City Of Blinding Lights: Any Love Left?

[Aardvark747]

This thing is blow the roof off when its played live!!!

And if it's in a stadium, with no roof - it will be even better!!

 

[artdirector]

Still a great song. I'm trying to space my time when hearing the album. Don't want to burn it out. How about One Step Closer.. WOW!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I definitely love this song (hell, the chorus lines are in my sig, that alone should tell you something). I think I would put it in a list of my favorite U2 songs of all time-where at, I don't know, but yeah, I think it'd definitely go in that kind of a list.

Angela

 

[U2girl]

When I listened to the album for the first time, I expected COBL to blow me away because so many here raved about it. My initial reaction was that it was copying Streets.

BUT, it has grown on me, and it is one of HTDAAB's strongest songs - I don't know that it would make it into my top 10. The only thing I could miss is the "ooooh oooooh" before the chorus.

 

[zoopop]

Did COBL come from the POP era? I hadn't heard this.

Yeah, in the the interviews I've heard thats what Edge and Adam have said. Its hard to believe but very fascinating that sound came from the POP era. What if COBL was on the Pop album Lets say right after Please on the tracklisting

 

[ImOuttaControl]

It's in the top 11 on HTDAAB for me

Yeah I didn't buy into that crap people were saying about COBL when the Top of the Pops version came out. No way this holds a candle to Streets or Bad. In fact, after a couple weeks of listening to the album leak, I began to skip this song...it just kinda goes nowhere for me.

BUT, I must say that I think it will take on a new life when it's played live.

 

[ryanu23]

I don't know how many people here were "of age" (not trying to offend anyone here) during the '80s, but I just can't get past this opening sequence on the song...it makes me cringe...in a Bangles kind of way. Granted, I feel it gets much, much better after....I don't feel it's a bad song. The Edge's solo also strikes me as quite similar to the 'slidey' 'Electrical Storm' and 'Kite' solos. If only because of the opening I place it at the bottom of my 'which song do you like the most off of HTDAAB' list...for now though (it's still a baby). That opening though....(shudders)

 

[kakvox]

I love COBL. Streets has more power, but I'll wait and see how it does on the tour. If it succeeds, it will be amazing live.

 

[teebee]

If you were to have one song to try to get across how cool U2 is, and you picked this song, you'd either get punched or laughed at. I am listening to the song as we speak, trying to give it a real go as it were ... it's tough.

 

[U2SJ]

I love COBL! Its one of my top five from HTDAAB forsure.
And I know that live its gonna blow us away!!!

 

[jick]

If the Brooklyn clips are any indication, U2 will have trouble making it something like.

It also takes some air and juice to the song when Bono does a falsetto. Falsetto parts usually beg "listen to me" instead of "sing with me." So I highly doubt the crowd will be into the "ohhhs" with Bono in the live setting, unlike Streets or the "let it go" segment of Bad.

Considering also that Bono has been struggling with his falsetto as of late, I doubt City Of Blinding Lights will have any magic left in the live setting. I have yet to hear a performance of Sometimes You Can't Make It where Bono nails the falsetto part of "the best you can do is to fake it" lyric.

Also, "you look beautiful tonight" isn't exactly the best lyrics and seems lifted straight from a boyband songwriting manual.

Cheers,

J

 

[Aardvark747]

I have yet to hear a performance of Sometimes You Can't Make It where Bono nails the falsetto part of "the best you can do is to fake it" lyric.

But u must admit, he makes up for it with the emotion he puts into the rest of the song?

 

[whasjoewahn]

If the Brooklyn clips are any indication, U2 will have trouble making it something like.

It also takes some air and juice to the song when Bono does a falsetto. Falsetto parts usually beg "listen to me" instead of "sing with me." So I highly doubt the crowd will be into the "ohhhs" with Bono in the live setting, unlike Streets or the "let it go" segment of Bad.

Considering also that Bono has been struggling with his falsetto as of late, I doubt City Of Blinding Lights will have any magic left in the live setting. I have yet to hear a performance of Sometimes You Can't Make It where Bono nails the falsetto part of "the best you can do is to fake it" lyric.

Also, "you look beautiful tonight" isn't exactly the best lyrics and seems lifted straight from a boyband songwriting manual.

Cheers,

J

*Agrees*

 

[Sicy]

I absolutely love this song.. right now its my favorite on the album.

 

[jick]

But u must admit, he makes up for it with the emotion he puts into the rest of the song?

Emotion are just feel-good points. If you can't carry a tune then you should sing the tune in different notes.

But I must admit, in every performance he has nailed the "siiiiing" portion with authority and emotion. And I really enjoy watching that song live more than any other song currently in their promo tour.

Cheers,

J

 

[jick]

*Agrees*

Back when this forum was filled with COBL-gushers, I told them what a lame lyric "oh you look beautiful tonight" is. Then they all started getting defensive and said that it was a deeper meaning that talked about inner beauty and a different level of beauty.

But that is not the point. When someone hears the song on radio or MTV, he/she won't have time to analyze the lyrics but will instead have the line "you look beautiful tonight" stuck in his ear associating it with a U2 song. It's such a boyband line for a U2 song.

Everyone in the forum trashed me for my views on COBL back then. It's nice to know that some are actually agreeing with me now. What a difference a few weeks can make.

Cheers,

J

 

[Canadiens1131]

Back when this forum was filled with COBL-gushers, I told them what a lame lyric "oh you look beautiful tonight" is. Then they all started getting defensive and said that it was a deeper meaning that talked about inner beauty and a different level of beauty.

But that is not the point. When someone hears the song on radio or MTV, he/she won't have time to analyze the lyrics but will instead have the line "you look beautiful tonight" stuck in his ear associating it with a U2 song. It's such a boyband line for a U2 song.

Everyone in the forum trashed me for my views on COBL back then. It's nice to know that some are actually agreeing with me now. What a difference a few weeks can make.

Cheers,

J

Oh come on now. It's called a "hook", heck by your reasoning most Beatles classics are no more than songs with "boyband lines".

I agree COBL is not a timeless U2 classic not in my all-time U2 top 20 probably but I still like the song quite a lot.


The longevity of COBL all depends on the live show. I can imagine them doing it as a tribute to 9/11 during the live show, lights darkened, smoke machines lay a layer of fog around the stage with two huge beams of light point at the sky as Bono launches into "and I'm getting ready to leave the ground"....

It could become a classic, or be plain and simple live.

Only time (and a tour) will tell.

 

[JOFO]

I love it as much as when I heard it on the BBC.

it's absolutely gonna tear the house down live.

how people are not feeling this song, I'm baffled.

your loss.

*puts on COBL and cranks the shit out of stereo*

 

[theedge111]

Its a great song, one of my favs from the new album. Its going to kick ass live!!!

 

[jick]

By the way, I just want to clarify my position before people quicky assume I am bashing COBL.

I think it is an above average U2 song and one of the better ones off this album. But it's just not the "epic" or the "greatest U2 song ever" some people here ascribed it to be.

But it certainly is a good song and isn't a dud in the vein of LAPOE.

Cheers,

J

 

[FullonEdge2]

I also wouldn't call Streets studio version 'epic.' ohmy: run for the hills )

This song definitely has the potential to become huge live. Some people are complaining that the COBL studio mix is bad. I think their doubt as to whether the song is great will be answered when it is played live.

 

[JOFO]

a dud in the vein of LAPOE.

 

[lazarus]

Okay, a fair thread started by J. But I wouldn't call "you look so beautiful tonight" boy band, because he's not addressing a lover. He's addressing the crowd he sees from his vantage point on the stage.
Granted, the casual listener might not pick up on this, but the rest of the lyrics do not put this in the love song category. In context, it's not cheesy.

I think COBL is the best song on The Bomb, and one of U2's best songs in a while. However, there's one point which may prove what J is saying: Bad and Streets both have long, powerful instrumental sections, while COBL doesn't. Streets has the long build up, and Bad has a lot of time in the middle to end where the band just goes off. COBL has a long intro as well, but it's nowhere near the level of Streets.

Also, as others have mentioned, the studio version of Bad is piss-poor. Bono's vocals sound strained and awkward, especially on the "let it go-oo". He almost sounds out of tune. Live, this version has become possibly the band's finest live moment. The sequencers help a lot, but Edge just shines on this one.

I feel that if the band adds a little more weight to the end of the song instead of that delicate ending with the chimes, it could rise to be a classic. They should let it go on for a little longer.


laz

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

I love the studio "Bad".....the guitars drums and vocals sound amazing..the album version has an atmosphere that is hard to re-create live.

 

[rjhbonovox]

Back when this forum was filled with COBL-gushers, I told them what a lame lyric "oh you look beautiful tonight" is. Then they all started getting defensive and said that it was a deeper meaning that talked about inner beauty and a different level of beauty.

Yeah I hated that line from the first time I heard it, and it really winds me up when he sings it 3 times in a row near the end.

 

[rjhbonovox]

I love the studio "Bad".....the guitars drums and vocals sound amazing..the album version has an atmosphere that is hard to re-create live.

Studio "Bad" is a classic, and while the live version was great I never thought that they ever bettered the album version, with the strings, and Mullens drumming is top class.

 

[MrBrau1]

the 3 at the end make the song.

 

[bono=genius]

I luv COBL! its one of my fave off the album.

 

[Shade]

Give me a break. You may be too cool for COBL right now, but all you bastards are gonna be cheering and screaming along with everybody else when they play it at whatever concert you happen to attend.

 

[frozenmuze04]

One of my all-time favorites - better than Streets, bad-ass riff in the chorus, one of Edge's best "chimey" riffs. CAN'T WAIT to see this live. The band at their best, in my op.