Howdy, long time Wire member here, first time poster....
I think I'm straddling the fence on this one. I think Sometimes is a great song, but I'd have to agree that it's doubtful it will earn a place in the Pantheon alongside One, unless the band forces it down everyone's ears in every show until the end of their touring career.
The problem lies not in the songwriting but more in the presentation. One was post-modern stripped down ballad building up to a celestial climax. The style of Sometimes kind of screams adult contemporary, even if it's superb AC. The falsetto, so bizaarely effective in the outer-space transmission of Lemon, sounds obvious here. I have to be honest that the first time I heard that chorus, I cringed at what OTHER listeners might think upon hearing it. It's beautifully sung, but it is possibly the most mainstream thing I've heard from the band.
Also, we have a break that sounds totally lifted from Walk On, and while the guitar parts that line the latter half of the song are nice, they are Edge 101. By comparison, as One builds and builds Edge gets deeper and deeper into the sorrow of thr piece. Come on, The Egde playing on a song inspired by his doomed marriage? The guy is grazing the stratosphere on this one, perhaps plowing through it. Bono's vocal emoting at the end of the song is surpassed only by the "hoooooooo" from Running to Stand Still.
In Sometimes' defense, onn an album where the word "heart" is totally overused, the new song is magically free of cliche. But perhaps the specificity of lines like "you're the reason I have operas in me" may prevent this from being as UNIVERSAL as One, which has been interpreted in so many ways by so many people.
In the end, Sometimes might only be revered by U2 fans who KNOW what the song is about. You don't have to be privy to Edge's relationship woes to feel the power of One. Musically the 1991 gem packs a much heavier punch.
On a side note, I'd like to chime in to the Miami debate as well. Although the song has many detractors, it's a little unfair to act like this is the band's Revolution #9. It's not unlistenable. And while Larry might be on a loop for the first half of the song, when he does come in it's on the waves of Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks, and he kicks some SERIOUS ass. Some of the best playing in his career. Plus, the Jane's Addiction-esque "baa baa baas" is a nice touch. Adam is doing some fantastic work. Edge's solo right after Bono's "car chase" line makes you feel like you're speeding down some highway. For a band effort, this song is very accomplished.
The main beef seems to be with the lyrics, and it's a little lame to keep bringing up the "Miami, my mammy" when the rest of the lyrics really take you to the place they're describing. The evoke a real atmosphere. They're cinematic. Let's not forget that Allen Ginsburg himself was filmed reading these lyric. By comparison, New York sounds a lot more postcard in its description. Miami comes from a Castro-dressing Bono who was REALLY soaking up the place.
laz
