The Sweetest Thing...

[ScooterXX7]

From what album is the song from? I can't find it anywhere on the internet...

 

[Popmartijn]

It originally appeared as a B-side on the Where The Streets Have No Name single.
In 1998 it was re-recorded for The Best Of 1980-1990.
The original version was included on the B-Sides disc of that compilation.

 

[sniggirb]

I had this song stuck in my head today.

 

[RademR]

great drinking song

 

[Zoomerang96]

great song whether you're drinking or not. lovely piano.

good live song too.

 

[RademR]

real big favorite amongst casual u2 fans i've noticed.

 

[Zoomerang96]

which are more frightening? casual u2 fans who most often have dodgy taste in music, or hardcore u2 fans who are often dodgy themselves?

 

[miss becky]

The original B-side is so much better than the polished single, I think. I love the raw feeling to the B-side. And those "do do dos" in the single just make me cringe.

 

[RademR]

Sweetest thing "New Version" rocks

never liked the b-side.

good live song too.

agreed. got to hear it in dc during elevation.

 

[OnFire]

I don't know if this is really true, but I read somewhere that when they were deciding what songs to put on JT and Edge was pushing to get Trip Through your Wires included, Bono said something along the lines of, "trip doesn't make sense without ST" which was apparently already excluded.

Anyone know any more about it than that? Such as why these songs would be heard as complimentary or a counter-point to each other?

 

[X-it 7]

Didn't Bono write this song for his wife because he forgot her birthday?

 

[Tiger Edge]

^

Yes.
Or something like he was supposed to go home on her birthday but got stuck in the recording studio. Either one of those stories.

 

[verte76]

I like the B-side version, the re-made one is a bit too polished for me.

 

[LMP]

I always include the Single Version in my ATYCLB playlists and rarely listen to the b-side version

I wish they wouldn't have used it as a b-side and used it on ATYCLB, it sounds better there IMO

 

[Axver]

I don't know if this is really true, but I read somewhere that when they were deciding what songs to put on JT and Edge was pushing to get Trip Through your Wires included, Bono said something along the lines of, "trip doesn't make sense without ST" which was apparently already excluded.

Anyone know any more about it than that? Such as why these songs would be heard as complimentary or a counter-point to each other?

I've never heard that, but it sounds like a very twisted version of a Bono quote where he says WOWY doesn't really make sense without its b-sides, Luminous Times and Walk To The Water.

As far as the tracklisting of JT goes, the story I know states Bono was pushing for it to be more "American" while Edge was trying to bring it back to be more "U2" (which would mean Bono would've pushed for TTYW).

 

[OnFire]

Yeah, that's part of it, here's the rest:

The following excerpt is from from Hot Press, December, 1987, from an article by Bill Graham with an interview with Edge and Bono:

[Edge:] "... For instance, we disagreed vehemently about what songs should go on the album. If Bono had his way, 'The Joshua Tree' would have been more American and bluesy, and I was trying to pull it back."

That compromise led to the later flood of new B-side tracks. Bono will argue that "the album is almost incomplete. 'With or Without You' doesn't really make sense without 'Walk to the Water' or 'Luminous Times'. And 'Trip Through Your Wires' doesn't make that much sense without 'Sweetest Thing.'

 

[mandy1973]

i love the video for the newer version of Sweetest Thing - one of my favourite U2 videos - so cute!! I love the bit where Bono has the little hand puppet of a dog - the look on bono's face there is just adorable!!!