Ordinary Love Discussion (Part 2)

[iron yuppie]

Bono's writing continues to improve.

Yes it does. An excellent piece from him, especially in the final few paragraphs.

 

[Galeongirl]

it's available on itunes as an individual track right now

Ah that explains a lot!

 

[nesquick]

The lyrics of Sometimes You Can't Make It.. were so personnal that i felt very inconfortable listenning to the song at the time.

 

[digitize]

Thing I can see happening soon: Nelson Mandela tribute concern in a large London stadium in which U2 play Pride, One, Ordinary Love, and possibly Breathe.

 

[Nick66]

Thing I can see happening soon: Nelson Mandela tribute concern in a large London stadium in which U2 play Pride, One, Ordinary Love, and possibly Breathe.

No Silver & Gold?

Yeah, yeah, I know. Wouldn't strike quite the right note these days.

 

[mikal]

I don't like Bono's lyrics in that piece he wrote.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I don't like Bono's lyrics in that piece he wrote.

he wrote better articles in the 90s

 

[Galeongirl]

Thing I can see happening soon: Nelson Mandela tribute concern in a large London stadium in which U2 play Pride, One, Ordinary Love, and possibly Breathe.

You may be on the right track with that... I would assume OL, Pride and Breathe are a given. Perhaps Streets instead of One with the African flags and hymns he did on Vertigo Tour?

 

[Montrose]

I don't like Bono's lyrics in that piece he wrote.

They broke with the melody and rhyme scheme several times. After all these years, he could do better.

 

[last unicorn]

he wrote better articles in the 90s

He wrote articles in the 90s?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[Axver]

Thing I can see happening soon: Nelson Mandela tribute concern in a large London stadium in which U2 play Pride, One, Ordinary Love, and possibly Breathe.

Don't forget 46664 (Long Walk to Freedom).

 

[Von Schloopen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MSo2gTdXnU

 

[RoKKeR]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MSo2gTdXnU

There is something that just makes me laugh about that video. In a charming way, haha. They're both just standing there having a grand old time, singin', strummin', I don't know why but it just makes me laugh.

 

[Von Schloopen]

Me too.

 

[loudreamer]

Ordinary Love is a grower.
On my first listen I thought "of course, another one of those bland 00's kind of songs".
It confirmed my expectations for this song, knowing that they wouldn't release something extraordinary for a film and instead save it for the new album, all the more if they have to save the shock of a truly extraordinary song for the first single of the new album to catch the attention of non-u2-fans.
On the second hearing of the song my opinion started to change, and I had read Desmon Tutu's inspirational phrase for the song to try to get a better understanding of the lyric.
For the third hearing, I sat in front of my pc, alone at night, with headphones, and watched for the first time the video. And I was moved. That night I watched the video and heard the song several times.
I now think this song is something really special. Above their film songs (with the exception of The Ground Beneath Her Feet and Hold Me, Thrill Me... of course, as those songs weren't written specifically for a movie and have the U2 spark in them.)
I think the lyrics of this song, specifically the chorus, carry a HUGE meaning, a profound message. It moves me in a serious way.
Just wanted to share this with you guys.

 

[mikal]

Ordinary Love is a grower.
On my first listen I thought "of course, another one of those bland 00's kind of songs".
It confirmed my expectations for this song, knowing that they wouldn't release something extraordinary for a film and instead save it for the new album, all the more if they have to save the shock of a truly extraordinary song for the first single of the new album to catch the attention of non-u2-fans.
On the second hearing of the song my opinion started to change, and I had read Desmon Tutu's inspirational phrase for the song to try to get a better understanding of the lyric.
For the third hearing, I sat in front of my pc, alone at night, with headphones, and watched for the first time the video. And I was moved. That night I watched the video and heard the song several times.
I now think this song is something really special. Above their film songs (with the exception of The Ground Beneath Her Feet and Hold Me, Thrill Me... of course, as those songs weren't written specifically for a movie and have the U2 spark in them.)
I think the lyrics of this song, specifically the chorus, carry a HUGE meaning, a profound message. It moves me in a serious way.
Just wanted to share this with you guys.

 

[Irvine511]

I had originally though the lyrics were mostly about Mandela's marriage, how if you can't get the day-to-day right (the ordinary love) the extraordinary becomes impossible.

As I've listened to the news about NM's death, more has occurred to me.

But instead of Nelson and Winnie, literally just think of the two people in the song as black South Africans and White South Africans. Finally living together after apartaid ... It's hard to to. How do you deal with such a monstrous past?

You do what Mandela did. You forgive. You bring enemies together. You know you must in order To coexist. To live the ordinary love. The great promise of South Africa, the Rainbow Nation, was peaceful racial coexistence after decades of oppressive rule. That's only achieved through ordinary love. Day in and day out, loving your neighbor as yourself. Seeing the you in me and the me in you.

And given the violent state of SA society, it's something everyone needs a lot more of.

 

[Galeongirl]

That's pretty damn deep Irvine.

Funnily enough Ordinary Love is playing on the radio right now. It entered the charts on 13 here today.

 

[last unicorn]

There's an article in the LA times with quotes from an interview Bono and Edge did as part of the movie/soundtrack promotion. It's interesting that the song was inspired by love letters between Nelson Mandela and Winnie:

In interview, Bono cites Nelson Mandela's wit, restraint - latimes.com

 

[Irvine511]

In interview, Bono cites Nelson Mandela's wit, restraint - latimes.com

I swear I didn't read this, but right on:

As for the song, which is inspired in part by love letters between Madiba and Winnie (more on that in a separate story), Bono said that he intended it to work on both the level of their marriage and the level of white-black relations in South Africa.

 

[Galeongirl]

Now THAT is pretty damn impressive mate.

 

[Yahweh]

Ordinary Love
#1 Argentina
#1 Czech Republic
#1 Italy
#1 Luxembourg
#1 Portugal
#2 Poland
#3 Netherlands
#3 Sweden
#4 Hungary
#5 Spain
#6 Estonia
#7 Venezuela
#9 Bolivia
#9 Slovakia
#10 Ireland
#12 Belgium
#13 South Africa
#14 France
#21 Denmark
#22 Canada
#30 Norway
#31 Finland
#31 Mexico
#32 Brazil
#34 El Salvador
#37 Ecuador
#37 Papua New Guinea
#43 Slovenia
#48 Indonesia
#51 Austria
#53 Chile
#56 Paraguay
#61 Germany
#67 United Kingdom
#67 Colombia
#68 New Zealand
#70 Australia
#70 Latvia
#94 Bulgaria
#96 Barbados
#137 Oman
#138 Ukraine
#151 Malta
#152 Mozambique
#160 Guatemala
#161 Turkey
#162 Peru
#164 Egypt
#166 United States
#168 Romania
#177 Israel
#207 Honduras
#274 Costa Rica
#285 Panama
#287 Hong Kong
#374 Cyprus

As of todays Itunes charts - here is how the song is doing currently - take what you want from this but I think overall its doing pretty well.

 

[mikal]

Oh wow. Yeah never thought this would go #1 in a couple countries.

 

[digitize]

My dad texted me earlier today to tell me that he had heard the song and liked it. That's a sign that it has legs.

 

[Danny Boy]

WTF, Cyprus?

 

[prbiker15]

#22 in Canada, but #166 in the United States. Interesting.

 

[mikal]

#22 in Canada, but #166 in the United States. Interesting.

It's not rising the charts in America because of the magic marker line.

 

[dan_smee]

Just did my bit to help in Aus - already had the song, but downloaded it and the video.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

It's not rising the charts in America because of the magic marker line.

Needs a more "I wanna fuck this bitch up" type of lyric