The Songs Are In Your Eyes

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DevilsShoes

War Child
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
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Like with so many U2 songs Miracle Drug became more interesting when it was performed live. When I first heard the album version I wasn't overly impressed, it struck me as the kind of thing the band had done many times before and better, but the live renditions seemed to make more sense though.

I've always felt that Bono's nightly speech about doctors and nurses and how we should be thankful for them was a quiet nod to Edges personal situation, the fact that he even sings a part of it (the best part in my opinion) makes it all the stranger, especially as his are the lines that talk about science and medicine which seem very pointed now. This feeling seemed to hang over the performances and it appeared as if the band were holding on tightly to the idea of a 'miracle drug'. Plus not forgetting Edges great solo which really came alive on stage.

Bono also sings it much better as well, sounding much cleaning, clearer and sharper than in the studio, you can hear the ache in his voice on the higher notes, plus the tribal yells in the middle were great for audience participation. They even layered some synths into the final chorus which somes fans hate but I think really helps with that sense of lift-off at the end.

The lyrics are not Bono's most inspired, the 'Freedom has a scent like the top of a new born babies head' will always divide fans and although its cheesy I don't loathe it, the song will probably never be regarded as a classic, but I think it played an important role on Vertigo.

BTW you probably all know but the Twickenham 05 version is brilliant, it's from a radio broadcast which is why it sounds so good, if any of you know any other great versions give them a mention. :)
 
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This song is yet another instance of U2 writing a song that is going to strike a very emotional chord for them or others long before it is needed. Bono says that the song started out to be about Christopher Nolan who was starting out at Mt. Temple just as they were leaving but morphed into something about the AIDS crisis. However, Edge singing that particular section becomes so germaine to his situation and I think really gives him something to hang onto during the tour. At the time the song was written they had no way of knowing what was coming down the line for them yet for some reason they chose for him to sing this particular part. It is very eerie. Just like ATYCLB seems if you don't know the timeline to have been written with 9/11 in mind.

Dana
 
I don't know, the sound on the album version maybe didn't blow people away, but for me, the lyrics did. I love this song.
 
I Love this song. Sometimes when I listen to it, it starts out too slow for me and I just skip it. When I do listen to the song all the way through I'm always glad I did. The climax of the song is just incrediable and find myself singing it without knowing I am.
 
I love this song also. It's been a slow burner for me. Took a while for me to appreciate it fully, but the more I hear the live version on the Chicago dvd, the more it blows me away. Yes, Edge's part has always been incredibly moving and errie. It is the best part of the song... that emotional climax.
:drool:
 
Funny because unlike with plenty of the tracks on Bomb it was one of the ones I immediately jumped to with Sometimes, and Yahweh.
 
I always thought the album version was best... the live one lacked something... but the violins at the end help a lot though :drool:


I wanted that song to be the opener... I saw a tribute band opena show with that song, and it was amazing....

It's hands down my favorite of HTDAAB and I think it's in my top 10 U2 songs ever...
 
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I love the intro to this song, it gives me chills every time I hear it and especially now, thinking about what it must have meant to Edge.

But I must admit that I am not very fond of the live versions I have heard, mostly from the US leg of the tour.

If anyone has a version of MD that they consider a good live version, maybe you could upload it somewhere, because I have kind of given up on hearing a good live version of this song and would love to be convinced otherwise.

I believe they didn't play it that often because they were pretty much aware that it did not work out very well.
 
It was the first song I heard off the album and it remains for me one of the strongest tracks from the record. The part where Larry and Bono are playing off each other vocally is very cool.
 
the first 15 seconds of this song are really transcending and mystifying, as are the "whoa, yeah" parts in the middle. i loved it immediately when i first heard it.
 
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I like it a lot. Studio and live. It really unfolds after an opening that is a bit U2 by numbers - the same WOWY intervals they've mined before. But it moves nicely to another place.

I always wondered if Edge's bit was an older version of a possible chorus melody of the song. Although it acts as a bridge, he sings it over the chorus progression.

And I heard Bono remark one time about writing a catchy chorus, making it into another part of the song, and replacing it with a catchier part - like how BD's chorus evolved from some ad-libbing he was doing on an early version. Just a thought.
 
Edge sings the part about "noise" and "din" before the final chorus.

I didn't know this either for the longest time.
 
prideofzootv said:
which part does edge sing? do you mean on the album version or the live version...or both?

where does he sing?

Beneath the noise, below the din
I hear your voice, it's whispering
In science and in medicine
I was the stranger you took me in

:love:
 
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It's one of U2's most underrated live songs; it blew me away when I saw it first-hand and was one of the highlights of the show for me. The passion just dripped out of it.

In the studio it's not nearly as good (I still love the intro and every part after the second verse though), and is one of the weaker tracks on HTDAAB, but that's more of a testament to HTDAAB's greatness rather than a barb at MD.
 
prideofzootv said:
so how come he doesnt sing it live then?

edge i mean, why doesnt edge sing that bit live?


As far as I know he did. At least on some shows. The problem is that his voice is very close to Bono's so that a lot of times you can't tell its him. Back on War he sang the first verse and chorus of Seconds both on the album and live and people still argue that it was Bono. But if you listen real carefully you can tell.

Dana
 
I maybe wrong but I'm pretty certain he sang it every night, didn't he? Sometimes Bono would help him out though if he wasn't coming through too clearly.

BTW Dana you were right in your post about how eerily prophetic it was choosing Edge to sing that particuar part for some reason, it must have felt very close to the bone some nights and I bet the strangeness of it all wasn't lost on him.
 
it's clearly Edge who sings it live aswell, my favourite example is the CD:UK show, Bono watches as Edge sings it and then counters with his own lines after Edge finished... it's like they're having a showoff...
 
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