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redhill said:
No offense to anyone who likes the outro, but I wanted an ending with more punch (which, IMO at least, suits the song much better).

Anyway, inspired by Womanfish's edits, here's the song sans outro.

Hope someone likes it this way (besides me!)

https://mega.nz/#!QP4QQT6K!xV75Lmo2kAYio2fqVSCtMlYyJZB1dd0-B-E2GF9Pg3I
Click to expand...



Eh. I think 13 works as a perfect closer. The opening track and the closing track work as perfect bookends so to speak. When 13 ends I feel like I’m closing a book I just read.
 
I dug this song the first time I heard it, but needed to warm up to the ending. I like the lyrical reference to Iris and the mortality themes, but sonically I'm still struggling a bit.
 
For me it looks like taken away from Spiderman's musical soundtrack. That is especially true for beginning of the string version and ending of both).
 
U2freakboy said:
Still can’t get into this one. Reminds me a bit of Cedarwood Road, which I thought was the worst on SOI. I certainly think this is better than Cedar however. Right now, this is my least favorite song on the album, but that’s not saying much — because I love most of it.
Click to expand...

I hated Cedarwood Road quite intently. Then I heard it live.
 
I liked this song better when it was called "Cedarwood Road". I can't shake the similarities of the guitar sounds and the structure of the verses. The strings version blows both out of the water though.

I also think the lines that were re-done from Iris was a fantastic choice. Almost makes up for that song being the low point of SOI
 
I think the ending is the best part, for a few reasons. One- the chord sequence is probably the most exciting on the album - the chord change on the "if only YOU could..." is the biggest goosebumps moment for me on the entire record. Two - Bono melts into the choir. The background voices take over. Three - Edge makes some weird NIN-sounding industrial elephant noises on his guitar (or maybe it's a synth). Anyway, it sounds intense. Finally, it sounds Hey Jude-y (Judy?) in a good way.

The chorus is also refreshing in the way the piano takes the spotlight and Edge for a change resists pushing the RAWK button. It also sounds weary, and reminds me of that song "The High Road" by Broken Bells.

Actually, it's the verses I'm more meh about, although I love the background vocals (is that the HAIM part?). Lowering Bono's voice a tad would make a world of difference.

Honestly, the worst thing about this song is the fact that You're The Best Thing About Me follows it.
 
The lyrics make this song great for me. Its clearly about his heart death experience and him going home to heaven, something he clearly is looking forward to, yet he sometimes struggles being on earth with his purposes and why feels he experiences so many hardships. I think its a wonderful look into Bono's faith and it gives us a great perspective of how he views life and his purpose.

And I love the sampling of Iris at the end. I think it not only fits well instrumentally, but also lyrically and from a purpose standpoint. Its as if Bono is telling us to be free, be yourself, and be open to faith so you can finally be who you are meant to become. I think the song is one of the more fascinating and revealing songs they've wrote given the connections above.
 
That breathy line about Jesus early on, the delivery struck me too. I took less as devil-ish, and more the sound of a guy waking up with a broken face, pins in his arm, and exclaiming, "What the fuck..".

I like the multi-meaning of the 'Lights' . It sways from literally craving the lights of his own home, to getting back to the stage lights of performing, to the light at the end of the tunnel in dark times, to the light a baby sees after being born, to 'seeing the light' of a near death experience. It mean all of them and none of them, and at times it's foreboding, and others it's a longing - perhaps both.
 
Scorpionac said:
Thoughts on this song? I really like the confessional lyrics and the groove of the music, feels like Pop era to me. And the coda lifted from Iris is growing on me.

I like both mixes, so I thought I'd make a hybrid of the two. The first two verses and chorus are the St. Peter's String version, then switch to the album version until the coda, which is back to St. Peter's String. If you're interested, you can listen here: http://picosong.com/wFkwM
Click to expand...

Great job on the mix! Excellent song. It is a welcome addition to the U2 catalogue, either version.
 
Being a hold out until 12/1, I'm still in the early stage of listening to this album and getting to know these songs. This song however at the moment, does nothing for me. I don't dislike it but I feel nothing when I listen to it. I will say that the outro is well done and I like that part.

This song does have a very Ceaderwood Road feel to it but that was my least favorite song on SOI (I do really enjoy that album). I've only had the album for 4 days, so my feelings on this song could very easily change.
 
I listened to the Haim song last night that this samples and it takes the album version down another notch. Come on, Edge, you really couldn't think of a hooky verse line on your own for this song? As I mentioned before, the similarities to Cedarwood are glaring and I love that song already (especially after the amazing live performances of it). So, this was never really going to live up.

The strings version injects much needed life into the song and a sense of urgency that the lyrics demand. Album version can take a hike. I don't hate it, but for what's essentially the opener, it could use a jolt.
 
I loved Cedarwood Road so of course I dig this one. Really love the vocals harmonies but not a yooge fan of the outro. Very strong track overall
 
For me, the outro is the best part, giving me some serious Hey Jude vibes. Also, there's something about the staccato delivery of the verses that doesn't make this a very welcoming first "real" song--it's not inviting. It's a very odd song to put so far up front. I don't think it complements Love Is All We Have Left on a sonic level, either. You go from these spacey synths right to a bluesy guitar lick? Substituting the string version fixes this, but not the issue with the vocal melody.

The best move I've determined is putting this (the string version) at the end right before There Is A Light. The strings make it a dramatic climax to the album, and the sing-along at the end gives it a showstopper feel right before the mellow coda.
 
giphy.gif
 
thefly418 said:
The lyrics make this song great for me. Its clearly about his heart death experience and him going home to heaven, something he clearly is looking forward to, yet he sometimes struggles being on earth with his purposes and why feels he experiences so many hardships. I think its a wonderful look into Bono's faith and it gives us a great perspective of how he views life and his purpose.
Click to expand...

I was wondering if anyone else would bring this up, but it also occurred to me yesterday that “home” in this song might be heaven. Bono talks about seeing lights (maybe the “light at the end of the tunnel”?) and that he “should be dead.”

His bitter words to Jesus reflect what I’ve heard about Christians who have had near-death experiences; they had an accident or something and almost got to go to heaven, but they wake up back on earth, where they are now in terrible pain. They get angry at God for a while and wonder what exactly was the point of all that?
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
What makes it great is that "the lights in front of me" could be so many different things, and I absolutely think this was on purpose.

They could be...

-police/ambulance sirens
-operating table
-"the light" people claim to see during near death experiences
-heaven
-Ali's eyes
-Iris's eyes
Click to expand...
Could just be his glaucoma?
 
U2 had a rare miss here involving this song. When it comes to alternate versions of their songs, they have always made the right choice.

Vertigo>Native Sun
ABOY
Sometimes you Can’t Make it
NLOTH(this was close)
Sleep like a Baby
Troubles


But this time....they messed up. The strings version is so much more interesting than the album cut. Ugh!!!!
 
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