New U2 single: Ahimsa

[stesson]

According to u2.com:

Ahead of U2's first ever performance in India, today the band release a new track, 'Ahimsa', a collaboration with legendary composer A.R. Rahman.

https://www.u2.com/news/title/ahimsa/news/

 

[xtrmx]

Yay more generic overproduced songs, they really have lost all inspiration. The Edge quitely doing 'something' on guitar faaaaar away in my top left ear as far away in the mix as possible like the last 2 albums, uninspiring drums, bono autotuned, ugh....

 

[Axver]

Well, that did very little for me except make me wince a couple of times.

 

[zoocarolina]

Good mid tour song, appropriate for their visit to India, almost like a lullaby, don’t see this as any indication for a new album direction, definitely a one off.

 

[prbiker15]

First listen threw me off, went to bed.
2nd listen was better.

Not bad for a one-off track that celebrates the band’s first show in India. Don’t think this is an indication of what’s to come.

Buy hey, a new U2 song!

 

[DeVaul]

It’s an inconsequential 4 minutes bereft of any inspiration BUT I would be glad to see them embrace the one-off digital single approach to these things rather than put them on a proper album. Snake the drain, boys.

I’ve also got a dollar on the “meditation/radio station/sing along“ bit being around since the RedOne days.

 

[pacemaker]

I like it, it’s fine. Via my decent-but-nothing-fancy $50 Audio-Technica cans, I can hear that there’s a lot going on lower in the mix, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a few different mixes of the song for different markets and charts. It’s practically begging for a generic Kygo-esque remix, but I think there’s pretty straight forward mid-tempo rocker in there as well.

It doesn’t hit like Invisible or Ordinary Love, but it’ll do.

 

[BEAL]

Considering the context/meaning of the title, it's fine. I was glad Bono was a bit more in control as I was afraid with the subject manner he'd be screaming LOVE LOVE LOVE STOP THE POVERTY LOVE LOVE SOUL SOUL

Instead he wrote a little lullaby

 

[DeVaul]

Oh yeah. Kygo remix would be great...
https://i.makeagif.com/media/11-22-2019/jVbgbf.gif

 

[Maroon Bells]

It's shocking that a band 40 years on is still writing stuff like this.

Great spirit, meaning. Lovely chanting girl vocals at the beginning and end that, to me anyway, sound a little more African than Indian. Really like the "In a Little While" acoustic guitar throughout, even some Kygo-like auto tuned vocal chopping and swirling toward the end. Beautiful.

 

[prbiker15]

Oh yeah. Kygo remix would be great...
https://i.makeagif.com/media/11-22-2019/jVbgbf.gif

Never forget.

 

[allaras]

Meh

 

[The John Tree]

Definition of "eh."

The worst part is that I feel like the verse melody could actually have been turned into something melancholy and worthwhile. But, alas.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Listened to it a few times.

It has some nice moments but the lyrics are repetitive and the chorus has a very anti climatic feel to (I thought the song was going to take off but it just goes flat).

It’s not a bad song but definitely not a “good” one either...very mediocre(put it just under Ordinary Love for me).

Oh a side note, has anyone heard from The Edge? Dude has been missing since 2009.

 

[DeVaul]

Made punk rock on Venus, is still there.

 

[rennowba]

Number 3 on the Indian iTunes chart so it’s doing its job

 

[lazarus]

Ordinary Love has some awful lyrics and a perfect example of Bono stuffing too many syllables in the lines of the verses. It has more energy but that doesn’t matter to me when these other issues are there.

As far as post-2000 non-album singles go, I’ll take Ahimsa over that, the overcooked Beatles wankery of Window in the Sky, and the Oasis wankery of Electrical Storm (any version).

It’s a far cry from Invisible or The Ground Beneath Her Feet, though.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Ordinary Love has some awful lyrics and a perfect example of Bono stuffing too many syllables in the lines of the verses. It has more energy but that doesn’t matter to me when these other issues are there.

As far as post-2000 non-album singles go, I’ll take Ahimsa over that, the overcooked Beatles wankery of Window in the Sky, and the Oasis wankery of Electrical Storm (any version).

It’s a far cry from Invisible or The Ground Beneath Her Feet, though.

I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority here but I loved Window in the Sky, it was just a fun song and wished it were on HTDAAB.

Electrical Storm....it’s a solid tune but those lyrics were dodgy in most parts one could argue they were as heavy as a dodge truck)

Invisible is a beautiful song that should have opened SOI

I should say that I will listen to this song more and my opinion may very well change and I hope it does.

I’ve felt a disconnect of sorts from U2 since the promo tour of SOE where I don’t have too high of expectation for them and I’m hoping they can surprise me again some day (although I do love The Blackout)

 

[super fly guy]

Listened to it a few times today and it has grown on me,could do with being a bit longer I think (that's what she said). Found myself belting the chorus out on the drive home from work!

 

[CosmoKramer]

listened to it a few times today and it has grown on me,could do with being a bit longer i think (that's what she said). Found myself belting the chorus out on the drive home from work!

 

[zoocarolina]

I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority here but I loved Window in the Sky, it was just a fun song and wished it were on HTDAAB.

Electrical Storm....it’s a solid tune but those lyrics were dodgy in most parts one could argue they were as heavy as a dodge truck)

Invisible is a beautiful song that should have opened SOI

I should say that I will listen to this song more and my opinion may very well change and I hope it does.

I’ve felt a disconnect of sorts from U2 since the promo tour of SOE where I don’t have too high of expectation for them and I’m hoping they can surprise me again some day (although I do love The Blackout)

Invisible is a highly underrated song and would have been a great opener to SOI followed by The Miracle

 

[lazarus]

This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now —> Invisible

 

[The John Tree]

Man, Invisible (full version) should have really lead off SoI. Drop The Miracle and replace it with Invisible.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Man, Invisible (full version) should have really lead off SoI. Drop The Miracle and replace it with Invisible.

That’s key too...full version to lead the album and not the edit (makes for a nice build too)

 

[ChurchBay]

What I really miss from U2 these days (aside from notable guitar work) is Edge's unique backing vocals. They crop up here and there (Red Flag Daaay) but there was a time when most their songs were just drenched in those atmospheric ghostly drones. I was listening to Zooropa again recently and I just love his contributions vocally throughout that album. The Wanderer, with all it's 'aaaahhhhh' 'oooooohhhh' is just sublime.

 

[saad]

Yeah, not into this song at all. Seems like they decided to promote their India concert by teaming up with one of the biggest musicians there.

Gone are the days of Ground Beneath Her Feet, Electrical Storm, etc.

 

[BVS]

I was listening to Zooropa again recently and I just love his contributions vocally throughout that album. The Wanderer, with all it's 'aaaahhhhh' 'oooooohhhh' is just sublime.

I’m pretty sure those were Bono?

 

[lazarus]

I'm never quite sure; it sounds a little deeper than Edge usually is. But if we're going by the liner notes, it only lists Edge and Larry on backing vocals.

 

[tommycharles]

I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority here but I loved Window in the Sky, it was just a fun song and wished it were on HTDAAB.

It's a minority of at least two in that case, I really like Window in the Skies. Great melody, lyrics, video... it's a shame they didn't give it more than two or three attempts live.

 

[LemonMelon]

Edge just tours and cashes checks at this point. Considering he was long my favorite element of the band's sound, performances like the one on this new track and so much of SOE leaves me with little to enjoy as a fan.