What Is The Best Single They've Ever Released?

[JOFO]

"I Will Follow" was strong, because it's stood the test of time and exploded onto the music scene.

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" became their anthem for many years.

"Pride" made them household names.

"With Or Without You" was a smash; they became mega-stars.

"I Still Haven't Found" same as WOWY

"The Fly" signaled a radical departure for them.

"Beutiful Day" was a global smash and established them as the last rock superpower.

"Vertigo" strong debut with the itunes commercial, but didn't stay strong over time.

I don't think any of the other singles were as big chart wise or impact wise as these, so which one was the best?


I'm torn between "I Will Follow" and "Pride".

 

[Shawn Bonneau]

Um, buddy, Sunday Bloody Sunday was never a single.

SMB

 

[ImOuttaControl]

I thought "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was never released as a single...

 

[ZeroDude]

WOWY is my favoritee although it's hard to say...........

 

[the rockin edge]

Pride or With or Without You

 

[Thinktank]

I'm partial to the Mysterious Ways single for Lady With A Spinning Head UVI, I think it was, and Salome. It's been a while so correct me if I'm wrong, experts.

 

[bsp77]

Hello? One? Possibly the quintessential U2 song.

 

[JOFO]

Um, buddy, Sunday Bloody Sunday was never a single.

SMB

Really? well, MTV used to play the hell out of the video, so I thought it was a single.
anyways, wouldn't have been my choice.

 

[JOFO]

Hello? One? Possibly the quintessential U2 song.

yeah, but I don't recall it actually going to number one and being a worldwide smash.

 

[bsp77]

yeah, but I don't recall it actually going to number one and being a worldwide smash.

Whether it went to number one or not, it was a major worldwide smash, much more so than many of the other songs mentioned. Chart position at any one moment means very little compared to longevity. The Fly and Vertigo will never have half the timelessness of One.

 

[JOFO]

ok, so "One" should be part of my list.

you don't have to go by my list; it's not a poll.
just say: "I think One is the best single they ever released".

 

[Judah]

It's gotta be Streets...and it had the best B-side songs.

 

[U2_Guy]

sunday bloody sunday WAS a single. You ppl should do your homework b4 saying things...

 

[bsp77]

sunday bloody sunday WAS a single. You ppl should do your homework b4 saying things...

No it wasn't. Go to U2.com, look at the Complete U2 on iTunes. It got a lot of airplay and had a video (live), but never a single.

 

[phanan]

No it wasn't. Go to U2.com, look at the Complete U2 on iTunes. It got a lot of airplay and had a video (live), but never a single.

Depends where you live, people.

It was a single in parts of Europe, along with countries like Brazil and Japan. It wasn't released in the U.S., among other places.

 

[Achtung Joshua!]

I'm partial to the Mysterious Ways single for Lady With A Spinning Head UVI, I think it was, and Salome. It's been a while so correct me if I'm wrong, experts.

Lady is the B-side to the One single.
As far as great singles go Still Haven't Found has possibly the best B-side ever...Spanish Eyes and Deep in the Heart

 

[U2_Guy]

Sunday Bloody Sunday WAS a single. I do have it both on CD and 12'' vinyl.

I'm a serious U2 collector and any collector with very few knowledge knows that SBS was a single.

http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/sing012.html

Also check on Ebay.

Do you know that "40" and Lemon were singles? I bet you don't...

 

[phanan]

Do you know that "40" and Lemon were singles? I bet you don't...

There's probably quite a few people on this forum who aren't from Germany, which was the only place that "40" was released as a single. To those people, "40" was never a single.

So technically, yes, a song like "40" had a release as a single. I, however, never look at that song as a single because I live elsewhere. It's the same with Sunday Bloody Sunday. It was definitely released as a single, but if you live in the U.S., for example, then in your mind, it wasn't.

 

[phanan]

For me, the best single was Pride, because that's what introduced me to U2 in the first place.

 

[Niceman]

As far as quality of song and effect on U2, I'd say either With Or Without You or The Fly.

As far as B-sides, I'd say either With Or Without You (Luminous Times, Walk to the Water), Stay (Under my skin, slow dancing, live Bullet, live Love is Blindness, Lemon remix), or POPheart/Please(live Please, Where the Streets, With Or Without You, and Staring at the sun.)

But only one single is in both categories, so With Or Without You wins!

 

[WinnieThePoo]

hold me , Thrill me , Kiss me , kill me was good enough , different , smart , rocky and sexy

 

[Numbology]

The Fly____first appearance of bono's shades

 

[djerdap]

The Fly, followed by With or Without You

 

[Balfron]

how can Vertigo not have withstood the test of time 2 months after it was released?

Its a class song that has everyone (my age anyway - 17) talking about U2.

Just because its new it doesnt mean its not good.

 

[bsp77]

Sunday Bloody Sunday WAS a single. I do have it both on CD and 12'' vinyl.

I'm a serious U2 collector and any collector with very few knowledge knows that SBS was a single.

http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/sing012.html

Also check on Ebay.

Do you know that "40" and Lemon were singles? I bet you don't...

Well, Sunday Bloody Sunday was not a single in the US or UK, nor was "40". Lemon was.

Don't really care what you do in Portugal. Maybe I would if you were a little nicer.

 

[Axver]

If a song was released as a single in one country, then it counts as a single for everyone. Heard of imports?

By the way, if a single has to be released in a person's country for it to be considered a single for them, then sorry, Americans, but Vertigo is not a single for you.

 

[phanan]

If a song was released as a single in one country, then it counts as a single for everyone. Heard of imports?

By the way, if a single has to be released in a person's country for it to be considered a single for them, then sorry, Americans, but Vertigo is not a single for you.

I'm assuming this is in response to my earlier post.

You missed my point. When the discussion was about Sunday Bloody Sunday, I was merely stating that because the song wasn't released as a commercial single in certain parts of the world at the time, some people would interpret that as a non-single. I think that's what bsp77 and others meant. Back in 1983, unless you lived near a music store that specialized in imports, you weren't seeing a single unless it was sold in that country.

As for Vertigo, you're right, it's not available as a commerical single in the U.S. Of course, with the Internet today, we can acquire the imports much easier now...

 

[theedge111]

Hello? One? Possibly the quintessential U2 song.

So True

 

[U2_Guy]

Well, Sunday Bloody Sunday was not a single in the US or UK, nor was "40". Lemon was.

Don't really care what you do in Portugal. Maybe I would if you were a little nicer.

Ohhhh, poor boy! I need to be a little nicer to youuuu... Come here, let me scratch your belly!!! Poor booooy!



I'm not in Portugal, little genius.

And, by your logic, Electrical Storm was NOT a single for you. And many others. Beautiful Day was a single on vinyl ONLY for you. And Lemon too. Lemon was a CD single only to Australia and Japan.

Repeat after me: T-H-E U-S-A-I-S-N-O-T-T-H-E-W-O-R-L-D

 

[grbounds]

Ohhhh, poor boy! I need to be a little nicer to youuuu... Come here, let me scratch your belly!!! Poor booooy!



I'm not in Portugal, little genius.

And, by your logic, Electrical Storm was NOT a single for you. And many others. Beautiful Day was a single on vinyl ONLY for you. And Lemon too. Lemon was a CD single only to Australia and Japan.

Repeat after me: T-H-E U-S-A-I-S-N-O-T-T-H-E-W-O-R-L-D

lets keep the temper tantrums to a minimum here people.