Rate the Song: So Cruel

[digitize]

As I explained in the results thread, I have waited off on starting to post rating threads for the 90s until the forum had cleared out a bit of all of the gazillion rating threads that were open in it for several days. But now it is time to start ranking the songs of Achtung Baby!

Please rate So Cruel on a scale from 0 to 10, using whatever criteria you feel allows you to best evaluate the song as a whole. I will not set criteria for people to based on, but if you feel like your best evaluation of the merits of a song comes from voting only based on, say, the studio version, go right ahead and vote that way. Full information on the Rate The Song series may be found in this thread.

Have fun! This poll will close in 96 hours.

 

[prbiker15]

How much I love So Cruel. It's dark, haunting, and amazingly great. Love the deep bass and the synth, Bono's vocals and lyrics are top notch as well.

I would add an easy 10 on my part. Another one of my favorites on Achtung Baby.

 

[Nick66]

Bono flirts with the dark side lyrically on this one, which musically kind of sounds like playing bumper cars with the one you love. If you're a man and you haven't known a woman like this at least once (she makes another appearance in "Stay"), you probably haven't lived quite enough.

8.

 

[Galeongirl]

Exquisite underrated song by a lot of people. It's dark, quiet and brooding. Lots of nasty, snide lyrics there, you can almost feel the hatred. Vocals are brilliant too. Very emotional.

 

[LadySpinHead]

My favorite song on AB when I first got the album. Heartbreaking, love vs. hate. Back in the day, taught this young, naive high schooler that love can really hurt. 10

 

[nielsgov]

I only gave this one a 8 because I think it's a bit too long. The lyrics are brilliant of course. This song proves that there should be more strings in U2 songs.

 

[ElectricalStorm]

10.
I love how the beat feels like a heartbeat, and the lyrics are brilliant of course.

 

[JoRu]

Too long, too slow. The melody is beautiful, but I can't bear listening to the entire song all too often since it's so monotonous. 2 minutes shorter, then it could've perhaps been something more. 6.

 

[An Cat Gav]

I'm always surprised that this song isn't more popular.
beautiful melody, beat, lyrics and in my opinion, Bono's finest vocal.
10

 

[Globo14]

7. Good song. I've tried to love it, honestly, but I just can't get into it.

 

[lemonfly]

The slow, gentle ballroom-like pace contrasts sharply with the sheer venom in the lyrics. You find yourself drifting along with it, and then it hits you what a nasty after-taste it has. Poetic, understated and potent. 10. This album ain't bad, is it?

 

[arzcrack]

Lyrically brilliant. Compare to crazy tonight... Enough said.

I'm only hanging on, to watch you go down. What a line. Incredibly cruel.
Her lips say one thing, her movement something else... I could go on forever.

 

[cobl04]

The thing that makes it so callous is the delivery. If you don't listen to the lyrics you'd just assume it was a love song. The way he sings the line "I'm only hanging on / to watch you go down / my love..."

 

[trevgreg]

Agreed with most of everything said here. Vocals, atmosphere, delivery... all great.

 

[flybabe]

A really hateful song. As with my comment on WGRYWH, this also can be construed as coming from a tortured lover. I've really gotten into this song lately and it really makes you think about the things you could do to really hurt a person. It gets a 9 from me.

 

[paultjr]

Proof that simplicity works best. Not much musically needed since the lyrics are so beautiful.

 

[prbiker15]

I'll be praising the lyrics now...If there's a favorite lyric of mine on So Cruel, it has to be 'She wears my love like a see-through dress'. That was just brilliantly thought of, in my opinion.

Seriously, the lyrics are crazy good on this song.