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My apologies for being so negative as I'm in a lousy mood and sleep deprived...but is this really what all their "experience" has taught them? To write slogan lyrics over AC tripe and pander to the youth in a desperate attempt for radio hits?

I mean, there's no way this album is going to be better than Boy, for example...and I can't escape the unfortunate irony.

JT was the first time since I became a fan that I skipped a tour...and I never thought I'd consider skipping two tours in a row. There better be a few damn good songs on this album or we're in for a blast of blatant mediocrity at best.

I know this is slightly preemptive but a sad picture is starting to emerge.
 
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You don’t like the new songs, I get it but as someone who went out and bought Zooropa on July 5th, 1993 at CD City I’m calling shenanigans on you putting Stay on that list.

Today, Stay is a decent song that the music video and 20+ years of live performances have made a good/great song. I agree with you that it’s a great U2 song but on July 5th, 1993 the day it was released (like these songs) it was a song that referenced 7-11 and checking change and to say on that day U2 fans would put it on a list with Streets and Bad is you taking a piss (as an American I’ve never used that phrase, hope I used it right).

Be honest, if Stay were released yesterday people would be making “check your change” jokes instead of Refujesus jokes and Javiero would be shitting his pants asking why the band that wrote Sunday Bloody Sunday is talking about 7-11.

speculating about how people would have reacted to old, great stuff that has stood the test of time as a way of minimizing criticism of current work is foolish. the lyrics for Stay are and always were great.
 
I like the chorus but don't care for much else about the song. In fact, I think the rest of the song detracts from what could've been a BD-level, anthemic chorus. Instead it just blends into the greyness of pop compression and awkward lyrical melodies. The "rap" may work for the album transition from GOOYOW to AS, but how inexplicably irritating that it was left in for this single release. Ughhhhh
 
At this point, I need ANYTHING other than AC tripe.

Reggae infused, straight up punk, full on electronic, ambient, Passengers 2, T Bone Burnett produced folk music, celtic tinged, ANYTHING else!

Fuck the radio.
 
You don’t like the new songs, I get it but as someone who went out and bought Zooropa on July 5th, 1993 at CD City I’m calling shenanigans on you putting Stay on that list.

Today, Stay is a decent song that the music video and 20+ years of live performances have made a good/great song. I agree with you that it’s a great U2 song but on July 5th, 1993 the day it was released (like these songs) it was a song that referenced 7-11 and checking change and to say on that day U2 fans would put it on a list with Streets and Bad is you taking a piss (as an American I’ve never used that phrase, hope I used it right).

Be honest, if Stay were released yesterday people would be making “check your change” jokes instead of Refujesus jokes and Javiero would be shitting his pants asking why the band that wrote Sunday Bloody Sunday is talking about 7-11.

While Stay isn't particularly a favourite of mine, there's nothing embarrassing about it. For me, the "embarrassing bono lyrics phase" started with "Uno, dos, tres, catorce", and then was largely prominent in NLOTH. SOI I didn't notice much, they seemed to have cooled off there, but it's back for SOE for sure. They are trying way too hard to be controversial or political and it comes across as ridiculous instead.

Note - Miami did silly lyrics too, but that's Miami.
 
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At this point, I need ANYTHING other than AC tripe.

Reggae infused, straight up punk, full on electronic, ambient, Passengers 2, T Bone Burnett produced folk music, celtic tinged, ANYTHING else!

Fuck the radio.

Hipster street cred!!! :rockon:
 
speculating about how people would have reacted to old, great stuff that has stood the test of time as a way of minimizing criticism of current work is foolish. the lyrics for Stay are and always were great.



No, Cosmo’s point is spot on. If Zooropa was released today it would be picked apart.

Some would bitch about the shoehorned ‘throw a rock in the air’ line and the production of Dirty Day.

Some would find Numb and Some Days embarrassing.

Others would find the satellite television line in Stay was cringe worthy.

Or bitch about not enough guitar and why a washed up has been was singing the closing song.

These were all real complaints in the day, they would have been magnified with the internet.
 
Ah shit.

About 30 minutes ago I put on my Boses and decided to put this song on repeat.

5 plays later... I really like it. I really do. Yeah it's poppy TayTay Tedder-esque etc.

But I like it.

Same here. Once I blasted it a few times on my headphones the beauty of the song really started to shine through. It has absolutely improved for me upon multiple listens. Some of the lyrics annoy me, but I have had that issue Bono since the 80s.

Most of the people bashing the song and calling it "garbage" have listened to it once and rushed to judgment, because their default position is to criticize anything current by U2. Same old story, same narrow-minded people.
 
I like the chorus but don't care for much else about the song. In fact, I think the rest of the song detracts from what could've been a BD-level, anthemic chorus. Instead it just blends into the greyness of pop compression and awkward lyrical melodies. The "rap" may work for the album transition from GOOYOW to AS, but how inexplicably irritating that it was left in for this single release. Ughhhhh

To be fair - IS this the single version??? I know that it is "the new single" but there is no separate official single track like the Best Thing has to purchase. It's just there to get off the album or when you pre-order.

So the end with Kendrick may be completely gone from the version going to radio, or at least fade out/end in a normal way and not just get chopped off.


As for the song itself, I'm flipping back and forth a bit. There are parts that I like better than TBT, and a couple bits that I i like less. Overall, I still put it above TBT slightly, and behind The Blackout.

What bothers me is that the one line of getting smacked in the face just throws me off right in the middle of the song. Beyond that, it would have been a strong ATYCLB track, and that makes it a good, above average track for me now. I'd put it over 3 or 4 of the weakest tracks on SOI...

That said, that keeps leaving me feeling like the album as a whole may fall short of SOI for me. SOI had EBW, SLABT, and The troubles, 3 songs i would put in my top 25 U2 songs. Then a few more really good tunes beyond those like RBW, Iris, California and yes, i really like Volcano. :wink:

So far, I have 2 songs - TBT and Get Out that are sort of bottom/middle level area SOI material. Wouldn't skip them, wouldn't rush to listen to just them.

Then we have the Blackout, which i would put up there with very top level of SOI material.

And we have American Soul, which i would put somewhere in the middle, just where i would put Volcano.

Little Things I really like and hope the studio version is a step up and really grabs me.

Lots of songs i still can't wait to hear. I usually like the non single tracks best, so I have good hope that this album can get there.
 
No, Cosmo’s point is spot on. If Zooropa was released today it would be picked apart.

Some would bitch about the shoehorned ‘throw a rock in the air’ line and the production of Dirty Day.

Some would find Numb and Some Days embarrassing.

Others would find the satellite television line in Stay was cringe worthy.

Or bitch about not enough guitar and why a washed up has been was singing the closing song.

These were all real complaints in the day, they would have been magnified with the internet.

To me, Zooropa is one of their worst albums anyway. It was way too weird for my taste. Some Days was good though, don't get people's hate with that one.
 
No Check your change is really not the 1993 version of Refujeezuz...

This song is mostly Beautiful Day's verses with some subtle Neu! influences.

Mostly.
 
Hipster street cred!!! :rockon:

Not at all. I was never a fan of mediocre AC but always a sucker for a great pop song. I just don't think their approach is the right one. In fact, it's tired as hell. They made it work for them the best they could on SOI. From what we've heard so far, I think SOE is going to be at least two levels below that and it's this darn radio mindest they're stuck in.
 
To me, Zooropa is one of their worst albums anyway. It was way too weird for my taste. Some Days was good though, don't get people's hate with that one.



You complain over and over and over about Bono using a Gaelic thing and saying ‘a boy’, but you can’t understand some folks not liking ‘can’t stand the sight of a puppy’ or ‘your skin is white but you think you’re a brother’? Really?!
 
No, Cosmo’s point is spot on. If Zooropa was released today it would be picked apart.

Some would bitch about the shoehorned ‘throw a rock in the air’ line and the production of Dirty Day.

Some would find Numb and Some Days embarrassing.

Others would find the satellite television line in Stay was cringe worthy.

Or bitch about not enough guitar and why a washed up has been was singing the closing song.

These were all real complaints in the day, they would have been magnified with the internet.


you're totally misinterpreting what he said to suit your own opinion

can you not understand the difference between "people complained about things" and "people would have complained about things"
 
you're totally misinterpreting what he said to suit your own opinion

can you not understand the difference between "people complained about things" and "people would have complained about things"



No, I didn’t. He was right. If they complained then, you don’t think they’d complain today?
 
You complain over and over and over about Bono using a Gaelic thing and saying ‘a boy’, but you can’t understand some folks not liking ‘can’t stand the sight of a puppy’ or ‘your skin is white but you think you’re a brother’? Really?!

First off, I didn't know it was a gaelic thing. If it is, then, what do ya know, it's not as bad anymore. Because I previously thought it was just a lazy piece of writing that people let pass, which could have easily been fixed to "the best thing that happened to a boy" (get rid of the word "ever" and it fits).

But the lyrics to some days, all of them, fit the song. All the way through it's a light-hearted song.

Whereas other things I complain about, are utterly out of place in songs, such as the name rhyming in The Blackout, and the hideous preaching at the end of GOOYOW. It seems to me like they're defacing good songs these days with really silly things, which (to me) are not small issues.

American Soul is fucked all the way through IMO.
 
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speculating about how people would have reacted to old, great stuff that has stood the test of time as a way of minimizing criticism of current work is foolish. the lyrics for Stay are and always were great.



It’s not speculating when you lived it(although not on an Internet forum) and I am merely pointing out the hypocrisy. If you don’t like the lyrics, that’s fine but don’t use the 90s U2 as the bar of greatness when they wrote the same type of questionavle lyrics. Some shudder at the idea of “Ned and Fred” but this is the same band that tried to rhyme Puppy and Sloppy....say that out loud....puppy and sloppy...they don’t rhyme do they but it was the 90s so it’s okay cause (insert excuse here).
 
People saying recycle bits -- never before -- and by the way I think it's fine and that's what artists do all the time -- look at Stephen King for 10000 examples...

But the beginning of this song I hear Miracle Drug opening...

This song is pretty good so far... And it's pretty clear to me that they made the album all run together hence all the weird endings of songs when you listen to them by themselves which is annoying to me.

Red Hot Chili Peppers did this for BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIC, but they did it perfectly.
 
No, I didn’t. He was right. If they complained then, you don’t think they’d complain today?

again, can you not understand the difference between PEOPLE COMPLAINED and PEOPLE WOULD HAVE COMPLAINED
 
To me, Zooropa is one of their worst albums anyway. It was way too weird for my taste. Some Days was good though, don't get people's hate with that one.



Some Days is one of the few songs I like on that album(bass is awesome) and it’s a fun song.
 
You complain over and over and over about Bono using a Gaelic thing and saying ‘a boy’, but you can’t understand some folks not liking ‘can’t stand the sight of a puppy’ or ‘your skin is white but you think you’re a brother’? Really?!

It's an Irish thing, not a Gaelic thing. :D
 
It’s not speculating when you lived it(although not on an Internet forum) and I am merely pointing out the hypocrisy. If you don’t like the lyrics, that’s fine but don’t use the 90s U2 as the bar of greatness when they wrote the same type of questionavle lyrics. Some shudder at the idea of “Ned and Fred” but this is the same band that tried to rhyme Puppy and Sloppy....say that out loud....puppy and sloppy...they don’t rhyme do they but it was the 90s so it’s okay cause (insert excuse here).

maybe because questionable rhymes in an amusing song aren't as much of a crime as fucking rhyming names in a serious song? also you're saying that people WOULD HAVE complained about they lyrics for Stay

90s U2 is a bar for greatness, and it's not just me: pretty much everyone is into U2 because of the 80s and 90s greatness. They weren't perfect, but were never as embarrassing as they are now, and there's a huge difference between questionable and dumb as fuck
 
Strange, those who questioned the Zooropa record's merits and it's right to exist back in 1993? are we talking loads and loads of actual fans enmasse venting spleen on some ye olde Interference like site that took six days to load on Windows 67 or magazine and newspaper based mainstream music critics, who I recall seemed to give the record a whole load of great to very decent reviews?
 
again, can you not understand the difference between PEOPLE COMPLAINED and PEOPLE WOULD HAVE COMPLAINED



Thought it was implied because this forum didn’t exist in 1993 but let me clarify:

People complained in 1993 about U2 lyrics and had this forum existed in 1993, most here would have complained via these threads vs in conversation.
 
I think the rhyming names in The Blackout should have just been replaced by the word "yeah" every time. I mean ok, it would have still not been great, but it would have been so much better than the juvenile name-rhyming. It would be more on par with something like "hey hey, sha la la" which I never really minded too much.
 
maybe because questionable rhymes in an amusing song aren't as much of a crime as fucking rhyming names in a serious song? also you're saying that people WOULD HAVE complained about they lyrics for Stay

Why is rhyming names so bad?

90s U2 is a bar for greatness, and it's not just me: pretty much everyone is into U2 because of the 80s and 90s greatness. They weren't perfect, but were never as embarrassing as they are now, and there's a huge difference between questionable and dumb as fuck


80s U2? Agree 100%
Achtung Baby? Absolutely
Zooropa and Pop? Pretty much everyone? No way! You like them both and several posters here do, that’s great and I mean that. But the “greatness” of those albums didn’t expand U2s fan base and bring in droves of fans like the 80s, Achtung Baby or ATYCLB did (I would also argue HTDAAB did much more for U2 than Zooropa or POP.)

I
 
Thought it was implied because this forum didn’t exist in 1993 but let me clarify:

People complained in 1993 about U2 lyrics and had this forum existed in 1993, most here would have complained via these threads vs in conversation.



good point, I remember people talking about hating U2 in 1994 and wishing they would go back to the UABRS era -- that they had balls then, and now it's all wussy songs like Mysterious Ways. it's *always* a feature of any band with any sort of longevity.

and it's important to note that we were all younger in 1994. i was a teenager, and music never quite hits you the way it does when you're 16 or 17 -- and we heard those songs with less developed brains and raging hormones and wild emotions, and lyrics like "7/11" don't offend the way "ATM machine" does 15 years later, not because one lyric is better/worse than the other, but because WE are different and WE have changed.

all that said, while GOO sounds vastly better now that i have my good headphones, what i find embarrassing isn't the lyrics, but the ("children, children, future, future") let's-hold-hands chorus, and it doesn't seem to go anywhere interesting at all. lots of pretty background but this one doesn't work for me.

my big picture thought at this stage: Bono is at his best when he's writing about himself and longing for a piece of him that is missing, and longing for something better. it's just not as engaging when he's trying to pass on advice (some rare exceptions would be Stuck and OOTS, because he sounds so *invested* in Hutchence/teenagers with eating disorders, whereas a song like MD feels too detached to be memorable). this is why TBT > GOO, for me, because TBT is about Bono and GOO is about his sons or something.







and i'm on my 3-4th listen of GOO, with good headphones, and it does get more interesting each time.
 
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