The Challenge

[scatteroflight]

I've been around here quite a bit for a while and won't be around quite so much for the next months to come as I'll have less Internet access. So I thought I'd start off a [potentially] interesting thread and see how long it goes on whenever I check in.

Everyone who posts in this thread must pick what they think is the *best* part of any U2 song and describe it. Just one part of one song--and no songs can be repeated afterward.

I'll start with Streets (my fave). The best part of this song is in the first minute or two--the wash of sound, the sun rising over the desert, I'm getting chills right now just thinking of it, and then that guitar pattern coming in, the whole scene thrown into sharp relief, the beginning of a very great and beautiful day.

 

[wertsie]

Great idea! The best part of "One," for me, is this:

Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

It's just so incredibly powerful. Whenever I listen to it, it's like all these emotions that have built up inside me, whether good or bad, can be released. I'm free! Free to cry, free to laugh, free to...anything!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Hmmm...*thinks about this for a second*

"Sunday Bloody Sunday"-the drumming at the beginning of that song. What a great way to grab your attention musically. Makes me feel like marching every time I hear it. You want a perfect example of Larry's drumming talent? Listen to the opening of that song.

I agree with the first two songs, by the way. .

Angela

 

[pinkfloyd]

let's go wild and crzy : FUK YA AZZZZZZ

the Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me part , right before final guitar riff and orchestral outro , witn bono's voice .. i like it ... at first i thought this was PJ Harvey for a sec ....

 

[UltravioletU2]

"Where the Streets" into...

It gets me every time. When I'm having a bad day I say I need my therapy and grab the JT CD and blare the beginning of Streets. It's so powerful.

 

[madonna's child]

Myterious Ways, the part with...

One day you will look...back
And you'll see...where
You were held...how
By this love...while
You could stand...there
You could move on this moment
Follow this feeling

 

[martha]

The final chorus of Gloria. I love singing along to the big sound of those final Glorias, especially when I'm driving in some desert somewhere.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Myterious Ways, the part with...

One day you will look...back
And you'll see...where
You were held...how
By this love...while
You could stand...there
You could move on this moment
Follow this feeling

Exactly. I love that part, I love singing along to it.

"40", the part with the whole, "I will sing, sing a new song" thing and then the whole, "How long to sing this song?" thing with that.

Angela

 

[elevation2u]

walk on- the whole ending part with the great drums and the hallelujahs and bono's voice

 

[Saracene]

The beginning of "Spanish Eyes", with Edge's shimmering guitar slowly rising in volume, is just gorgeous IMO. I could listen to it all day.

 

[ishkash]

excellent thread

The outro of The Ground Beneath Her Feet. The whole "let me love you true......my oh my" part comes as such a blast and The Edge has this amazing guitar that makes love transcends infatuation.

 

[Zoocifer]

"Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car":

To describe it. Well. I think this will help.

You've got a head full of traffic
You're a siren's song
You cry for mama
But daddy's right along
He gives you the keys to a flamin' car
Daddy's with you wherever you are
Daddy's a comfort
Daddy's your best friend
Daddy'll hold your hand right up to the end

A-ha sha-la, a-ha sha-la
Daddy's gonna pay for your crashed car
Daddy's gonna pay for your crashed car ...


-[z]-

 

[U2girl]

Hmmm right now it's the "let's see colors that have never been seen let's go places no one else has been" and the "HEEEEEEEY"s in Electrical Storm.

It's pretty amazing Bono can still go for the higher notes.

 

[Bonofire]

LLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEE

slowly stripped away, LOOOOOVE, seen its better days~

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

LLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEE

slowly stripped away, LOOOOOVE, seen its better days~

Ooh, agree (and I like that picture!).

Also agree with what U2girl said with "Electrical Storm".

Another one:

"In A Little While"-the part where Bono goes, "Turn it on, turn it on, you turn me on"...I like the way he sings that-that song always puts a smile on my face when I hear it.

Angela

 

[GypsyHeartgirl]

There are so many it's hard to pick!

*the last few seconds of In God's Country- beautiful!

*The Unforgettable Fire- so many parts, how about "don't look back" That is such an awesome song, words and music. It should get more recognition.

*Ultraviolet- "I remember when we could sleep on stones, now we lie together in whispers and moans..." ah, driving down a dark highway with the warm breeze blowing into the car listening to that will blow you away.

Oops that was 3 not just 1, I could do more but I won't bug ya.

 

[bonoman]

Oh well your levaing for a while, but you picked a great thread to leave on!!!


Mi fav is Wake up dead man. The being where Bono in a raspy voice say slowly and thick, Jesus, jesus help me, i'm alone in this world and a fucked up world it is too. That every time makes me think of so many times of when i felt that way.

 

[bonosloveslave]

Kite

I have really been enjoying "Kite" recently - morbid as it sounds, this song didn't really do much for me until after Bono's dad died, then it made much more sense. I'm glad his dad got to hear it before he passed away. I could cry at the part where he sings almost frustratingly:

I'm a man.......
I'm not a child.
A man who sees.....the shadow behind your eyes
Who's to say where the wind will take you,
Who's to say what it is will break you
I don't know where the wind will blow
Who's to know when the time has come around
I don't wanna see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye

to from BLS

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"...the part that goes:

They want you to be Jesus
They'll go down on one knee
But they'll want their money back
If you're alive at thirty-three
And you're turning tricks
With your crucifix
You're a star

and then there's the little, "Oh, child" thing...I love that!

Angela

 

[SamanthaPuff]

Hi Scatteroflight, I don't get much internet time anymore either. Just keeping your thread alive until I can think of something to say, there are so many songs I like!

 

[Salome]

A Sort of Homecoming

final verse + outro

 

[HeartlandGirl]

I must choose Heartland, my namesake.

The opening bassline sounds like a heartbeat, the pulse of the Midwest as the land wakes up. The guitar part chimes in and makes you feel like you're watching the sun rise, driving down a highway with open fields in every direction. Bono's lyrics whisper over the landscape, like a ghost haunting the early morning hours. Throughout the song, you travel down the highway and witness what Bono is describing. When he starts the falsetto, you lose yourself in the beauty of the countryside. The song fades away, like a sunset, leaving you peaceful. All is right with the world.

 

[ouizy]

"...I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky and the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill..."

One Tree Hill...

 

[Roland of Gilead]

I'm WIDE AWAKE!!!!!

...oh no, I'm not sleeping.

Good-bye Ruby Tuesday who's gonna hang a name on you....

Good-bye Ruby Tuesday who's gonna hang a name on you...

I'm pleased to meet you! Won't you guess my name!

Oh yeah! You know I'm pleased to meet you! Won't you guess my name!

 

[DaveC]

At the end of Bullet The Blue Sky on August 12, 1993:

Outside it's Americaaaa!
AMERICAAAAA!
WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!?
UNITED KINGDOM, FUCK YOU!
FUCK YOU, GERMANY!!
FUCK YOU, FRANCE!!!
ZOONITED NATIONS!!!!!
ZOONITED NATIONS!!!!!
ZOONITED NATIONS!!!!!
And we run...
Into the arms...
Of America.

I love the unbridled political rage in this song...you really have to hear it to appreciate it fully, and the Sarajevo Satellite Uplink and Bad right before this song.

 

[U2SavesTheWorld]

Too many to list!

1) All of the live WOWY "Yeaaaaaaaaaah, we shine like stars..."
Instant chills

2) "MY OH MYYYY" in "Stuck in a Moment".

3) The opening chords (BELLS) of Bad....live, bootleg, album version...it doesn't matter. It still gets me every time.

4) "Get up off your knees NOW" in Please (live).

5) Ultraviolet "Baby, baby, baby light my way (oh, come on) Baby, baby, baby light my way" when he SHOUTS "OH COME ON".
Wow, its just amazing.

6) Last line of "Tryin' To Throw Your Arms"..........."Woman I will" with that last beat....chills again.

7) Of course, opening minutes of Streets....

Wow! Great thread!

 

[Hawk269]

Too many to list, but here are my top 12 favorites, in no particular order:

1. The gospel voice in The Fly (album version)

2. The bridge in Discotheque - Guitar by the Edge and then Bono goes Looooove...you want heaven in your heart...

3. Streets intro (enough said)

4. The Irving Plaza opening to Mysterious Ways (Edge genius) + any live Mysterious Ways ending slide guitar solo

5. Hold Me Thrill Me - the opening part where Edge does his first wah-wah pedal effects. Still blows my mind.

6. Any Bullet the Blue Sky live solo where Edge goes off on a long solo and then Bono loses it and goes off on a rant. Yeah, we like that. "Peelin off those dollar bills...Slappin' em down!"

7. New Years Day - the extra verse on the album version "so we're told this is the golden age, and gold is the reason for the wars we wage"

8. Beautiful Day - album version, Edge and Eno engineered interlude where the drumming just stops and Bono sings "See the world in green and blue...." and then in kicks back in . Perfect.

9. WOWY - Shine like stars add on

10. Red hill mining town - "Loooove slowly stripped away, love has seen its better days, hanging on...."

11. In God's Country - Like a siren she calls to me...

12. Staring at the Sun - "I'm nearly great, but there's somethin missing..."


AJ

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

"...I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky and the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill..."

One Tree Hill...

That lyric, along with the two that come before it, are the best lines from that song, in my opinion.

I also agree completely with ouizy and Roland of Gilead.

And speaking of rants, I just love the rants from "Bullet The Blue Sky" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from "Rattle and Hum"...I'm sitting there going, "Go, Bono!"

I'm listening to this song now, so I feel I'll add this one:

'Cause I'm already gone
Felt that way all along
Closer to you every day
I didn't want it that much anyway

I like the way Bono sings this part.

Course, anything from this song would work, 'cause it's a great song the whole way through.

And another one, this one from the live version of "Exit" from "Rattle and Hum"-the whole thing where Bono throws in a bit of the song "Gloria". That is cool.

Angela

 

[The_Sweetest_Thing]

So many to choose from:
I think I'll post one at a time to keep this thread going....

1) You said no songs can be repeated: Can I repeat with a live version?

One: The Warchild Version

At about 30 seconds into the song the first chorus of "One love, one life" begins. The strings are intorudced here and the entire crowd sings along.

Take into consideration that this is the first concert in Sarajvo since the war. It's utterly astounding that all these people (for whom English is not even the primary language) are able to put aside their differences, their problems, and raise their voices in song.

..."one love, one life." It gives me chills to hear the band, the orchestra, and a country full of grief united under this subtle, melodic spell, lead by this voice that absoluely melts (like buttah). Listen to what they're saying. Put it in the context of the time. *sigh* I keep repeating this point because it's just so incredibly powerful and moving. It is my top U2 moment...EVER.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

So many to choose from:
I think I'll post one at a time to keep this thread going....

1) You said no songs can be repeated: Can I repeat with a live version?

One: The Warchild Version

At about 30 seconds into the song the first chorus of "One love, one life" begins. The strings are intorudced here and the entire crowd sings along.

Take into consideration that this is the first concert in Sarajvo since the war. It's utterly astounding that all these people (for whom English is not even the primary language) are able to put aside their differences, their problems, and raise their voices in song.

..."one love, one life." It gives me chills to hear the band, the orchestra, and a country full of grief united under this subtle, melodic spell, lead by this voice that absoluely melts (like buttah). Listen to what they're saying. Put it in the context of the time. *sigh* I keep repeating this point because it's just so incredibly powerful and moving. It is my top U2 moment...EVER.

Wow...that sounds amazing just from your description.

Where can I find this version of the song, if it's possible? I want to hear that.

Angela