Best Song Survivor v2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb era

[Axver]

Please vote for your FAVOURITE song(s).
The top SIX songs from this era proceed to the 2000s Semi-Final.

Welcome to the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb era round in Best Song Survivor v2! The object of this game is to find Interference's favourite U2 songs. Each album will be featured in a single round with the non-album tracks from its era. The amount of finalists from each era is based on seeding from the latest U2 Album Survivor. These rounds will last 48 hours and will be multiple choice polls where you vote for your favourite tracks (within reason). A suggestion is to vote for the amount of tracks that will proceed to the next round, although this is not a hard and fast rule. Remember that there is a tradeoff: if you vote for more songs, the power of each of your votes is dampened, but if you vote for fewer songs, you get to spread your influence less far.

Only original U2 songs with official studio releases will compete. However, you are free to vote on the basis of live versions, alternate versions, remixes, etc., as in the normal version of Survivor. Basically whatever you think best represents the song in your mind.

The ATYCLB era round had a quite remarkable result, unprecedented in the tournament thus far: two of the top four tracks were non-album material. Furthermore, seventh place was also a non-album track, beating all but four of the album tracks. Meanwhile, there was the very rare occurrence of an album track coming last in its own right, and a number of other album tracks performed poorly. The Hands That Performed America, incidentally, received the worst vote of any song to appear on the main disc of a Best Of compilation.

(bold = qualified for finals)
1. Beautiful Day - 41 votes
2. Kite - 35
3. Electrical Storm - 34
4. The Ground Beneath Her Feet - 33
5. Walk On - 27
6. When I Look at the World - 21
7. Stateless - 17
8. Stuck in a Moment - 15
=9. In a Little While - 13
=9. New York - 13
11. Elevation - 11
12. Levitate - 8
13. Summer Rain - 7
14. Wild Honey - 5
=15. Big Girls Are Best - 4
=15. Love You Like Mad - 4
=15. The Hands That Built America - 4
=18. Flower Child - 3
=18. Grace - 3
20. Always - 2
21. Peace on Earth - 1
(Total voters: 53)

 

[Axver]

I'm a bit less apathetic about this era than ATYCLB, though my top two tracks from the ATYCLB era - TGBHF and Electrical Storm - are better than anything here. My vote:

City of Blinding Lights (of course)
A Man and a Woman (a legitimately great track that has grown in this forum's view over the years and I hope grows even further)
Crumbs From Your Table (Edge's gorgeous chiming sound - I don't care if it's derivative of his previous stuff)
One Step Closer (I tacked this on because I know it'll need some love in the final results)
Smile (what an overlooked gem - should've been on the album, one of the best songs from the HTDAAB sessions)
Native Son (legitimately think this slays Vertigo; what a great rocker)

 

[Von Schloopen]

A Man and a Woman

Yes.

I won't vote in your silly poll, cause it's fucking silly.

But this song is ace.

 

[LemonMelon]

COBL, AMAAW, Crumbs and Fast Cars are the only songs worth the slight finger motion required to vote.

 

[Axver]

I won't vote in your silly poll, cause it's fucking silly.

I was wondering when you'd chime in. You kept advocating something not dissimilar to this format, and now it's silly? But I really don't care if you or anybody else votes or not. It's just a bit of fun.

At least we can agree on the quality of AMAAW. No idea why it got trashed so hard when the album came out.

 

[Von Schloopen]

At least we can agree on the quality of AMAAW. No idea why it got trashed so hard when the album came out.

It's good stuff. It just grooves.

Those kind of tracks aren't as immediate as the big rock songs. They take a while to set in.

But they do set in. They need time.

 

[digitize]

City of Blinding Lights, Original of the Species, A Man and a Woman, Window in the Skies.

Also, Peace of Earth didn't deserve the shafting that it received. I didn't vote for it, but I also can't believe that it was in last place.

 

[PennyLanePHINS]

Vertigo, Miracle Drug, Love & Peace, COBL, Crumbs, OOTS (grown on me a lot lately), Fast Cars, Window in the Skies

 

[U2DMfan]

I got my protest vote in for the alternate universe where the Chris Thomas album actually came out and U2 followed a different direction.

I would have voted for the Alt version of ABOY as well.
That's a kick ass version. Better than most of the actual album.
The album version is completely lame. Currently - 0 votes.

 

[dazzledbylight]

Vertigo
Miracle Drug
City of Blinding Lights
Yaweh
Native Son
Windows in the Sky


AMAAW -- don't know either why this song was trashed ...to me it's
kind of a meld between U2 and Sinatra

I do think NS is actually better sonically than Vertigo anbd interesting story in those lyrics

 

[Axver]

Also, Peace of Earth didn't deserve the shafting that it received. I didn't vote for it, but I also can't believe that it was in last place.

Yeah, agreed. It's not a favourite of mine at all, but it's by no means the worst song on the album, let alone from the era. In particular I'm baffled by the fact Big Girls Are Best polled better than, well, anything else from that selection.

 

[gvox]

Pah! I remember when the vast majority here slagged A Man and a Woman to no end. I liked it from day 1. One of my favorite "Adam" tracks

 

[gvox]

Also, BGAB over Peace On Earth? You should be ashamed.

 

[LemonMirrorSky]

Peace On Earth definitely did not deserve last place! Looks like I was the only one who voted for it. It is eons better than the shitty Always, for starters.

In this round, I was just gonna vote for COBL, Man and Woman, Crumbs, Fast Cars and Native Son. But I decided to add a vote to Sometimes as well. It is actually a neat little song dedicated to Bono's father, if you can overlook the over-the-top pseudo operatic SIIING verse nonsense!

 

[God Part III]

Window in the Skies has more votes than A Man and a Woman?

 

[bonocomet]

Vertigo
One Step Closer
Original of the Species
Yahweh
Smile

One Step Closer is a beautiful little understated piece. And yeah I know that Original of the Species is considered cheese by many, but it's tasty U2 cheese at it's finest.
Smile is wonderful and should have been on the album.

I also really like A Man And A Woman, but still not ready to give it a vote yet. Maybe by the time the next poll comes along.

 

[LemonMelon]

Window in the Skies has more votes than A Man and a Woman?

The fact that AMAAW has a legitimate shot of going through is an improvement to begin with.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Vertigo, AMAAW, COBL and fast Cars.

That's the fewest votes I've given yet, just don't think any of the others are strong enough.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but doesn't it seem like Electrical Storm fits in with this "era", or batch of songs, more so than it does with ATYCLB? What was the reasoning behind that, Ax? Not a big deal, just curious.

Its release date is almost right in the exact middle of the release dates for ATYCLB and HTDAAB, so I can see either one. But it feels like it should be here. Its tone seemed to be a bit of a springboard into this era, and fits more with this stuff.

 

[LemonMirrorSky]

I always associated Electrical Storm more with ATYCLB than with HTDAAB. But that's just me. It also helps that Electrical Storm is eons better than almost all of HTDAAB.

 

[God Part III]

The fact that AMAAW has a legitimate shot of going through is an improvement to begin with.

Right, but when did Window in the Skies turn popular all of a sudden??

 

[Mauwer]

Vertigo
COBL
AMAAW
OSC
Fast Cars
Smile (this song should`ve been on the album)

 

[Vlaco]

None.

There's not one song on this list that I like. They vary from mediocre to utter crap.

 

[LemonMirrorSky]

The funniest thing here right now is that All Because Of You has 0 votes. Even Xanax And Wine has 1 vote!

 

[gareth brown]

Vertigo
Are You Gonna Wait Forever?

 

[intedomine]

Well done Man and Woman, hang in there - never seen it polling do well!

 

[Axver]

Stoked that AMAAW is third right now!

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but doesn't it seem like Electrical Storm fits in with this "era", or batch of songs, more so than it does with ATYCLB? What was the reasoning behind that, Ax? Not a big deal, just curious.

Its release date is almost right in the exact middle of the release dates for ATYCLB and HTDAAB, so I can see either one. But it feels like it should be here. Its tone seemed to be a bit of a springboard into this era, and fits more with this stuff.

You're quite right - it's a marginal call. I think we've always done it with ATYCLB, so there's that precedent, and honestly I just associate it more with ATYCLB - they finished Elevation, went away, recorded a couple of new songs, and they ended up on the Best Of with a bunch of ATYCLB songs. Then the HTDAAB cycle began. I perceive it as being the full stop on ATYCLB, rather than the intro to HTDAAB, but I can see your angle too.

The results so far seem to suit Electrical Storm being with ATYCLB - the rest of that album was heavily trailing and probably wouldn't do well in the finals, while this HTDAAB round is extraordinarily close so far. Eight songs right now are competing for the sixth and last finals spot, and the top thirteen songs are all within eight votes of each other.

Right, but when did Window in the Skies turn popular all of a sudden??

I'm baffled by this too. What a crappy song. Hope it doesn't sneak into the finals.

The funniest thing here right now is that All Because Of You has 0 votes. Even Xanax And Wine has 1 vote!

Hahaha it's great. Though to be honest, ABOY is a much better song than dross like OOTS or Yahweh.

 

[God Part III]

I'm baffled by this too. What a crappy song. Hope it doesn't sneak into the finals.

I was so happy when NLOTH came out and it didn't sound at all like WITS.
I can only agree, genuinely one of my least favourite U2 songs of all time.

 

[Globo14]

Yes, I unashamedly voted for All Because of You.

 

[Axver]

Yes, I unashamedly voted for All Because of You.

You're voted off EYKIW.