Bono, who writes most of U2's lyrics, is keenly aware that the music's power often comes less from his pen than from the sweeping sonic foundation built by the band. The band's new CD, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," is slated for a Nov. 22 release date, though bootleg copies being released on the Internet have the band contemplating releasing it earlier.

Bono's appeal has much to do with it.

"Feelings are stronger than ideas or words in a song," Bono says, pacing the floor of his Central Park West apartment, offering a contrarian view of pop songwriting.

"You can have 1,000 ideas, but unless you capture an emotion, it's an essay."

'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb' • U2 • Nov. 22 release date, but Island Records may release the CD sooner because of bootleg copies on the Internet.

"Music is the language of the spirit. I think ideas and words are our excuse as songwriters to allow our heart or our spirit to run free. That's when magic happens," he says.

It happens so often for U2 that the group has come closer to matching the quality and mass appeal of The Beatles over the past 25 years than any other band.

This is pop music at its most ambitious — personal and independent enough to satisfy discerning listeners, yet open and accessible enough to pack stadiums.

John Lennon or Paul McCartney usually came up with songs and taught them to George Harrison and Ringo Starr. But U2 collaborates to a degree that is rare.

Bono and guitarist the Edge bring ideas into the studio — a title, the trace of a melody or a catchy riff — then bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen join in the construction. The grueling give-and-take sometimes stretches for weeks.

When the marathon sessions are going well, Mullen says, the rehearsal studio feels like a playground. When they're going badly, it feels like a boxing ring.

"We're tough guys," Clayton says. "We know we'll get there eventually. A lot of it is perspiration. You just have to put in the hours and do your time." The Edge is fond of repeating the band's private joke that it's "songwriting by accident."

"It's more like Miles Davis than the Beatles in a way," Bono says.

Only after the band finds that powerful emotion does Bono begin applying lyrics. Sometimes he'll draw phrases or lines from the notebook he carries with him.

His improvisation in the studio often starts with him just muttering sounds that seem to fit the flow of the music being created — "Bono-eze," his bandmates call it.

"When Bono starts going through his Bono-eze, it can change what we're playing and take the song in a different direction," Mullen says. "If he's doing something very intense, it might not even be what he's saying, but the way he's behaving, the way he's throwing the microphone around. The energy and intensity helps shape the song."

He doesn't spend much time editing his words and even declares that "craft and taste can be the enemy of songwriting" because they encourage you to follow certain rules rather than simply following your emotions.

"At various times, we've tried to stick to conventional songwriting," Mullen says. "But after a few months, we see it's not working. We need to dismantle the ideas and start again." Adds the Edge: "My worst nightmare is sounding 'professional.' I think we work best when we keep moving into the unknown."

When the band members came together in high school, they weren't good enough at their instruments to play convincing versions of the hits of the day. To hide their inexperience, they came up with their own songs.

"From fairly early on, it became clear to us that we had no idea about songwriting technique," the Edge says. "Our way into songwriting was to dream it up. ... Instinct was everything for us, and it really still is."

While he sometimes wishes the band's songwriting process gave him more time to write the lyrics, Bono still thinks the system comes up with the best songs. "When I look at our first 10 years, I just hear unfinished work, lyrics we never finished because we ran out of studio time," he says of his contributions. "I hear 'Bad,' and see what's not there. I just see a list of failures." Still, he wouldn't change the way U2 works. For all the band's uncertain moments, they all know they've found a way to connect with audiences.

Although Bono and his family live most of the year in Dublin, he enjoys the energy of New York.

He still takes delight in pointing out some of the landmarks as he sits in the passenger seat of a van headed to a meeting on easing world hunger.

As the driver navigates through New York City traffic, Bono shoves the new U2 album into the CD player and pounds his fist on the dashboard as the music blasts through the speakers. There's a driving, rock 'n' roll vitality to the music, a freshness that you hardly expect from bands in their third decade. But U2 has been able to remain both current and relevant. They get airplay on college and alt-rock radio stations.

As the vocal starts, he sings along. But it's so noisy in the car you can't really make out the words. Bono's expression, however, tells you he's very proud of this album. He suddenly stops singing and begins chuckling as he turns down the volume. "Did you hear that last verse? ... You never write a verse like that. That was definitely improvised. But there are other lines in the song I wrote ahead of time."