Most Overrated U2 Song vs Most Underrated U2 Song

[pitt_norton]

I think No Line on the Horizon is criminally underrated both by the band and I guess around here. I can't blame the general public for underrating it - it should have been the lead single, so there wasn't proper exposure to it.

They need to play that song again.

I was so shitty they didn't play at the sydney 360 shows...

That song can be an absolute animal live if they actually play that song as a mix of the album version with the uplifting chorus and "NO LINE!" end shout from version 2... be perfect.

 

[snutes1]

Its funny how POP, which was dissed by the critics and fans alike saw more of its songs played through to the end of the tour than did NLOTH which has only 4 songs surviving the cut (and Boots unfortunately is ultra cheesy).

Agreed. NLOTH should have been the first single. U2 should scrap their FRAT Hits. (elevation, boots, vertigo)

 

[BVS]

Its funny how POP, which was dissed by the critics and fans alike saw more of its songs played through to the end of the tour than did NLOTH which has only 4 songs surviving the cut (and Boots unfortunately is ultra cheesy).

Agreed. NLOTH should have been the first single. U2 should scrap their FRAT Hits. (elevation, boots, vertigo)

Poor Boots, so misunderstood...

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Poor Boots, so misunderstood...

+1

 

[europop2005]

Very interesting considering I think many would say Pride embodies U2 "epic" feeling of the 80's. In fact most criticism I see of this song is that it may have gone too epic or over the top.

I love the variety of opinions in here.

Pride doesn't have that "wide open" feeling I get listening to streets and it doesn't have that politically charged feel as a song like "SBS" and in the midst of great songs like "Promenade" "TUF" "A Sort of Homecoming" and "Bad" it just feels out of place IMO

I'm not saying I dislike Pride, its great, but it doesn't have that goosebump sensation that comes with their other 80's epics

 

[europop2005]

I was so shitty they didn't play at the sydney 360 shows...

That song can be an absolute animal live if they actually play that song as a mix of the album version with the uplifting chorus and "NO LINE!" end shout from version 2... be perfect.

"Every night I have the same dream, i'm hatching a plot, scheming some scheme oh yeah whoa oh oh oh..." pause...and then BOOM

I love that, definitely needs a little live tuning but I think it deserves a little more props

 

[BVS]

Pride doesn't have that "wide open" feeling I get listening to streets and it doesn't have that politically charged feel as a song like "SBS" and in the midst of great songs like "Promenade" "TUF" "A Sort of Homecoming" and "Bad" it just feels out of place IMO

I'm not saying I dislike Pride, its great, but it doesn't have that goosebump sensation that comes with their other 80's epics

That's cool, I just think you are in a very small minority... that's all. In fact many would say the opposite.

 

[theedgeu2]

Pride doesn't have that "wide open" feeling I get listening to streets and it doesn't have that politically charged feel as a song like "SBS" and in the midst of great songs like "Promenade" "TUF" "A Sort of Homecoming" and "Bad" it just feels out of place IMO

I'm not saying I dislike Pride, its great, but it doesn't have that goosebump sensation that comes with their other 80's epics

I actually partly agree with you. I think it feels in place but its not got that great atmospher like TUF and ASOHC. Great guitar riff and one of their best known tunes but I think its a bit overrated. I'm glad they've not played it this tour.

 

[ozeeko]

Pride was one of the first U2 songs I heard that made me go "hmm, interesting guitar sounds." Being a young lad at the time, I knew of U2 and owned JT, AB and Zooropa, but it wasn't 'til I heard Pride that I actually noticed just how different Edge was as a guitarist. Maybe it was just right place right time in my youth to realize such things. Anyway, I've always thought that Edge's sound in Pride was WAY atmospheric (in an awesome wide open space way), and soundwise fits perfectly on TUF.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Pride is a son that you need to open your mind to. It's a U2 hit, but I dont think history gave it the same as WOWY, Streets, SBS, etc.

You need to actively listen to appriciate it. Or see it live.

 

[U2387]

Pride was one of the first U2 songs I heard that made me go "hmm, interesting guitar sounds." Being a young lad at the time, I knew of U2 and owned JT, AB and Zooropa, but it wasn't 'til I heard Pride that I actually noticed just how different Edge was as a guitarist. Maybe it was just right place right time in my youth to realize such things. Anyway, I've always thought that Edge's sound in Pride was WAY atmospheric (in an awesome wide open space way), and soundwise fits perfectly on TUF.

+1
Exactly spot on

Also, LuckyNumber7, good point!

It definitely is not as much of a "signature song" if you will as Streets, WOWY, Still Haven't Found or SBS. Even so, I have found that when casual fans or casual music listeners hear the opening notes of Pride, they almost always have very positive comments! I was the only real hard core U2 fan in college and whenever Pride came on the radio at the gym, I would look around and see a lot of people who didn't fit the U2 fan mold at all saying "great song" or singing along to the chorus.

 

[Dfit00]

Please should be played more often.

I also agree with Pride being one of the band's greatest hits, its message will always be self-represented. The Unforgettable Fire has also made a great debut on this tour and has been well received by all fans, especially since Bono keeps messing up the lyrics and the giant screen unfolds and turns red-wine colored.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

+1
Exactly spot on

Also, LuckyNumber7, good point!

It definitely is not as much of a "signature song" if you will as Streets, WOWY, Still Haven't Found or SBS. Even so, I have found that when casual fans or casual music listeners hear the opening notes of Pride, they almost always have very positive comments! I was the only real hard core U2 fan in college and whenever Pride came on the radio at the gym, I would look around and see a lot of people who didn't fit the U2 fan mold at all saying "great song" or singing along to the chorus.

Very cool,

so with that being said, do you think it would be safe to call Pride underrated? If it's not a signature song, though [I think] it should be like the rest of those, I'd say that certainly makes it underrated.

 

[Vlaco]

I still think that the studio version of Pride is one of the best things they've ever done. The first time I heard Pride it hit me like a sack of bricks. I've noticed that a lot of people who are not (that much) into U2 know the song and like it. It's a shame it's overplayed and that the live version is so much weaker than the studio version.

 

[Mirror Ball Man]

Most overrated songs: I would have to say Beautiful day and Vertigo, both hit songs and I enjoy listening to them and they are both great in opening a concert. But still, very far away from being my favorite songs.

Most underrated songs: In a little while, trip through your wires, One tree hill and Heartland. In my opinion In a little while is the best song on ATYCLB, without any doubt. Heartland should have been a hit song, there is nothing to it that I don't like. Trip through your wires and one tree hill really should be played more often live, instead of bullet the blue sky for instance.

 

[vaz02]

Most overrated - Bday
Most underrated - GOYB

 

[U2387]

Very cool,

so with that being said, do you think it would be safe to call Pride underrated? If it's not a signature song, though [I think] it should be like the rest of those, I'd say that certainly makes it underrated.

I guess you could say that.

It definitely has that "oh, yeah, they did this one too" quality to it with a lot of listeners. I know people who immediately cite SBS, NYD, WOWY, Streets, One or even BD/Vertigo when they hear U2, but never Pride.

Lost in some of the silly "they play Pride too much" discussions here is the fact that unlike say, Stuck In A Moment or Elevation, it's among U2's best songs by almost anyone's standards. Certainly mine. I had a "Pride phase" that lasted from 2004 to about the fall of 2008. I couldn't get enough of it. Then I became one of the people here applauding its new rotational status.

It benefits from the rest it gets now, I think. The performance in Melbourne was one of the best I've ever heard.

Most overrated songs: I would have to say Beautiful day and Vertigo, both hit songs and I enjoy listening to them and they are both great in opening a concert. But still, very far away from being my favorite songs.

Most underrated songs: In a little while, trip through your wires, One tree hill and Heartland. In my opinion In a little while is the best song on ATYCLB, without any doubt. Heartland should have been a hit song, there is nothing to it that I don't like. Trip through your wires and one tree hill really should be played more often live, instead of bullet the blue sky for instance.

Great post! Agree especially with your underrated and I definitely think IALW is the best song on ATYCLB, with Kite close behind!

It's a Christmas miracle!! Someone else here actually thinks that Trip Through Your Wires should be played more. That is one awesome song, in every single way!

 

[kabigon]

Its funny how POP, which was dissed by the critics and fans alike saw more of its songs played through to the end of the tour than did NLOTH which has only 4 songs surviving the cut (and Boots unfortunately is ultra cheesy).

Not only that, there were 5(!) Pop songs played on Elevation, with the lowest count being a respectable 16 (Staring at the Sun) and Gone was played a whopping 51 times. And only after this tour did U2 get scared of touching it with a 10-foot pole *scratches head*

 

[LemonMelon]

Trip Through Your Wires always was tremendous live (except on TV Gaga when it was called INTHISTOWN). Rather than tack on something else for the beer run (current example: Love Rescue Me), why not play something, I dunno, fun? Trip'll do. I nominate that as most underrated, simply because it isn't aural vomit like everyone says it is. It's actually pretty damn awesome.

Most overrated? Oh, boy. Unknown Caller, I guess. Clunky as hell, never really takes off to any degree, even with that solo everyone promised was going to be sex on toast. Instead, it sounded like Edge playing a guitar solo.

 

[U2387]

Unknown Caller is pretty overrated in here, I agree 100%.

But it's not well known enough outside of the hardcore U2 fan base to really be overrated compared to many other songs.

 

[LemonMelon]

If we're talking songs overrated outside of Interference, it absolutely has to be I Will Follow. Fairly ho-hum for such a career-defining song. It did poorly in the song rating dealie we did a while back for a reason; much of Boy easily trumps it.

 

[catlhere]

Real World:
Overrated ~ Vertigo
Underrated ~ Zooropa

Interference:
Overrated ~ Pop
Underrated ~ 2000-Today Material

 

[cobl04]

If we're talking songs overrated outside of Interference, it absolutely has to be I Will Follow. Fairly ho-hum for such a career-defining song. It did poorly in the song rating dealie we did a while back for a reason; much of Boy easily trumps it.

have you heard it live though? it's like being punched in the face but really enjoyable and not painful.

shit metaphor.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I Will Follow?!?! Overrated?!? It's one of the best! Not played enough, not given the same fate as SBS ot New Years Day from U2s early years, although it deserves it!

Also, it kills me to see people calling Beautiful Day overrated

Honestly, it's such a fun song, opened the doors for me to U2 (it and SBS).

 

[U2387]

^^

Exactly!

The fact that I Will Follow didn't do so well on the interference song ranking poll speaks more to the 90's worshipping nature of this place than it does to the quality of the song!

It's easily one of U2's best songs, musically and lyrically.

And just like COBL04 said, it rips the roof off the place and punches you in the chest the entire 4 minutes in the very best of ways.

I have never seen 1 song energize a tour leg as much as I Will Follow has done this year!

And they are playing it better than ever, save for a few versions on the War Tour

If anything, IWF is vastly underrated, as it wasn't a big hit.

 

[Chief43]

Most overrated: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Im sorry but it drags on for too long and it really does get boring

Most underrated: I would say Please but I believe it is highly rated by fans and critics alike.

So I am going for Breathe. It is lukewarm with fans and the band. However I believe the building intro and lyrics make this one of the better U2 songs of the last decade. Furthermore, if this was the first single of NLOTH I would have expected a much more successful album.

 

[Vlaco]

.

 

[Vlaco]

If we're talking songs overrated outside of Interference, it absolutely has to be I Will Follow. Fairly ho-hum for such a career-defining song. It did poorly in the song rating dealie we did a while back for a reason; much of Boy easily trumps it.

No way, awesome (live) song. Still sounds great to me.

 

[jonnytakeawalk]

Most overrated: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Im sorry but it drags on for too long and it really does get boring

Most underrated: I would say Please but I believe it is highly rated by fans and critics alike.

So I am going for Breathe. It is lukewarm with fans and the band. However I believe the building intro and lyrics make this one of the better U2 songs of the last decade. Furthermore, if this was the first single of NLOTH I would have expected a much more successful album.

Nah I still think ISHFWILF deserves the praise it gets and it is very much underrated amongst hard core fans anyway.

I like Breathe but I'm not too sure if I'd call it underrated. It certianly seems to be the most popular off NLOTH anyway.

For me- overrated= Sunday Bloody Sunday. It had often appeared in critics top protest songs, songs of the 80's etc and I think there are far more brilliant songs from the U2 cannon. Besides it is sounding very stale live.

underrated= Winter. I find the whole song absolutely stunning. Best song of the 00's for me.

 

[Hallucination]

For me- overrated= Sunday Bloody Sunday. It had often appeared in critics top protest songs, songs of the 80's etc and I think there are far more brilliant songs from the U2 cannon. Besides it is sounding very stale live.

underrated= Winter. I find the whole song absolutely stunning. Best song of the 00's for me.

Disgaree on both accounts. Sunday Bloody Sunday is still awesome today and Winter is ho hum.

Most Underrated - Ultraviolet(Light My Way)

Most Overrated - Stuck in a Moment You Can't get Out Of