SOE- 27: And SOE it Begins

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Headache in a Suitcase said:
Meh... It's highly doubtful that a celebrity of Bono's status could have been closer to that incident without the public finding out.
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The same could be said about a health emergency. :shrug:

Whatever it was, if it's bad enough for Bono to NOT talk about it, then it must have been really bad, because Bono talks about everything.
 
Rachel D. said:
The same could be said about a health emergency. :shrug:

Whatever it was, if it's bad enough for Bono to NOT talk about it, then it must have been really bad, because Bono talks about everything.
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I tend to agree with you on this. Bono was in the vicinity of a terror attack where people were hurt and killed, and he walked away unscathed. However the fallout from it could have created a lot of psychological trauma and survivor's guilt. He doesn't want to talk about it, because he would then be making a deadly terror attack all about HIM, when he wasn't even physically hurt (which, of course, the general U2-hating public would have a field day with.)

I don't know. I'm not completely sold on this, but as others had said, any type of traumatic emergency, health or otherwise, would have likely been reported on in some capacity. It might have been a scary diagnosis that ended up being nothing, or was remedied quickly. In the meantime, he seems well now and is talking about this "brush with mortality" in the past tense, so I'm gonna go with an All's Well on this front.
 
Rachel D. said:
The same could be said about a health emergency. :shrug:

Whatever it was, if it's bad enough for Bono to NOT talk about it, then it must have been really bad, because Bono talks about everything.
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There are laws that prohibit the release of medical information.

There is no law preventing one of thousands of witnesses in Nice that day from saying "oh shit, that was Bono"
 
akann said:
Perhaps they wanted to see if they could still produce a smash hit and the make-up of the album would be based on this. So a smash hit would have led to more radio friendly songs on SOE etc. A poor performing single on the other hand would mean a different approach, one where they are going to release an album which is not so focused on sales but rather quality and some of the darker/more obscure songs will make the cut. Now that The Best Thing has tanked, I am hopeful that they discard this idea of relevancy and just release the best material they can come up with.
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Way too early to say that The Best Thing has tanked! It is doing well on US radio in its first two weeks, with only minor promo behind it (Fallon). I kinda see Best Thing a bit like the Fly back in 1991, from a different perspective. I see them both as battering rams. The fly was used as a kinda shock and awe battering ram. Really, that's U2? Don't think many would say that The Fly is the best tune on Achtung, but it did its job, by announcing the re-invention and a new sound. Hopefully I see Best Things as the same, but a different kind of battering ram. One to appeal completely to the mass markets (and yes the pop kids!) and do well on Radio. Designed to lead people in to buying or checking out SOE, and then hopefully when they do that there will be no more Best Things/pure pop songs on there, and job done. A couple of early reviewers now have said that The Best Thing is the only real pop song on SOE, fingers crossed.
 
macawaca said:
Way too early to say that The Best Thing has tanked! It is doing well on US radio in its first two weeks, with only minor promo behind it (Fallon). I kinda see Best Thing a bit like the Fly back in 1991, from a different perspective. I see them both as battering rams.
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Can I have the number of your drug dealer? They've clearly got the good shit.
 
The Best thing about me is getting decent play on one of the poppy radio stations in australia. What other people/groups pushing 60 are doing that?
 
macawaca said:
Way too early to say that The Best Thing has tanked! It is doing well on US radio in its first two weeks, with only minor promo behind it (Fallon). I kinda see Best Thing a bit like the Fly back in 1991, from a different perspective. I see them both as battering rams. The fly was used as a kinda shock and awe battering ram. Really, that's U2? Don't think many would say that The Fly is the best tune on Achtung, but it did its job, by announcing the re-invention and a new sound. Hopefully I see Best Things as the same, but a different kind of battering ram. One to appeal completely to the mass markets (and yes the pop kids!) and do well on Radio. Designed to lead people in to buying or checking out SOE, and then hopefully when they do that there will be no more Best Things/pure pop songs on there, and job done. A couple of early reviewers now have said that The Best Thing is the only real pop song on SOE, fingers crossed.
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In theory, sure... It's too early.

In reality... Nah. Song did nothing, nor should it realistically been expected to do anything.
 
So..... is RED FLAG DAY is on the album or not ?! I think I read somewhere that it has some fine Edge guitar work.
 
Axver said:
Can I have the number of your drug dealer? They've clearly got the good shit.
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I'm not claiming that it has done a Beautiful Day or Vertigo or anything, just that so far it is performing slightly better than anything from SOI, which admittedly is a pretty low bar! And I'm fairly neutral on the song as a whole.
 
macawaca said:
I kinda see Best Thing a bit like the Fly back in 1991, from a different perspective. I see them both as battering rams. The fly was used as a kinda shock and awe battering ram. Really, that's U2?
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Ha! I remember calling my brother when The Fly video (remember those?)/song debuted ... he picked up and I just said "What have they DONE??!!" In a panic. lol. (Went on to love it and AB of course).

I think the same thing now about Best Thing, though now it's more like "WHY have they done??!!" I'm in the it's okaaaay camp. I don't hate it. Will probably end up loving it. lol. But eh. Never been a huge fan of the songs that have that whiff of "calculation" about them - Vertigo, Boots, Beautiful Day, etc, you know the list. Even if they're good songs, the barenaked calculation aspect bugs me. The "chasing relevance" songs.

I wish they would just not give a rip anymore about global hugeness or relevance or their legacy or what have you. Just play what you want - we'll listen. But their ambition probably won't permit that. I don't want their last years together to be reminiscent of that guy turning 60 who ditches his wife to chase the 23-year-old in the cube near his office.
 
I was walking through a large chain store yesterday and YTBTAM started playing on their piped-in music.

It's a real song now!
 
J_Frank_Parnell said:
I think the same thing now about Best Thing, though now it's more like "WHY have they done??!!" I'm in the it's okaaaay camp. I don't hate it. Will probably end up loving it. lol. But eh. Never been a huge fan of the songs that have that whiff of "calculation" about them - Vertigo, Boots, Beautiful Day, etc, you know the list. Even if they're good songs, the barenaked calculation aspect bugs me. The "chasing relevance" songs.
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:scratch:

Releasing Boots as a single, maybe that was along those lines... but what did it in was more that it was a mediocre studio song. Not sure the others have a "whiff of calculation" about them any more than, say, Mysterious Ways or Discotheque did.

Either way, I doubt they've always wanted to record Eno-esque ambient landscapes or In Rainbows-clones over the years. Personally, I don't need an album just consisting of that for the hipster cred. Plus, the "record what they (I) want"argument is one that I see on just about every band's message board anyway... even for movies, TV shows, etc. In the end, you just go in and make the best decisions you can in recording something. Unless I'm in the studio with them, there's no real way of knowing what goes on. Writing a song is hard enough as it is, and soundbites from interviews only tell you so much anyway.
 
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J_Frank_Parnell said:
Ha! I remember calling my brother when The Fly video (remember those?)/song debuted ... he picked up and I just said "What have they DONE??!!" In a panic. lol. (Went on to love it and AB of course).



I think the same thing now about Best Thing, though now it's more like "WHY have they done??!!" I'm in the it's okaaaay camp. I don't hate it. Will probably end up loving it. lol. But eh. Never been a huge fan of the songs that have that whiff of "calculation" about them - Vertigo, Boots, Beautiful Day, etc, you know the list. Even if they're good songs, the barenaked calculation aspect bugs me. The "chasing relevance" songs.



I wish they would just not give a rip anymore about global hugeness or relevance or their legacy or what have you. Just play what you want - we'll listen. But their ambition probably won't permit that. I don't want their last years together to be reminiscent of that guy turning 60 who ditches his wife to chase the 23-year-old in the cube near his office.
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I love when fans know what an artist wants to play more than the artist themselves.
 
macawaca said:
I'm not claiming that it has done a Beautiful Day or Vertigo or anything, just that so far it is performing slightly better than anything from SOI, which admittedly is a pretty low bar! And I'm fairly neutral on the song as a whole.
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Damnit mate, I was hoping for a quality high and you give me this reasonable post?

That's not on.

But seriously - if U2 were aiming for chart success, this is not it. Sure it's not doing as badly as SOI, but we all know that when U2 think chart success, they are thinking Vertigo at a minimum. They must now realise they have not struck gold.
 
Axver said:
Damnit mate, I was hoping for a quality high and you give me this reasonable post?

That's not on.

But seriously - if U2 were aiming for chart success, this is not it. Sure it's not doing as badly as SOI, but we all know that when U2 think chart success, they are thinking Vertigo at a minimum. They must now realise they have not struck gold.
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I don't think the band even is thinking they would get Vertigo success again. You can't really capture the huge promotion that the Apple silhouette video provided, along with the fact that they were coming off a hugely successful album prior to its release.

I don't think TBT is dead yet. They seem to be pushing it in waves to try and prolong its life. Went to alternative radio first, then pushed to other formats on the 12th, and I believe being pushed to AC formats starting today... They are still doing radio interviews and things.

Kygo's album dropped today which will bring some more attention to it as well.

Sadly, with the tour wrapping up in the US and heading south, where they won't be able to any real promo for it, it may all be for nothing and it will whither away soon. But for now, its still gaining adds and spins on radio, and they haven't yet hit the radio format that would most likely be the biggest supporter of a tune like this (AC)

Would be nice to see it sit somewhere in the top 100 for a month or so, and get in the top 5 or 10 on rock/hot AC/AC/alt rock charts...

we shall see.
 
Depends if you mean Vertigo-level success by intangible exposure, which was massive, or by chart position, which was comparatively weak (thanks to MP3 downloads not being counted). Let's be honest, if The Best Thing could replicate Vertigo's chart position on Billboard U2 would do cartwheels. Has it even snuck into the Hottest 100? Because I haven't seen anybody mention that. Woop-dee-doo that it's #5 on some random minor chart nobody looks at.

It's dead. Put it this way: I am not a fan of Taylor Swift, I don't listen to Taylor Swift, I have no interest in what she is doing, but within 12 hours of her dropping a new single I not only knew about it but knew all kinds of details about the song and its context. By comparison, I know actual U2 fans who, days after The Best Thing came out, either had no idea U2 had a new song or were vaguely aware but hadn't heard it.

Nobody gives a shit outside of Interference and your occasional fuckhead Boomer who's all "yeah here's some REAL MOOSICK not that Imagine Dragons rip-off shit hurrrr millennials and their avocados lol".
 
To be honest here in the uk, it's getting played on the radio. BBC radio 2 play it a lot, rock channels virgin and absolute radio both play it. But to be honest these radio stations played miracle, they played song for someone and every breaking wave. U2 will always get played on these channels so it's hard to generate how wells it's doing from being played on these channels.

My alarm went off this morning and I have the radio come on to wake me up. Came on to the ending of best thing. Was a great way to start a funky Friday.

My wife listens to crap music, capital radio and kiss radio rubbish but she does like best thing especially the kygo mix. Says it's " the best thing " no pun intended theve done in ages
 
There was an unidentified performance of IWF in Adam's interview with BBC. I found it if anyone is interested:

Pretty fantastic.
 
seriously don't get the hate for Radiohead's recent output - i mean, A Moon Shaped Pool is hardly as weird and wonderful as Cocteau Twins is it?
 
Axver said:
It's dead. Put it this way: I am not a fan of Taylor Swift, I don't listen to Taylor Swift, I have no interest in what she is doing, but within 12 hours of her dropping a new single I not only knew about it but knew all kinds of details about the song and its context. By comparison, I know actual U2 fans who, days after The Best Thing came out, either had no idea U2 had a new song or were vaguely aware but hadn't heard it.
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To be fair, the reason that you heard about Taylor's new song is because there was context and details about it. There was the I'm Too Sexy similarities and the meme-ification of the Taylor being dead bits.

You probably heard much less about her second single dropping.
 
Axver said:
Depends if you mean Vertigo-level success by intangible exposure, which was massive, or by chart position, which was comparatively weak (thanks to MP3 downloads not being counted). Let's be honest, if The Best Thing could replicate Vertigo's chart position on Billboard U2 would do cartwheels. Has it even snuck into the Hottest 100? Because I haven't seen anybody mention that. Woop-dee-doo that it's #5 on some random minor chart nobody looks at.

It's dead. Put it this way: I am not a fan of Taylor Swift, I don't listen to Taylor Swift, I have no interest in what she is doing, but within 12 hours of her dropping a new single I not only knew about it but knew all kinds of details about the song and its context. By comparison, I know actual U2 fans who, days after The Best Thing came out, either had no idea U2 had a new song or were vaguely aware but hadn't heard it.

Nobody gives a shit outside of Interference and your occasional fuckhead Boomer who's all "yeah here's some REAL MOOSICK not that Imagine Dragons rip-off shit hurrrr millennials and their avocados lol".
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Yep. That's the problem the band has. When Swift came out, you had the album details, available to pre-order on iTunes, album cover, etc...
Now she has the fortunate position to be picked up by EVERY music site, blog, new outlet, etc... so that exposure is done by itself.
But U2 puts out a song, you see a little bit in your FB and Instagram feed, and that's it.
Maybe the second single will come with more of a full album promotion, who knows.

Either way, I think that the fact that U2 has a song charting on rock, alternative and hot AC at this point in their career is success enough. Like I've said before, it would take a fluke of some sort (like the CEO of ClearChannel thinking its the best song ever and mandating his stations play it), or some really insane promotional thing like a superbowl halftime performance that would ever get them back into the top 40.

I think what is really sad is that the whole Apple SOI thing really did some long lasting damage. A 5 year wait and then the album gets completely shit on and overshadowed by the release, so it just kind of put the nail in the coffin of ever being popular again with a decent sized group of younger listeners. NLOTH / Boots sort of set the nail up, and the Apple deal pounded it in.

I loved SOI and have high hopes for SOE. Not expecting "hits" but hoping for quality material I can feel good about listening to for years to come.
 
All this kind of highlights what the band has been saying for the last several years. It's really hard to even be noticed at all anymore in the music scene. You have a few huge names, and then a huge glut mid size and smaller artists.

For example, I had no idea that Foo Fighters were releasing anything. They played their new song once on the radio here. See next to nothing on social media, and just saw something about them touring. That's it. And they are a big band. Everything gets lost in the shuffle.
 
mama cass said:
seriously don't get the hate for Radiohead's recent output - i mean, A Moon Shaped Pool is hardly as weird and wonderful as Cocteau Twins is it?
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a moon shaped pool is basically a psych folk album with some electronic flourishes, there's nothing weird about it except from how good the songwriting and arrangements are
 
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