Song Elimination Tournament, Quarterfinals

[rock888nwo]

here are the results from Round 3...

Streets def. Out of Control 44-5
One def. Beautiful Day 36-13

Please def. A Sort of Homecoming 24-23
Sunday Bloody Sunday def. Miss Sarajevo 39-10

Gone def. In God's Country 31-17
WOWY def. All I Want Is You 32-17

UTEOTW def. Mysterious Ways 39-10
Bad def. RTSS 38-11

notes: there were 49 total votes, the most so far...the Please vs. SOT matchup had two ties...We are left with 2 songs each from the Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and Pop, and 1 from The Unforgettable Fire and 1 from War

here are the final 8...

One vs. Where the Streets Have No Name
Sunday Bloody Sunday vs. Please

With Or Without You vs. Gone
Until the End of the World vs. Bad

let the voting begin!

 

[Axver]

Where The Streets Have No Name
Sunday Bloody Sunday

Gone
Bad

 

[the rockin edge]

One
Sunday Bloody Sunday

With Or Without You
Until the End of the World vs. Bad noooooooooooooooooo I can't chose

 

[u2granny]

One
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

With or Without You
Bad

 

[pookybear]

One
Please

With Or Without You
Bad

 

[jonnytakeawalk]

One (incredibly, incredibly hard choice!)
Sunday bloody Sunday

With or without you
Bad

(Personally I think the results from round 3 were a traversty! A sort of homecoming, RTSS, All I want is you and In Gods country should all still be in!)

 

[LMP]

One
Sunday Bloody Sunday

With or Without You
Until the End of the World

 

[Queen Bee]

Where the Streets Have No Name
Please

Gone
Bad

 

[pmusce]

One
Please

Gone
Bad

 

[rock888nwo]

here's mine

One
Please

With Or Without You
Until the End of the World

 

[PopFly]

One narrowly, narrowly, NARROWLY beats out Where the Streets Have No Name
Please beats Sunday Bloody Sunday

With Or Without You destroys Gone
Bad beats Until the End of the World

 

[Axver]

Why the hell won't One go away?

 

[namkcuR]

One
Please

With Or Without You
Until the End of the World

 

[namkcuR]

Why the hell won't One go away?

Because it's an incredible song that you, sadly, don't seem to appreciate it. Although I admit it vs Streets was the toughest choice of this whole contest.

 

[00Kevin]

Where the Streets Have no Name
Sunday Bloody Sunday

With of Without You
Bad

 

[Axver]

Because it's an incredible song that you, sadly, don't seem to appreciate it. Although I admit it vs Streets was the toughest choice of this whole contest.

I just think it's the closest we've got to U2-by-the-numbers, it's an inferior Bad or WOWY. At least in the studio. No wonder it was the biggest success off Achtung Baby - it sounds like old U2, or at least a shadow of them.

It really comes into its own live on special occasions: One live at Sarajevo is one of U2's greatest moments. I also am very fond of the live verse that should've been on the studio version.

 

[Lila64]

where's my MYSTERIOUS WAYS!!! This can't be? What do you all have against it!

Where the Streets Have No Name
Sunday Bloody Sunday

With Or Without You
Bad

Mysterious Ways - Bonus track


My daughter's vote:

Where the Streets Have No Name
Sunday Bloody Sunday

With Or Without You
Bad


Wonder who she takes after
She was having trouble with WOWY vs. Gone
I was having trouble with One vs. WTSHNN
Still can't get over MW
Can't believe WOWY beat AIWIY by so much

 

[namkcuR]

I just think it's the closest we've got to U2-by-the-numbers, it's an inferior Bad or WOWY. At least in the studio. No wonder it was the biggest success off Achtung Baby - it sounds like old U2, or at least a shadow of them.

It really comes into its own live on special occasions: One live at Sarajevo is one of U2's greatest moments. I also am very fond of the live verse that should've been on the studio version.

The closest we've got to U2-by-the-numbers?

Says the guy who thinks COBL is U2's best song in 15 years.

Dude, COBL is the epitomy of U2-by-the-numbers. An inferior Streets. COBL is much more in that category than One will ever be.

 

[Axver]

The closest we've got to U2-by-the-numbers?

Says the guy who thinks COBL is U2's best song in 15 years.

Dude, COBL is the epitomy of U2-by-the-numbers. An inferior Streets. COBL is much more in that category than One will ever be.

COBL is the best song they've done with Heartland - it's both epic AND anthemic. Streets may be epic and expansive, but it sure isn't anthemic like Pride. COBL isn't U2-by-the-numbers, COBL is U2 doing what U2 do best.

One has its derivative chorus, though some sensational lines in the verses. And it was a crime to not include the "do you hear us coming, Lord?" verse on the studio version. That might've elevated it to greatness rather than trailing off into nowhere.

 

[namkcuR]

COBL is the best song they've done with Heartland - it's both epic AND anthemic. Streets may be epic and expansive, but it sure isn't anthemic like Pride. COBL isn't U2-by-the-numbers, COBL is U2 doing what U2 do best.

One has its derivative chorus, though some sensational lines in the verses. And it was a crime to not include the "do you hear us coming, Lord?" verse on the studio version. That might've elevated it to greatness rather than trailing off into nowhere.

The studio recording of 'One' is perfect. It has a subtlety to it, an ambiguity, a million different meanings. To add the 'lord' verse would have cut the ambiguity down a good deal.

COBL is the sound of U2 really, really trying to re-create the epic/anthemic sound/style they utilized so much in the second half of the eighties with Pride/Bad/Streets. Even so, musically I enjoy it. but I feel like the lyrics for the most part are not very good at all...the 'time...' lines are great but the rest is not very exciting lyrically. But musically I enjoy. But I also recognize that is U2-by-the-numbers.

 

[Axver]

The studio recording of 'One' is perfect. It has a subtlety to it, an ambiguity, a million different meanings. To add the 'lord' verse would have cut the ambiguity down a good deal.

COBL is the sound of U2 really, really trying to re-create the epic/anthemic sound/style they utilized so much in the second half of the eighties with Pride/Bad/Streets. Even so, musically I enjoy it. but I feel like the lyrics for the most part are not very good at all...the 'time...' lines are great but the rest is not very exciting lyrically. But musically I enjoy. But I also recognize that is U2-by-the-numbers.

The studio version of One is a snooze. Wake me once UTEOTW begins.

And there's no need to repeat my position on COBL. I'll agree to disagree.

 

[namkcuR]

The studio version of One is a snooze. Wake me once UTEOTW begins.

And there's no need to repeat my position on COBL. I'll agree to disagree.

The studio version of One is a snooze?! My god man, you are tragically misled. I'll agree to disagree here then, as hard as it is for me to let one go on thinking the studio recording of 'One' is a snooze.

And it's bedtime for me. Goodnight.

 

[Axver]

One really does not stand out to me, it's just 'another U2 song' that I skip to get to the 'good stuff' like UTEOTW or The Fly or Acrobat. I do like Edge's guitar line in the song, though; that's what stands out to me the most, along with a few parts of the lyrics.

And I could say you're tragically misled on the COBL count.

Have a good one!

 

[xtihn]

One
Sunday Bloody Sunday

With Or Without You
Until the End of the World

 

[impy13]

Where the Streets Have No Name
Please

Gone
Until the End of the World

 

[cobl04]

What does epitomy and U2-by-the-numbers mean?

I'm really starting to enjoy reading your posts axver. Someone who's not afraid to say that One isn't the best song ever and COBL is better than it gets a thousand ticks in my book.

City Of Blinding IS the best thing they've done in 15 years, if not their whole career. But that's just my opinion. I can see exactly why people don't think of it that highly. It is trying to recapture the 80's a little bit. But you cannot doubt it's a fantastic song. This just once again proves my 'stuck in the past' theory.

Who knows, I'm only 15 so I will probably come across a U2 song better than COBL one day. Or I'll get sick of it. But for now, it's the greates song ever made. Not written, made.

But anyway, back to the topic.

WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME. I am worried about the shalaking One is giving it at the moment.

SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY. I haven't heard Please.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU. I haven't heard Gone.

UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD. That, for me, was tough than WTSHNN vs 1. Bad is a good song, but UTEOTW is all I have been listening to lately.

 

[impy13]

I haven't heard Please.

I haven't heard Gone.

Wow. Just wow.

I'll burn you a copy of Pop right now if you promise you'll go buy it if you like it. If not just toss it. But seriously, I'll mail the thing to you.

email me with your address

inmyplace13 @ hotmail.com

 

[cobl04]

Wow. Just wow.

I'll burn you a copy of Pop right now if you promise you'll go buy it if you like it. If not just toss it. But seriously, I'll mail the thing to you.

email me with your address

inmyplace13 @ hotmail.com

I certainly will. Joshua's Tree is the next one I'm getting, but I will promise you I will buy it and prove it to you by scanning the cover with my name on it or something and posting it here.

 

[bedouin fire]

One
Please

With Or Without You
Until the End of the World

(it's a pleasure to see that i can vote in probably my 4 favourit u2 songs)

 

[Axver]

What does epitomy and U2-by-the-numbers mean?

'Epitome' is a representative or standard of a type. U2-by-the-numbers is basically meant to be U2 unimaginatively and uncreatively doing what they've done before.

I'm really starting to enjoy reading your posts axver. Someone who's not afraid to say that One isn't the best song ever and COBL is better than it gets a thousand ticks in my book.

City Of Blinding IS the best thing they've done in 15 years, if not their whole career. But that's just my opinion. I can see exactly why people don't think of it that highly. It is trying to recapture the 80's a little bit. But you cannot doubt it's a fantastic song. This just once again proves my 'stuck in the past' theory.

Thanks mate! I just write what I think, and it seems I'm sometimes in the very stark minority. I say COBL is the fifth-best song ever made. My ranking is:

1. Where The Streets Have No Name
2. Bad
3. The Unforgettable Fire
4. One Tree Hill
5. City Of Blinding Lights
6. Heartland
7. New Year's Day
8. Acrobat
9. Gone
(10. Metropolis Part I - Dream Theatre
11. Lazarus - Porcupine Tree)

COBL definitely has elements of eighties U2 in it, but that's not a bad thing! Eighties U2 is when they developed their foundation and formed a core sound - they then used that foundation to explore in one direction in the nineties and I say they're simply following a different direction from that foundation this decade. My favourite summary of COBL is that it is the perfect mix of epic and anthemic with heart and soul.

Now, that's enough of my rambling. Go hear Gone! I'll e-mail you the Best Of 1990-2000 Mix if you want - many here think it's inferior, but it's what converted me from a keen but casual fan into a full fanatic in the first place. And a word of warning: the studio Please sounds bland compared to the live Please. Please from Popmart Sarajevo is one of the greatest moments of U2's career - in fact, that entire concert was a massive high point.