Axver why do you hate ONE so much?

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ozeeko

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I'm sure this has been covered already, but i'd just like to hear your thoughts. I can understand on a surface level why you dislike it (the very unoriginal "we're one" universal theme) and all that, but surely you must understand the layers in this complicated song. Not trying to attack you. Just wondering. Cuz I seem to agree with you on most things when reading this forum, just like to know where the hatred stems from.
 
Oh cool, a thread addressed to me that isn't about setlists! Makes a change.

Honestly, I don't think I hate One quite as much as some other people here, like Khan and The Sad Punk. I'd say I'm closer to dislike than outright hatred, even if I sometimes turn on the hyperbolic scorn for effect.

I honestly don't find the song to have much in the way of layers; I certainly don't see it as complicated. I find the lyrics - with a couple of exceptions - are superficial and derivative; generalised beyond the point of usefulness. They are a shadow of Bono's 1984-89 lyrical ability. Put simply, they're boring.

In musical style and structure, I feel like One lives in the shadow of U2's great ballads. It wanted to be WOWY or AIWIY but isn't; later, U2 got the formula right again with Stay. I'm not saying it's identical to such songs, rips them off, or is a WOWY Part II or anything, but it obviously belongs in their category and it's just got nothing on the beautiful WOWY intro, the AIWIY solo, etc.

I also really dislike how the song just waffles off into the distance without really getting anywhere. The only truly good part of the song, the live climax with "do you hear us coming?", is missing from the album version and that to me is the final nail in the coffin.

Then the spittle on the grave is the way U2 have whored out the song to any cause they can possibly give it to. The song has become redundant. What does it even mean any more? Tibet, AIDS, third world debt, President Clinton, the list just goes on and on. Let it go, U2. Stop just falling back on One. This obviously isn't relevant to my opinion on the studio version, but I think it negatively impacts upon the song's legacy and I'm thankful my favourite U2 songs, e.g. OTH, ASOH, 11OTT, haven't received this treatment.
 
Fair enough, what do you think about the vocal delivery though?

For me personally, it's one of Bono's finest studio vocal moments.
 
Why don't we start a thread about everyone here on this forum disliking certain U2 songs? :hmm:

Why care? One is one of my all time favourite songs and the song that still brings me to tears live, I couldn't care less about other people not liking it, for me it's a master piece. I have other songs that I don't like much and other people here on this forum love these songs, while I think they're overrated. So what?
 
Fair enough, what do you think about the vocal delivery though?

For me personally, it's one of Bono's finest studio vocal moments.

Honestly, I find it unremarkable. Doesn't resonate with me, nor stand out from the pack.

Now, if we want to talk about exceptional studio vocal moments, let's talk A Sort Of Homecoming.
 
Why don't we start a thread about everyone here on this forum disliking certain U2 songs? :hmm:

Why care? One is one of my all time favourite songs and the song that still brings me to tears live, I couldn't care less about other people not liking it, for me it's a master piece. I have other songs that I don't like much and other people here on this forum love these songs, while I think they're overrated. So what?

:hug: you want your own little thread?

Give me a couple of hours.:up:
 
I'd like to echo much of Axver's sentiment. I've never found anything truly great about One. It's the worst song off Achtung Baby to me, and probably has aged worse for me due to its MASSIVE overestimation here. Also, the studio version makes me cringe. Those terrible, terrible guitar effects. The guitar effects turn a ballad into a misfired funk song. I'll take So Cruel or Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses or Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World as a single any day over One.
 
Oh cool, a thread addressed to me that isn't about setlists! Makes a change.

Honestly, I don't think I hate One quite as much as some other people here, like Khan and The Sad Punk. I'd say I'm closer to dislike than outright hatred, even if I sometimes turn on the hyperbolic scorn for effect.

I honestly don't find the song to have much in the way of layers; I certainly don't see it as complicated. I find the lyrics - with a couple of exceptions - are superficial and derivative; generalised beyond the point of usefulness. They are a shadow of Bono's 1984-89 lyrical ability. Put simply, they're boring.

In musical style and structure, I feel like One lives in the shadow of U2's great ballads. It wanted to be WOWY or AIWIY but isn't; later, U2 got the formula right again with Stay. I'm not saying it's identical to such songs, rips them off, or is a WOWY Part II or anything, but it obviously belongs in their category and it's just got nothing on the beautiful WOWY intro, the AIWIY solo, etc.

I also really dislike how the song just waffles off into the distance without really getting anywhere. The only truly good part of the song, the live climax with "do you hear us coming?", is missing from the album version and that to me is the final nail in the coffin.

Then the spittle on the grave is the way U2 have whored out the song to any cause they can possibly give it to. The song has become redundant. What does it even mean any more? Tibet, AIDS, third world debt, President Clinton, the list just goes on and on. Let it go, U2. Stop just falling back on One. This obviously isn't relevant to my opinion on the studio version, but I think it negatively impacts upon the song's legacy and I'm thankful my favourite U2 songs, e.g. OTH, ASOH, 11OTT, haven't received this treatment.

That's cool. Fair enough.

The only reason i would ever start a thread like this is because of the constant reminders of your not liking it, whether it was coming from other posters or yourself. I guess i was just always curious deep down.

I don't think this song is meant to be a love song in the same category of WOWY or Stay or AIWIY. To me, it's not even a love song at all. It's a song about being in conflict with someone. One of the reasons i love this song is because of its lyrical content.

Another reason, it turns the whole "we're one" cliche on its head. It's not a song about "we're one let's all love eachother"...instead its "we're one but we're not the same." To me this song says "even tho we're not going to get along, let's atleast have a mutual understanding." Take your most bitter enemy, someone you'll never find common ground with...deep down inside that person is still human, born in the same way you were, and no matter what happened along the way to lead you both astray, you're still linked in a very basic way. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but i'm trying to explain it the best i can.

Plus, i think the lyrics are perfectly layered, it could be about a break-up, a family conflict, a fight between enemies...whatever, it's a very flexible lyric. The one i'm always looking back on is the theory about a gay son coming out to his father (even tho this was just one persons theory). The whole "love is a temple, love the higher law" lyric meaning that love exists beyond petty differences, or opposing views on lifestyle, which makes it even more frustrating with the whole "you ask me to enter, but then you make me crawl" which i think is one of Bono's best lyrical bits. Someone is trying to forive someone (doesn't have to be the gay son angle) but instead of openheartedly forgiving them, they make them crawl...crawl back into their lives in shame instead of embracing them in open arms. I think there's a lot of darkness in the lyric.

Furthermore, the melody is great, the chord changes and overall arrangement is stellar, and i love the fact that it ends on a Bono falsetto. I think his wordless melody at the end is exactly what the song needs. He doesn't need to shout at you and make you feel the pain, he expresses it another way, with his heavenly voice. It doesn't make you feel everything's been resolved, yet it does leave you with the feeling that everything might work out.
 
I'd like to echo much of Axver's sentiment. I've never found anything truly great about One. It's the worst song off Achtung Baby to me, and probably has aged worse for me due to its MASSIVE overestimation here. Also, the studio version makes me cringe. Those terrible, terrible guitar effects. The guitar effects turn a ballad into a misfired funk song. I'll take So Cruel or Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses or Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World as a single any day over One.

:hi5: Agreed, well, though I do prefer the studio version to ANY live version with 5 hours of Bono rambling to it.

One wasn't that bad during ZooTv, but it should've stayed on that setlist. Perhaps Popmart, okay. But after that. It became a dull repetitive borefest live.
 
I don't think this song is meant to be a love song in the same category of WOWY or Stay or AIWIY. To me, it's not even a love song at all. It's a song about being in conflict with someone. One of the reasons i love this song is because of its lyrical content.

My comparison with those songs was more to do with the song style rather than lyrical content - though I'd say only AIWIY is really a love song. The others express conflict too, and touch on associated themes.

Another reason, it turns the whole "we're one" cliche on its head. It's not a song about "we're one let's all love eachother"...instead its "we're one but we're not the same." To me this song says "even tho we're not going to get along, let's atleast have a mutual understanding." Take your most bitter enemy, someone you'll never find common ground with...deep down inside that person is still human, born in the same way you were, and no matter what happened along the way to lead you both astray, you're still linked in a very basic way. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but i'm trying to explain it the best i can.

I understand what you mean, but I honestly don't think this is a subversion of a cliche or turns anything on its head - if anything, it seems like a topical theme Bono (as he does often) has ripped straight from the Gospels. It's a theme that I don't think is uncommon and that I think is expressed weakly. I should clarify that the one lyric I often think of that makes me moderate denunciations of One's lyrical content is the "did you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head?" line. That's a good one. Shame the rest of the song is so ... mediocre. "Is it getting better or does it feel the same?" is such a limp opening lyric.

Plus, i think the lyrics are perfectly layered, it could be about a break-up, a family conflict, a fight between enemies...whatever, it's a very flexible lyric.

I'd say the majority of Bono's lyrics are open to personal interpretation ... and I certainly think what he wrote in 1984-89 is expressed with greater creative ability than One. That One features a quality common to many of U2's lyrics does not seem to me a reason to single it out for praise.

Furthermore, the melody is great, the chord changes and overall arrangement is stellar, and i love the fact that it ends on a Bono falsetto. I think his wordless melody at the end is exactly what the song needs. He doesn't need to shout at you and make you feel the pain, he expresses it another way, with his heavenly voice. It doesn't make you feel everything's been resolved, yet it does leave you with the feeling that everything might work out.

It leaves me feeling "oh, they didn't know how to finish the song so it's just going to aimlessly stroll into nowhere ... what a letdown". Like I say, I think One improves live because it actually reaches a conclusion.
 
Oh cool, a thread addressed to me that isn't about setlists! Makes a change.

Honestly, I don't think I hate One quite as much as some other people here, like Khan and The Sad Punk. I'd say I'm closer to dislike than outright hatred, even if I sometimes turn on the hyperbolic scorn for effect.

I honestly don't find the song to have much in the way of layers; I certainly don't see it as complicated. I find the lyrics - with a couple of exceptions - are superficial and derivative; generalised beyond the point of usefulness. They are a shadow of Bono's 1984-89 lyrical ability. Put simply, they're boring.

In musical style and structure, I feel like One lives in the shadow of U2's great ballads. It wanted to be WOWY or AIWIY but isn't; later, U2 got the formula right again with Stay. I'm not saying it's identical to such songs, rips them off, or is a WOWY Part II or anything, but it obviously belongs in their category and it's just got nothing on the beautiful WOWY intro, the AIWIY solo, etc.

I also really dislike how the song just waffles off into the distance without really getting anywhere. The only truly good part of the song, the live climax with "do you hear us coming?", is missing from the album version and that to me is the final nail in the coffin.

Then the spittle on the grave is the way U2 have whored out the song to any cause they can possibly give it to. The song has become redundant. What does it even mean any more? Tibet, AIDS, third world debt, President Clinton, the list just goes on and on. Let it go, U2. Stop just falling back on One. This obviously isn't relevant to my opinion on the studio version, but I think it negatively impacts upon the song's legacy and I'm thankful my favourite U2 songs, e.g. OTH, ASOH, 11OTT, haven't received this treatment.

I do think it gets far too much hype, number 1 song of all time? It's not even in my top 6 from Achtung Baby. That said, I still love the song, I think the obvious and cliched "were one" chorus in countered by the slow subtle endings and the lack of a power ballad guitar solo.
Strangely enough Ax, the only bit you like is the only bit I hate, the "see us coming" bit. Like "we'll shine like stars" from with or without you I think it destroys the understated beauty of the ending.
 
i don't really care for the studio version, but it translates so well into a live song. if we're talking abt live versions (albeit mostly from zoo tv), One is definitely a great song and deserves all the praise it gets!

although if they continue to grind it out on 360 the way they did on the last 2 tours, i'd rather they shelve it completely :|
 
So, I came to the conclusion that in this case I´m NOT :heart: ONE :heart: of you either....

...but I´m not the only ONE ! :wink:




wait...so I´m not a sheep either :shifty:

noononono you got that one wrong! We're the resistance! So you are still a sheep for being mainstreem. We're the emo kids, you're the popular kids. See? We hate one and scream about it like emos cut their wrists for attention. It's all blatantly obvious. :yes:
 
I want someone to start a thread called "Digitize, why do you hate CRUMBS so much?".

:sad:
 
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