OK, I know this has been done before, but since I often write "negative" (non-totally supportive of everything U2) posts and replies, I thought I'd write a positive one.
I absolutely love this song, especially the album version. I could tell you exactly where I was (I won't) when I first heard this song. Only "With or Without You" had been released until the day the album came out. DJ played an "album cut". I was mesmerized from the start. Thought they had nailed it completely with this one. Quick thoughts:
1) When they talk about "sonic landscapes", this is what they mean.
2) Love the production. The blending of all the different guitar sounds.
3) Awesome driving bass. Some of Adam's best.
4) It's one of the only U2 songs I can think of that doesn't change tempo at all. There's something to be said for that--especially since they've done the "build up to a crescendo" thing so many times.
5) A bridge that isn't loud or corny. No screaming guitar solo. No plaintive vocals from Bono. Just the same beat with three simple notes from Edge.
6) Great lyrics that paint a picture. They're hopeful yet not preachy. Satisfaction not quite fufilled.
7) Bono at the height of his vocal powers. Mature voice--not the high pitch of the early records or the throaty rasp of the later ones.
Don't understand all the people who say they skip it when listening to "The Joshua Tree". Perhaps just a different appreciation for it, one perhaps formed when it became a radio staple. To me, it's still perfection. Done.
I absolutely love this song, especially the album version. I could tell you exactly where I was (I won't) when I first heard this song. Only "With or Without You" had been released until the day the album came out. DJ played an "album cut". I was mesmerized from the start. Thought they had nailed it completely with this one. Quick thoughts:
1) When they talk about "sonic landscapes", this is what they mean.
2) Love the production. The blending of all the different guitar sounds.
3) Awesome driving bass. Some of Adam's best.
4) It's one of the only U2 songs I can think of that doesn't change tempo at all. There's something to be said for that--especially since they've done the "build up to a crescendo" thing so many times.
5) A bridge that isn't loud or corny. No screaming guitar solo. No plaintive vocals from Bono. Just the same beat with three simple notes from Edge.
6) Great lyrics that paint a picture. They're hopeful yet not preachy. Satisfaction not quite fufilled.
7) Bono at the height of his vocal powers. Mature voice--not the high pitch of the early records or the throaty rasp of the later ones.
Don't understand all the people who say they skip it when listening to "The Joshua Tree". Perhaps just a different appreciation for it, one perhaps formed when it became a radio staple. To me, it's still perfection. Done.