Do you like ABOY as a second single?

[U2@NYC]

Maybe it's me, but I am not sure I would have gone with All Because of You as a second single... in my opinion, the song is similar in style to Vertigo (rocking, power song) and, as such, it might create less interest in people. Also, Christmas is coming and my sense is people would be more into mellow, quieter songs. Finally, I feel that ABOY will sound great live and, as such, would have had more power if released as a single during the tour.

Myself, I would have gone with SYCMOYO.

Thoughts?

 

[riteshbhatt1]

I think it's a great choice since even the hard rock station where I live hasn't played U2 since the early 90s is playing Vertigo. The song has a great modern & classic rock feel to it. I do hope that Sometimes will be released in March/April in time for the tour.

 

[SeattleVertigo]

I'd have gone with SYCMOYO or COBL.

I think they're more "radio-friendly" than ABOY.

 

[raphatrind]

i love ABOY, rock song, powerfull beat

 

[U2@NYC]

I am not saying that ABOY is bad... but just too similar to Vertigo.

 

[popacrobat]

All Because of You is probably the most radio friendly song on the album, maybe even moreso than Vertigo in my opinion.

Great melody, good lyrics, great guitar, great solo, not too long and memorable with a good hook.

 

[Miggy D]

I think ABOY is a good second choice. It keeps things uptempo and rocking. A slow song for the second single would have been a mistake right now, if U2 is attempting to achieve a 'youthful, energetic, in the now' image.

-Miggy

 

[Zoocoustic]

It doesn't matter. Nothing else from this album will even make a dent on the charts or be heard on radio more than once or twice.

And I like the album; I'm just being realistic.

 

[bw in dc]

I'd have gone for "Love and Peace or Else" if you want to go the harder route. I think it's tighter musically and has more drive than "All Because..."

 

[boosterjuice]

There was a few in another thread that mentioned they had word that SYCMIOYO will be released in Europe as a 2nd single and ABOY as a 2nd single in NA.

 

[Bono's shades]

I love ABOY, but it seems to me they have already captured the rock audience with Vertigo. I think it would make more sense from a business standpoint to release Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own as the second single. It would fit into the Adult Top 40/Adult Contemporary radio format (although it is better than 90 percent of the crap that gets played on those stations) so it would encourage a lot more people to buy the album who maybe wouldn't have otherwise.

 

[teebee]

the only drawback is that people buying the album, thinking the rest of the album will be like that, might be disappointed?

They also probably live in caves, so ...

 

[Palace_Hero]

I hate ABOY, hence I hate it as a single.

I don't like the cut of it's jib.

 

[intedomine]

Should be Miracle Drug and than Sometimes you cant make it on your own and then either crums or city of blinding lights.

 

[The_acrobat]

ABOY will be released in early 05, in time to help build suspense for the tour. They have this carefully plotted. It's a good song, very marketable and a good choice for a single. I do agree with the thought that it'll make people believe the album is a hard rocker. Vertigo, ABOY and LAPOE are the only hard rock songs on the album, the rest is quite mellow. It might built the album up into something it isn't.

SYCMIOYO would be good, like said, for the adult contemporary charts, and sell a fair amount of copies that way. I don't even think there will be a need for a 4th single. By the time the 4th single rolls around, the album is pretty much done. That's the way it works anymore. Miracle Drug is too boring for mass appeal. COBL is just too abstract. Crumbs would also be too boring, and Original would be too light. I'm just saying this for the popular radio. I love the entire album.

CITY OF BLINDING LIGHTS IS BAD ASS!!!!

 

[Shaizari]

Larry Mullen sez ABOY will be 2nd single in America, and MD will tbe 2nd single in Europe.

I forget the links.. apologies.

 

[xovonob now!]

ABOY won't be the classic Sometimes will be. But U2 need that as a second single, IMO in order to show people that they ARE doing something new.

(I'm not saying Sometimes is rehash at all here... in fact i don't really agree with all the comparisons to Unforgettable Fire at all. But somehow people associate a ballad by U2 with the 80s. i guess that's the curse of electronica in the 90s....)

 

[beli]

I wonder what the 2nd single in Australia will be. Anybody know if historically we follow Euro or North American single release patterns. Im guessing Euro

 

[tennispunk]

I think ABOY is a perfect 2nd single --it's not one of my favorite cuts on the album, but it's catchy...and what better than a melody to stick in your head right before tickets for the tour go on sale? Since this is not an album filled with slick melodies, they didn't have many choices.

The 3rd single will probably be SYCMIOYO, and if they do a fourth, I assume it will be City of Blinding Lights, which is just an asskickin song.....more singles = more b-sides. i'm all about it.

 

[lazarus]

I'd agree that ABOY is too similar to Vertigo in the "type" of song that it is--basic rocker. However, the fact that it rocks even harder than Vertigo, especially with Bono's scream in the middle of the solo, might impress holdouts further.

U2 hasn't really played the singles game well since Achtung Baby. The Fly was just a big middle finger to anyone who wasn't open to new sounds. It's a fairly standard rock song by today's standards, but back in 1991 it didn't sound like ANYTHING on the radio, let alone like U2.

They followed that attention-grabber with Mysterious Ways, the first booty-shaker the band ever had. While it may have confounded listeners further, there was no denying it was FUN. That was a wise move, in my opinion, especially seeing how dark most of the album is. Then, while the album is already having its way with the charts, you release One, which pretty much reels anybody else in. At this point the tour is getting underway and the train is unstoppable.

I'd argue that U2 could have had much more success with POP by releasing Last Night on Earth as the second single (a reversal of AB's rock song then dance song strategy), to show people that Hey, this isn't just a techno album. If they would have put out LNOE as the first single, it would have been VERY misleading. But Staring at the Sun was so weak compared to previous (and subsequent ballads) that it was just too little, too late. People who were turned off by Discotheque should have been assaulted by the second single, not lulled by it. After that, it was over. POP wasn't a singles album to begin with (it's a damned OPERA!), but I'm amazed that they even bothered putting out singles for Please, If God, and MOFO. Simply horrible choices. I think Miami and Playboy Mansion may have reeled in more people.

As for ATYCLB, I think there was a misstep as well. Elevation (minus the lame-ass Tomb Raider remix and video) as the #2 single really would have pulled in more people, and got them psyched for the tour. Despite winning Grammys, I don't know that Stuck or Walk On did great promo work. 9/11 and the tour are what made this album go 4x platinum, not the singles. With the right strategies, it might have made even more. You wonder why Achung Baby did a couple million more in the U.S. when it was so much less accessible than ATYCLB; there might be part of the answer.

So back to the Bomb...from my above statements I think Sometimes should be single #3, so what else could come out instead of ABOY? Miracle Drug is maybe too powerful to waste on casual radio ears; I also hate when bands release singles in the order they appear on the album. Crazy as it sounds, I think Fast Cars would have made a very cool single to show people the album isn't just straight-forward rockers and ballads. Also, compared to what U2 have done in the past, it's not THAT weird. But that isn't an option. I think Love and Peace or Else would be a ballsy move. The lead in might just be a little too electronic to do well, but the rest of it is some ass-shaking rock, which people would love to crank out. Plus, it isn't as "deep" as MD, Crumbs, or COBY. Man and a Woman would be an adult contemporary death sentence.

In the end, it almost HAS to be ABOY, because the options or limited. Seeing as how LPOE hasn't even made a live promo appearance yet (who knows if it will even be played live), it ain't happening.

This album will have legs if they do it right, and I expect Crumbs, Species, and MD to be singles in time, maybe even COBL. The only ones that I can't envision being singles at any point are One Step Closer and Yahweh. This one could be a legitimate six-shooter, and not a forced one like POP.


laz

 

[BOYO3221]

2nd least fav song on album after one step....... sounds like a joshua tree b-side



they should release miracle drug

 

[Yahweh]

It fits into my singles list right where i said it would be even though it is not my favourite track on the album I knew it would be a single.

1. Vertigo
2. All Because Of You
3. Original Of The Species
4. City Of Blinding Lights
5. Sometimes You Cant Make it on your own

If indeed they plan to have 5 singles that is that was my guess after I heard the album a few times.

 

[Peter]

Great song, I hope that COBL will be a third single...

 

[U2girl]

I'd argue that U2 could have had much more success with POP by releasing Last Night on Earth as the second single (a reversal of AB's rock song then dance song strategy), to show people that Hey, this isn't just a techno album. If they would have put out LNOE as the first single, it would have been VERY misleading. But Staring at the Sun was so weak compared to previous (and subsequent ballads) that it was just too little, too late. People who were turned off by Discotheque should have been assaulted by the second single, not lulled by it. After that, it was over. POP wasn't a singles album to begin with (it's a damned OPERA!), but I'm amazed that they even bothered putting out singles for Please, If God, and MOFO. Simply horrible choices. I think Miami and Playboy Mansion may have reeled in more people.

As for ATYCLB, I think there was a misstep as well. Elevation (minus the lame-ass Tomb Raider remix and video) as the #2 single really would have pulled in more people, and got them psyched for the tour. Despite winning Grammys, I don't know that Stuck or Walk On did great promo work. 9/11 and the tour are what made this album go 4x platinum, not the singles. With the right strategies, it might have made even more. You wonder why Achung Baby did a couple million more in the U.S. when it was so much less accessible than ATYCLB; there might be part of the answer.

I also have some issues with Zooropa singles. Numb? Lemon? Why not Babyface or First time...

I think Gone would have been a great single for POP, maybe instead of Last night on earth. MOFO - those were only remixes right, not really a single..?
Otherwise I don't think they were bad choices (apart from Discotheque dress-up part of the video and LNOE video).

Actually, Stuck did make it to Billboard top 100, which neither Elevation or Walk on did. I would change the latter two with In a little while and Kite, as they are IMO better songs and show more versatility of the album. While 9/11 may have helped the album in US, the singles did good elsewhere in the world.
IMO Beautiful day has the credit for this album.

The difference between AB and ATYCLB times is also the rise of R&B/rap/pop in the charts, and the comparative fall of rock bands in the mainstream. It's much harder for them to break into the charts now.

As for HTDAAB singles, we can guess the singles by what they played on the promo tour: Vertigo, ABOY, MD, COBL, Sometimes, OOTS.
After Vertigo, ABOY and Sometimes, I'm guessing OOTS and MD. Keep COBL as the "hidden gem" on the album, like Gone or Kite or UTEOTW from the past.

Then again, they have lots to pick from: Love and peace, A man and a woman, Crumbs, One step closer...The two songs I immediately thought of as singles were ABOY and Crumbs.

*edit* Sometimes is the second single here, and I'm not complaining as it's my favorite on the album.

 

[stagman]

All Because of You is a great choice.
The general public will warm to it more than Vertigo, cos the lyrics are more meaningful..... and it has an awesome little guitar solo.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

ABOY is a great rock song...just listened to it again just now and I do not get the hate a certain group of posters have for it.



It will do very well in the charts!

 

[bedouin fire]

i am really sick of this talk that the singles must be radio-friendly/catchy songs.

like i said in a similar thread, in the past u2 made the difference just because they had the courage to release singles with great music coming from the heart (even if not totally catchy) and people realized that difference. New Year's day, with or without you, the fly, one, even beautiful day weren't radio-friendly songs when they were released, but the fact is that listening to these songs made people feel more complete and smart than listening to the empty bullshit that radios play 99% of the time. Success in the charts for u2 comes as a natural consequence of this and if not, a bigger thing - relevance. These are the songs that the world recognizes as the best contribute of u2 the pop/rock history, and not radio-friendly/catchy songs with blockbuster videos.

With that said, looking at htdaab i think that miracle drug is a great song, full of content, full of depth, full of emotion that will make much more difference for people than aboy that, despite being a good song, it's closer to the tons of catchy rock songs from average rock bands that we hear everyday on the radio and will end lost amongst them.

 

[jacobus]

well i am not american, but what a helluva song this song is and the song has all the big balls a great rock tune needs. this song is the biggest positive surprise on the album after i heard that boring 50sec beach clip. ABOY has a few of the old Gn'R trademarks (Slash's guitar sound) imo...

 

[xovonob now!]

I would have gone with Sometimes. Because otherwise if the second single is All Because of You, the logical next choice for single three and perhaps four is Sometimes and Original of the Species. But it may seem strange releasing two "I love you dad" songs in a row.

 

[pwmartin]

I've already heard Miracle Drug on the radio. It was before the album was even released. But it immediately caught my attention, and I thought it sounded excellent as a radio single.