In the US, it topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Adult Alternative Songs charts.

The song was written with the line "Stuck together with God's glue", which was taken directly from the title of the album by the Irish band Something Happens, who are good friends with U2.

[6] Kevin Courtney from Irish Times commented, "Could this be U2's riposte to "Champagne Supernova", an overt attempt to steal some thunder back from Oasis and regain their rightful place as anthem makers supreme?

"Staring at the Sun" has shades of psychedelia, lazy sunny afternoons watching a Waterloo sunset, and it's as big, bold and Beatlesque as anything Noel Gallagher has ever knocked out.

"[7] British magazine Music Week gave it top score with five out of five and named it Single of the Week, writing, "Possibly the most obvious single on Pop, this track is awash with a melancholy that's amplified by The Edge's plangent, keening guitar signature.