Do you see U2 ever releasing another single as big as Beautiful Day?

[Canadiens1131]

Reading that shitshow thread that's ballooned into way too many pages to digest...I was wondering what you guys think.

I'm a huge fan, but in the back of my head I have quietly shuffled U2 into the "legacy rock and rollers" deck of cards without realizing it. Upon a little reflection, I realized that I don't see them ever pulling out another big single like their current live staples.

So the big question: Do you see the band ever delivering another singularly universal, commercially successful, just plain MASSIVE single like Beautiful Day in the remainder of their career?

I honestly couldn't care less. I wish they'd make great, long, multi-layered albums like NLOTH until they finally hang up their gear. I know I might be in the minority here though, and many people still hold out hope that they will.

The thing I realize is that I don't really care about U2 as popular artists anymore. That is to say, commercial success and critical acclaim have faded in importance in my mind in favour of keeping the band close as if they're something I want to cherish as a personal kind of thing. I don't really care if 17-year olds like them anymore.

 

[Niceman]

I don't see why not.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I know it's not the answer to your question, but they basically did...and it was called "Vertigo."

"Beautiful Day" was a big song and a huge critical success, but that "uno, dos, tres, catorce" song also crossed over into the pop culture impact zone. (Sure the commercial helped, but it was also a damn infectious single.)

If they can come up with a big hit in '04, hell, why can't they come up with a big hit in 2012? The art of songwriting is very complicated and often very, very spontaneous. You never know if they'll be in the studio some day, fuckin' around, and Bono comes up with a sure-fire hit melody. On that same point, it almost seems at times like it's a crapshoot when talking about what will become a "hit" song.

The world of hit pop singles (at least in America) is very fickle, and it can have a lot to do with timing. Or subject matter. Or exposure, of course.

Having said all of the above, it would be tough for them to get another one.

"Crazy Tonight" is a very catchy and very radio-friendly song and it was meticulously constructed to be a radio hit, but it didn't come close to being a big one like "Beautiful Day" or "Vertigo." It just didn't have that certain something. So, I guess my final point is that the "hit single" is not something that can be easily defined. It is a bit of luck mixed with timing mixed with promotion mixed with trendiness, mixed with etc. etc. etc.....

 

[LemonMelon]

Yeah, like GAF said, it's something they can't formulate, and if they attempt to do so, they ultimately embarrass themselves. Beautiful Day was the perfect song to fire them back into the public eye: a extroverted message, musical summation of U2's anthemic Joshua Tree sound (along with slick modern production), and a great hook that combined to create a classic late-career smash. And Vertigo was just too idiotic not to be massive.

It just seems to be in U2's best interest at this point to eschew bids for pop superstardom and instead write music they enjoy. In spite of Beautiful Day's assets as a pop single, the song never would have taken off nearly as triumphantly in any other period of the group's existence; most of the attributes of Beautiful Day I described above could also suit Crazy Tonight, and that song never got off the ground. There's more to a smash single than craft, especially for a band in U2's position.

My final response, then, is "maybe, but who really gives a shit?"

 

[lemonfly]

They can have another Beautiful Day if they pillage another a-ha song. Wasn't BD basically lifted from The Sun Always Shines On TV?<p>Seriously though, I'd be far happier if they deliver another single like The Fly than BD. Maybe that's what they need more now. A single that chews up everyone's preconceptions of U2, one more rebirth. If they can pull THAT off, they will replace The Rolling Stones as the second greatest band in history.

 

[An Cat Gav]

They can have another Beautiful Day if they pillage another a-ha song. Wasn't BD basically lifted from The Sun Always Shines On TV?<p>Seriously though, I'd be far happier if they deliver another single like The Fly than BD. Maybe that's what they need more now. A single that chews up everyone's preconceptions of U2, one more rebirth. If they can pull THAT off, they will replace The Rolling Stones as the second greatest band in history.

I agree regarding The Fly, unfortunately I think they tried on the last album with Get on Your Boots....But sure I think they can have another hit again like BD, but like Canadiens said I don't care if they do, I also would prefer more multi layered beautiful albums which I know they still have in them.

 

[U2girl]

No.

But they can go more along the lines of a "single" like WOWY or One or MOS: the slow ones that cross over into the mainstream.

 

[Popmartijn]

No.

But they can go more along the lines of a "single" like WOWY or One

Those two were also massive hits. So you contradict your first answer. Because if they can release (and have success) with singles like WOWY or One, that means they still can have a massive, universal hit in them.

 

[Rachel D.]

I think they can still make popular singles. What I'm concerned about is that U2 will get discouraged if they don't have another big, popular single. They seem to care a lot about that. I know they're not likely to just give up, but they might start trying a little too hard to be hip, and that's when things could get cringeworthy.

 

[LemonMelon]

No.

But they can go more along the lines of a "single" like WOWY or One or MOS: the slow ones that cross over into the mainstream.

So they won't have a fairly huge hit like BD, but they will have an absolutely massive hit (WOWY is their biggest US chart hit). OK.

 

[Niceman]

So they won't have a fairly huge hit like BD, but they will have an absolutely massive hit (WOWY is their biggest US chart hit). OK.

ROCK ON!!!!

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Moody songs don't really cross over now, at least not as 'hits'. When was the last time you ever heard anything remotely moody or melancholic on 'Top 40' radio? You only will if it's some over the top, overly emotive, punching you in the face kind of anthemic ballad thing, based around some simpleton teenage thing. Early 90s radio was loaded with it though. 'One' did well then, wouldn't cause a ripple on that front now.

Yeah, like GAF said, it's something they can't formulate, and if they attempt to do so, they ultimately embarrass themselves. Beautiful Day was the perfect song to fire them back into the public eye: a extroverted message, musical summation of U2's anthemic Joshua Tree sound (along with slick modern production), and a great hook that combined to create a classic late-career smash. And Vertigo was just too idiotic not to be massive.

It just seems to be in U2's best interest at this point to eschew bids for pop superstardom and instead write music they enjoy. In spite of Beautiful Day's assets as a pop single, the song never would have taken off nearly as triumphantly in any other period of the group's existence; most of the attributes of Beautiful Day I described above could also suit Crazy Tonight, and that song never got off the ground. There's more to a smash single than craft, especially for a band in U2's position.

My final response, then, is "maybe, but who really gives a shit?"

Fuck it, I say.

 

[patternshirt170]

I'd say, not likely, as the chart has changed so much since the end of the Vertigo phase...

I know this site is pretty US-centric when it come to chart positions, but the band had six Top 10 singles between Vertigo and Window in the UK over 2 years inc 2 #1s... Three years later the whole music industry has changed and all they muster is a solitary #12 and then two non Top 30 positions and no doubt an aborted 'fourth' single, that's the same timeline between Walk On 2001 and Vertigo 2004...

The days of [excuse me] 4, 5 middle aged guys rocking and troubling the facade that is Perry, Will.iam, Rihanna and their unfortunate ilk are pretty much gone... still it's not U2 tix whored out for a third off on Groupon, eh Bwitney, Riri eh?

 

[U2girl]

So they won't have a fairly huge hit like BD, but they will have an absolutely massive hit (WOWY is their biggest US chart hit). OK.

BD or Vertigo are very different in their approach. They don't exactly "whisper their way into the world" as WOWY has been described. They have a strong, booming, chorus (and riff in Vertigo's case).

U2 has a chance with another slow ballad, not a "let it rip" in your face approach.

And WOWY and I still haven't found were both no. 1 singles in US.

 

[nirniva]

U2 has a chance with another slow ballad, not a "let it rip" in your face approach.

Every Breaking Wave, perhaps? I know it was originally intended for SOA, but I remember an interview back in the day where McGuinness said it had the potential to be a hit.

 

[popacrobat]

at this point I think if U2 doesn't try to make a hit - they will. you can argue that Vertigo is manufactured all you want, but it sounds fresh. it doesn't sound muddled and it doesn't really feel like they spent eight years overcooking it. the same goes for beautiful day.

it's U2, so they always have the potential to reach a really wide audience. I just don't think they can go into the studio and say, "ok, we need to have this for a melody, this for a middle 8, and we need this certain lyric here in order for this to be BIG BIG BIG." I think it's something that could just come to them, and boom, back with a top 40 single that has staying power.

that said, given the state of the US Billboard hot 100, i wouldn't bet on it. would I like to see them have another huge song on the radio? sure, why not. I don't really care though, as long as I like whatever the next song is/next album is.

 

[gherman]

Best song of the 80's = Where the Streets Have No Name or With or Without You
Best song of the 90's = One
Best song of the 00's = Beautiful Day
Best song of the 11+ = Plenty of time for this

 

[gvox]

u2Girl may have her first good point in a very long while..

Maybe a WOWY. Not a Vertigo.

At this point, I don't really give a fuck. Why, just so I can have friends go "ehhhh boy, you're band has a new hit huh? aren't they like, 70 or something? hahahaaha.. who woulda thunk it?".

Fuck them.

 

[Rachel D.]

Generally speaking, the songs that do well on the radio in America are either ballads or something upbeat that people can sing along to and gets stuck in your head all day. I think that's what the problem was with Boots: it was neither of those things. Instead of saying something happy like "It's a beautiful dayyy!" or having something silly like "Hello Hello, hola!" Boots mentions bombs and Satan and has "old guys" singing about sexy boots. Not to mention the slightly creepy and grotesque music video that went with it and the fact that it sounds a little too much like "Vertigo" on first impression (although I know some people will disagree with that). All of those things don't exactly add up to a hit on American Top 40.

 

[nielsgov]

It's possible but probably very difficult. And like some others have said, I don't care. Just make some good albums.

 

[Dfit00]

Moby once discussed the goal of creating music either for lucrative purposes or for the artistic or creative approach into your audience; he gives an example of how he does music to reach out to his audience either emotionally or intellectually, while not really caring about commercial success, record sales, profits, royalties, or fame.

Of course, it is really easy for a bald guy like him with $30 million to say that very easily, as would it be for any other artist who already had success. In the case of U2, they are capable and willing to do another massive hit and win more millions and more popularity, but they don't really have the necessity of doing so. Who knows if they don't care about money anymore and want to reach their fans emotionally and intellectually as well?

‪Moby - The Goal is Beauty (Interview)‬‏ - YouTube

 

[Saracene]

I'd say it's highly unlikely, considering their age and the fact that rock music in general is hardly setting the charts alight at the moment. But who knows?