Invisible...

[thavidesco]

mmh... I wasn't here when WITS came out, but I can't see/hear what's wrong with that song? I think it's one of their best songs in the last decade.

I wouldn't go that far, but I do like it!

I have fond memories of late 2006, around the time of the last leg of the Vertigo tour.

I was in a good place in life, and the U2 hate machine hadn't gained the mainstream traction it has now. I loved both Saints and WITS. Nothing wrong with either song.

When WITS was released, I really enjoyed it and still do today.

Until a few weeks ago, I hadn't heard it in years.

The first thing that stood out to me when I revisited it was how many orders of magnitude better it is than so much of NLOTH!!

The title track and Moment of Surrender are the only ones on NLOTH better than WITS. Breathe, Magnificent and Fez are about tied with WITS.

In my opinion, of course.

At any rate, glad to see WITS getting some deserved recognition.

 

[Aygo]

I must admit that I mistread quite a lot this song when it came out. Maybe due to a certain disenchantment towards the band's attitude, posture, lack of creativity and artistic vision over the past decade/decade-and-a-half, maybe due to the fact that I didn't digest "Ordinary Love" very well. Maybe to the fact that instrumentally it recalls too much "Beautiful Day" (a bit of "Zoo Station", a bit of the early-years drumming).
Plus, I didn't like much the lyrics either. Back then, it seemed like Bono had written some random american-teenage-band lyrics about any random angry teenager appeal. Maybe because they released the song out of the context of Songs Of Innocence, I didn't understand it well.

But I must confess that the song grew on me. Specially lyrically. Sonically it still has too much intentional U2-isms revivals, but I can listen to it many times now.
But it is lyrically that things changed. Specially now; within the album's context. I feel now that this track fits perfectly into the album's aura (better than "Every Breaking Wave" or even "The Troubles").

Wish U2 hadn't release it a few months ago and, instead, waited for the album and included it on the final tracklist.
My apologies to "Invisible".

 

[jeevey]

My daughter pointed out the other day that I sing this all the time, which I didn't even realize. If there's a single song that sums up the experience of being a member of U2 it might be this one (or TIWYCRMN) and the crucial line "There is no them, there's only me, there's only us" is as singable as anything I remember from them since, well, a very long time.

 

[thavidesco]

This song definitely belongs musically and lirically to SOI.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I must admit that I mistread quite a lot this song when it came out. Maybe due to a certain disenchantment towards the band's attitude, posture, lack of creativity and artistic vision over the past decade/decade-and-a-half, maybe due to the fact that I didn't digest "Ordinary Love" very well. Maybe to the fact that instrumentally it recalls too much "Beautiful Day" (a bit of "Zoo Station", a bit of the early-years drumming).
Plus, I didn't like much the lyrics either. Back then, it seemed like Bono had written some random american-teenage-band lyrics about any random angry teenager appeal. Maybe because they released the song out of the context of Songs Of Innocence, I didn't understand it well.

But I must confess that the song grew on me. Specially lyrically. Sonically it still has too much intentional U2-isms revivals, but I can listen to it many times now.
But it is lyrically that things changed. Specially now; within the album's context. I feel now that this track fits perfectly into the album's aura (better than "Every Breaking Wave" or even "The Troubles").

Wish U2 hadn't release it a few months ago and, instead, waited for the album and included it on the final tracklist.
My apologies to "Invisible".

Well said Aygo....Ditto for me.

 

[youarenotimmune]

So I just saw the official lyrics for the first time, and I was shocked to see that the lyric is:

I don't dream, not as such
I don't even think about you that much
Unless I start to think at all

I've always heard "Unless I start to think it all", which makes the lyric so much better. In fact, I'm pretty sure that is what Bono actually sings. Am I the only one?

 

[BVS]

How does that make the lyric better? It doesn't make sense.


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[youarenotimmune]

I don't even think about you that much, unless I start to think it all

Deep-seated unresolved issues with someone who's important to you, like a father, which you try to suppress by blocking the person out. You don't think about the person that much, but whenever you sit back and reflect upon your life ... whenever you start to think it all ... they are always there, right at the center of your subconscious.

Psych 101, really. And not that hard to figure out given Bono's troubled relationship with his father. Especially since this song deals with aspects of that relationship.

 

[CosmoKramer]

I don't even think about you that much, unless I start to think it all

Deep-seated unresolved issues with someone who's important to you, like a father, which you try to suppress by blocking the person out. You don't think about the person that much, but whenever you sit back and reflect upon your life ... whenever you start to think it all ... they are always there, right at the center of your subconscious.

Psych 101, really. And not that hard to figure out given Bono's troubled relationship with his father. Especially since this song deals with aspects of that relationship.

For me, that would make sense if you add the word "about". As if to say, "think about it all" but I think he is saying if he thinks at all...about anything, it makes him think about his father.

"Think it all" doesn't grammatically make sense to me.




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[BVS]

I don't even think about you that much, unless I start to think it all

Deep-seated unresolved issues with someone who's important to you, like a father, which you try to suppress by blocking the person out. You don't think about the person that much, but whenever you sit back and reflect upon your life ... whenever you start to think it all ... they are always there, right at the center of your subconscious.

Psych 101, really. And not that hard to figure out given Bono's troubled relationship with his father. Especially since this song deals with aspects of that relationship.

I've never heard anyone use the phrase "think it all". The way the lyric is currently written is brilliant. In any broken relationship one will try and pretend they don't think about that person, "don't even think about you that much". But in reality if they stop from keeping busy or distracting themselves thoughts of that person start flooding their head, "unless I start to think at all".


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[youarenotimmune]

For me, that would make sense if you add the word "about". As if to say, "think about it all" but I think he is saying if he thinks at all...about anything, it makes him think about his father.

"Think it all" doesn't grammatically make sense to me.

I've never heard anyone use the phrase "think it all".

I know, but it wouldn't the first time a singer took liberties with grammar for the sake of rhyming.

The way the lyric is currently written is brilliant. In any broken relationship one will try and pretend they don't think about that person, "don't even think about you that much". But in reality if they stop from keeping busy or distracting themselves thoughts of that person start flooding their head, "unless I start to think at all".

I know Bono has a habit of throwing in all sorts of different subjects in a song, so it wouldn't be inconceivable to think the lyric is about a broken relationship like you said, but I can't see this song as anything other than a raging outpouring of emotion from a son to a father. The very next lyric, "All those frozen days, And your frozen ways, They melt away, your face like snow" again fits perfectly within this context. Much better than it would about a guy singing about his ex.

The whole song seems nothing other than Paul Hewson singing to Bob Hewson to me, honestly.

 

[BVS]

I know, but it wouldn't the first time a singer took liberties with grammar for the sake of rhyming.







I know Bono has a habit of throwing in all sorts of different subjects in a song, so it wouldn't be inconceivable to think the lyric is about a broken relationship like you said, but I can't see this song as anything other than a raging outpouring of emotion from a son to a father. The very next lyric, "All those frozen days, And your frozen ways, They melt away, your face like snow" again fits perfectly within this context. Much better than it would about a guy singing about his ex.



The whole song seems nothing other than Paul Hewson singing to Bob Hewson to me, honestly.

No, I agree, it's completely about his dad, broken relationships aren't mutually exclusive to romantic ones.


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[youarenotimmune]

No, I agree, it's completely about his dad, broken relationships aren't mutually exclusive to romantic ones.

Sorry about that, I thought you'd written that lyric was about a broken romantic relationship.

But see that's the thing, I guess I just assumed you meant a romantic one because the lyric (with "think at all") doesn't make sense to me if it's about his relationship with his father. The state you described, where you have to constantly distract yourself to keep thoughts about that person from flooding your head, is generally the immediate aftermath of a broken romantic relationship. I can't fathom Bono being in that state, at any time in his life, because of his relationship with his father.

 

[BVS]

Sorry about that, I thought you'd written that lyric was about a broken romantic relationship.

But see that's the thing, I guess I just assumed you meant a romantic one because the lyric (with "think at all") doesn't make sense to me if it's about his relationship with his father. The state you described, where you have to constantly distract yourself to keep thoughts about that person from flooding your head, is generally the immediate aftermath of a broken romantic relationship. I can't fathom Bono being in that state, at any time in his life, because of his relationship with his father.

But it's a young Bono who is just dealing with the aftermath of leaving his father for the first time being on his own. He's dealing with adolescent anger and how that relationship with his father has shaped him. Having a similar relationship, that line rang very true for me during that time in my life.


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[youarenotimmune]

But it's a young Bono who is just dealing with the aftermath of leaving his father for the first time being on his own. He's dealing with adolescent anger and how that relationship with his father has shaped him. Having a similar relationship, that line rang very true for me during that time in my life.

Yea I did realize that this is young Bono singing, not present day Bono. But I still couldn't conceive him being in that particular state over his relationship with his father.

But I could be wrong. And since it obviously resonated with you, I guess it is conceivable for one to be in such a state over a damaged relationship with a parent.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I will take "young" or "older" Bono......just not....."evil" Bono.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19KstSgU-c0

 

[marik]

Now that this song has settled, I was wondering how others associate this song sonically?
By that I mean, nyd is commonly identified by the cool bass line, streets by the intro guitar riff, bloody sunday by the military drums, etc.
When you think of Invisible, which stands out first to you in identifying it; the electronic backing track beat, the cool drumming intro, the sliding guitar riff, etc

 

[CosmoKramer]

Now that this song has settled, I was wondering how others associate this song sonically?
By that I mean, nyd is commonly identified by the cool bass line, streets by the intro guitar riff, bloody sunday by the military drums, etc.
When you think of Invisible, which stands out first to you in identifying it; the electronic backing track beat, the cool drumming intro, the sliding guitar riff, etc

Sliding guitar riff for me. Still enjoy the song, heck I like almost all the songs from SOI.


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[superchuk5]

All about the drums for me. Also the first verse is excellent. Very good U2 song all around, my one complaint being its ending. Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Outro. Not much of a climax, instead just seems like an obvious attempt at a sing-along.

 

[TheFox]

I like it, nothing earth shattering but a good song.

 

[Oregoropa]

I never really understood the "There is no them . . . There's only us"


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[CMIS]

Now that this song has settled, I was wondering how others associate this song sonically?
By that I mean, nyd is commonly identified by the cool bass line, streets by the intro guitar riff, bloody sunday by the military drums, etc.
When you think of Invisible, which stands out first to you in identifying it; the electronic backing track beat, the cool drumming intro, the sliding guitar riff, etc

The slide guitar for me. I like the song, find myself revisiting it often.

A fellow U2 tragic friend asked me which song I thought that U2 find special. My answer was Invisible, because it was a standalone single, not a hit, and yet they kept playing it throughout the tour.

I think it really speaks to their experience as band members who kind of put it all out there without a safety net and made it out the other side.

Yeah, pretty good song

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[ascender_RS]

I never really understood the "There is no them . . . There's only us"

Me neither. Really enjoy the rest of it and it fitted really well in to the live shows.

 

[corianderstem]

I never really understood the "There is no them . . . There's only us"

Me neither.

Really?

In a world of "us vs them," why differentiate? We're all one, we're all in this together, so stop making things "us vs them."

I still love the song more than anything on the actual album (which I enjoy a lot).

 

[rennowba]

Would love to have heard the song with the verse they seemed to have cut from the song. Cant remember what it was in now but you heard a little snippet of it in a documentary I think it was. Mentioned london by name

 

[Montrose]

Really?



In a world of "us vs them," why differentiate? We're all one, we're all in this together, so stop making things "us vs them."



I still love the song more than anything on the actual album (which I enjoy a lot).

Also in the context of Bono and the band trying to break into the scene of all these bands, rivals, and icons they perhaps felt inadequate around, I hear this lyric as both: "We need to think of ourselves as cohorts, fellow artists; there's no them and us, trying to be like them. There's only us. Bands. Musicians. Artists.", and also, "Ignore the ousted voice. The critical parents. The rival groups. Don't far the world, it isn't there. There's just us, the band we're in. We focus on us, not them, and we'll make it."



Sent from my fingertips.

 

[CMIS]

Really?

In a world of "us vs them," why differentiate? We're all one, we're all in this together, so stop making things "us vs them."

I still love the song more than anything on the actual album (which I enjoy a lot).

I am torn between your explanation and the attitude people have when they are under pressure to prove themselves of saying: the ball is in our court, it's ours to do, dun matter what those guys over there say. It's only us, not them

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[CMIS]

Also in the context of Bono and the band trying to break into the scene of all these bands, rivals, and icons they perhaps felt inadequate around, I hear this lyric as both: "We need to think of ourselves as cohorts, fellow artists; there's no them and us, trying to be like them. There's only us. Bands. Musicians. Artists.", and also, "Ignore the ousted voice. The critical parents. The rival groups. Don't far the world, it isn't there. There's just us, the band we're in. We focus on us, not them, and we'll make it."



Sent from my fingertips.

You said it much better. That's how I hear the lyric, the latter one. But thinking of bono singing it with all his social justice crap D), the former seems as likely

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[corianderstem]

Also in the context of Bono and the band trying to break into the scene of all these bands, rivals, and icons they perhaps felt inadequate around, I hear this lyric as both: "We need to think of ourselves as cohorts, fellow artists; there's no them and us, trying to be like them. There's only us. Bands. Musicians. Artists.", and also, "Ignore the ousted voice. The critical parents. The rival groups. Don't far the world, it isn't there. There's just us, the band we're in. We focus on us, not them, and we'll make it."

Good call.

As per typical U2, the stuff has multiple interpretations.

 

[Zoomerang96]

invisible had some really good ideas in it, and is probably the best thing they've done in what, 10 years? i'm not sure. nevertheless, i was hoping for more of an invisible vibe on their latest album. they were onto something with that, musically at least.