Songs of Experience 36 - Now with 20% fewer acronyms

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A comment on the album, one week after hearing it for the first time:

Throughout this week, I've had every single one of these songs stuck in my head at one point or another. That's a good thing.

Same here! I’ve only heard some of the songs three or four times since Friday and they’re already stamped on my brain. That’s how catchy they are.
 
There were several samples used on Pop, but what are you referring to on Rattle and Hum?



No I would say DYFL and Playboy Mansion are the main riffs.

I mean, aren't "Freedom for my People" and Star Spangled Banner technically samples? Also I thought there were samples in God pt.2 and Heartland but I may be misremembering.
 
I mean, aren't "Freedom for my People" and Star Spangled Banner technically samples? Also I thought there were samples in God pt.2 and Heartland but I may be misremembering.



No, they wouldn’t be considered samples.

And the other two didn’t contain samples either, one had Dylan credited on it, the other mentioned a quote.
 
There is this short thread on u2start twitter:

https://twitter.com/U2start/status/937360843980845058

I also read something by Neil McCormick on twitter yesterday, where he basically said if Tedder/One Rep had written it they would have been credited, but they are not, and he should know a thing or two about these matters!

Re: who wrote Summer of Love and who was credited... It's a murky area. The songwriting credit doesn't always tell the whole story. For example (noted in the Twitter link you posted), Eno wasn't credited as songwriter on ATYCLB, but he felt his contributions were substantial enough that he should have been. Only the people in the studio actually know who contributed what and how the songwriting credit was decided.
 
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The video is a little misleading... It's cut off at the end as Tedder talks about a one republic song called colors, which does exist, and is most definitely not summer of love...

https://youtu.be/t8QGSFWTL6Q


...so they could have been just playing around with a U2 riff... The song called west coast... I believe that's Bono singing, but I am listening on low volume so I'll have to take someone else's word for it
 
So to pivot back to the album, I have to say that I am as excited to hear Red Flag Day done acoustically as any song they've done in about 25 years. Last time I heard an album track and said "Holy crap, that could slay acoustically" was SATS. Stuck was another but I think Red Flag Day, especially with its content, could translate even better.
 
Re: who wrote Summer of Love and who was credited... It's a murky area. The songwriting credit doesn't always tell the whole story. For example (noted in the Twitter link you posted), Eno wasn't credited as songwriter on ATYCLB, but he felt his contributions were substantial enough that he should have been. Only the people in the studio actually know who contributed what and how the songwriting credit was decided.

Right.

If you like the song, like the song.

Right.
 
If you like the song, like the song.
Meh I mean end of the day, yea.

But it would be disappointing if they just jacked a one direction song and said they wrote it (even if the true writer gave his blessings)... this album would then have a song based around a riff from HAIM, a bunch of repurposing of songs from Songs of Innocence including at least one single, and then another song plucked from one republic demos.


I would still like the album, but it would give credence to those who say that the band's creative well has run dry
 
Musicians share and riff with each other all the time. I would not be surprised if it went like this:

Tedder: check out this song, called West Coast
Bono: dope song. But what if it was about the OTHER west coast
Tedder: wow you have a much better idea for this. You can have it.
 
I would still like the album, but it would give credence to those who say that the band's creative well has run dry

After 14 albums, I'd probably be willing to let a song or two slide for being influenced or whatever from something else. But even without knowing what's going on in the studio all the time, it's not like other people haven't contributed to the actual "writing" in some way before... the Do You Feel Love sample that was uncredited, Eno and Lanois asking or getting songwriting credits in the past, Tedder actually coming up with the melody line in Every Breaking Wave's chorus, and other examples over the years.

It's better than them, say, recycling the same chord progression for all of GOOYOW and The Best Thing's chorus on the same album. Oh, wait a second....
 
After 14 albums, I'd probably be willing to let a song or two slide for being influenced or whatever from something else. But even without knowing what's going on in the studio all the time, it's not like other people haven't contributed to the actual "writing" in some way before... the Do You Feel Love sample that was uncredited, Eno and Lanois asking or getting songwriting credits in the past, Tedder actually coming up with the melody line in Every Breaking Wave's chorus, and other examples over the years.

It's better than them, say, recycling the same chord progression for all of GOOYOW and The Best Thing's chorus on the same album. Oh, wait a second....
Right... but this wouldn't be a song or two. It would be a quarter of the album based on other songs or someone else's work.
 
Right... but this wouldn't be a song or two. It would be a quarter of the album based on other songs or someone else's work.


The other songs are understandable though. They were working within the framework for two connected albums. Although I think American Soul would have had that Volcano bit either way, because it was not reworked liked 13 or Lights of Home

I don't mind about Summer of Love at all. It was never released and people share all the time.

The Haim stuff is very confusing. Maybe if Bono was like "I was listening to this song when I fell off my bike", it'd make sense. But to just use the riff from an existing song is definitely an odd choice that, while not reeking of laziness, definitely doesn't sit well with me.
 
Musicians share and riff with each other all the time. I would not be surprised if it went like this:

Tedder: check out this song, called West Coast
Bono: dope song. But what if it was about the OTHER west coast
Tedder: wow you have a much better idea for this. You can have it.

No, because U2 would have to credit Tedder in that case. Summer of Love is most likely a U2-penned song that was given to Tedder...for a time. Or it was just something he was playing around with. I'm guessing U2 wanted it back when they discovered the refugee angle.
 
The other songs are understandable though. They were working within the framework for two connected albums. Although I think American Soul would have had that Volcano bit either way, because it was not reworked liked 13 or Lights of Home

I don't mind about Summer of Love at all. It was never released and people share all the time.

The Haim stuff is very confusing. Maybe if Bono was like "I was listening to this song when I fell off my bike", it'd make sense. But to just use the riff from an existing song is definitely an odd choice that, while not reeking of laziness, definitely doesn't sit well with me.

Yeah, there's the Volcano-American Soul and Song for Someone-13 situations too, which makes sense with how they describe it and trying to intentionally bind the two albums a bit more.

Personally, the Haim deal isn’t too big of a deal for me in the end (and fwiw, I still haven’t heard the original version anyway). On top of it appearing to be just a “riff”, I can probably live with something like that being the sole influence on something. If they copped most of the song, in terms of the riff AND melodies or lyrics and whatever, then maybe it’d be easy to be annoyed how it’s not “original” or whatever.

But if we’re going that far, then maybe New Year’s Day should rub us the wrong way because Adam was influenced by Visage’s Fade to Grey? Or Cedars for that Eno piece they supposedly took it from and so on. In the end, every musician is going to be influenced by something at some point. Just about any famous music act or artist out there is going to say they were influenced by something or, in some cases, actually lifted a thing or two from a song they liked. Like it's said, "Good artists copy; great artists steal"

No, because U2 would have to credit Tedder in that case. Summer of Love is most likely a U2-penned song that was given to Tedder...for a time. Or it was just something he was playing around with. I'm guessing U2 wanted it back when they discovered the refugee angle.

That's sort of why I wonder why Tedder didn't get a writing credit for Every Breaking Wave if he came up with an actual melody or two for the song. Normally, that's one of the starting points for attributing writing credits: that and lyrics or other specific musical stylings (as opposed to, say, chord progressions or a specific "sound"... even though the Blurred Lines verdict may have literally blurred that line even further now).
 
No, because U2 would have to credit Tedder in that case. Summer of Love is most likely a U2-penned song that was given to Tedder...for a time. Or it was just something he was playing around with. I'm guessing U2 wanted it back when they discovered the refugee angle.
There's no situation in which the band HAS to credit anyone. Tedder contributes whatever - if he contributes anything - then he and the band decide writing credits together. It's not some formal or legal process.

That's sort of why I wonder why Tedder didn't get a writing credit for Every Breaking Wave if he came up with an actual melody or two for the song. Normally, that's one of the starting points for attributing writing credits: that and lyrics or other specific musical stylings (as opposed to, say, chord progressions or a specific "sound"... even though the Blurred Lines verdict may have literally blurred that line even further now).
This again goes to show that writing credits are at the discretion of the people involved.

Or Cedars for that Eno piece they supposedly took it from and so on.
To be fair, the sample is credited in the album liner notes.

 
To be fair, the sample is credited in the album liner notes.



Right, and I believe Do You Feel Loved's had that "influenced by" credit or whichever it was as well. My point had more to do with just being influenced by or taking some other composition's part in the first place.
 
Nope,not got mine yet. Don't even know what size of t shirt I will get!



I emailed u2.com. This was my reply

Hello Christian,

Thank you for choosing Live Nation Merchandise. Your Songs Of Experience Extra Deluxe Boxset shipped from our UK warehouse on November 30. Please allow 6 to 10 business days for delivery.

If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,



6-10 business days :) what's this the 1960's:) rubbish they are
 
I emailed u2.com. This was my reply

Hello Christian,

Thank you for choosing Live Nation Merchandise. Your Songs Of Experience Extra Deluxe Boxset shipped from our UK warehouse on November 30. Please allow 6 to 10 business days for delivery.

If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,



6-10 business days :) what's this the 1960's:) rubbish they are
Joke! I wanted it on release day,not 6 to 10 days later.
 
Joke! I wanted it on release day,not 6 to 10 days later.



Maybe it's being delivered on horse back or summat :) 6-10 days :) 6-10 working days aswell. I just sold something on eBay and posted it next day 1st class delivery, it's not that hard really is it
 
Still baffles me the 3 songs theve pushed for this record

Blackout, lights of home, little things that give you away, summer of love, the showman and red flag day are all better then the 3 that's been pushed.

Single choices messed up for the 3rd album running
 
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