Bono's Lyrics

[Varitek]

I think you are right about this. However, I personally feel the lyrics of late have not done it very well or creatively.

Also, many of the lyrics are not very direct at all. They are just plain stupid.

"Soul in it's strip-tease"??? That's not direct. You can try to guess what he is talking about but it doesn't even make sense. And it sounds stupid.

Please remember that this is the man who wrote lyrics such as these:

.....

The list really goes on and on. I don't understand how people could not be disappointed with U2s recent output lyrically.

THANK YOU. Really sums up the way feel, especially about WITS. There are perhaps more duds on ATYCLB and HTDAAB than in the past, but WITS really disapointed me. I'm hoping the next album picks it up a bit, but I'm not holding my breath. and THANK YOU for being the first person on here to feel as strongly as I do about the dumbness of "soul in its strip tease."

 

[ozeeko]

The soul in its strip tease line isn't a terrible lyric by any means. It's just out of the place in that song. Doesn't fit with the melody or the mood. If the line was featured in a slow grinding industrial titty-bar song, it would totally kill!

 

[Zoots]

If the line was featured in a slow grinding industrial titty-bar song, it would totally kill!

! Like something from NIN?

 

[ozeeko]

! Like something from NIN?

EXACTLY!

 

[Varitek]

! Like something from NIN?

Alright I'll give you that.

But I thought this was a U2 song?

 

[tlt29]

Maybe...

like I said, you can only guess what he is saying, and any way you work it out, it still sounds lame to my ears.

Well, since you're a "songwriter", maybe you should rework the lyric...come up with something a little better?

Do you have any work I should be familiar with?

 

[tlt29]

Please everyone...one thing to keep in mind about WITS and the new album-in-progress:

WITS should probably not be taken as a sign of what's to come lyrically or musically on the next album. This is a throwaway tune...a carrot thrown out to us rabid fans on a compilation to hold us over until the real stuff comes through.

 

[Hoodlem]

Well, since you're a "songwriter", maybe you should rework the lyric...come up with something a little better?

Do you have any work I should be familiar with?

"Soul in its strip-tease" just does not flow well off of the tongue and is awkward to sing or even say. This line would be a million times better if it was even just phrased differently. Maybe "Strip-tease of the soul" or something along those lines. Of course that would not rhyme or fit in the song so we would have to make other changes as well. Also the rhyming scheme of this song is an odd one. It goes: AAAA Chorus BBBB Chorus. I think it would be better with this structure: ABAB Chorus CDCD. Does that make sense?

Anyway, those a re just a couple of suggestions for starters.

As for my own songwriting, everyone should be familiar with it (IMO of course! ). If you would like, you can go HERE to listen to all of my songs. My lyrics are certainly not perfect by any means but I also do not get played worldwide on the radio or claim to be the "best band in the world."

I suggest listening to the following:
- By and By
- Road Less Traveled
- Keep It Safe
- Lyla In the Middle
- That Night Back in June
- Now I understand
- I Did All That I Could

If you do actually listen to my music, let me know what you think.

 

[shart1780]

U2's lyrics lately suck. There is no poetry in them anymore. The lyrics in Achtung Baby were beautiful, clever, interesting, witty and full of depth.

A couple of my favorites:

In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows, they learned to swim
Sorrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Waves of regret and waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You, you said you'd wait until the end of the world


It's no secret that a concious can sometimes be a pest
It's no secret that ambition bites the nails of success
They say a secret is something you tell one other person
So I'm telling you, child

Love, you shine like a burning star
We're falling from the sky tonight
A man will rise, a man will fall
From the sheer face of love like a fly on the wall
It's no secret at all


Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes you can feel the enemy
When I first met you girl, you had fire in your soul
What happened to your face of melting in snow?
Now it looks like this

And you can swallow, or you can spit
You can throw it up, or choke on it
And you can dream, so dream out loud
You know that your time is coming round
So don't let the bastards grind you down


Desperation is a tender trap
It gets you every time
You put your lips to her lips to stop the lies
Her skin is pale like God's only dove
Screams like an angel for your love
Then she makes you watch her from above
And you need her like a drug


If you think the WITS lyrics do anything close to even touching those I grieve for you poor, poor soul.

 

[Hoodlem]

If you think the WITS lyrics do anything close to even touching those I grieve for you poor, poor soul.

YES

 

[ozeeko]

I think Bono's writing a little too October-like. Trying to say huge universal things in a huge universal way. He's much better when he's making the universal messages personal, like he did on their classic albums. The more I listen to WITS, the more I get the impression his lyrics are shamelessly compaigning for his Africa cause. He said it himself: he's go no shame.

 

[david]

soul in a strip tease = a soul that is baring it all.

 

[blueyedpoet]

soul in a strip tease = a soul that is baring it all.

Sadly, I can report that teases do not usually involve baring it all.


I'm just saying, I think the band should force Bono to go off by himself and write lyrics in a different room....or improvise. I tend to like his improvisation (sure some of it is going to not be great). I don't like the idea of Larry (conventional in many ways) having a big say in lyrics.

 

[Canadiens1131]

I could see 'Window' providing the music for a genital herpes medication commercial.

Oh can’t you see what our love has done
Oh can’t you see what our love has done
Oh can’t you see what our love has done
What it’s doing to me

 

[Tiger Edge]

Oh, Mike.

The title is good, the song can lyrically be miles better. I saw a Window in the Sky yesterday and thought about how great a song like that could be if the '90s Bono had written it.

Less knees, please.

 

[pentax]

A soul that is bearing; but not all of it

 

[doctorwho]

It does not take guts to be "direct", it only takes a lack of creativity. As a songwriter, I speak from experience.

Then you must have hated Bono's writing for ages.

Tell me, what's not direct in a song about war like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" or "Bullet the Blue Sky"? What's not direct in a song about a person, like "Pride" or "Angel of Harlem"? What's not direct in a song about relationships (too countless to list)?

What's changed is that instead of attacking the obvious or writing about general themes, Bono has become more personal. This was present even on "Pop", with "Mofo". So if it's this style you don't like, so be it. But speaking from MY personal experience, it's far more difficult to write about one's own self than about others.

 

[gherman]

Call me crazy but I don't see Larry influencing lyrics.

If anyone, blame Edge. He often helps out Bono and has been co-credited on past albums.

Actually I remember watching the 60 minutes special and at one point they showed the guys in the recording studio. The next second you see Larry telling Bono that "those lines don't make much sense." So he does have influence from what I have seen.

 

[ozeeko]

Actually I remember watching the 60 minutes special and at one point they showed the guys in the recording studio. The next second you see Larry telling Bono that "those lines don't make much sense." So he does have influence from what I have seen.

Larry should never EVER be involved with the lyrics. Bono's been doing it for an entire career, who's this guy think he is coming in to fuck up what could've been (i hope) interesting lyrics. If Larry has such good judgement, he would've vetoed "freedom has a scent". The guys should just let Bono run wild with his thoughts. I'm sure it would probably free up the music as well.

 

[U2girl]

Actually I remember watching the 60 minutes special and at one point they showed the guys in the recording studio. The next second you see Larry telling Bono that "those lines don't make much sense." So he does have influence from what I have seen.

I'm sure all of the rest of the band does get to hear Bono's lyrics. (do we know Larry's opinion swayed Bono on those lines? Just because he said that doesn't mean the lines got scrapped)

But I think, looking at the album booklets, it's fair to say Edge has been more involved in lyric-writing on the last 3 albums. He helped out on Stuck, Kite, WILATW, Yahweh, Vertigo and LAPOE (and I think both of them are credited for the lyrics on Fast cars) and Bono and Edge are both credited on Pop.

From the Rubin sessions, I remember Edge suggested a line that rhymed with "apologise". So it may very well be he is responsible for the controversial "rapsodyze" line.

Given recent anger on the lyrics over the last two albums, I don't think giving Bono total freedom on the lyrics would be that good.

 

[blueyedpoet]

I'm sure all of the rest of the band does get to hear Bono's lyrics. (do we know Larry's opinion swayed Bono on those lines? Just because he said that doesn't mean the lines got scrapped)

But I think, looking at the album booklets, it's fair to say Edge has been more involved in lyric-writing on the last 3 albums. He helped out on Stuck, Kite, WILATW, Yahweh, Vertigo and LAPOE (and I think both of them are credited for the lyrics on Fast cars) and Bono and Edge are both credited on Pop.

From the Rubin sessions, I remember Edge suggested a line that rhymed with "apologise". So it may very well be he is responsible for the controversial "rapsodyze" line.

Given recent anger on the lyrics over the last two albums, I don't think giving Bono total freedom on the lyrics would be that good.

NO, forcing him to have complete freedom is what I'm calling for.

 

[U2girl]

How can you force that? If the other three band members listen to his lyrics, they're bound to have comments.

 

[U2isthebest]

I'm sure all of the rest of the band does get to hear Bono's lyrics. (do we know Larry's opinion swayed Bono on those lines? Just because he said that doesn't mean the lines got scrapped)

But I think, looking at the album booklets, it's fair to say Edge has been more involved in lyric-writing on the last 3 albums. He helped out on Stuck, Kite, WILATW, Yahweh, Vertigo and LAPOE (and I think both of them are credited for the lyrics on Fast cars) and Bono and Edge are both credited on Pop.

From the Rubin sessions, I remember Edge suggested a line that rhymed with "apologise". So it may very well be he is responsible for the controversial "rapsodyze" line.

Given recent anger on the lyrics over the last two albums, I don't think giving Bono total freedom on the lyrics would be that good.

The clip in question was on 60 Minutes in 2000, and they invited them to into the studio while they were rehearsing "Stuck" They were explaining how everyone's opinion on everything has equal merit. Bono was singing the chorus for "Stuck" and Larry said something along the lines of "The way you sang that doesn't make much sense." None of the lyrics were changed, he apparently didn't like the tone and/or key it was in, so Bono sang it a little differently.

 

[blueyedpoet]

How can you force that? If the other three band members listen to his lyrics, they're bound to have comments.

It seems as if I remember reading in "Until the End" that the band was fairly insistent of Bono going away to write lyrics. They were fairly demanding. We need that again. Bono can write the greatest lyrics; and the worst, sadly.

 

[tonyhotland]

Really, this all boils down to "oh, can I have my pre-90 or pre 00 U2 back?"
I'm so remembering thousands of previous similar threads, only with rewording in the titles

 

[Jeannieco]

"Soul in it's strip-tease"???
Maybe he is meaning bearing your soul like at confession for example?

He is in a "bare" your soul kind of mood I suspect with this song. Instead of singing about what's wrong with the world maybe he is in a grateful mood now that the fruits of all his ( and ours ) efforts are paying off in Africa. That has got to be mind blowing for someone that has worked so hard for so long to bring help to an entire continent to finally see a pay off!! How exciting this must be to witness first hand! "Oh can't you see what our love has done?"
Also, by baring his soul, like he says..."I have no shame". He doesn't care what people say about revealing all this love! Also remember the lyrics in OOTS on the Chicago DVD,
he says to Jordan, "Sugar come on, show your soul, you're keeping your love under control....Everywhere you go you shout it, you don't have to be shy about it."

He is being upfront and honest. No irony here.

 

[blueyedpoet]

I don't think WITS's lyrics are bad...just not as good as U2's lyrics used to be

 

[Varitek]

He is in a "bare" your soul kind of mood I suspect with this song. Instead of singing about what's wrong with the world maybe he is in a grateful mood now that the fruits of all his ( and ours ) efforts are paying off in Africa. That has got to be mind blowing for someone that has worked so hard for so long to bring help to an entire continent to finally see a pay off!! How exciting this must be to witness first hand! "Oh can't you see what our love has done?"
Also, by baring his soul, like he says..."I have no shame". He doesn't care what people say about revealing all this love! Also remember the lyrics in OOTS on the Chicago DVD,
he says to Jordan, "Sugar come on, show your soul, you're keeping your love under control....Everywhere you go you shout it, you don't have to be shy about it."

He is being upfront and honest. No irony here.

Um, just how have his efforts on Africa produced a visible payoff? This is not a knock on his work, because his work is good, but what is the visible difference acually IN Africa (as opposed to walking around the west and seeing RED products)? I don't think Bono is foolish enough to write a song congratulating himself for something that hasn't happened yet if at all. Even Bono doesn't have that much hubris.