Love is Blindness

[JTRevelator15]

Curious to hear some interpretations of this tune... It's obvious that the idea behind the song is that Love is Blindness, but I honestly keep coming up short as to what that might mean. I think about it in the context of the themes on Achtung Baby and with the fact that it's the final song on the album, and I sort of view it as a "Fuck it, who the fuck knows when it comes to love?" throwing up of the hands and walking away after considerations of fidelity versus infidelity.

That's just my stream of consciousness, though... What are others' thoughts?

 

[impy13]

Um, isn't it regarding terrorism?

 

[Meghan]

^ That's how I see it.

It's kind of saying that when you're in love, with anything (for instance, religion is a popular choice) you loose sight of everything else, like the well-being of your fellow man.

Love is blindness,
I don't wanna see
A terrorist believes what they believe, and it is near impossible to change their minds.

In a parked car,
In a crowded street
You see your love made complete
These are the lines that makes me feel sick. I don't think I have to explain them.

A little death without mourning
No call and no warning
A terrorist will not grieve the deaths of their victims.



However, like most U2 songs, (and songs by other bands as well) Love Is Blindness can be interpreted in other ways. It could be about a break up, where the character is still in love with his partner.

I'm sure there are other plausible ways to interpret it, but just go with whichever makes most sense/means the most to you.

 

[Tilli]

A little death without mourning
No call and no warning
A terrorist will not grieve the deaths of their victims.
However, like most U2 songs, (and songs by other bands as well) Love Is Blindness can be interpreted in other ways. It could be about a break up, where the character is still in love with his partner.
'm sure there are other plausible ways to interpret it, but just go with whichever makes most sense/means the most to you.

I'd always seen this song as about a person being in so in love with someone that they dont want to see the truth or their faults "I don't want to see, Won't you wrap the night around me."


I'd never thought of the lyrics to this song in terms of terrorism, but I have just gone back to listen to it and it makes sense.
It is quite a powerful song to talk about terrorism and then talk about love - you usually equate terrorism with hate not love.

 

[chickadee]

The thing is the song can be either way interpreted. In the context of the album it's very much a twisted love song, it's so dark and right down there, I can't listen to it if my mood's too low. After the rest of the album when the guy's cheated and tried to find his way back, that's the result. Who knows? They don't know. Nothing's really resolved.

 

[Loz]

I read that it was about the edge and his wife getting divorced, and love is blindess is about that, i'm sure that's what i read

 

[chickadee]

The whole album's partly influenced by Edge's break-up, I think, although they're always a bit hesitant to actually solidly say it. But Bono says in his book about how Edge was so full of anger, playing that song.

 

[Loz]

yeah that's where i read it, so I just assumed that was like the one that really got to him and that

 

[JTRevelator15]

The terrorism thing makes sense - I had never thought of it in those terms. It fits nicely into Bono's persistent theme of how ideas should never be valued before individuals.

The only reason I'd prefer the "love" interpretation is that you always hear Achtung, Baby referred to as a catalogue of a relationship in which there is a straying man. In the context of the album, the connection to Edge's marriage makes a little more sense... But then conversely, I'm also hesitant to confine the song or the album to any one message, chronology, or storyboard.

In any case, thanks for your interpretations.

 

[LMP]

I can totally relate to this song

I feel this is the ultimatum of the album too, you either accept the faults of ur lover and live with it for the rest of ur life or you leave to pursue other things

Makes perfect sense that the same "character" from Achtung left at the end of Love is Blindness and ventured out throughout Zooropa, IMO

 

[chickadee]

The only reason I'd prefer the "love" interpretation is that you always hear Achtung, Baby referred to as a catalogue of a relationship in which there is a straying man. In the context of the album, the connection to Edge's marriage makes a little more sense... But then conversely, I'm also hesitant to confine the song or the album to any one message, chronology, or storyboard.

I prefer that interpretation too, for those very reasons. But I agree with the last bit of what you said there as well - therein lies the beauty and greatness of AB. It's open to other ideas.

 

[Meghan]

All of my favourite songs are the ones that mean different things to me depending on what mood I'm in. Love is Blindness is a perfect example of one of those songs.

 

[The Disciple]

Check out my interpretation (a very long one, at that...)

http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?threadid=137588

 

[bono_gal]

^ That's how I see it.

It's kind of saying that when you're in love, with anything (for instance, religion is a popular choice) you loose sight of everything else, like the well-being of your fellow man.

Love is blindness,
I don't wanna see
A terrorist believes what they believe, and it is near impossible to change their minds.

In a parked car,
In a crowded street
You see your love made complete
These are the lines that makes me feel sick. I don't think I have to explain them.

A little death without mourning
No call and no warning
A terrorist will not grieve the deaths of their victims.



However, like most U2 songs, (and songs by other bands as well) Love Is Blindness can be interpreted in other ways. It could be about a break up, where the character is still in love with his partner.

I'm sure there are other plausible ways to interpret it, but just go with whichever makes most sense/means the most to you.

When you read the lyrics like that and think about them as if the song is about terrorism, you see how chilling it really is.


Antoher line like that is...

Baby, a dangerous idea....that almost makes sense


That gives off the same idea of terrorism.

Terrorism is a dangerous idea, but to the terrorist...it almost makes sense.

 

[MsMofoGone]

The whole album's partly influenced by Edge's break-up

Yeah, particularly the song "So Cruel" as Bono wrote that song because he understood what Edge was going through with his wife Aislinn at the time.

 

[VertigoGal]

I agree with bono_gal and Meghan. Just wanted to add that if the song is about the IRA in particular, the line about "no call/no warning" could be referring to how they sometimes gave "warning calls." Many other terrorist organisations have done this too I think. However, in the incident described in the song, there was no warning call.

 

[bono_gal]

I agree with bono_gal and Meghan. Just wanted to add that if the song is about the IRA in particular, the line about "no call/no warning" could be referring to how they sometimes gave "warning calls." Many other terrorist organisations have done this too I think. However, in the incident described in the song, there was no warning call.

Yeah, there are *warning calls* with some terrorist acts.


Usually if there is a warning call, its some sort of cryptic message.

Also...if it's something like Al-Qaeda...it will appear of the screens of their TV's

 

[VertigoGal]

right. I think warning calls are also given if the group isn't *necessarily* trying to cause as much death as possible, just a lot of destruction...sort of send a message.

 

[bono_gal]

right. I think warning calls are also given if the group isn't *necessarily* trying to cause as much death as possible, just a lot of destruction...sort of send a message.

Sometimes theyre warning calls to say that, if you dont do what we want then we *will* cause as much death as possible.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Love Is Blindness is simply that, being blinded by love. It's that love is not always flowers and puppy dogs. Love can be cold and dark and awful and depressing. It's not just about terrorism, not at all. It's about surrounding yourself in the darkness of a blinded love, taking in all of that, regardless of the pain and hurt. You are blinded by your love of country, love of your religion, love of a person, to the point where it only causes that pain and hurt, either to you or others. Not all the lyrics are relating to terrorism, and none of them have to specificaly at all. It's a general song, and lends itself to many situations. You can't see or feel anything except for the twisted love you have for whatever subject it is you wish to project on the song - and it's bringing a lot of pain.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

In a parked car,
In a crowded street
You see your love made complete
These are the lines that makes me feel sick. I don't think I have to explain them.

I don't understand what is trying to be said by this line in particular. I think I know it's about how you see your significant other cheating in a pakred car in a rowded street but I'm not really sure if that's what he means.

Can anyone explain this?

 

[Joshua87]

I don't understand what is trying to be said by this line in particular. I think I know it's about how you see your significant other cheating in a pakred car in a rowded street but I'm not really sure if that's what he means.

Can anyone explain this?

It makes more sense as a reference to terrorism

 

[Meghan]

I don't understand what is trying to be said by this line in particular. I think I know it's about how you see your significant other cheating in a pakred car in a rowded street but I'm not really sure if that's what he means.

Can anyone explain this?

Car bombs kill lots of people in crowded streets.