I've always wondered

[Babyface_20]

I've been listening to the Zooropa album a lot lately. I love the songs on it but I've always wondered....I know what the song is about ,but what does the term "Zooropa" mean. For a while I thought it was an italian word because of the way it sounds but i know I am wrong. Does anyone know?

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

Zoo + Europe = Zooropa

 

[one4u2]

One of the Greatest songs ever

 

[annie_vox]

Zoo + Europe = Zooropa

Are you sure about that? I had never heard it before. That's cute...

 

[BVS]

It's an imaginary place where you can dream out loud...

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

Are you sure about that? I had never heard it before. That's cute...

I either read it someplace, or totally made it up.. I have no idea anymore! It sounds good though, doesn't it?

 

[VicksSs]

Yeah, I also figured it must be that, and I've always wondered for a while before that Zoo Europa thing occured to me.

The album contains lots of experimentation with European music but that idea of the media and all that frenzy that leads to the word "zoo" is the main topic of the album, even more than AB

I've also read something like this somewhere, I'm sure, which made me thoroughly convinced of it

 

[Meghan]

Bono made up a country, and because everything out of that era had something to do with 'Zoo' in it, Europe (or Europa) became 'Zooropa.'
This also explains why the Zooropa baby is surrounded by stars that look suspiciously similar to those of the European Union flag.

 

[WalkOn21]

Heh, funny to see that some people actually didn't get it instantly.
In many European countries, Europe is actually spelled Europa, so it's not hard to see the connection.

There is 0% doubt that this is the explanation.

 

[MsGiggles]

It's an imaginary place where you can dream out loud...

...with lots of animals...yeah that's it

 

[Babyface_20]

yeah that probably explains why Bono sings in German in the Beginning of Zooropa. you know..."Zooropa....(um) Fleischenwatchtichme (thats what it sounded like anyway)

 

[Pero]

Forshpilt durh tehnik

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

Vorsprung durch Technik

 

[Pero]

i forgot it's Vorsprung
But in reading is:
Forshprung durh tehnik

 

[VicksSs]

Heh, funny to see that some people actually didn't get it instantly.

Sorry to say, but quite unnecessary

In many European countries, Europe is actually spelled Europa

Yeah well, Europa is "Europe" in Spanish actually

 

[VicksSs]

Bono made up a country, and because everything out of that era had something to do with 'Zoo' in it, Europe (or Europa) became 'Zooropa.'
This also explains why the Zooropa baby is surrounded by stars that look suspiciously similar to those of the European Union flag.

Definitely, yeah

 

[annie_vox]

Yeah well, Europa is "Europe" in Spanish actually [/B]

In portuguese too

 

[VicksSs]

Yeah!!

Should be in latin then also, right??

 

[U2DMfan]

Europa is a play on the European Union, formed as U2 toured ZooTv in 1992.
Europa= a fictitous "state" like Meghan said.

You'll also notice when Bono takes the stage for Zoo Station on the Zooropa leg (check the Sydney video) the European Union flag is on the monitors, then the stars start falling off of it.

 

[aislinn]

Zoo+Europe

I always thought it might have to do with the things that were going on in Europe at the time--collapse of the Soviet Union and all the former Eastern bloc countries trying to form new governments/etc.; the troubles in the former Yugoslavia; "first world" countries adjusting to the former "second world" countries joining Europe; the former East Germany joining the former West Germany; etc.

Dictionary.com:

Zoo: Slang. A place or situation marked by confusion or disorder

 

[WalkOn21]

Europa= a fictitous "state" like Meghan said.

I don't really like you saying that I'm living in a fictitious state.

Maybe you meant 'zooropa'?

 

[U2DMfan]

I don't really like you saying that I'm living in a fictitious state.

Maybe you meant 'zooropa'?

No, silly, certainly not implying that.

Here is what Europa means to most English speaking people:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa

This is the way I always saw it:

When they were doing Zooropa, Bono was reading a lot of William Gibson, who wrote futuristic fiction novels.

Zooropa, the song and the album really is about Europe, technology and mass media. How Europe itself was dissolving into a unified entity (EU) and I think Bono was just talking about the 'future state', maybe the fears of it or whatever. There was a lot of futurism surrounding the album and tour.

That's how I always saw it, it could very well be the actual European version of Europe, 'Europa', and that does make sense, I was just giving my take on it, in fact the only reason I remember thinking that was I remember Bono saying it, but I can't find the quote.

 

[WalkOn21]

Here is what Europa means to most English speaking people:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa

Yeah, most English speaking people are astronomists.

I think it's VERY safe to say that Bono meant Europe and not Jupiter's moon.

 

[JanuaryStar]

Europa is Europe as well in Dutch, so...

 

[JanuaryStar]

...and in German for that matter

 

[WalkOn21]

Should be in latin then also, right??

It is.
http://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa

Actually, on Wikipedia 65 of the 95 languages spell it with an 'a'.

 

[annie_vox]

^^ Really? I had no idea... In fact I preffer the sound of "Europa", maybe because one of those 65 languages is mine

 

[JanuaryStar]

...and I think Bono was just talking about the 'future state', maybe the fears of it or whatever. There was a lot of futurism surrounding the album and tour.

Maybe something like a Utopia? A Utopian state or something?

 

[Babyface_20]

Maybe something like a Utopia? A Utopian state or something?

That is plausible because there is evidence of that in the song- the evidence is in bold :
(from U2.com)
Zooropa
Zooropa... Vorsprung durch Technik
Zooropa... be all that you can be
Be a winner
Eat to get slimmer

Zooropa... a bluer kind of white
Zooropa... it could be yours tonight
We're mild and green
And squeaky clean

Zooropa... better by design
Zooropa... fly the friendly skies
Through appliance of science
We've got that ring of confidence...

And I have no compass
And I have no map
And I have no reasons
No reasons to get back

And I have no religion
And I don't know what's what
And I don't know the limit
The limit of what we've got

Zooropa... Don't worry baby, it'll be alright
Zooropa... You got the right shoes
Zooropa... To get you through the night
Zooropa... It's cold outside, but brightly lit
Zooropa... Skip the subway
Zooropa... Let's go to the overground
Get your head out of the mud baby
Put flowers in the mud baby
Overground

No particular place names
No particular song
I've been hiding
What am I hiding from?

Zooropa... Don't worry baby, it's gonna be alright
Zooropa... Uncertainty... can be a guiding light
Zooropa... I hear voices, ridiculous voices
Zooropa... In the slipstream
Zooropa... Let's go, let's go... overground
Zooropa... Take your head out of the mud baby

She's gonna dream up
The world she wants to live in
She's gonna dream out loud

 

[TheQuiet1]

Zoo+Europe

I always thought it might have to do with the things that were going on in Europe at the time--collapse of the Soviet Union and all the former Eastern bloc countries trying to form new governments/etc.; the troubles in the former Yugoslavia; "first world" countries adjusting to the former "second world" countries joining Europe; the former East Germany joining the former West Germany; etc.

Dictionary.com:

Zoo: Slang. A place or situation marked by confusion or disorder

I like this idea. Although Babyface_20 argues a good case for JanuaryStar's theory too.