The Mind Blowing Lyrically Vocal Bono

[spanisheyes]

The thought came to me the other day while listening to Electrical Storm, particularly the part where Bono sings...

Let's see colors that have never been seen
Let's go to places no one else has been

that at times Bono's lyrics don't particularly hit me as deep, or open for interpretation because of their simplicity, and yet, the way he interprets them vocally appears to take them to another place lyrically, as well as emotionally for me.

Has anyone else felt that way about a particular lyric of Bono that at first listen doesn't do much for you lyrically, but the emphasis vocally that he puts on a particular line just blows your mind?

For me, it is Kite...

I'm a man
I'm not a child
A man who sees
The shadow behind your eyes

and Red Hill Mining Town...

Hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to

Ahhhhh yes.

Chris

 

[hippy]

Oh yes, Chris. I feel this way all the time, though most of the time I'm pretty impressed with the lyrics also.

The sensation you're describing happens to me most when Bono doesn't use ANY words at all. The power he uses to express emotions without words astounds me.

Some examples:

WOWY, the wailing at the end
Bad, the "hoo-hoos"
Mothers of the Disappeared, when he just wails "o-o-o"
And a million others I can't think of right now...

 

[Bono's shades]

Oh yes, Chris. I feel this way all the time, though most of the time I'm pretty impressed with the lyrics also.

The sensation you're describing happens to me most when Bono doesn't use ANY words at all. The power he uses to express emotions without words astounds me.

Some examples:

WOWY, the wailing at the end
Bad, the "hoo-hoos"
Mothers of the Disappeared, when he just wails "o-o-o"
And a million others I can't think of right now...

Add the wailing in "Running to Stand Still" to that list. He just gives me chills when he does that.

 

[dizzy]

Ooohhh, that part in Craig Armstrong's album's version of "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", during the latter part where Bono sings...

"Stay...with the demons you drowned..."

When he sings demons , he has this pained voice that just kills me everytime. It sounds as if he really sympathizes with the woman in the song, and wants to help her. *sigh*

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Mothers of the Disappeared, when he just wails "o-o-o"

Oh, my gosh...I remember I was listening to that song recently, and when that part of the song came up...I got chills down my spine. That never happened before...but this last time when I listened to that part of the song...my god, that is one of the most haunting parts of a song I think I'll ever hear.

Angela

 

[AvsGirl41]

Oh yes, Chris. I feel this way all the time, though most of the time I'm pretty impressed with the lyrics also.

The sensation you're describing happens to me most when Bono doesn't use ANY words at all. The power he uses to express emotions without words astounds me.

Some examples:

WOWY, the wailing at the end
Bad, the "hoo-hoos"
Mothers of the Disappeared, when he just wails "o-o-o"
And a million others I can't think of right now...

I agree with that completely. Sometimes I think that the most striking bits are when he just vocalizes...but then he sings words and I change my mind. You picked out some of my favorites!

These are songs I love lyrically, but I think another that really gets me is "One" when he sings, very lightly, almost speaks, "Have you come here for forgiveness? Have you come to raise the dead?" It has such sad weariness, then gets angrier when "Have I asked too much? More than alot?" It's almost a monologue to me.

Another is "In a Little While" when he says "whoo-hoo--my how you've grown." And then the little pause "Well it's been...it's been a little while." And the "ooohooo" chorus of that and the "you turn me on" part. And actually, repeated listens got me into this song. When I first heard it, I thought "His voice is too scratchy!" But then I started picking it apart and really got attached to it. The way he sings it, the lyrics become so much more sexually charged than it is by itself.

Elisabeth

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I agree with that completely. Sometimes I think that the most striking bits are when he just vocalizes...but then he sings words and I change my mind. You picked out some of my favorites!

These are songs I love lyrically, but I think another that really gets me is "One" when he sings, very lightly, almost speaks, "Have you come here for forgiveness? Have you come to raise the dead?" It has such sad weariness, then gets angrier when "Have I asked too much? More than alot?" It's almost a monologue to me.

Another is "In a Little While" when he says "whoo-hoo--my how you've grown." And then the little pause "Well it's been...it's been a little while." And the "ooohooo" chorus of that and the "you turn me on" part. And actually, repeated listens got me into this song. When I first heard it, I thought "His voice is too scratchy!" But then I started picking it apart and really got attached to it. The way he sings it, the lyrics become so much more sexually charged than it is by itself.

Elisabeth

Ditto what you said about "One" and "In A Little While" (I think "In A Little While" may be one of my absolute favorite U2 songs. I adore that song).

Angela

 

[Larry's drumstick]

Yoooooooooooooou, All I want is yoooooooouu,

The way he sings the 'you" bit gets me every time!!!!!!!

That and the "o-o-o-ohhhhhh, o-o-o-ooooh" bits at the end of WOWY - the quality, and true passion those parts are sung with say more than any words ever could, and really convey the "feeling" of the song.

Bono is TOPS!!!!!!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Yoooooooooooooou, All I want is yoooooooouu,

The way he sings the 'you" bit gets me every time!!!!!!!

Totally agree with you there.

Angela

 

[Zoocifer]

Alright. Finally got around to this thread.

There's a lot of things that come to my mind when I think of Bono turning a "cliche" line into something amazing.


From WGRYWH:
Come on now, love
Don't you look back!

From Wire:
Such a nice day to throw your life away
Such a nice day - let it go...

From UTEOTW:
Basically the "love love love" parts... Can't live without 'em.

From STATS:
I'm nearly great
But there's something missing

I left it in the duty free area
But you never really belonged to me...

From One:
One life
with eachother
sisters
brothers

From DGPFYCC (Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car):
You've got a head full of traffic

That's all, folks!

-[z]-

 

[hippy]

ooooo

Good ones Zoo

 

[adamswildhoney]

From WGRYWH:
Come on now, love Don't you look back!

That part gets me all the time!


From BAD:

Let it go Now Fade Fade Away!

 

[Zoocifer]

ooooo

Good ones Zoo

Thank ya. Thank ya very much.

-[z]-

 

[Philo_2727]

The line in IGWSHA:

WHERE DO WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO?? where do we go?

The loud one and then the soft one. I it! I always rewind it and listen to it a few times

-Blue

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

The line in IGWSHA:

WHERE DO WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO?? where do we go?

The loud one and then the soft one. I it! I always rewind it and listen to it a few times

-Blue

!

Heh, I just finished listening to that song.

Angela

 

[MiniFly]

[IMO]
In Electrical Storm, he makes up for the coffee lyric with this jem of linguistic genius: "But in my mind, all of the time, I know it's not enough. But if the sky turns black, there must be some way back, to love and only love".

And the particularly ironic bridge of The Fly, "Oh love, we shine like a burning star, falling from the sky, tonight". It's the secret that you tell one other person, and Bono/Fly tells it to his entire audience. Sensual when taken out of context, but really kind of condescending and arrogant if you think about it.

One Tree Hill: "We see the sun set in your eyes". The man melts me with his words. Gah!
[/IMO]