The Song Remains The Same

[Jon Seidman]

Back in the 80's I was the only U2 fan I knew. The predominant music in my school was metal. Everyone claimed all U2 songs sound the same. I didn't think so. Aside from the obvious (Always/Beautiful Day; The Fly/Ultraviolet/Lady With the Spinning Head) what U2 songs do you all think sound "the same"? Anyone? Anyone?

 

[gman]

Grace and Playboy Mansion

 

[coolian2]

Vertigo and Native Son

 

[phillyfan26]

Fast Cars and Xanax and Wine

 

[Rob33]

Grace and Playboy Mansion

really? they sound totally different to me

 

[Rosebud]

Even Better Than The Real Thing and Even Better Than The Real Thing (Perfecto Mix)

 

[biff]

Where the Streets Have No Name and Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

 

[LemonMelon]

Streets and any Coldplay song

 

[LMP]

Streets and any Coldplay song

Life in Technicolor is a stand-out, same chords and everything.

 

[WCF]

I showed my friend Beautiful, Walk On, and City of Blinding Lights. He thought they all sounded the same.

 

[Moser]

I showed my friend Beautiful, Walk On, and City of Blinding Lights. He thought they all sounded the same.

Ignorance can go a long way...

Show him Discotheque, Bullet the Blue Sky, and Mysterious Ways.

 

[gareth brown]

Life in Technicolor is a stand-out, same chords and everything.

Ho HO!

 

[U2girl]

First time and AIWIY have very similar chords, right ? Also Walk on/Electrical Storm/Crumbs from your table.

Also, WOWY and MD have a similar, if not the same, bass line.

 

[Galeongirl]

Also, WOWY and MD have a similar, if not the same, bass line.

uh, what?

if you mean With or Without you and Miracle Drug, I can safely say those two basslines are NOTHING alike..

With or without you's only notes are D A B G, and Miracle drug starts with.. higher G, higher A, D, E.. and changes during the song, while WOWY is only those four notes...

 

[rihannsu]

I showed my friend Beautiful, Walk On, and City of Blinding Lights. He thought they all sounded the same.

There's a great comedy routine I ran across at one point and wish I'd saved that kind of addresses this issue. He talks about people complaining that so and so's songs sound the sames and he says well really you know there are only eight notes right? He starts talking about having started in classical music playing the cello and there was a particular note or chord progression cello part that was common to a lot of the pieces that they had to play and he just got sick of it. He plays this progression which does sound extremely familiar and then goes on to say that he got out of classical music because of that but he can't seem to escape that piece. It's everywhere. It shows up over and over in hit songs. The audience is laughing and he says something about them not believing him then procedes to play little pieces of hit songs spanning the gamut of rock and pop that all have this same progression and one of the songs was WOWY.

The point is that people don't realize how much repetition is at the root of music because all the other stuff on top distracts you. It is easier to spot the sameness within a body of work by a particular artist and it is especially true if all you are hearing is what makes it to radio because that is narrowed down even more. I can kind of see people who have only heard the more popular U2 radio hits that get heavy airplay saying this but once you start listening to entire albums and especially from one album to the next that kind of flies out the window. I've had people in my car when I've had Zooropa on who asked who is this and when I say U2 they don't believe me until they focus in on Bono's voice which is usually the thing that nagged them in to asking in the first place. They recognize the voice but it's not in a setting they are used to hearing it so it makes them notice and ask.

Dana

 

[SamuelSmeloc]

Ignorance can go a long way...

Show him Discotheque, Bullet the Blue Sky, and Mysterious Ways.

The obvious: Silver Lining and 11 O'clock Tick Tock;

About Coldplay, well, they try to be an u2 tribute band, we know... Listen to Spell A Rebel Yell, and then listen to Mothers Of The Disappeared.

 

[mikal]

Beach Clip 402 and Beach Clip 404

 

[rihannsu]

The obvious: Silver Lining and 11 O'clock Tick Tock;

About Coldplay, well, they try to be an u2 tribute band, we know... Listen to Spell A Rebel Yell, and then listen to Mothers Of The Disappeared.

Silver Lining? This is one I've never heard of before. Where is this song from?

Dana

 

[phillyfan26]

About Coldplay, well, they try to be an u2 tribute band, we know...

False statement. Please, everyone, enough of this bullshit already. EYKIW is devolving even quicker than I thought it would.

Silver Lining? This is one I've never heard of before. Where is this song from?

Dana

Early version of 11 O'Clock Tick Tock.

"And I hear the children crying" used to be "And I see the silver lining."

 

[u2search]

I just listened to Wake Up Dead Man (album version) and it struck me how similar a part of it sounded to Wave of Sorrow. Compare the 'Listen ...' part in WUDM to the 'Blessed ...' lines in WOS.