ahsan316 said:
dissapointing song
i was very eager to listen to this song when i first heard about it as U2 are pretty good at these "atmospheric" soft soundtrack songs. the highlight for me in any U2 song has always been bono's voice. i was really surprised when i heard Electrical Storm cause bono was actually able to sing without cracking his voice (minus the lets see colours part). that was a much needed boost for me as ATYCLB had left me in serious doubts about his voice which had actually originated by POP.
but here sadly my worst fears have been rekindled. there's no doubt now , bono cant sing the way he used to. the singing in this particular song is plainly speaking quite hopeless. he cant stretch his voice without cracking. there is a complete lack of a clear voice and he ends the song lines with a choked and cracked voice.i cant even beleive that Electrical Storm and this song are sung by the same singer.
Wow, I'm surprised to hear someone say this, as I think his vocals are phenomenal in 'Hands'. You do realize that the song demands Bono to sing with a "cracked" voice, right? It's the same reason why Bono sang 'In A Little While' after a hang-over. It conveys the desired emotional impact that much better. It's supposed to sound rough. His voice becomes one of the metaphores for the subject matter, just as the Irish sounding instrumentals do. It's supposed to get down and dirty. That's why Celine Dionne could never sing this song and convey the message as well as it is conveyed here. Her voice is too "perfect" for it.
By the way, some of Bono's best work in the 80s uses the "cracked vocal" approach:
* Pride: the word sky in "...a shot rings out in the Memphis skyyy.."
* Angel of Harlem: pretty much throughout the entire song
* Everlasting Love: pretty much throughout as well
* All I Want Is You: in a few places, but notably at the end when he really starts belting it out.
And from the 90s:
* One: again, pretty much throughout.
* most of Achtung Baby actually
There are many more examples. The point is, it's intentional, and it only adds colour and dimension, in my opinion. Listening to 'Hands' I LOVED it when I first heard the stretches in the vocals. I love how Bono says certain lines, such as, "...of all of the dreams, is this one still ouuuuut of reach..." (the way he cracks his voice on "out" is just perfectly done in my opinion). To me, another incredible day in the studio for Bono.