I'm wondering about Staring at the Sun...

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Dorian Gray

Refugee
Joined
Sep 4, 2001
Messages
1,520
Location
Nova Scotia
I was sitting here listening to this song when I remembered an interview where Larry was talking about what they could have done with Pop had they the time to finish it. In the case of SATS he said something to the effect of 'I mean... we felt that Staring at the Sun was going to be this incredible, huge and very special song but we were never able to go as far as we wanted with it'.

Does anybody remember him saying this?
Anyway, what do you think they could have possibly done with it? It's already one of my favorites... fantastic chorus, melodic verses, great music, etc. What else could they possibly improve upon??

barg

------------------
And I felt like a star...

[This message has been edited by Dorian Gray (edited 01-04-2002).]
 
I'm a huge POP supporter, and Staring at the Sun is undoubtedly one of the best tracks off the album, and one of the better songs they made in the 90's.

I don't know about that quote from Larry though. SATS seems like much more of a moody, personal track, and I think that's reflected in the fact that they only perform it acoustically. I mean, I just get the feeling that if SATS was intended to be a mind-blowing rocking experience a la Streets, that could have been taken care of in the live show. It seems much more at home as a quiet, intriguing conversation than a head-banging light show tune.

Personally, I love the more introverted side of U2, songs that may be catchy or rocking, but aren't necassarily uplifting or ecstatic. Staring at the Sun is a perfect example of this I think.

[This message has been edited by Dustybot (edited 01-04-2002).]
 
maybe play the full version live?

had they done this, or if they are even capable of doing this, i think the song would have been much bigger.
 
originally i believe sats, along with miami, was supposed to be the center piece of the whole 'trip-hop' theme that was scrapped.
i dunno, maybe that is what he is refferring to?

------------------
you can stuff your sorries in a sack mister
 
I think SATS may be the epitome of how Pop was described as being an "unfinished" album. I think it's great, but it seems to lack that special something, and extra "oomph" to get it over the hill. If they had completed it, it would have been perfect as the first single. Discotheque kind of turned people off to the album, and didn't promote sales the way it should have. As it is, SATS is a very cool song, both soothing and catchy to listen to. It's probably the most recognized song from the album, because it did get a lot of airplay on Adult stations.

We could all sit around and wonder what if, but I doubt U2 would ever go back and try to remake some of their songs, which would be an admission that the album wasn't done. We didn't see a polished up version during Popmart, which is just as well, since they probably like it now the way it is, as part of the acoustic set.

------------------
Change is the only constant
 
Originally posted by Foxxern:

We could all sit around and wonder what if, but I doubt U2 would ever go back and try to remake some of their songs, which would be an admission that the album wasn't done.


Weren't the single versions of Please and LNOE sort of remakes?

------------------
And I felt like a star...
 
Originally posted by Dorian Gray:
Weren't the single versions of Please and LNOE sort of remakes?


they were, along with the if god will send his angels single, and much better versions of the respective songs at that(best way to listen to Pop is to sub in these songs, even better album).

------------------
you can stuff your sorries in a sack mister
 
Well, I'll concede the lengthened version of Please, but were IGWSHA and LNOE remixes, or just shortened single versions? I don't own either of the singles, so I'm not positive there.
 
Originally posted by Foxxern:
Well, I'll concede the lengthened version of Please, but were IGWSHA and LNOE remixes, or just shortened single versions? I don't own either of the singles, so I'm not positive there.

no there were slight lyrical changes, the final verse at the end of igwsha single is entirely different, and the middle lines where bono is whispering during lnoe(can you tell i don't know any musical terms?) are different. obviously still the same songs but these were the changes that for me pushed these songs over the edge to U2 quality.

------------------
you can stuff your sorries in a sack mister
 
The guitar is also more evident on the Last Night on Earth single, esp near the end... great tune.

------------------
And I felt like a star...
 
I've actually never heard the LNOE single cut. Anyone know where I can find it?
 
Originally posted by Dustybot:
I've actually never heard the LNOE single cut. Anyone know where I can find it?

If you'd be willing to wait a couple weeks I could send you the LNOE single. I have an extra and I've been trying to unload it to someone since the Pop era.
 
Wow, wannabe, that's incredibly generous. If you would, give me an e-mail at dustybot@hotmail.com.
 
it's a cool song, but the way it was put on POP the music doesn't seem to do that much (a bit messy) and the bridge doesn't really work (for me at least)

------------------
Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it
 
Staring at The Sun has that whole mid 90's Brit Pop feel to it. When POP came out I assumed they made the song because they were influenced by Oasis.

It's a shame that they never made the song better during the live performances. U2 was always known for songs becoming better live.

------------------
The more of these I drink the more Bono makes sense.. - Bean from the KROQ Breakfast with U2.
 
The more I think about it, the more I agree with Salome... the bridge could have been more.

Still love the song tho
smile.gif


------------------
And I felt like a star...
 
Originally posted by Dorian Gray:
I was sitting here listening to this song when I remembered an interview where Larry was talking about what they could have done with Pop had they the time to finish it. In the case of SATS he said something to the effect of 'I mean... we felt that Staring at the Sun was going to be this incredible, huge and very special song but we were never able to go as far as we wanted with it'.

Does anybody remember him saying this?
Anyway, what do you think they could have possibly done with it? It's already one of my favorites... fantastic chorus, melodic verses, great music, etc. What else could they possibly improve upon??

barg



Larry did say this - he thought this should have been one of their biggest singles ! The video didn't help either - a rather rushed affair when you consider what they might have done with a song about summer dresses etc !!

Mike
 
Does anyone remember when one of the members said a long while back of how they were going to play "staring at the sun" how they meant it to be in the first place. When they said this it was when they "tagged" it at the end of "discotheque". Some of us didn't get to hear it since they dropped the 2 in the set-list semi-early on - but I did and it is still amazing live. I love the way they "reinvented" it. Very nice.

~z~

------------------
" You love this town - even if that doesn't ring true. You've been all over, and it's been all over you " - Bono

" Don't you know there ain't no Devil, that's just God when he's drunk " - Tom Waits
 
i liked the original staring at the sun video, with all the glowing things flying around the band members it was pretty cool.

------------------
The more of these I drink the more Bono makes sense.. - Bean from the KROQ Breakfast with U2.
 
Originally posted by david:
i liked the original staring at the sun video, with all the glowing things flying around the band members it was pretty cool.


That's why I love the video because of the glowing things flying. I'm not sure, but I've heard those are sun flares, like what you get if you do stare at the sun. Now sadly, I have stared at the sun and experienced glowing things flying, my suggestion: don't do it. But it was cool seeing them in the video.
 
The 'glowing sunspots' video for SATS is one of my favourite U2 videos of all. If they had played a full-blown version of the song on the PopMart tour, just think of the effects they could've used with the big screen.

------------------
"You gotta love living, baby, 'cause dyin's a pain in the ass."-- Frank Sinatra

Adam: Look guys, I got a Springfield spoon for my spoon collection.
Edge: Oh boy, here we go...
Bono: Wow, how many is that now Adam?
Adam: Nine. If I didn't have my spoons, I'd go insane.
Bono: Can I see it?
*adam gives bono the spoon, bono throws it away*
Adam: My spoon!
 
SATS sounds perfect the way it is IMO. My favorite from POP, and one of U2's best videos (with all the light effects).

------------------

be uncool, yes be awkward
 
"those that can't do! often have to preach".This truism made a young man from music enthusiastic to "a-narrow-minded-obsessed-one-band-fan".My struggle with being a U2 fan continues.

Music aside, the plain and meandering lyrics of Staring at the Sun presents the contradiction that Bono often speaks about.The song to me is like a river(spirit) making hush noises when it struggels initially through the rocky mountains(Soul).I think this is the bridge between One and Walk On that U2 never seriously build.
 
Originally posted by ishkash:
"those that can't do! often have to preach".This truism made a young man from music enthusiastic to "a-narrow-minded-obsessed-one-band-fan".My struggle with being a U2 fan continues.

Music aside, the plain and meandering lyrics of Staring at the Sun presents the contradiction that Bono often speaks about.The song to me is like a river(spirit) making hush noises when it struggels initially through the rocky mountains(Soul).I think this is the bridge between One and Walk On that U2 never seriously build.

You may be right about that. However I find at least the opening verse of Staring At The Sun among Bono's sexiest and most evocative. Not to mention the undercurrent of uneasiness.

If I have a problem with the song, it's not that the production is 'bad', exactly, but that what I consider the strengths of the track (edge's guitar line, Bono's falsetto) are not sufficiently realised. In other words, on the right track, just not far enough.

"In the shade of a willow tree
creeps a crawling over me..."
 
Originally posted by Dorian Gray:
The more I think about it, the more I agree with Salome
wow, that's a first
biggrin.gif



------------------
Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it
 
Back
Top Bottom