Miss Sarajevo

[jphelmet]

How many people really like this song? With its recent return, I was suprised how many people were so excited. I personally think its a pretty boring song, not in the top 100 of U2 songs (although its really a passengers song).
I understand the excitement over the change in the setlist, with a very rare song -but do you really like the song that much? I think Bono sounds great on the opera part, but still a snoozer of a song. I personally rather hear Running to Stand Still, even if I have seen it many other times.

Was it a big song in Europe? (hoping it doesn't stay in the set in the fall)
So on a scale of 1 to 10, what do you rate the song?

I say about a 4. I wouldn't even consider in the top 5 songs on the passengers album. I may well be in the minority here, i was just suprised with all the excitment about it.

 

[AtomicBono]

I say about a 4. I wouldn't even consider in the top 5 songs on the passengers album.

then what are your top 5 songs on Passengers? Miss Sarajevo and Your Blue Room are the obvious standouts for me...

I like it; it's very Velvet Underground-ish, and Bono singing the opera part is I think part of the appeal is it is indeed a rare song, and it is also a very important subject matter...

I prefer Running to Stand Still as a song, but I'd rather hear Miss Sarajevo at a concert, since I've already seen RTSS, and RTSS has been done a lot.

 

[Aygo]

I'd rate very well this song... It is beautiful, well-composed, and its purpose and promotional video makes it even more beautiful. It's not on my top20 U2 songs, but I'd rate it 7.5 (I don't like the edit - I prefer the album version).
Maybe here in Europe, the excitement about this song makes sense... Ok, in the US the Passengers album was a real flop, but in Europe it did well... I remember that here in Portugal, the album stayed in #1 several weeks. And tis new live version with Bono getting the opera section sounds great!

 

[popacrobat]

i like it.

i don't love it.

i think its ok, pretty good, pretty cool that theyre playing it, but im not going to go crazy about it. I'd rather hear running to stand still on a regular basis, but i'd like to hear Miss Sarajevo once as well.

 

[starvinmarvin]

I think Miss Sarajevo is dull apart from the opera part and the great lyrics. It has no melody though, and no dynamics, which makes it boring....however, it has grown on me.. I HATED it at first, but now I can enjoy it when I'm in the mood (usually just before bedtime)

 

[jphelmet]

Re: Re: Miss Sarajevo

then what are your top 5 songs on Passengers? Miss Sarajevo and Your Blue Room are the obvious standouts for me...

1. slug
2. always forever now
3. your blue room
4. elvis ate america
5 miss sarajevo

i mispoke it is in the top 5 (barely). slug and always forever now are the only tracks i ever listen to from the album.

 

[TheQuiet1]

I don't own passengers (is it actually worth getting, aside from any wish just to own all of 'U2's albums just for the sake of it?) but on the Best of I always skip Miss Sarajevo-dull.

 

[liamcool]

Yes, get Passengers. You'll like it. It's a great album.

(...even if purely for One Minute Warning's kickass "solo".)

 

[00Kevin]

I"d give it a 9/10. Especially live

 

[Lancemc]

I"d give it a 9/10. Especially live

 

[chickadee]

On Passengers I also love Beach Sequence (Bono playing the piano!) and Your Blue Room is sublime. I like Miss Sarajevo.

 

[1stepcloser]

your blue room and miss sarajevo are beautiful pieces of music imo

 

[VertigoGal]

I really like Miss Sarajevo...it's hard to explain, but for some reason I've just always enjoyed it. Anyway, it's not in my Top 30 or whatever that thread was, and I'd much rather hear Running to Stand Still at my show (that one's in my Top 5). Still, it's cool that they pulled it out even though, opera bit aside, it's not very good live.

 

[corianderstem]

I think it's a beautiful song. A bit atmospheric, but in a good way. It's sad and beautiful, and lush and gorgeous.

 

[neutral]

I *really* like the song myself and was very happy when it showed up out of the blue on tour. I never thought much of it until I happened to start listening to the Popmart Sarajevo boot a lot, I love that performance of the song. I can understand why some fans feel it's dull though.

I guess I would give it a 8/10.

 

[doctorwho]

I have to admit, despite brilliant lyrics, it's a rather boring song until the operatic verse (which is equally beautiful in both Italian and English). That's when the song comes alive. From the Passengers album, clearly this is *the* main stand out track. Still, as I wrote, the song is a bit boring overall. It flows with the overall low tempo atmosphere of the album it's on, but when compared to other U2 tracks, it's at best another album track, not a single.

However, I think the recent excitement about this song is the fact that Bono is doing the operatic verse. If one listens closely, one can hear Bono's voice improve steadily from the "Pop" era. On ATYCLB his voice, while scratchy, started getting more powerful (see "Kite" and the operatic burst in "Wild Honey"). Bono's voice, which even I was worried about from 1996 through 1999, has improved to the point where he can repeatedly hit high strong notes. This is easily the best he's sounded since AB. And proof of this comes with Bono's operatic vocals in "Miss Sarajevo". He's not Pavarotti, but he does a brilliant job!

While Bono's vocals may not be brilliant every night, this was true even during his JT/R&H hey-day (where he dropped notes, let the audience sing, lowered songs by several keys, failed to carry notes, etc.). Bono's vastly improved vocals on both HTDAAB and this tour have made me quite keen to hear what U2 does next.

 

[LJT]

I think this has possibly been the most consistent Bono's voice has been in the past 18 years....how many other rock singers do you know could hit those notes in Miss Sarajevo?I agree with Doctorwho, i can only imagine Bono's voice may make more improvement next time round....it will probably never be as smooth as it could be in the 80s and early 90s...but i do not think that will ever detract from the greatness of his voice..

 

[typhoon]

"Miss Sarajevo" is a 10/10. I can't believe how many people here don't "get" songs like this, "Mothers of the Disappeared," etc.

 

[LJT]

"Miss Sarajevo" is a 10/10. I can't believe how many people here don't "get" songs like this, "Mothers of the Disappeared," etc.

Eh it happens i love it, some don't..i may not understand why they do not like it but hey keeps things interesting

 

[jphelmet]

"Miss Sarajevo" is a 10/10. I can't believe how many people here don't "get" songs like this, "Mothers of the Disappeared," etc.

Thats funny to me you equate these two. I Love Mothers, and to me is nothing like miss sarajevo. Mothers= brilliant, miss sarajevo= boring.

 

[VertigoGal]

really? I like Miss Sarajevo much better than Mothers. I might even say, Miss Sarajevo=brilliant, mothers=boring.

 

[I'm Ready]

just listened to sarajevo for the first time a couple minutes ago and hears what i think

i find it a little boring, maybe slightly repetitive

opera parts funny

so out of 10 i give it a 5

not terrible but just below par for a U2 song(maybe thats why its passengers)

\

 

[U2DMfan]

I'd probably give it a 5 or 6, thanks to Pavarotti.
I'd rate, Slug, Yer Blue Room, Always Forever, Corpse and possibly two others ahead of it. Didn't like it much in 1995, don't 10 years later.

As others have said=snoozefest.
I just think it's boring as a dog's arse, as Mel once said.
Bono rubs me the wrong way on the song also, brilliant lyrics? Okay, maybe it's just not my cup of tea, and the falsetto ooh-ooh, man that is Bono at his nails to chalkboard worst, a Babyface 90's moment. The latter part of the song is cool, but I can't hang with it until then.

On the comparison made earlier, I love Mothers of the Disappeared, so I am not sure what that means.

 

[Ellay]

Ok, in the US the Passengers album was a real flop, but in Europe it did well...

Not in the UK it didn't,

Considering it wasn't released as a U2 single, Miss Sarajevo got a 'reasonable' 6th place in the Top 40 in Dec 1995,

But Original Soundtracks didn't break into the top ten at all in the album chart. (highest position 12)

 

[Queen Bee]

i like it.

i don't love it.

i think its ok, pretty good, pretty cool that theyre playing it, but im not going to go crazy about it. I'd rather hear running to stand still on a regular basis, but i'd like to hear Miss Sarajevo once as well.

 

[Chizip]

nothing to get too excited about

 

[Aygo]

I remember that here in Portugal the "Passengers Sountrack I" was successful... I'm not sure, but I remember watching "Miss Sarajevo" clip too many times here, and if I'm not wrong, the album went number 1 for several weeks...

 

[Meghan]

Miss Sarajevo to me is slightly dull. I really love the opera part, especially when Bono sings it, but its just one of those songs that never really got to me.
I'm sure it means something really deep to some of you, but to me, it just means a decent tune, a cool piece of opera, and not much more.
Maybe one day this will change though. You never know. Bad took years to sink in properly.

 

[Cassis]

i'd take RTSS over this any day

 

[MsMofoGone]

Miss Sarajevo is in my Top 5 from Passengers ... GREAT song !!
As I also love Slug, Your Blue Room, Always Forever Now and The Theme From Let's Go Native ...