Bono's Caterwauling

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TheQuiet1

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I'll probably be the only one who feels like this but I'll plough on regardless :uhoh:

You know when you're listening to a U2 song and Bono's doing emotional? It's sounds great, you start to actually feel genuinely moved and then it starts- the caterwauling. That moment where Bono stops singing the lyrics or indeed any recognisable language and instead: "AIEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOAIEEEEEEEE. OOOOOOOOH. AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"Why? What's wrong with just singing the lyrics?! Bono's blessed with a great voice for conveying emotion. I'm sure we could all get the emotion without any 'help' from the screeching! It might not be so bad if Bono did it sparingly but it seems like he does it in nearly every bloody song and it kills it for me.

Case in point- The First Time. Wouldn't it just sound so much better without the OOOOOOOOOOAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE bit in?
 
He does get over-emotional sometimes and it gets to be a bit much but I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing.

TheQuiet1 said:
Case in point- The First Time. Wouldn't it just sound so much better without the OOOOOOOOOOAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE bit in?

:scratch: Are you talking about the falsetto at the end? I love that falsetto!
 
Re: Re: Bono's Caterwauling

Zootlesque said:
He does get over-emotional sometimes and it gets to be a bit much but I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing.



:scratch: Are you talking about the falsetto at the end? I love that falsetto!

YES! I DESPISE THAT FALSETTO AT THE END!

(Not that I'm getting overworked about this or anything... :wink: )
 
I'm also talking about the bit at 1.34 in The First Time. It just jars me somehow. It doesn't sound right to me.
 
U2democrat said:
I :heart: The First Time, and i generally :heart: the falsetto in it, but at certain points Bono kind of sounds like Willy from Free Willy...:uhoh:


Is there a "slow-clap" smiley? There really should be...

<slow clap>

~A.j.~
 
unico said:
I think that the falsetto adds to the emotion of the song. definitely in The First Time, and especially in RTSS.

I agree. Sometimes words aren't enough, but a good falsetto moan does the trick. :wink:

Seriously though, I do think it's just a way for Bono to get raw emotion across, and also a way for him to push the other members to bring out the emotion as well.
 
Re: Re: Re: Bono's Caterwauling

TheQuiet1 said:


YES! I DESPISE THAT FALSETTO AT THE END!

(Not that I'm getting overworked about this or anything... :wink: )

Bono=Falsetto :drool:

wow , you must really hate Lemon .
 
To me this is exactly what puts Bono far ahead any rock vocalist in recent memory.

Would Running to Stand Still have half of its emotional power without that moment right before "she walks through the streets..."? No, it wouldn't.

You seem to think that lyrics are the only way of expressing emotion or thought? To me there is something transcendent in Bono conveyance of these very things through his falsetto.

Another example is the end of One, where Bono takes an already powerful song and sends it into the fucking stratosphere with his falsetto at the end.

I think you're going to be in a very, very small minority on this one.
 
lazarus said:
Another example is the end of One, where Bono takes an already powerful song and sends it into the fucking stratosphere with his falsetto at the end.

:combust: That is his single greatest falsetto ever, period!
 
That is definitely part of what I LOVE about their music. I think he can't help but do it, because he DOES go to another place when he sings, and it just pours out of him. That mixed with his lyrics and U2's music = transcendance :drool: :drool:. He's just a VERY passionate person.:drool:
 
Zootlesque said:
:combust: That is his single greatest falsetto ever, period!

I take it you have never heard his scarily high and perfect falsetto on the live versions of "Can't Help Falling In Love". :wink:

Seriously, check out the version from Dublin 8/28/1993. It's mind-boggling.
 
:yes: He uses his falsetto very effectively. My favourite is from Playboy mansion, at the end.

"I know I've got to believe" and "then will there be for sorrow" etc

I only wish he hadn't overdone it on Lemon.
 
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U2girl said:
:yes: He uses his falsetto very effectively. My favourite is from Playboy mansion, at the end.

"I know I've got to believe" and "then will there be for sorrow" etc

Yes. Of course, this song never gets enough credit. I think it's a cool little soul piece. Great beat, great guitar work from edge.
 
I was at first put off by the sample use, but I do like the song Playboy Mansion.
Was there any official reason why it wasn't played live ? (I remember reading somewhere Bono wanted giant sized lotto balls hanging above the audience during the performance)

Interesting, babyman. Maybe, I'd also suggest his belting is his trademark.
 
U2girl said:

I only wish he hadn't overdone it on Lemon.

THANK YOU. I know this song gets a lot of love on Interference, but I personally can't stand it, and the falsetto is one of the main reasons. I regard falsetto the same way I do screaming and melisma when it comes to singing -- they're useful tools and can add a lot to a song, just be smart about when you use it. And like you said, Bono usually uses his effectively. I think RTSS is a perfect example.

And I'm not sure I'd refer to falsetto as "caterwauling"... :hmm: I think 'caterwauling" better describes what he did near the end of "Please" on the Popmart tour. Not when he sang in falsetto, but the "aiy-aiy-aiy-ahh-ahhh" bit that I still can't figure out how to type phoenetically. I didn't care for that because (1) it was a little too over-the-top, even for Bono and (2) it drowns out Edge's solo.
 
LemonMelon said:
OK, Quiet1, what's your take on Bono's orgasm at the end of HMTMKMKM? :hmm:

May I comment, here.
ANYTHING that describes Bono using the word orgasm is just that: ORGASMIC.:drool:
I cannot imagine any other opinion. (but you know that already!!)

His falsetto, his moans,groans, etc. It's all good.

.....for Quiet1's answer:waiting: !!
 
TheQuiet1 said:
I'll probably be the only one who feels like this but I'll plough on regardless :uhoh:

You know when you're listening to a U2 song and Bono's doing emotional? It's sounds great, you start to actually feel genuinely moved and then it starts- the caterwauling. That moment where Bono stops singing the lyrics or indeed any recognisable language and instead: "AIEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOAIEEEEEEEE. OOOOOOOOH. AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"Why? What's wrong with just singing the lyrics?! Bono's blessed with a great voice for conveying emotion. I'm sure we could all get the emotion without any 'help' from the screeching! It might not be so bad if Bono did it sparingly but it seems like he does it in nearly every bloody song and it kills it for me.

Case in point- The First Time. Wouldn't it just sound so much better without the OOOOOOOOOOAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE bit in?

No it wouldn't, moron.
 
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