jeevey
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Finally, some decent counterpoints worth addressing!
I'm not sure that the piece of work in and of itself has a character as you call it..I think the author attempts to convey a character or feeling which may mature, reshape or even shift in a new direction over time. MJBs version of One is definitely in line with the character that U2 took One into in the last decade, live.
With regards to cohesion, I haven't heard any single argument that leads me to believe that she stepped outside of this cohesion you speak of. Indeed, listening to the tune, even, I still don't see it. I think it's perfectly in line with what U2 envisioned and currently envisions the song to be.
I agree, but I raise you this: at what point do the others feel like they somehow have some sort of advanced rights or knowledge as to how the thing is supposed to sound? Far as I can see, MJBs One sounds exactly how U2 thinks its supposed to sound.
Well, I think I'd refine your last statement to say, U2 is fully able to support One sounding the way Mary sings it. "Exactly how U2 thinks it should sound" makes it sound as if there's only one way for the song to be, which I think we agree is not the case.
As a person who writes occasionally I can say that what the author tries to say and what the song ends up saying are not always the same thing. Sometimes a writer says stuff and he's not even sure exactly what it means. There's often a little bit of channeling about it. Other people will point out things that he had no idea were there, but they clearly are. At some point the song begins expressing itself through the writer, and exists independently from him.
I think it's pretty clear that Bono has accepted that about One, with all the different ways it's been used. The song has manifestations apart from the ones he gives it.
No one has advance notice about how the song is supposed to sound. The song itself tells you how to play it. That's what I mean about the song having character. What people mean when they say it's not the way its meant to be is, "this interpretation doesn't seem congruent with the character of the song as I've heard it- I don't think it fits well." You can play a song and love it without respecting its character (think 100 Years From This Day, as covered by Wilco)
That's one reason why sheet music and the ability to read it is such a precious thing- because you can approach the bare bones of the song without any interpretation. It's the opposite of the folk process (which is lovely and good and the way most people learn rock and roll songs, but relies heavily on previous interpretations). There's definitely a fine line between simply repeating interpretations, and really digging in to find the soul of a song.