I love how nobody has factored in is apathy, maybe, just maybe, u2s singles dont seem to matter to people now, like they did in the past.
Boots BOMBED, given that it was the lead single, it was suprising.
Magnificent performed the worst of any u2 single since i think circa 1982-83 ish. And now we have Crazy Tonight failing to make an impact. yet many on here feel compeled to try and qualify its failure by blaming this that and the next thing.
I think the real reason is that not enough people care now, simple as that.
My post above only focused on the album.
Regarding singles, I'm hard-pressed to say apathy is the only reason. Clearly U2 are not generating the hits as they did during their JT-AB hey day, when it seemed all U2 had to do was sneeze and they'd get a top 10 hit worldwide.
That said, there were also quite a few songs, that we now consider classics, that did not chart that well in various countries. Both JT and AB produced only two top 10 hits in the U.S., and R&H had only one top 10 hit, with several singles from those mega-albums failing to break into the Top 40. My point is that U2 - even in their "glory days" - weren't known as a singles band.
Also, charts are constantly changing. In the U.K., for years, the singles chart was based on CD's sold. So even if a song had minimal airplay, if it sold enough copies - and that could have been in the mere thousands - it was enough to chart high. Now the U.K. chart is about air play and downloads. The same was also true in Canada - a single could be #1 for ages if it sold enough copies. Trouble is, that could have been ridiculously low and wasn't truly reflecting the state of popular music in Canada (at the time). Charts, as a result, changed. U2 might not have had as many hits in certain countries under the current chart rules.
I agree that GOYB did not chart well. For a first single, one would think U2 fans alone would have given it huge sales. Yet, the first week was rather soft and it went down from there. I'm not sure why the song didn't connect - perhaps the topic of "putting on one's boots" was just viewed as too silly (ala "Discotheque") or perhaps fans felt it was "Vertigo - Part 2".
If there is some apathy, it could be that the radio stations across the land pre-determine hits. It seems that very few artists can break through. Artists, new and old, have resorted to commercials and other forms of advertisement as MTV is now "dead" (as far as music videos) and getting on Top 40 radio is ridiculous. If a person doesn't know about a song, how can they download it or request it?
In another thread, one person said a radio station told him U2's "Magnificent" wasn't what their audiences wanted to hear. I challenged this. First, that song is classic U2 in sound (uplifting, soaring vocals, etc.), yet with a modern twist. So clearly fans - the same that helped make U2 so huge - would like this. Furthermore, the song is similar to Coldplay - who is HEAVILY influenced by U2. If fans like Coldplay, they'd love U2. Lastly, NLOTH is one of the top selling albums of the year - both in the U.S. and worldwide - and U2's tour has sold out across Europe and in many spots in the U.S. )and this was before the tour started). So how can an artist that has produced a top selling album and a top selling tour NOT be what fans want to hear? This, again, indicated the bias of radio stations. Fans do want to hear, but radio is apathetic.
There was also the thought of some "conspiracy theories" against Bono regarding artists getting paid by radio for playing an artist's songs. We'll never know the truth, but the evidence suggests this was a possibility. For example, in Canada, "Magnificent" was rising up the charts and then suddenly disappeared. Very odd...
Regardless, you are right in that GOYB and "Magnificent" didn't catch on. We offer possible suggestions for why this is - and I guess apathy is as good as the rest. Yet, I just don't feel fan apathy is the real reason here.
As for "Crazy", it seems to be a slow-rising song. None of us are sure if or when the song will take off. But I do recall "Beautiful Day" taking forever to finally connect with audiences across the world. Once it did, it lingered. If there's a song reminiscent of BD on NLOTH, it's "Crazy". So the verdict remains open on that one. For now, it appears the song is rising on various charts.
