My argument against the Spanish countdown

[Canadiens1131]

Okay, so we all loved it at the beginning of Vertigo when it was a single. Honestly now, though, I find it more than a bit annoying. In my opinion, the countdown would have fit the Native Son, pre-Lillywhite record perfectly, but on the actual released Bomb, its just sillyness setting you up for a record that is definetly not punk rock from Venus.

Under Lillywhite, the record transformed from a unpolished, messy, rocking affair into a slickly packaged, consistantly good, properly-structured commercial juggernaut. When you finish Vertigo and are dropped into Miracle Drug and a succession of viscearl, personal songs, Vertigo just seems like too much of a cast off really.

Anyway I'm just rambling and thinking, feel free to join in with random posts. This is in no means a Vertigo-bashing thread, as I still like the song.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

here's my argument against the spanish countdown... countless threads discussing the spanish countdown.

 

[Hoodlem]

Before the album came out (was leaked) I hoped that the intro of vertigo would be changed on the album version. Its an ok intro for a song but not good enough for the beginning of an album. Not to mention the fact that it does not represent the whole of the album at all.

 

[Chizip]

isnt it really a count up?

i think a countdown would have gone better with the song

catorce, tres, dos, uno!!!

where bono could hold up 1 finger as he yelled uno

it would be like we were all one


that would have made the song great, but now it just sucks

 

[-macphisto-]

I like it- Its the first time U2 has ever done that on a song in the studio

 

[sallycinnamon78]

I think it's Bono indulging in a bit of silly fun and isn't meant to be endlessly analysed... but that's just me.

 

[GibsonGirl]

isnt it really a count up?

i think a countdown would have gone better with the song

catorce, tres, dos, uno!!!

where bono could hold up 1 finger as he yelled uno

it would be like we were all one


that would have made the song great, but now it just sucks

 

[Muggsy]

I really think that all the phrases in spanish in "vertigo" are meaningless and unnecesary... i speak spanish and i always feel a little awkward when i hear bono saying "hola" y "como està"... maybe cuz those phrases don't have anything to do with the rest of the song and are so lame...

 

[sallycinnamon78]

I really think that all the phrases in spanish in "vertigo" are meaningless and unnecesary... i speak spanish and i always feel a little awkward when i hear bono saying "hola" y "como està"... maybe cuz those phrases don't have anything to do with the rest of the song and are so lame...

If you speak Spanish, how can you say that the phrases aren't connected to the rest of the lyrics??!! No disrespect, but that's a pile of manure. It makes enough sense to me:

"Hello, hello" followed by the Spanish word for hello;
"I'm at a place called Vertigo" followed by Donde esta? (where are you?)

Ok, so he answered the question before he even asked it, but it still makes sense.

 

[-macphisto-]

If you speak Spanish, how can you say that the phrases aren't connected to the rest of the lyrics??!! No disrespect, but that's a pile of manure. It makes enough sense to me:

"Hello, hello" followed by the Spanish word for hello;
"I'm at a place called Vertigo" followed by Donde esta? (where are you?)

Ok, so he answered the question before he even asked it, but it still makes sense.

I went to mexico for 2 years so I know spanish, and yes those sayings do fit very well with the song-well said lad

 

[yimou]

No disrespect, but that's a pile of manure.

Rock´n´roll Sally LOL

BTW, i am not drunk

 

[zooroper]

imho, "vertigo" is practicly ruined with that spanish overdubs...

...geez, it looks like U2 went Ricky Martin... yuck!

 

[ElectricalVoice]

I could do without the spanish coundtdown. But it doesn't bother me. I, however, like what Edge is singing in spanish on Vertigo.

 

[super fly guy]

I love the count down it really grabs you, in my opinion!

 

[Pero]

DOND ESTA or whatever is the spelling means Where is it? so if you're saying something bad about anyone, make it good, without this mistakes,which are kinda basic knowledge

 

[Muggsy]

I'm not talking about the translation... if i were i would say that it is dull to repeat the same stuff in spanish (I really think so), but that's not what i'm talking about.

and maybe you think that people who talk spanish will be "flattered" in some way with that song... but no: not all of us feel that way.

I really think that if you're gonna sing something in a second language you have to me as meaningful and creative as you were signing in your first language (thanks B real and cypress hill to showing me that!) . those "hola" y "Como esta" are used like pure ornament... I feel that Bono didn't mean anything singing that, he doesn't even want to reach the people who talk spanish, i think that he wrote those lines just because he thought they sound cool or something.

i don't like vertigo, and one of the reasons are the phrases in spanish. I don't know what are they doing there, I love my language but those phrases doesn't give anything to the song and they sound weird there, like a cell phone commercial...

so, i'm not as stupid as you think ... and for those people who wrote "if you talk spanish..." please!!! i'm colombian of course i talk spanish, so i can write my opinion here. I don't mind when someone try to teach me how to spell a word in english (and i thank the people who makes me see my mistakes), but you don't know me and you can't say that i can't speak my own language. that's very insulting.


mrs muggs.

 

[indigo tree]

Interesting point of view, Muggsy. I always wondered what spanish-speaking people thought about the song, whether it sounds ridicoulous to them, ect. Though I like the song, I can understand that point of view, even though I'm not Spanish my self.

 

[U2utah2U]

DOND ESTA or whatever is the spelling means Where is it? so if you're saying something bad about anyone, make it good, without this mistakes,which are kinda basic knowledge

Uh, ¿Dónde está? can mean Where is he/she/it/you (formal), Mr. Smartypants. This conjugation of estar simply refers to the third person singular which can be really vague without context. But, in the context of the song it probably does mean "Where is it?"

Basta con el espanol!

 

[TheFlyOnTheWall]

Uh, ¿Dónde está? can mean Where is he/she/it/you (formal), Mr. Smartypants. This conjugation of estar simply refers to the third person singular which can be really vague without context. But, in the context of the song it probably does mean "Where is it?"

Basta con el espanol!

Well, Mr. Smartypants no 2., i think you don't have to explain the spanish grammar to our friend. He obviously knows "donde esta" can be used for he/she and it, but we're talking about Vertigo, so only 'it' has some meaning. Pero was responding to sallycinnamon78 who translated it wrong. That's all.

 

[U2utah2U]

Oh, okay. Well, I am a self-proclaimed smartypants.

 

[Ellay]

I like it,

The whole song is a bit tongue in cheek, so I think it fits perfectly.

 

[zooroper]

Oh, okay. Well, I am a self-proclaimed smartypants.

ok, then i'm a self-procmailed fancypants!

 

[pepokiss]

wait until you hear it live and you count with BONO... then you'll LOVE the countdwon.. or up... whatever

 

[Tennis05]

Well U2 recorded most of the album on the coast of the mediterranean so its a little cultural influence. second, bono changed it from native son to vertigo when he once tried singing the entire song in spanish so it's probably leftover from that. Also. the themes of the song are fear, anxiety, uncertainty, loss, etc. I think it adds to those themes and it reminds me of the clash which is never a bad thing.

 

[josheggen]

Interesting point of view, Muggsy. I always wondered what spanish-speaking people thought about the song, whether it sounds ridicoulous to them, ect. Though I like the song, I can understand that point of view, even though I'm not Spanish my self.

Hello there from Spain!!
I think the spanish phrases in Vertigo fit too much and I don't think they are ridicoulous for any of us(spanish community, I mean). It sounds good, the final result rocks and as Tennis05 said above when you listen to these count-up live you will jump as a rocket forgetting if it's sung in spanish or chinese .
greets from the side of the Atlantic!!!

 

[sallycinnamon78]

I went to mexico for 2 years so I know spanish, and yes those sayings do fit very well with the song-well said lad

Well, I'm not a lad - but thanks anyway!

 

[sallycinnamon78]

Muggsy - I certainly don't think you're stupid - I don't know you, therefore I have no no way of knowing how smart you are, and I have no right to judge your intelligence anyway, nor was I trying to do so. I didn't mean for my comment to come across like that.

I didn't realise what you meant.

I wasn't upset by anyone correcting my Spanish - which I admit is obviously somewhat rusty these days! I have no problem with admitting I made a mistake. Peace.

DOND ESTA or whatever is the spelling means Where is it? so if you're saying something bad about anyone, make it good, without this mistakes,which are kinda basic knowledge.

Pero, I wasn't saying anything bad about anyone - I was disgreeing with the statement preciously made... so learn the difference before you start spitting fire at me.

"Where is it?" fits the song even better than my mistranslation anyway! Point stands!