Citric said:
I wouldn't put it on the level of 'With or Without You' yet, but it certainly is a fine piece of music. But perhaps in the future...
Certainly too early to say whether it'll have the impact as WOWY, or whether it will always sound as good as it does now, but my initial reaction is, yes, this song is as good as With or Without You in at least one respect.
Allow me to give you an idea as to how BIG that statement is, coming from me. I believe that With or Without You is not only among my favorite U2 songs, but their single GREATEST song, and perhaps the greatest song in all of pop music.
It is, simply put, a PERFECT song. The wails of Bono and Edge's infinite guitar contrasted against Adam and Larry's insistent rhythm section. The slow burn beginning that leads up to the passionate cries and the release of the final falsetto.
More than that, and this is where it gets hard to describe, it's a very emotionally big song. The ONLY reaction is to throw out your arms, tilt your head to the heavens, close your eyes, and let it sink in.
Granted, there are other songs - notably U2 songs - that have the same emotional power: New Year's Day, All I Want Is You, One, Gone, Walk On.
And there are also other ways to reach the soul: the small, heartbreaking songs (The First Time, Jewel's "Foolish Games", David Gray's "Shine"). The high-energy releases (Out of Control, Where the Streets Have No Name, Elevation). The diabolically dark songs (Exit, Numb). The irresistibly happy songs (Wild Honey, Coldplay's "Yellow").
But the "big" songs like WOWY are few and far between. If you try to force it, it comes out wrong (see also: Creed). But if you just let the power of the song come out on its own, it can overwhelm everyone.
And - particularly because of the vocals and the chiming guitar (a cascade of the single notes one hears in An Cat Dub/Into the Heart) - this song REALLY overwhelms me.
As with With or Without You, there is only one reaction: throw out your arms, tilt your head to the heavens, close your eyes, and let it sink in.