Unknown Caller appreciation thread

[riteshbhatt1]

Truly a strange song for U2. I didn't know that half of it would be just music without vocals. It's really amazing and didn't expect U2 to have a song with that chanting style chorus if that's a chorus. One of the best songs they've done in the past 10 years.

 

[MCF74]

Love Unknown Caller! This song has quickly ascended to become one of my favorites from U2 in recent years, along with Magnificent. Very cool and enjoyably different song for them.

 

[buzzkill27]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

definitely gives me the chills.

Dead on with that

 

[Mark Freedman]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

definitely gives me the chills.

Yep, it does for me, too. I'm so addicted to this song (and the album). The only reason I don't loop UC that often is because there's so much greatness in the rest of the album.

 

[Iskra]

3 is my lucky number and I often use the number 333 on e-mails and such - awesome to hear Bono say it on the album.
I was worried about the force quit, move to trash lyrics but I dig them!

 

[JCOSTER]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but the beginning of this song reminds me of
of Walk On.

But I also like it.

 

[Zoots]

Quick Initial Review

On my first listen as soon as the vocals kick in, I was like "Hey!!! This is one of the beach clips! " Lots of odd lyrics everywhere making me wonder if Bono has only now discovered how computers work (perhaps the next album will have a song about how wonderful the internet is?) but otherwise I love all the chimey guitar work. And then comes the shredding Edge solo yeah baby! I can see this getting extended even more in concert. But yeah, this is possibly the best solo he has done this decade, even though the When I Look At The World solo still gives me chills! Nice organ ending which... like some have said could be a good segue into Streets. Overall, good song but not as good as the first 3 I think. 7/10

 

[Lemon95]

Someone help me get past the "Force quit move to trash" line...or put it into context for me, please!...because I do like the song overall.

 

[MrBTH]

Someone help me get past the "Force quit move to trash" line...or put it into context for me, please!...because I do like the song overall.

What is the problem with this line!!? I just fail to understand how so many seem to be getting hung up on it...

I think it's not God who is the unknown caller - it's the voices in the character's own head, the positive and negative thoughts he's having as he contemplates ending his life. The fact that they take the form of computer jargon simply ties back into our (and possibly the character himself's) technological obsession - "Force quit, move to trash" is as evocative and disturbing a way I can think of of someone expressing a will to end it all in so few words... It coveys total ennui, hopelessness, numbness to this material world in the form of words themselves a part of our everyday mundane existence (if you are an apple mac user that is!).

My feel for this song is that it's about a character, possibly an office worker, stuck in a crappy job in front of a computer screen, who one day decides he's had enough of it all, decides to take the lift to the top of the building (the "top of the bottom") and jump off... It's a horrible image but the song is what's going through his head, all the irrational thoughts flashing through his mind as he stands on the edge of the drop. I'd like to think he doesn't go through with it but really, the ending is so ambiguous. I sometimes think that the organ coming in is amost funereal or like some sort of freefall, followed by the soaring glory of the guitar solo which either is the moment of impact or the moment he steps away from the parapet.

Now that I think of it it's a very David Byrne - esque approach to lyric writing. Taking something extremely mundane and giving it a signifigance far beyond it's station to express something about the human condition.

 

[Lemon95]

Now that I think of it it's a very David Byrne - esque approach to lyric writing. Taking something extremely mundane and giving it a signifigance far beyond it's station to express something about the human condition.

Great post, especially above. I think you clicked it for me!

 

[Marko]

Someone help me get past the "Force quit move to trash" line...or put it into context for me, please!...because I do like the song overall.

This is my take on this line, and song in general.

When I'm listening to the song I'm hearing a man telling his story (Bono solo) about how he is on the bottom and he sees no end and no way out. Furthermore he is even thinking about suicide or something similar (waiting for himself at the scene of the accident, being at the bottom where he wants to be etc.) He is even trying to call God but there is no signal and than God starts to talk to him through SMS or computer lines/chat..
He tells him to get up, to gather strength and with that line "force quit. and move to trash", he is telling him to forget the hole that he is in, to leave it behind, to start anew...to "force quit" his depression, to fight it of...

and than at the end he says "don't move or say a thing" and than we hear instrumental and solo. First that hymn from "My Savior's Love" which to me symbolizes that he accepted his love or something like that, and than he is blessed with Edges solo

That's my take on this song, and it is definitely the best song on the album for me

 

[victor_f]

Someone help me get past the "Force quit move to trash" line...or put it into context for me, please!...because I do like the song overall.

http://www.u2interference.com/forum...move-to-trash-appreciation-thread-193776.html

 

[nadie]

I made myself an Unknown Caller ringtone

 

[vaz02]

One of u2's best songs imo.

 

[ndmaxfield]

Someone help me get past the "Force quit move to trash" line...or put it into context for me, please!...because I do like the song overall.

You use "force quit" when you want to abruptly end a program on a Mac. I think it's a very clever way of saying the character in the song wants to abruptly end something going on in his life ("force quit") and get rid of it ("move to trash"). Everybody in here is talking about suicide, which seems plausible. But for some reason it also conjures-up imagery from "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" when I listen.

Edit: I've also wondered whether the main character has partially written a letter and decides not to finish it. So he "force quits" from his word processing program and moves the file to trash.

 

[LPU2]

I have to say that I'm ecstatic that so many love this song, because I just can't get there. I like it more now that I figured out the whole notion of "surrender" behind its lyrics. So I'm hoping that it just hasn't "popped" for me yet.

 

[MrBTH]

Edit: I've also wondered whether the main character has partially written a letter and decides not to finish it. So he "force quits" from his word processing program and moves the file to trash.

I like that interpretation as well!! God i've done that before...

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I'm just now starting to appreciate Unknown Caller. I admit I was a bit disapointed with it at first after all the hyping but now I quite like it. Those robotic lines along with those beaitiful guitar licks makes for an oddly touching chorus. I still don't think that the intro is as fantastic as it was being described but I love the "sunshine, sunshine". The solo is cool. It could be a nice live song I think. I'm digging it.

 

[liz9640]

so far this is my favorite song, followed by breathe and magnificent

 

[diamond]

Do you guys noticed about half way thru the song, one of Bono's "OHHHHS" his voice cracks right before the chorus of "Move to Trash, Reboot Yourself"?

Very endearing.

<>

 

[standrums]

still my favourite track - beautiful

 

[mikal]

Do you guys noticed about half way thru the song, one of Bono's "OHHHHS" his voice cracks right before the chorus of "Move to Trash, Reboot Yourself"?

Very endearing.

<>

yes. i like how Bono subtely sticks out during the "OHHHS".

this is becoming my favorite song on the album.

 

[ltcf]

I put my analysis of this song in the Goal is Soul forum.

I believe the best way to interpret the song is to imagine all the chorus/harmony as the voice of God, with the Bono solo words as the voice of the main character of the song.

Looking at "Force quit and move to trash" as being God's words suggests God is doing the force quit. The man's life is out of control (runaway Macintosh program) and God is stopping it for him and helping him reboot/restart his life. Beautiful imagery.

 

[phommel]

That horns section and Edges guitar on top of that..is amazing.But the lyrics, really symplistic. i dont like the reboot and password thing...

 

[RobertWiscy]

Can't. Stop. Playing. This. Song.

I originally ranked it my #3 after Magnificent & White as Snow.

I believe it's now vaulted to my #1 favorite song on this album. Brilliant!!

So many cool things going on here, wow! Just one little example: I love the few keyboard notes at 2:24 right before the "GO!"

Another of many moments: 4:32 to 4:49 has major symphonic grandness.

I believe the song title and the POV of the song lyrics are God.

 

[Montrose]

There's a local Classic Rock station that hasn't given Boots much love so far, so I was surprised this morning when I flipped past that channel in my caro hear something U2ish coming through the speakers. For whatever reason, they've been playing UC at every opportunity today, and I managed to hear it for the first time.

Twice, actually. And like Boots, it really, really sounded good played very loud on my car stereo. Love the ohhhs - another truly 'Ooohful' U2 song - and I didn't find the eccentric lyrical approach forced at all. Looking forward to the CD!

 

[AtomicBono]

I believe the song title and the POV of the song lyrics are God.

I think the chorus is; the verses are the person God is talking to. a man at the end of his rope...

This is one of U2's best songs.

The verses are so heartwrenchingly beautiful. I love Edge's guitar parts for them (especially the first verse), and Bono sounds so sad ... I want to give him a hug.

and do I even need to talk about the amazing outro?

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Lyrically its risk taking, I love the bird sounds and the chorus with the group singing. Amazing.

 

[diamond]

Can't. Stop. Playing. This. Song.

.

same here.

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[U2opra]

It's a pretty good song, but it's not amazing. I think the Edge sounds awesome towards the end. However I really don't like some of the lyrics nor the way Bono sings this song. I actually think this song is Bono's weakest in terms of his singing on the whole album.