American Idol...sings ONE

[Galeongirl]

Yargh, three times this week people have come up to me snickering because they've seen the ad on ABC with MJB ("featuring U2" hmph) and taunting me with "U2 sold out, U2 sold out!"

Gg -- bono spit! that tickled me....

LAUGH at those people, U2 did NOT, I repeat, NOT get ANY money for the ads! same with Ipod, ABC/APPLE gets song, U2 get promotion.. no money, so they did NOT sell out!!!
at those people!

 

[Bono Mot]

That's pretty much what I said, Gg! Then I made some little voodoo dolls to calm myself.

 

[BonoFox1]

Í love the fact that in the video, EVERY shot of larry.. he looks incredibly moody and annoyed I would be, if I had to watch both Bono's and MJB's arses non stop!

seriously, Bono SPITS a lot when he sings...

Yeah well Bono spit is fine with me..It is that MJB version that is really getting on my last nerve!!!....It is really not sounding like the ONE song anymore

We need stills of this vid and yes Larry looks moody! (no surprise)...Maybe he doesnt like this One version???<--wishful thinking

 

[Bono Mot]

yes Larry looks moody! (no surprise)...Maybe he doesnt like this One version???<--wishful thinking

Maybe!

 

[gvox]

A BIG FAT FUCKING YAWN

since this is all about opinion, here's mine, respectfully: thats about all this and the other threads like it are worth.

Here's a spin: I've been wondering for the past few years why the fuck they HAVENT used a U2 song on American Idol, and the other star hunt reality shows.

After all, U2 is the biggest band on earth, right?

But no! Perish the thought that some of the contestants, and, for that matter, Mary J herself, MIGHT BE HUGE FUCKING FANS WHO
WOULD JUMP AT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SING A U2 SONG. But no! They should NOT be allowed to sing our Sacred One. We are more fans than they are, of course!

You know what? I just heard With or Without You at a strip club while two girls were making out. I will never hear the song in the same light again. It's so cheapened for me now.

 

[gvox]

Maybe he doesnt like this One version???<--wishful thinking

Of course not! Thats why his drumming is even better on this one than the album version. And Edge's guitar too.

I'm sure Larry Adam and Edge just bent over and took it like real men and let Bono make all the decisions about One even tho they personally secretly agree with the Official Elite U2 Fan Base and hate Mary J Blige, ABC, ESPN, the One campaign, Bono, Aly, fuck, everything and everyone Bono meddles with, they hate it all, they're just putting up with his shit, right?

 

[BonoFox1]

^^^ angry much??

 

[GracelandHarley]

Originally posted by gabrielvox
You know what? I just heard With or Without You at a strip club while two girls were making out. I will never hear the song in the same light again. It's so cheapened for me now.

Oh, poor you! Innocently patronizing a strip club, all sunshine and smiles and goodness and light... and wham, bam! Your heroes are cheapened, your world turned upside down... and even the strippers were cheap and exploitative!!

 

[a-mole]

OMG!!! I just saw the premiere of the One video on VH1
and I reallllly didnt like the fact that it was titled ONE, with Mary J Blidge featuring U2.....((FEATURING U2???))...I heard it and dont like this version...((Just my opinion))..If not only for the video ..The vid has a lot potential for stills though...lots of Larry cameos!!!...OMG!! do we need stills of this video!!!!!

come on people, it is not the worst thing in the world.

songs get covered all the time.

Besides, I assume that MJB actually DOES hold the rights for her song version. It is called "featuring U2" because it is on her album and she got permission to sing it. When covering a song the artist gets permission to use & own their own cover version. The original artist gave permission, gets some form of compensation and done.
She did not steal it or anything. In order for an artist to cover another song, he/ she MUST get the permission (and porobably hand over money as well) form the original artist. U2 said yes, they even joined her (which they probably would not do if they thought it was the most horrible thing ver happening to one of their songs) - get over it.
I rather have MJB sing any U2 songs up and down anytime, then listening to a U2 techno version ever again. Someone remember the one from 2/3 years ago? With or without you it was I believe. I wonder what happened back then. Fan Suicides? It surely must have been worse than the reaction to MJB. And then Edge even said he liked that techno-fication of their song.
THAT was horrible

One is overrated anyways

 

[gvox]

Oh, poor you! Innocently patronizing a strip club, all sunshine and smiles and goodness and light... and wham, bam! Your heroes are cheapened, your world turned upside down... and even the strippers were cheap and exploitative!!

I take it my sarcasm wasn't lost on you. Mission accomplished. (i think?)

 

[u2bonogirl]

In the words of Simon Cowell "It was ghastly"

I'm sorry, but MJB just totally takes the song off on her own. It does not been to be treated as an olympic event to see how many notes you can cram into one song.
She is very talented, but she needs to just leave One alone
If it had just been Elliot it wouldn't have been as awful, but as it was, I just sat there and wondered
"WHY"

 

[BonoFox1]

Oh, poor you! Innocently patronizing a strip club, all sunshine and smiles and goodness and light... and wham, bam! Your heroes are cheapened, your world turned upside down... and even the strippers were cheap and exploitative!!

 

[Devlin]

call MJB's way of singing One an introduction to how vocalists in black churches are trained. Seriously! They don't know how to really sing, sso though you'll hear a great many beautiful voices, there are very few who are really trained /properly/. She's not a rock singer, therefore, One is going to sound more like an r and b or gospel song when she sings it. Sure, it's a little jarring, and takes a bitto get used to, but she hardly butchered the song. It's her interpretation of it - U2 didn't seemed to mind one bit.

Heh. Larry /always/ looks like a wet hound dog. Even when he probably isn't feeling moody. It's what makes him so endearing, that perpetually irritated expression.

 

[u2bonogirl]

I love that kind of singing when I'm in a black church It's really uplifting and exciting
Just not when I'm listening to a legendary U2 song

Plus I was peeved that they actually do a U2 song on there while they are doing duets with the artists who wrote the songs and there was no Bono. Not that I thought he would show up on AI, but still!

 

[Devlin]

I hate, loathe, and detest it. Makes my head ache like knives have been implanted in it.
Strangely enough, I don't mind MJB's version of One, so much. I mean, it's not my all time fave, but I don't loathe it, either.

 

[GracelandHarley]

I take it my sarcasm wasn't lost on you. Mission accomplished. (i think?)

Oh, I read the sarcasm in your post. And you obviously read the sarcasm in mine, too. I'm not exactly sure you understood where mine was directed... but hey, we both tried!

 

[gvox]

call MJB's way of singing One an introduction to how vocalists in black churches are trained. Seriously! They don't know how to really sing, sso though you'll hear a great many beautiful voices, there are very few who are really trained /properly/. She's not a rock singer, therefore, One is going to sound more like an r and b or gospel song when she sings it. Sure, it's a little jarring, and takes a bitto get used to, but she hardly butchered the song. It's her interpretation of it - U2 didn't seemed to mind one bit.

I read your later reply where you said you dont mind her version, Im not lighting into Devlin just questioning your stereotype here, as in my opinion you couldn't possibly be more wrong.

They don't know how to sing and aren't trained properly? How do they get those beautiful voices then? Genetics? lol....Let me tell ya, probably more no-names in black churches get more vocal training and practice than Bono (at least up till recently) and all the rock stars combined. If you knew the rehearsals and home lessons that go into choirs and being in them..

Im really confused at what you are saying, that rock music is sung by properly trained people? as opposed to r n b?? i dont want to misunderstand but thats what it sounds like, and frankly, thats just not a fact. A far greater proportion of r n b singers have a more properly trained and sometimes even classically trained background in vocals than their rock counterparts, hands down.

Had Bono even taken ANY singing lessons before they recorded One? Maybe someone can correct me but my recollection is no, not till the 90s. But I've been wrong before.

As for the comments about oversinging, vocal olympics, gospel stylings, etc. First off, take another listen to live U2. Bono adds colors and different notes all over the place on live One versions, to the extent that he can within his range. Thats all I hear her doing, in fact I would be willing to bet she either learned to sing it from a live recording or them doing it live together, or that the live style greatly influenced her interpretation.

Secondly, does anyone remember Rattle & Hum? What did ya all do, run out of the cinema with your hands over your ears? Do you skip that track? It doesn't get much more gospel than that! THat choir took it to an unimaginable level, and even moreso when they did it live with U2. And Still Havent Found is probably more the holy grail of U2 than One is, at least to old school fans.

Thirdly, live U2 is, in the words of my esteemed friend and concert goer in crime "OUR CHURCH". So yeah, I would imagine she caught a bit of that spirit and went with it.

 

[Galeongirl]

I like the R&H version of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For because it suits the song...
MJB singing One does not fit the song in my ears... to quote my father, who is NOT a U2 fan, she shouts the song more than she sings.. she cries out the words as if she's giving birth..
that ruins the kindness in the song for me..
I'm not saying it's a bad version, I just don't like the way she sings it... She's great at doing 'her' style, R&B.. I just do not like the way she sung this song...

 

[u2bonogirl]

Secondly, does anyone remember Rattle & Hum? What did ya all do, run out of the cinema with your hands over your ears? Do you skip that track? It doesn't get much more gospel than that! THat choir took it to an unimaginable level, and even moreso when they did it live with U2. And Still Havent Found is probably more the holy grail of U2 than One is, at least to old school fans.

I've always considered ISHFWILF a gospelly song to begin with so the choir fit in very well for me.
One is very different though. More an understated passionate song. I'm not exactly sure why I dislike MJB pitching in on the song, and I have absolutely nothing against her. I even like some R&B/soul music (I'm LOVING crazy by gnarls barkley right now) It just seriously offended my ears

 

[Dahlia]

I like the R&H version of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For because it suits the song...
MJB singing One does not fit the song in my ears... to quote my father, who is NOT a U2 fan, she shouts the song more than she sings.. she cries out the words as if she's giving birth..
that ruins the kindness in the song for me..
I'm not saying it's a bad version, I just don't like the way she sings it... She's great at doing 'her' style, R&B.. I just do not like the way she sung this song...

The song is ok if you listen to it and maybe don't know the original. I actually don't hate her version that much but I think it would have been better if MJB had done it all by herself without U2 (tho it's great to see the four boys on TV). That's my opinion and I think she's a great singer but her voice does not fit with the message of the song.
I don't remember who it was, but someone in this thread said he/she likes the MJB version coz it is more powerful. Well I think "One" should not be powerful, it's more about feelings etc. MJB's screaming feels like she's trying to force you to believe her what she's singing, imo.







My English is awful -.-

 

[gvox]

Well I think "One" should not be powerful, it's more about feelings etc. MJB's screaming feels like she's trying to force you to believe her what she's singing, imo.

Im only going to make my final points and then let it go:

One is just as much a song about religion, god, searching, forgiveness and acceptance as Still Havent Found, imo. Check the references again, its an incredibly spiritual song.

One has taken on a decidely more powerful feel than when it was first recorded. Definitely. Just listen to the music behind her, that is U2 ya know. Compare it to the original. Everything is harsher, more insistent. Bono's guitar can actually be heard, and he's kicking your ass with it, saying wake up! Even without MJB Bono is no longer sitting in the lounge with his head in his hands pleading with his father or with God. He's insisting, we're insisting, that we are all one, and telling our leaders that one includes people from other continents who arent as fortunate. On the Vertigo tour I would argue that One is one of the most, if not the most, powerful 'call to arms' type songs, and Im pretty sure thats intentional.

To me she is riding that defiance, and likely this is why U2 liked her style on the song so much. Ive said it before, there are probably quite a few other singers that could have sung it more proficiently or with more restraint, but I dont think thats what they wanted. I think they wanted her passion, her raw sincerity that would only shine through when she really let it out.

Just my take, could be wrong. I felt something so powerful when I saw them do it in NYC and to me it was one of the most powerfull feelings all tour (save Streets and Ms Sarajevo which always does it for me). So yeah, its powerful, thats U2's intention with it. And they likely realize that she is probably one of the best artists of today to reach across both genres because she is both mainstream and rnb and packs the most punch.

No more from me on this, I promise. (i hope lol)

 

[ntalwar]

Hmm... when Johnny Cash covered One in 2000 (American III: Solitary Man) I don't remember this type of uproar. So I assume everyone gave that version of One an A-plus.

And the same for Joe Cocker's One on his 2005 Heart and Soul album - that must've been an A-plus performance.

 

[Devlin]

Gah. I'll learn to quote properly, I will -
At any rate, the logn and short of it is this: Most churches give shitty training. Really. A lot of thos evocalists have great natural voices, but the training is...well...lacking. Most of the time, they don't even have professional musicians, until you hit megachurch level.
But then, a good deal of my sourness on the thing could be the fact hat I don't like gospel music in general; they tend to make me cringe, those gospel choirs.

Heh - no way in hell rock singers can actually /sing/. That's why they're rock stars, so they don't have to!
And Bono = overdoing it - I mean, he's made it a life mission.

 

[Galeongirl]

Hmm... when Johnny Cash covered One in 2000 (American III: Solitary Man) I don't remember this type of uproar. So I assume everyone gave that version of One an A-plus.

And the same for Joe Cocker's One on his 2005 Heart and Soul album - that must've been an A-plus performance.

I haven't heard those, so I can't comment on them.

 

[gvox]

But then, a good deal of my sourness on the thing could be the fact hat I don't like gospel music in general; they tend to make me cringe, those gospel choirs.

I'm going to be honest with you - the most honest and accurate thing you've said is this, and this only. The rest about church choirs, well, I'm sorry you couldn't be more wrong, but I'll leave it there.


must. stop. posting. in. this. thread. argh!

 

[ntalwar]

I haven't heard those, so I can't comment on them.

You can find samples on amazon. But the point is more that people's "sacred One" is suddenly defaced now, even though it has been covered before by famous singers at less than Bono-like levels.

But then, a good deal of my sourness on the thing could be the fact hat I don't like gospel music in general; they tend to make me cringe, those gospel choirs.

Bono's quote on the Harlem Gospel Choir:
"They are Angels in Harlem"

 

[Devlin]

Gabrielvox: We'll have to agree to disagree, because I believe you couldn't be more wrong, as well. They bug me because they're an/noying/. Southernbaptist choirs make me want to commit violence to getthem to shut up. That choir from Rattle and Hum were okay - but I wouldn't want to listen to them for longer than that song. And I could have done without the shrieky female lead.

 

[gvox]

Gabrielvox: We'll have to agree to disagree, because I believe you couldn't be more wrong, as well. They bug me because they're an/noying/. Southernbaptist choirs make me want to commit violence to getthem to shut up. That choir from Rattle and Hum were okay - but I wouldn't want to listen to them for longer than that song. And I could have done without the shrieky female lead.

Well, see, there is this little thing called "fact", and unfortunately, your opinion is based on your personal taste, not on whether or not it is factually accurate that people who participate in church choirs a. can sing properly, b. are trained in any sort of decent vocal training c., have professional musicians participating or d. anyone coming out of such a system would be able to sing better, than, say, Bono. All of which intially and in your followup you either outright stated was fact or basically insinuated (unless I misunderstood you?) And, all of which is not based on any real fact at all or the reality of the makeup of alot of church choirs, frankly.

At any rate, I'm glad we've gotten it cleared up, for a bit there I thought you were stating those points as facts and that is what prompted my response. You are certainly more than welcome to not love gospel music - to be honest it's not the top of my favorites list either but I do have an appreciation for the talent, hard work and training that goes into alot of these choirs.

 

[Devlin]

Problem is, gabrielvox, I have NEVER said Bono is a great singer - I like him, he's a good singer when he works at it -- but the fact is a lot of thos echoirs are pretty terible, and do NOT have professionals working with them to ensure they actually do work at it and actually do something better than produce a series of warbly notes that makes it difficult to understand what they're saying, let alone make it enjoyable. Seriously, my high school choir was better at enunciation, and elieve me, less than six of us could actually sing! There are a lot that are good, who have directors and musicians that will make them work at it (Voices of Freedom bing one of them - a pleasant surprise to NOT have to wonder what a southern baptist choir was actually saying), but there are also a great many that /don't./
If the audience isn't familiar with the songs, then how the hell are we supposed to get what you're saying if you hear:
AMAZING g;llkjlkjh;erh;lkhjwk SWWWWWEEEEEEETTTTT the :KHJKHKJHkj;?
Seriously.
Most mega churches don't have this problem, granted, but the smaller ones are pretty damned bad, half the time, and nomially okay at best.
Let's face it, you aren't the only one with facts. The fact is, it's a mixed bag, and will depend on the investment the church is willing to put into it, rather than just throwing random people in, to 'Show your talent before the Lord!", even if their talent tends more towards, say, adminisration than singing.
I have a better idea of what goes into it than you know, kid.