DreamOutLoud13 said:
The same friend I mentioned above recently bought October. She's so far my only successful conversion to U2ism, and her first reaction after listening to the album a couple of times was "October SUCKS!"
Seems a lot of people do that. Personally, I've really enjoyed October ever since I bought it, when I was just becoming a U2 fan. It was the Boy/October/War/UABRS stuff (and RAH) that turned me from a casual fan into a U2 nut in the first place. I've come to enjoy October even more since I've drifted away from U2, bizarrely enough, though my general opinion of songs hasn't changed much. i.e. I still think Gloria is the best song on there and that I Fall Down is the biggest clunker. The only one that ever grew on me was Scarlet, which I initially overlooked but now adore.
So since then, I've been sort of pondering why October gets such a bad rap. So far my conclusion is that people tend to overlook the brilliance of the music itself, and focus on the frequent repetitiveness of the lyrics (on some songs), and the overt religiousity (which many people find uncomfortable).
I think for a lot of people, they go in expecting it to suck because the "October sucks" mindset is so prevalent and new fans are frequently told to buy it last, that it's a completists' item. It also doesn't help that it's the most obscure U2 album - even Boy has I Will Follow to bring in casual listeners with a footing in territory they know. I suppose I was lucky in that I went from the Best Of 1980-1990 to UABRS, so I had the familiarity of IWF/SBS/NYD, then I fell in love with Gloria and ITABTAW and got October only after that stage. I imagine many people don't have the UABRS stage, in which case October would seem very foreign and unfamiliar within the U2 catalogue.
And regarding the religious themes of the lyrics, I'd like to say first of all that I usually DETEST religious-themed rock music. This isn't due to the fact that I dislike religion (depending on what day you get me, I'm either agnostic or Christian), but due to the fact most religious rock is fucking dreadful because it tries to force its opinion onto you. But the thing about October is that I find it's a sincere expression of "here's where we are in our lives and what we're thinking; we're not all too concerned with whether you, the listener, agree with us, just that you respect it and can maybe draw something from what we say, even if you disagree with our conclusions". That, I think, is why Gloria works and crap like songs by the Newsboys don't.
(Also, it's worth noting that I feel an attachment to October because it reminds me of when I was 15-16 and just seriously getting into U2. Great nostalgic memories there.)
I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO touched. I feel like I've really opened a whole new door for us here!
Nonetheless, because I'm such a sweetheart, I'll stay on topic. Barely. 
OK, fine. Apology ACCEPT(RED). Give me a hug. 
Don't you know this place is serious business?
you get a kiss....how frickin' excited are you?
A friend asked me this the other day, and I didn't want to do it, because it was too hard to choose 
I have a myspace, want to see??? http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=53748692
)
I LOVE your song about ,like, not looking back..and, like, being angry. OH, and that one about wandering walls!!!! or is that wondering walls?
