Worst U2 song of the decade

[Bluer White]

1 Grace
2 Peace on Earth
3 Stand Up
4 Get On Your Boots
5 One w/ Mary J

 

[VintagePunk]

i always liked studio Yahweh and One Step Closer too VP.

Yay, we can have an exclusive club!

 

[alanah]

Yay, we can have an exclusive club!

Add me to the club.

 

[VintagePunk]

Liking it is one thing (although even that is fairly exclusive), but do you prefer the studio version to the live one?

I honestly can't remember ever reading on here that anyone does. In fact, it was always "Yahweh is good/okay live, but the album version sucks donkey balls." And then I'd roll my eyes and think that you're all nuts.

 

[alanah]

I like both versions, but I think the live version is even better.

 

[gvox]

Considering that U2 didn't officially release One as "One w/Mary J Blige" (did they?), I'd rule it out personally for this past decade. It's more like One w/U2 than anything. At least that's how it is on her record, anyways.

And by the way gentlemen that ache in your ballsack? Has little, if anything, to do with Mary's voice and likely alot to do - proportionately so, in fact - with how much time you spend online. Especially if you use a laptop.

ETA: There's no way Crumbs is in the top 5 worst songs of the decade. That's crazy talk, there.

 

[VintagePunk]

I like both versions, but I think the live version is even better.

Sorry, you can't be in the club.

 

[ozeeko]

- All Because Of You
- A Man And A Woman
- Crumbs From Your Table
- Elevation
- Get On Your Boots
- Grace
- I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
- Love And Peace Or Else
- Miracle Drug
- New York
- One (with Mary J. Blige)
- One Step Closer
- Peace On Earth
- Stand Up (Comedy)
- Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
- The Hands That Built America
- The Saints Are Coming (with Greenday)
- Wild Honey
- Window In The Skies
- Yahweh

Of course I have to be objective, but please be aware that 'The Hands That Built America' is in the list...

Good list. Of course some of those i love, like Grace (most undeserved knocked song of their career IMO), and Crumbs, Peace On Earth, Wild Honey and New York are perfectly good songs. Nothing spectacular, of course, but decent.

But The Hands That Built America i think is a perfectly good soundtrack song. It's way better than that fuckin' Winter song, and it totally fits the mood of the film. Bono's operatic vocals, the cold wintery atmosphere (which totally outwinters "Winter's" wintery winter). The song gets a bad rep. Unjustly.

But my pick is so easy, there's not even a moment's hesitation.

Yahweh is hands down the worst song U2 ever recorded. It's so bad on so many levels, and there is not even the slightest thing redeemable about it. they are failing in every aspect there. Atrocious.

 

[VintagePunk]

Of course some of those i love, like Grace (most undeserved knocked song of their career IMO), ... Peace On Earth, Wild Honey ... are perfectly good songs. Nothing spectacular, of course, but decent.

And these are some of the most bland, mediocre, adult contemporary songs I've ever heard. Especially Grace.

See? Everyone's got an opinion.

 

[ozeeko]

And these are some of the most bland, mediocre, adult contemporary songs I've ever heard.

See? Everyone's got an opinion.

Ohhhhkay. Am i reading too much into this or are you acting a bit condescending?

 

[ozeeko]

BTW, i always saw Grace as more of an updated "UF-style" ambient tune, nothing like the adult contemporary stuff you're suggesting. Nothing like the soccer mom sound of HTDAAB.

 

[65980]

I also much prefer the studio version of Yahweh to the stripped down live version, and as far as I know, I'm the only one ever to hold that opinion. Live, it was just...meh.

Yes, I completely agree. The album-"Yahweh" is one of my favorite U2 songs of the entire decade.

For the one who asked about "One Step Closer" -- it's actually my least favorite song on HTAAB. Why? There's nothing offensive about it, but it's the only song on that album not to have a great melody. It's just lukewarm water.

 

[DeVaul]

1. One (with Mary J. Blige)
2. Stand Up (Comedy)
3. Crumbs From Your Table
4. The Hands That Built America
5. A Man And A Woman

 

[mikal]

Liking it is one thing (although even that is fairly exclusive), but do you prefer the studio version to the live one?

I honestly can't remember ever reading on here that anyone does. In fact, it was always "Yahweh is good/okay live, but the album version sucks donkey balls." And then I'd roll my eyes and think that you're all nuts.

yeah, i would definitely prefer the album version. i love Edge's guitar work on this song (actually, the entire HTDAAB album).

 

[coolian2]

wait, when did stand up comedy have parenthesis in the title?

 

[VintagePunk]

Ohhhhkay. Am i reading too much into this or are you acting a bit condescending?

BTW, i always saw Grace as more of an updated "UF-style" ambient tune, nothing like the adult contemporary stuff you're suggesting. Nothing like the soccer mom sound of HTDAAB.

Me? Condescending? Naw.

Just making a point that you think Yahweh is atrocious, I think Grace is bland adult contemporary*, and since neither of us are arbiters of taste, neither of us is right or wrong. There is no right or wrong, only opinion.


*which, imo, bland is worse than awful - at least with awful, an attempt at creating something was made, it just evoked the opposite reaction than what was intended; with bland, it's just half-assed.

 

[ozeeko]

I didn't even read thru the entire thread until now, and i noticed right b4 my post that you were defending Yahweh, which is kinda funny since that was my pick for worst. but i wasn't even responding or referring to anything you said, i was just giving my opinion, plain and simple. that's why i thought it was odd when you said "see? everyone's got an opinion"- as if i had somehow failed to acknowledge the fact that everyone does have an opinion. i dunno, it just read kinda angry, then again it's hard to pick up on tone sometimes on a message board. it gets me into trouble time to time. but yea, Yahweh does suck big elephant dick

grace is a meditative little thing of beauty with ambient synth washes and soothing mellow guitar. Yahweh is the sound of Bono's balls being twisted while the shittiest U2 cover band on Earth plays indifferently behind him

 

[Galeongirl]

why does everyone hate one step closer to knowing - its pretty much the only interesting thing on bomb - good lyrics subtle music subtle vocal whats not to like

I don't hate it. I just don't like it. It's way too slow for me and never ever picks up the pace. Same with Grace, makes me fall asleep.

 

[65980]

Can anyone deny that 'Grace' has a beautiful melody? I mean, you could pick up an acoustic guitar and sing it, and it would sound great.

On the other hand, I defy anyone to identify a melody in 'One Step Closer'.

 

[chocky]

1 Grace
2 One (with Mary J. Blige)
3 All Because Of You
4 Yahweh
5 One Step Closer

 

[alanah]

Sorry, you can't be in the club.

Lol.. No problem. I just now realized I made a little mistake in my reply.

 

[mikal]

Can anyone deny that 'Grace' has a beautiful melody? I mean, you could pick up an acoustic guitar and sing it, and it would sound great.

On the other hand, I defy anyone to identify a melody in 'One Step Closer'.

a song doesn't necessarily need a melody to be good.

 

[U2girl]

1. Boots
2. Grace
3. Miracle Drug

Studio Yahweh >>>>> Live Yahweh. One step closer doesn't belong in this thread, too.

 

[Tim Wallach]

I refuse to include One w/ MJB because I have repressed it entirely and do not wish to have more of the therapy bills I had to pay in order to do so in the first place.

So my worst are in order:

1) Peace on Earth (fairly tuneless - a song almost forced by a topic Bono wanted to sing about. U2 does it way better when the tune comes first.)
2) All Because of You (just seems so half-assed to me. A sheep in wolf's clothing)
3) Unknown Caller (sacrilege I know, but aside from Edge's solo, it seems like a b-rip of Walk On with worse, tacky chants and lyrics)
4) Cedars of Lebanon (same lines as #1. Just not enough melody or substance to hold my attention)
5) Man and a Woman (love the rhythm section, but song just does nothing for me otherwise)

The good news is (as someone else mentioned) is that nothing from this decade was horribly bad. Everything was either good, decent or somewhat bland. So none of my list is attrocious. Just the worst of the pack by a nose in my opinion.

 

[gvox]

You guys are all wrong! Dead wrong, I say!

(Except for the people who didn't like Stand Up Comedy, of course. They're right about that one.)

 

[SpaceBoy]

1. Wild Honey
(I'm glad it's mentioned in U2 by U2 that the band at least had disagreements about Wild Honey being included on ATYCLB. If I'd found out everyone had just been nodding their heads and saying "It's a winner, throw it on there!" all at once, I would've been really disappointed.)

2. A Man And A Woman
3. The Saints Are Coming
4. Elevation
5. New York

 

[Dfit00]

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Kill Me is the worst song of all time, I can't even hear the beginning.

 

[Aygo]

I'm only voting for the MJB version of "One".

 

[joerags]

A Man and a Woman.

And that's all I can think of..

Everything else, is GREAT!!!

 

[wolbersu2]

1. Stuck in a moment
2. One with MJB
3. Grace
4. One step closer
5. a Man and a woman