[Spoiler] has been played live

[Mrs. Garrison]

i would actually like a draw bridge, one they can raise it if they want to in case a ship needs to pass through and lower once its gone. Gives them flexibility.

 

[Cask]

I prefer the original chorus, Bono's delivery of it was one of my favorite parts of any U2 song.now it is gone! I really loved the ending.. (love is justice a charity............) and now that is gone too. Also, I really like:
You love me... too much
You always loved me... too much
When I was ripping the stitches
Without two cents to rub
I'm in the ditches
Of someone else's luck..
It is like they took everything I liked about the song and changed it, creating a version meant to be a single. Really disappointed with the direction we are taking with it. I just hope that they somehow make available a higher quality version of the demo (properly encoded at least...the one we have is really compressed)....then I couldn't care less about how the final version sounds.

 

[purpleoscar]

I like the new version. Though a studio version will probably still improve on it more. The lyrics improved and even the little guitar solo was nice. I can see a little in it that reminds me of Kite.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

I think it lost a lot of effect in this new version. It's just not as powerful anymore.

 

[purpleoscar]

AHHHHhh people like you drive me fucking crazy!!! I love how you hear this and they think the original is better and get all pissed. You've heard the "original" now for what? 5 years now? and they have chaged it yes, but you've have heard the new version like once? and jump all over it. Why, why, why, why, are these some many idiots on this planet?

It's because some U2 fans want the B-sides to be A-sides.

 

[PhilsFan]

As always, U2 is consistently horrible judges of their own material. They took a great song and neutered it.

 

[Sicy]

I've had a chance to listen to both versions. I like the song. I'm not all woooo eeee gaga over it but I understand why a lot of people are excited. It's a song that we all thought would never see the light of day and that has never been released so I can understand the hoopla. I think I do prefer the 'original' version though I thought they did a great job with it live.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

gaga

rah rah ah ah ahhhhh ro ma ro ma ma gaga oooh la la!

 

[collapse]

For all those who miss the prechorus... it's worth noting that Edge's "new" solo is actually the same melody line as what he plays during that. So a trace of it is still there

I like the prechorus just fine but I didn't miss it at all when I heard the new version. I think it works well in the original, but it doesn't add a lot. A lot of people seem to think it now lacks build-up, but it's still almost a minute and a half before they hit the chorus, which imo is just right. I had very little complaints about the original, but in comparison to the live version it's a tad meandering, honestly.

 

[zuropa_fit]

I can't believe U2 renamed Mercy

Spoiler

. They completely ruined it. "Mercy" had such an atmospheric touch to it;

Spoiler

just sounds like they ran out of ideas. Once again Bono has ruined everything.

Spoiler

Spoiler

winner

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention, but I must say I'm disappointed. Although the idea of a more frequent chorus isn't a bad one, it's not better and is arrived at far too suddenly, which upsets the song's contemplative feel; the part during which Bono sings "Because, because" is particularly awful.

They perhaps wisely took out:

"If you were ice, I'm water
And with your telescope, I can see further
We're binary code: a one and a zero
You wanted fire ___ and you got____"

Maybe that was for the best, since he kept the stronger lyrics. Yet these lyrics that sounded pretty good needed to be made more subtle and original to be fantastic and this hasn't happened.

I also prefer the guitar sound over the piano line, which is far too simple. Piano should have more loud and soft or maybe Eno can persuade them to use more textured synths. The piano thing is a crutch they've used on "City of Blinding Lights" and other songs; I don't like it. What happened to those piano lessons, Bono?

Later in the song, the entire set of verses with him singing "feel nothing" has been ejected along with its more climactic moments. It's just not grand anymore. The earlier version was also more experimental and ambitious, I think. U2 is going in the wrong direction. The song's melodies haven't acquired any more complexity and have actually lost some of the build up; I don't like Edge's new guitar solo, either.

Anyway, I'm glad the song is still in the running and I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but I hope U2 might read this and I must be honest in my disappointment.

Ah, Muldfeld, whatever would we do without your rambling?

I don't get how the early version was "experimental".

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I prefer the original chorus, Bono's delivery of it was one of my favorite parts of any U2 song.now it is gone! I really loved the ending.. (love is justice a charity............) and now that is gone too. Also, I really like:
You love me... too much
You always loved me... too much
When I was ripping the stitches
Without two cents to rub
I'm in the ditches
Of someone else's luck..
It is like they took everything I liked about the song and changed it, creating a version meant to be a single. Really disappointed with the direction we are taking with it. I just hope that they somehow make available a higher quality version of the demo (properly encoded at least...the one we have is really compressed)....then I couldn't care less about how the final version sounds.

Agreed. One of the very best moments of the early version.

 

[collapse]

I don't get how the early version was "experimental".

or how the new version is any less "experimental." Though really, I don't see how a song that even at its inception was U2 being as U2-y as possible (mixing the brooding 90's U2 atmosphere with the triumphant uplifting chorus U2 does so well) qualifies as "experimental." Also, I'm baffled at all the people saying U2 butchered it. It's not that different. It's shorter, but not absurdly so. It's not like they turned it into a three minute single. The prechorus worked in the original but it wasn't a particularly interesting or integral part of the song, to me anyway, especially since Bono was just kind of mumbling the lyrics. The verse lyrics are identical except with some (mostly the weaker) lines taken out. The chorus, while different lyrically, has the same melody. The only part I really miss is the "I...I can't escape myself..." part of the bridge. The second half of the bridge (fear/feel nothing) isn't as interesting to me. If they threw in the first part of the bridge and then had Edge's new solo I think it'd be super awesome

Also, everyone should keep in mind that this is the first time they've played it live. It will continue to evolve as they keep playing it, and the recorded version probably won't 100% match any version they play live, anyway.

 

[powerhour24]

Guess what guys, it's their perragotive to do whatever they want to their own creation. Lets hear a finished version. The 2004 version will always exist. I see their intention in making changes, but I do think it could benefit overall from more elements of the original with some of these changes.

 

[last unicorn]

U2 can do whatever they want with their songs. And since about 98% of people going to that Zurich concert have certainly never heard Mercy or even heard of Mercy before I don't think anyone there is complaining about whatever changes U2 have done to that song. It's sensational they even considered playing it, let alone play it. Obviously they like the song and continued working on it, and whatever U2 comes up with is fine for me. I'd love to be at a concert where they play it, I don't care about the changes. It's alway easy to analyse stuff when you're sitting at home, staring at a computer screen. I've heard from a lot of people who were at the show yesterday and they all say it was an amazing experience, very special, pouring rain and all, and they are totally extatic about the set. No one is complaining about Mercy not sounding like it sounded 6 years ago. U2 shouldn't stop moving forward and working on songs and bringing them into the set as surprises. They should do whatever they feel should be done to the songs. I can't wait to hear all that stuff live myself. Love the guitar on Mercy a lot

 

[monsieur fly]

I think the live version works fairly well. I am sceptical about the 'because because because' chorus, which seems a little clunky at the end, and I would prefer a trancy, electronica- tinged background to Terry's piano. Nevertheless, the Edge manages to replicate the studio guitar sound very well and Bono nails the vocal. I certainly don't see it as the horror show some people are talking about.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

To me although the 2004 had potential it was nothing more than a demo, with IMO a very repetative feel to it, i mean hell the actual main body of the song sounds the same as the 2004 version but with a few tweaks and imo better lyrical direction.

But hey, people cry for them to play the song live, the band decide to play it live and then people bitch, U2 fans for ya.

 

[An Cat Gav]

To me although the 2004 had potential it was nothing more than a demo, with IMO a very repetative feel to it, i mean hell the actual main body of the song sounds the same as the 2004 version but with a few tweaks and imo better lyrical direction.

But hey, people cry for them to play the song live, the band decide to play it live and then people bitch, U2 fans for ya.

Also the version they're playing isn't the finished article either, they're still playing with it, maybe they will bring the missing lyrics back, the "ripping the stitches" part for example. I think the positives are outweighing the negatives.

 

[Blue Room]

I think its really hard to judge until we have a studio version of the different way they are doing it. U2 has to strip things down a bit to play them live. I think a new recorded version on an album will have many more layers to it over the live one.

I like the song, I think it sounds good live. I was never a HUGE Mercy fan previously, thought it was good and should have made Bomb. But I was never in the camp of one of the best things they have done.

I'm curious how it went down with most of the crowd in Zurich. Was it a show pacing killer or did it go down well with the audience. I can honestly see it going either way.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

I'm pretty sure Mikal is kidding.

some people tho..

 

[nirniva]

I'd like the "ripping the stitches" part back for at least the first chorus...I'm okay with everything else, though.
EDIT:

I'm curious how it went down with most of the crowd in Zurich. Was it a show pacing killer or did it go down well with the audience. I can honestly see it going either way.

From what I could hear on the U2gigs video, the crowd sounded like they were getting into it. I couldn't tell you for sure, though.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

Well, I was at the show and it was great to have the privilege to hear this song live for the first time. However, being a big fan of the original version and loving almost all the parts of the song that have been dropped, I'm a bit disappointed and think the live of yesterday is a lot weaker than the original. Having said that, I don't really care since we all have the original already!
I admire this band even if nothing is perfect, they are trying to give us new songs that nobody heard before. They even say that some of them are demos. They arewilling to share what they are doing in the studio at the moment and it's a great treat for the fans, thanks!

 

[ntalwar]

Also, I really like:
You love me... too much
You always loved me... too much
When I was ripping the stitches
Without two cents to rub
I'm in the ditches
Of someone else's luck..

Agreed. I also like the binary code part.

 

[pepokiss]

all of you will end up buying it anyway...

but yeah, they made it... less atractive

 

[redhotswami]

u2 really blew this one imo. They obviously are trying too hard to write bad lyrics and a boring melody without enough politics and once again they are taking sides with Israel instead of Palestine. Obviously Mercy is a prayer and u2 are clearly taking sides on the west bank.

This is interesting. I'm not sure if I heard that in the lyric. Which verse illustrates the best?

I'm not trying to sound smart-assed. I'm honestly curious.

 

[Blue Room]

Well, I was at the show and it was great to have the privilege to hear this song live for the first time. However, being a big fan of the original version and loving almost all the parts of the song that have been dropped, I'm a bit disappointed and think the live of yesterday is a lot weaker than the original. Having said that, I don't really care since we all have the original already!
I admire this band even if nothing is perfect, they are trying to give us new songs that nobody heard before. They even say that some of them are demos. They arewilling to share what they are doing in the studio at the moment and it's a great treat for the fans, thanks!

How did the crowd as a whole react to it? It may determine whether it gets done again.

 

[kkaider]

This is interesting. I'm not sure if I heard that in the lyric. Which verse illustrates the best?

I'm not trying to sound smart-assed. I'm honestly curious.

I think he means this one:

you’re not Sorry, you’re not gonnA cRy
you put the blue baCk in my eye
it’s just us
becAuse, because, becauSe
we can we Must

 

[popshopper]

The "we're binary code, a one and a zero. You wanted violins, but you got Nero" was one of Bono's best couplets of recent times. Seems a shame to throw that out.

I actually like the new chorus, (although the lyrics are either half remembered or unfinished) but the middle of the song loses a lot of the power of original. The original solo was a bit more engaging as well.

In 2004 in sounded like a work in progress, in 2010 it still sounds like a work in progress.

 

[BVS]

I think he means this one:

you’re not Sorry, you’re not gonnA cRy
you put the blue baCk in my eye
it’s just us
becAuse, because, becauSe
we can we Must

Actually it was a joke in response to a certain poster.

But interesting keyboard

 

[kkaider]

Actually it was a joke in response to a certain poster.

But interesting keyboard

Yeah, I keep meaning to get that shift key fixed.

I found that lyric on @U2 - is that the consensus here for the "because, because, because" line? "we can, we must"? I can't understand him from the u2gigs clip, but that doesn't sound right to me.