. In one scene, the 12-year-old boy he has hesitantly taken under his wing (Nicholas Hoult) shows up at his door at an inopportune time, so Will tries to drown him out by cranking the opening track from “Achtung Baby” on his stereo. The resourceful kid responds by ringing the doorbell to the beat of the song.

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” from “Bloody Sunday” (2002)

A bit on the nose, sure, but give credit to director Paul Greengrass for not totally hammering home his inclusion of one of U2’s signature songs. A somber live version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” — the only bit of music in the movie — plays over the end credits of the documentary-style drama about the 1972 Bogside Massacre in Northern Ireland.

Soundtrack for “The Million Dollar Hotel” (2000)

U2 frontman Bono conceived the story (with Nicholas Klein) for this Wim Wenders art-house drama about the rogues and refugees populating a downtown L.A. flophouse; he also served as executive producer on the soundtrack, which features music by U2. Alas, the results weren’t million-dollar quality: The film garnered poor reviews (it has a 26% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and grossed about $60,000 domestically.

“GoldenEye” from “GoldenEye” (1995)

U2 didn’t actually perform this song, the title track from Pierce Brosnan’s first James Bond movie, but band members Bono and the Edge wrote it for Tina Turner. The result was a catchy throwback to the Shirley Bassey days that stands as one of the better songs of the modern Bond era.

“All I Want Is You” from “Reality Bites” (1994)

Spoiler alert, though Gen X-ers won’t need one: This ballad off 1988’s “Rattle and Hum” plays during a climactic romantic moment between Ethan Hawke’s coffeehouse guitarist and Winona Ryder’s aspiring documentarian. The popularity of the song in the film (which is known for its time capsule of a soundtrack) led to the track’s re-release, upon which it cracked the Mainstream Top 40 charts.

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