POLL - 'One' at the Grammys

[longingforBono]

From J. Freedom DuLac's article about the Grammys:




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020802027.html

I read this as well and thought it summed it up perfectly. She ruined it. Sorry to Mary fans, but One is not a good fit for her voice.

As for Bono being pissed at her, I thought he was in a bit of a mood the whole night. If you saw Ellen which was taped the day before, he wasn't very nice to her either! (Edge kinda rolled his eyes at her as well when she walked into the rehearsal for the New Orleans song.)

Bono seemed kinda drunk too. I love him anyway but he wasn't on his best behavior- must have been because Ali wasn't there?!

 

[joyfulgirl]

I read this as well and thought it summed it up perfectly. She ruined it. Sorry to Mary fans, but One is not a good fit for her voice.

I kept saying she was off pitch but my casual fan friends kept saying it was fantastic. I was starting to think I'm tone-deaf or something. Thank God my reality is finally being validated, lol.

 

[miss becky]

Hated it. I absolutely do not like the way MJB takes over the whole song, pushing Bono and the band into the background for her wailing and flailing. No. Just...no.

 

[Bono's Tart]

No she murdered the song again, they should never ever perform One with her again, and what was with the twitching???????????

Stick to your own songs Mary!!!

 

[Carmelu2fan]

I liked it...This version is not better than the original but it is really good. I think they performed it best at the Katrina benefit...I heard MSG was really good too.

 

[love_u2_adam]

i hated it when they first did it and i hate it now...its a rock song not a r&b or rap song







but adam looks fab

 

[mads]

once again it was like watching "mary j and her backup band"

she overpowers the song. it's just not meant to be belted out like that.

basically i thought it sucked.

 

[heyho_letsgo]

Thought it sucked.

And I'm kind of tired of people saying that those of us who don't like it are simply resistant to change. Give me a new version/arrangement/etc. and I'll decide if I like it or not based on my own personal tastes. I can think a new arrangement is good even if it's not the original---if I think the performance, etc., is actually good.

...
Listen to Johnny Cash's version of One. Different genre. Different arrangement. Kick ass version. An understated yet emotional performance--matching the intended power of the song. Imagine an old, old Johnny Cash..in his final years...singing it. I'm not a country fan, just like I'm not an R&B fan....but Johnny Cash was able to recognize and keep the power in One. MJB jumped the gun in power and ended up stripping it all away.

Just a big fat honkin' word. The Johnny Cash version is amazing (although, to be fair, he was a wiz at covers, just look at Hurt and Personal Jesus) and keeps the essense of the song. MJB just belts... I feel like we would have the exact same results if Mariah Carey did the duet, hell, even Kelly Clarkson (although I'd take Kelly over Mariah or MJB *any* day).

 

[runningtostand]

It's just too sacred of a song to have someone else take it over so...um...enthusiastically. I had to change the station. It's just a really special and meanigful song to me, and I really didn't like the performance. To each their own, though.

 

[Liesje]

1) They should've done something not ANOTHER duet w/ MJB or Vertigo (OOTS, COBL anybody?...)

2) I was disappointed with Bono, and believe me I love Bono just as much as the next PLEBAn! I think to sing opposite someone like MJB, with such a different style, he needs more rehearsing. He kinda let her take over and didn't know where to come back it.

3) I though MJB performed the song well. She had a lot of soul and energy. However, I personally cannot STAND the style of singing that's all over the place, not a single note held for longer than .0003 seconds and no clue as to what key the song is in at any given time. There's a difference between singing with passion and making people go

Overall, I appreciate the effort and applaud U2 for stepping outside the box (even though this is what, the third time they've tried this duet?).

 

[mobonofo]

it sucks with mary...

 

[fly so high!]

With all the obvious negative feed back about the song One that was performed with MJB, why would U2 perform it then, i mean we ALL know that this is just a "one" off, isn't it just a unique and different way of singing the song....IMHO.....I don't think the song deserves to be hung,drawn & quartered....I liked it!

 

[Kristie]

1) They should've done something not ANOTHER duet w/ MJB or Vertigo (OOTS, COBL anybody?...)

2) I was disappointed with Bono, and believe me I love Bono just as much as the next PLEBAn! I think to sing opposite someone like MJB, with such a different style, he needs more rehearsing. He kinda let her take over and didn't know where to come back it.

3) I though MJB performed the song well. She had a lot of soul and energy. However, I personally cannot STAND the style of singing that's all over the place, not a single note held for longer than .0003 seconds and no clue as to what key the song is in at any given time. There's a difference between singing with passion and making people go

Overall, I appreciate the effort and applaud U2 for stepping outside the box (even though this is what, the third time they've tried this duet?).

preach it, Lies
took the words right out of my mouth

 

[Earnie Shavers]

once again it was like watching "mary j and her backup band"

Well, it kinda is. It's her cover on her album, but featuring U2.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Kelly Clarkson (although I'd take Kelly over Mariah or MJB *any* day).

Kelly Clarkson over Mary J Blige? Are you for real?

 

[jonnytakeawalk]

I thought it was really really awesome!

I've never been a fan of one when performed live but MJB really put the zing back into it.

I was almost glad she took over the song, Bono's voice was not holding up too well

 

[mickeza]

Personally, i think if Bono had of sung it alone it would have been cringeworthy. He did the start fairly well, but with his voice in that condition i can't, thankfully imagine him doing those falsetto bits. As it was, i thought it was fairly good. Boy has MJB got some lungs on her.

 

[Lemonfix]

I didn't love it, but I think it would have been worse if it has just been U2. Bono did not sound good and One has lost A LOT of its power recently. Plus, the song has been overplayed to death.

And about the comment concerning Bono on Ellen...did you see the same show I did? Bono was totally into it and really happy/funny/cute with Ellen, I thought it was great!

 

[U2FloridaFan]

I agree with you jonnytakeawalk. The studio version is and always will be the best version of "One."

Mickeze you make me laugh...."cringeworthy." I couldn't have said it better.

I DID think this version with MJB was better than the Katrina benefit although she is off key during some of the song as she was then too.

As an aside, E! always does the red carpet thing and Ryan Seacrest was interviewing Maroon Five singer Adam Levine and MJB came up too and Levine said he loved the version of One that MJB did with U2 at MSG. Said it made him cry...was really powerful. I've never liked the guy but he gets a few points for being a U2 fan.

 

[partygirl43]

OMG!! MJB is the best....

 

[VintagePunk]

I'm not a fan of it, but I have to say that I appreciate an artist like MJB singing this and making some exclusively R&B fans exposed to U2. It is a cross-over that only futher secures U2's immortality.

Exactly.

That said - dood. The song's power is in its subtlety. There's no need to stretch one note into fifteen notes, when the original one note expresses the emotion quite nicely.

Every person i have talked to who is not a big u2 fan thought it was INCREDIBLE. I guess I wasnt able to really enjoy it as i was worried about Bono's voice after the first notes of vertigo and wasnt able to really relax and enjoy it...

Agreed. It wasn't one of Bono's best vocal performances. But the caterwauling of Bilge didn't make it any better.

 

[Joey788]

I hated it. She made herself the center of attention and was way too hyper for One. What really sucked was that I also had to listen to her butcher it at my first U2 concert ever. I just want to hear U2 perform One by themselves, not with her.

 

[babyman]

Although I'm not an R&B fan, (I can't stand it, actually)I must say it was a fine performance, something different, Mary J Blige has an excellent voice, and she did it good, I think it was a worth try

 

[ALass4Larry]

The song absolutely SUCKED!!!! Why did the guys let her record, nevermind perform with them I don't know. Someone please fill me in.....................

 

[guill]

It was great, different, she really enjoyed singing it
Her passion scared Bono, he seemed lost

 

[Devlin]

I liked it overall. Mary did overpower Bono quite a bit - but then, Bono struck me as being someplace else spiritually. It seemed like he was trying not to cry most of the time, and rather dreamy the rest of the time. I'd like to see it when they are balanced.

 

[Niceman]

I don't care for it.