Happy 20th birthday, Zooropa!

[The Panther]

I hated it when it came out. Lots of U2 fans hated it. It was reviled.

It's interesting you say that, because that's not at all how I remember it. I suppose it depends on which circles you traveled in. How old are you, if I may ask? As I mentioned, I was 17 back then, and everybody I knew liked this album (including people I knew who didn't normally like U2 and spent their money on Disney-film CD soundtracks). I'm wondering if you are a bit older than me, and perhaps knew 1st-generation fans who didn't like Zooropa.

 

[popacrobat]

I was 6 when Zooropa came out, and I remember my brother and sister (older by 12, 10 years) listened to it on a cassette the day it came out as we all drove to Cape Cod.

aside from loving the album now, that's all I got. Lemon.

 

[U2girl]

different members of U2 have tried to write it off over the years.

No. Pop is the divisive one in the band (and fandom).

 

[wolbersu2]

I was in my mid-twenties when zooropa came out. IT was very well received at that time, also u2-fans loved IT. The album spent several weeks on the no. 1 spot here in Holland. To me it's still one of my favourits. Lemon is a top song, but babyface is the worst song the band ever did in my opinion.

 

[PennyLanePHINS]

Yeah I don't know about writing it off. They always play Stay (acoustic though), and Zooropa made its live return in 2011, better than when they originally tried to play it live. "The First Time" was played many times during the Vertigo tour. I doubt any other songs from it will be played, though "Dirty Day" wouldn't be a total surprise considering "Zooropa" was brought back.

 

[gareth brown]

my favourite album!

 

[Aardvark747]

Midnight...is where the day begins

 

[Vlaco]

Gotta love Zooropa! One of my favourites: artistic, different, colourful.

 

[nielsgov]

Great article on Zooropa.

The Quietus | Features | Anniversary | 20 Years On: U2's Zooropa Revisited

 

[gareth brown]

nice one, another long detailed article on Zooropa?
bookmarked and genuinely looking forward to reading when I get home haha

 

[Von Schloopen]

Spin did one as well:

U2's 'Zooropa' Almost Killed Their Career 20 Years Ago Today | SPIN | Newswire

3 articles about "Zooropa." And one mention of 'Zooropa.'

The song is possibly the band's crowning achievement, and it's gets zip in the press.

Kinda sad.

 

[Von Schloopen]

It's interesting you say that, because that's not at all how I remember it. I suppose it depends on which circles you traveled in. How old are you, if I may ask? As I mentioned, I was 17 back then, and everybody I knew liked this album (including people I knew who didn't normally like U2 and spent their money on Disney-film CD soundtracks). I'm wondering if you are a bit older than me, and perhaps knew 1st-generation fans who didn't like Zooropa.

I'm 53. Which means I was 21 when Zooropa was unleashed.

 

[U2DMfan]

Spin did one as well:

U2's 'Zooropa' Almost Killed Their Career 20 Years Ago Today | SPIN | Newswire
.

What a distorted piece of garbage that article is.

One small example

Here began the Weird Years, the Ironic Years, the Tacky Even for Them Years, the Flirting Awkwardly With Dance Music Years, the Dark Years, and/or the Sucky Years if you look to these guys for meat-and-potatoes guitar-god bombast.

Because ZooTV wasn't already over a year old...

The author also called Lemon "vapid". Thems fightin' words.

 

[The Sad Punk]

I'm getting better at not getting angry about things written by people I've never met, but I don't think I can even stand the sight of a puppy after reading that Spin article.

 

[The Panther]

I thought the article was quite reasonable.

 

[gareth brown]

Spin did one as well:

U2's 'Zooropa' Almost Killed Their Career 20 Years Ago Today | SPIN | Newswire

haha is it me or does Bono look really chunky in this photo

 

[dazzledbylight]

 

[nathan1977]

Was that photo right? Did that tour seriously cost them over half a billion dollars?

 

[BigMacPhisto]

The more music you listen to, the more you can figure if you dig an album or not by fewer and fewer listens. Back when I first got into U2, I mostly had my CD collection and that was about it, so having very little musical memories buried in my brain usually meant it would take a half dozen listens to really connect with an album...

I had purchased a bunch of U2 albums at a target since they were on sale and while I quite liked them all on first listen, Zooropa is the one U2 album that I got immediately. The opener blew me off my seat and felt like what "Zoo Station" should have been and "Lemon"...I mean, jesus fucking christ.

 

[david]

That photo from 93 is funny because 20 years later Bono has Adams haircut.

 

[david]

What song from 2012 ripped off Zooropa's first single? Maybe I read that wrong.

 

[Popmartijn]

What song from 2012 ripped off Zooropa's first single? Maybe I read that wrong.

According to Spin, Numb "has a bass-drone pulse neatly echoed by Muse's recent, uncharacteristically restrained 'Madness.'"

 

[Popmartijn]

Was that photo right? Did that tour seriously cost them over half a billion dollars?

Which photo/tour are you talking about?
The ZooTV Tour (in all its incarnations) never cost that much. Though the band barely broke even in the end, I believe its costs (and revenue) was more in the $150 million ballpark. Which is still a lot of money.

 

[The_Pac_Mule]

Spongebob plays daddy's gonna pay for your crashed car - YouTube

 

[cypress]

Like all great U2 albums (and it is), Zooropa really kinda grows on you with time. AB was also that way with me. Zooropa is definately now in my top 5 U2 albums.

In the early 90's I was an Alternative radio DJ in college and many people thought U2 was too "mainstream" to play there.. but a few of us disagreed and fought to keep their albums in the Alternative stacks for regular airplay. Zooropa is one of the most "alternative" sounding albums I've ever heard.

The title track was amazing live on the 360 tour.. it just seemed to fit right in with the huge mothership stage.

 

[LemonMelon]

Spin did one as well:

U2's 'Zooropa' Almost Killed Their Career 20 Years Ago Today | SPIN | Newswire

3 articles about "Zooropa." And one mention of 'Zooropa.'

The song is possibly the band's crowning achievement, and it's gets zip in the press.

Kinda sad.

The comments section is full of bile towards the author, so that's good.

Have I mentioned this album is amazing?

 

[cobl04]

Have I mentioned anyone who dislikes Some Days Are Better Than Others can go fuck themselves?

I'm sure I have, on many, many occasions.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Some days I can't stand the sight of a Cobbler.

I like it. It's a neat song.

 

[phommel]

And why did nobody mention THE WANDERER yet?

That's an amazing song

 

[The Panther]

I quite like the album. As mentioned, I was 17 when it came out, and at that time I was listening to mostly electronic pop/alternative music, so it fit in well with my then-tastes.

There's no song on it I dislike, but I must say I've always been surprised by how this forum enthuses endlessly over the song, 'Zooropa'. I think it's a cool LP-opener, but nothing very special as U2 songs go.

'Stay' remains the classic track from the album (unexciting as it is, stylistically -- listening to it today, it's the dry-sound of Larry drums that I notice -- a very 90s' production technique!). I also think that 'Stay's lyrics as as perfect as any Bono has written.

This thread has re-kindled my interest in 'Lemon', which I haven't listened to in years. I'm gonna spend some time with that song...