Mercy is NOT unfinished?

[DPrinceNY]

I am so sick of everyone saying that Mercy is an unfinished song.
I think it is great the way it is and doesnt need to be shortened.
Its a departure from the normal 3 chorus 4 minute songs that U2 always makes.
Think of it as another Lemon with regards to length

 

[Axver]

The song rambles. It peters out. It doesn't have enough direction. It IS unfinished, and horribly over-rated.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

To me the only reason it is unfinished is the song quality but it really is an awesome song.

I disagree on the overrated comment. I think it's best song of this era of U2.

I am kind of dissapointed with the fact that it's not on the album but I haven't lost faith on a comeback later on in the Best of 2000 - 2010 on remix a la "The Sweetest Thing". Who knows.

All I know is it's too good to let go.

 

[coemgen]

I think it has potential to be a great U2 song, but Axver is right — it kind of rambles without direction. Cool lyrics though.

 

[miss becky]

It rambles, but that's partly why I like it. It doesn't hold to the verse-chorus-verse formula, as was said earlier. I almost hate to think of the band playing around with it and tightening it up.

 

[xana dew]

I've never heard it. I'm still in CD/discman mode as far as listening to music goes and I don't know where to find it out there in cyberville. Could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks.

 

[coemgen]

It's a good song, but there's a reason it was left off the album.

 

[Zooropean103]

Mayby it will be released as a separate single after HTDAAB promos? Something like Electrical Storm after ATYCLB or The Sweetest Thing after Pop? I doubt but it's possible.

 

[Down Under]

Gee I love it.
Hey, any music from U2 is great (finished or not).

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

I agree that the song is FINISHED, it was originally included in the track listing for HTDAAB. The sound quality is bad, but it has never been officially released. As for rambling, I think "Bad" rambles too, but I love that song.

 

[U2alli]

mercy is so amazingly good!! i love it. same goes for 'are u gonna wait forever'

 

[schnazdoodle]

I've never heard it...

 

[Nate Dogg]

amazing song.....great vocals by Bono.....it holds up to any other song on the album, and then some....

 

[jick]

I have said this in another part of this forum and I will repeat myself here. Mercy is a substandard U2 song that was rightfully left off the album. It was even rightfully left off the b-sides list giving way to Are You Gonna Wait Forever.

"You know I'm weed-killer, honey
And your sugar
If you're the prosecution
I'd get away with murder
If you were ice
I'm water
And with your telescope
I can see further
We're binary code
A one and a zero
You wanted violins
And you got Nero
You're gravity
Searching for the ground
You're silence
Searching for a sound
You're heart is aching
You're heart is my home
It's fascinating
I know I'll never be alone"

The typical metaphor/analogy/comparison/contrast songwriting schtick most songwriters employ.

"Love, hears, when I lie
Love puts the blue back in my eye
Love will come again
I'll be gone again
Again"

How many songs making analogies about love do we need? We already have too many and this song doesn't say anything new or groundbreaking or have real depth in its meaning. This part about love sounds too boybandish.

"If you hunger
Baby let me feed it
If you're heart is full
Baby let me bleed it
And happiness is for
Those who don't really need it
You love me, too much
You always loved me, too much"

Check out Bon Jovi's 1989 hit "I'll Be There For You" from the New Jersey album. Jon Bon Jovi sings ""I'll be the water when you get thristy baby, when you get drunk I'll be the wine." The Bon Jovi influence is pretty obvious here and perhaps that is why U2 left this song off.

"I, I can't escape myself
I'll hear you talk
Feel nothing
I feel nothing
Fee-ee-ee-ee-eel!
I can hear so much
Feel nothing
I can hear so much
Feel, nothing"

See "And if you listen I can't call/ and if you jump you just might fall/ and if I touch you/ You don't feel a thing" (Stay) and also see "I feel numb" (Numb). The long singing of "fee-ee-eel" is also similar to the "I can fee-ee-eel" of Vertigo. Obviously this has been said before already in better more poetic and more musical ways.

"I am alive
Baby I'm born again, and again
And again and again
Again. . ."

I like the way he said it in All Because Of You better. It was more complete when he sang "I’m alive/ I’m being born/ I just arrived, I’m at the door/ Of the place I started out from /And I want back inside ."

All in all, the lyrics talk about themes that have already been previously covered by U2 in HTDAAB. Some lyrical pieces are already integrated in other better songs on the album. If Mercy was included U2 would run the risk of being labelled shallow and repetitive. Melodically, the intro and chord pattern sounds too similar to "The More You Live The More You Love" by A Flock Of Seagulls. Do we really need to know for the 9th time what love is all about?

By the way, I highly doubt if this song really is the "Mercy" U2 canned at the last minute that did not make the album. I'd say the real one may be more refined and that this is just an early wandering version that somehow made it into a fans hands.

Every song on HTDAAB, I repeat EVERY song, blows away this circulating version of Mercy to bits and pieces. I don't even think it's the REAL Mercy.

Cheers,

J

 

[Axver]

With regards to rambling, songs like Bad ramble with direction and reach a conclusion. Mercy just peters out. It needs to END.

And jick makes good points.

 

[popacrobat]

You wanted violins
And you got Nero


i always heard it as violence, and you got nero... i could be wrong though

 

[XHendrix24]

You wanted violins
And you got Nero


i always heard it as violence, and you got nero... i could be wrong though

Well, I think both would could work in this case. "Violins" would work because (if I remember correctly) Emporer Nero thought himself quite the composer, when in reality his compositions were awful. And, respectively, "violence" could also work because Nero is well-known for his extensive persecution of Christians in the Roman empire - he'd torture them and burn them alive, etc. - pretty violent stuff.

Either way, really good song. I hope they officially release it somehow one day.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

jick just fuck off, am sorry personal comments bla bla, but this fella is really getting on my nerves

 

[Axver]

Well, I think both would could work in this case. "Violins" would work because (if I remember correctly) Emporer Nero thought himself quite the composer, when in reality his compositions were awful. And, respectively, "violence" could also work because Nero is well-known for his extensive persecution of Christians in the Roman empire - he'd torture them and burn them alive, etc. - pretty violent stuff.

Either way, really good song. I hope they officially release it somehow one day.

I believe he played violin while Rome burned. Thus, the line makes sense.

 

[Axver]

jick just fuck off, am sorry personal comments bla bla, but this fella is really getting on my nerves

What's wrong with his comments and analysis of Mercy?

 

[Halup]

I agree with Axver's comments about the song. It's not a bad song, but hardly merits all the discussions it seems to get on here, when you consider that there are several other songs that U2 released on Itunes that now hardly seem to get mentioned.

 

[phanan]

I think Mercy is a strong piece of work that is mostly finished, but just needs a bit polishing up. Perhaps the version we have heard is in a rough form and a more complete one exists, but if not, this cut works very well and with the proper attention will be an absolutely superb track.

 

[Aygo]

I agree with some of Jick's comments. I think he's right, but there's something there that must be exagerated... It is not just that way...
But I remember to see "Mercy" draws of the book that came with the special edition of HTDAAB. I was the first one of that list, followed by "Miracle Drug".
I have already thought in the possibility of "Mercy" being one of the songs included on the supposed stolen demo in August (or July?, whatever...), and that's the reason why the song came out and is circulating on the internet. It could be the reason why the song sounds unfinished. But this is just a supposition. Please, don't tell me (as usually) that I'm nuts and I should go out and "see if it is raining", ok? This is just a thought... Thanks

 

[saltines17]

I seriously hate hate hate the lyrics to Mercy. And the guitar part is really annoying.

So... I guess it's pretty clear I don't like it!

 

[typhoon]

jick just fuck off, am sorry personal comments bla bla, but this fella is really getting on my nerves

Jick posts a lot of garbage, but he also occasionally says insightful things, and his lyrical analysis of "Mercy" falls under that category. Whether or not you agree with him, it was well thought out and written. Don't lose your shit over it.

I mostly agree with his analysis. Of course, the band has released some equally trite and derivative stuff lately--Bono fell in love with parallel constructions in 2000 or so and Edge has fallen in love with all his riffs from "Electrical Storm"--so it wouldn't be out of the question if they'd released "Mercy" as we have it, but I'm still glad they didn't. It's undercooked, it's meandering, it doesn't have a hook or an involving enough atmosphere to compensate for the lack of it, and yes, it's pretty much verse-chorus-verse except for the little freak-out near the end (which is easily the weakest part of the track).

Doesn't help that Edge doesn't play a single interesting thing for the whole 6:30 or that, in several places, it sounds like Bono is just shouting "love" because he can't think of anything better to sing. It could be a great song, but it isn't in the form we've heard it (and I agree with Jick that the version we have is probably a rough early take).

This board in general greatly overrates rare tracks. See also: "Xanax and Wine."

 

[ImOuttaControl]

I agree with those that've said Mercy is rambling and unfinished, so I don't really need to add anything to that.

I do think that Mercy has tons of potential though. It needs more of a climax because the version we've heard gets weak in the last couple minutes.

Someone a while back did an edit of Mercy and cut out one verse towards the end. This in itself made the song much much better in my opinion. I love the edited version, but the original version we have is just weak and overrated in my opinion.

 

[miss becky]

Regarding jick's comments about the lyrics, I think we have to consider how early this version of the song is. Bono doesn't usually come up with the final lyrics to a song until the last minute -- this is well-documented. So it's very possible that the lyrics we hear were never meant to be the final version of the words. Depending on how much work the band meant to do, the finished version could have ended up very different from the leaked version we all know.

 

[typhoon]

I don't know if you've noticed, but this entire discussion is about whether or not the song is finished. Jick was arguing that it isn't.

 

[miss becky]

I don't know if you've noticed, but this entire discussion is about whether or not the song is finished. Jick was arguing that it isn't.

If this comment was directed at me, please read my original post. I agree the song is not finished.

 

[DPrinceNY]

Wow I was really hoping this wouldnt turn into another "I like/dislike Mercy" thread. In any case taking into account everything that was said, especially jicks post, I realize that Mercy does seem and is an unfinished song. But, unfinished songs are not bad. It is a departure from all the songs u2 have done. I mean face it originality in U2 pretty puch ended after the Pop Album. Its about time an original song like Mercy has come about.

The lyrics are a bit 9th gradish but so are the lyrics to say, elevation. No one seems to complain about this song being unfinished the reason being it was put on an album. Its all psycholgical. COBL sounds like an unfinished song but no one every mentions it either.

So sticking to the topic of this thread Mercy is an unfinished song.