That's a good point... the interpretation I generally follow is what Lanois and Bono talk about, essentially where lovers creating an "ultimate relationship" by working not for themselves, but for God, the universe, or something greater... whatever you want to call it. There are a bunch of perfectly valid interpretations of the song... it just bugs me when people attack the song because Bono is being OMG ARROGANT in that line without looking into the implications of the line!
Songs of Ascent - Part IV
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That's a good point... the interpretation I generally follow is what Lanois and Bono talk about, essentially where lovers creating an "ultimate relationship" by working not for themselves, but for God, the universe, or something greater... whatever you want to call it. There are a bunch of perfectly valid interpretations of the song... it just bugs me when people attack the song because Bono is being OMG ARROGANT in that line without looking into the implications of the line!
Gonna Run 2 U
New Yorker
Aside from Vertigo, Bomb was not a rocker and I don't categorize U2 rocking with Bomb at all. I would love to get something new that sounded like War. Loud guitar and more importantly, POWERFUL drums..turn them the fuck up guys! At this point I would rather a Steve Lillywhite album than a Brian Eno album. I just think he tinkers too much with his own agenda for songs. Like someone said for both the Coldplay and U2 albums...." new brian eno album featuring _"
The power and energy from raw songs like during the Red Rocks show is what I miss most about the band. This "meditative" stuff could be cool but I am also extremely bored by Moment Of Surrender and White As Snow.
I want post-punk U2 back but they are older and they want to try something different, I know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXh2RKEUZ7M
The power and energy from raw songs like during the Red Rocks show is what I miss most about the band. This "meditative" stuff could be cool but I am also extremely bored by Moment Of Surrender and White As Snow.
I want post-punk U2 back but they are older and they want to try something different, I know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXh2RKEUZ7M
Mrs. Garrison
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
i forgot what i was going to say.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Not so much of "made me what I am today", more of "designed me before day one", a slight difference one that is debated in Christianity.
For a rock song, that's a pretty big idea.
Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Actually, the way I read the live set is that Bono comes out and tells us what it means for him to come on stage. A lot of people think that Breathe doesn't work that great as an opener, but I do because of this meaning....
Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
The concept of Dharma.
I was talking about Magnificent. I agree with you on Breathe.
You see, stuff like this is what bores me quickly. I love the meditative stuff. I guess it's just a matter of taste.
Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Oops! Got confused! lol!
subnet
New Yorker
this just in: terry lawless is still at home
west vancouver is being flooded.
west vancouver is being flooded.
subnet
New Yorker
spammers are goons
Thehandsoflove is one
Thehandsoflove is one
Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
seeing old U2 is great -- they really have improved. not too many bands have the nerve to actually get better.
powerhour24
ONE love, blood, life
He played around with both the modern and previous uses of the word in the lyrics.
elevated_u2_fan
Blue Crack Supplier
Exactly. Terms like "raw" and "punk" can also be used to gloss over a lot of shit music if you ask me... If I have to choose a U2 album to listen to, 99% it will be something from The Joshua Tree and beyond simply because they sound better to my ears and I don't think I'm alone on this one...
ABOY and LAPOE is U2 rocking, or at least, trying to.
Indeed it wasn't a rock album, more a retro U2 album.
believer75
War Child
It was U2's Let It Be...closed the chapter on that particular band. and then No Line is the beginning of new U2.
Snowlock
Refugee
Well, its still a disco song more than a rock song. But anyway, the difference is slight and being a Christian, I guess I'd consider the terms synonymous though not all do.
Now, if Bono is interpretting the word Magnificient as magnify from the prayer, then that is something. When he sings the word Magnificient then, he's singing, "let yourself be the lense for God to shine through." And that's as much of a Christian rock (Disco) song as any I've ever heard. And again doesn't surprise me as I can't stand Christian Rock.
Though I gotta laugh at the thought of all of Interference's militant aetheists singing along, arms outstretched, asking God to let his light shine down on them.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I think you can add Crumbs and Miracle Shot to that list as well, esp. the former. Relative to the band's previous releases for the last 20 years before it, I guess the album could be considered "rock", and overall (with a couple exceptions on songs) it's the least "atmospheric" thing they'd done since CockWar. Even ATYCLC has more of a specific "vibe" to it.
You're right about the retro thing, though. City of Winding Serves is definitely a nod to The Unforgettable Liar's title track, and I hear a lot of One Cock Hill on the guitar part of Cockweh.
elevated_u2_fan
Blue Crack Supplier
that's what I was saying... They even touted it as a "guitar rock" album...
COBL reminds me of Streets the most.
COBL reminds me of Streets the most.
Replace the The Joshua Tree with The Unforgettable Fire and I agree completely with this. Their first albums were full of passion but they just weren't as strong musically (except for a few songs) as the songs beyond 1984.
You consider No Line as the start of U2 4.0 ?
I think about half of the songs are merely improved versions of what they tried to do with the past two albums (Magnificent, U. Caller, Crazy tonight, Boots, Breathe) about a third of hints into the future/trying new things (WAS, MOS, No line, SUC), and the rest is U2 rehashing some more (FEZ, Cedars). So it feels like a conclusion of this era.
I hope they can really present the album Lanois hyped so much...with SOA.
Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
There was a clear line between 1989-1991 and then 1997-2000. Is the line as clear as either of those? No, of course not. But I think ATYCLB and HTDAAB are a very different era than NLOTH.
I disagree srongly that FEZ and Cedars are rehashing. To me, they are exploring new territory, as is Unknown Caller and Breathe. Magnificent wasn't anything new, but if it was a call back it was to an earlier era than the last 2 albums. Crazy Tonight was them continuing to try to write a kind of song they have wanted to for the last 3 albums at least - the production would have been very different on Pop, but the seeds for that one came from IGWSHA and friends....
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Where do they go now is the question. I don't see what they can come up with that isn't going to sound like SOMETHING from their past at this point. Had they followed through a bit more on the Moroccan influence, we may have had a markedly different direction on No Net, but I understand what Beano was saying about that coming off like a cliched World Music knockoff.
I imagine a more restrained, "ambient" type sound will seem new, but then we may just be reminded of Million Dollar Whoretel or the Cockengers album.
Think about it this way--they don't have to necessarily do something brand new to make a late-career masterpiece. The Beatles just sounded like The Beatles on Abbey Road (recorded AFTER the back-to-basics Let It Be, if we're going to go with the parallel mentioned above), though I guess the medley was a fresh novelty. Maybe Shuttlecock can have a half-album suite on SOA?
True about the two clear lines. There is no line this time, yet...other than Bono's writing in character.
FEZ - U2 revisiting UF/Zooropa
Cedars - 90's U2, Pop in particular
UC - call back to classic delay sound they tried so many times this decade (Walk on, ES, Crumbs...).
Breathe - maybe the beat and Bono's delivery/lyric, but otherwise this is reminiscent of Bomb, in particular the chorus and "every-day-I etc" part. you know - plug in the delay and BIG vocals.
Crazy - ATYCLB.
edit - it will be hard to do something new but I trust they can do it one more (last?) time. I always thought they should have explored the sound they had on GBHF and Stateless on MDH soundtrack; maybe NLOTH - studio, not live - is similar. Kind of has the known ingredients, you know it's U2 - yet it's not like the 80's, 90's or the 00's.
FEZ - U2 revisiting UF/Zooropa
Cedars - 90's U2, Pop in particular
UC - call back to classic delay sound they tried so many times this decade (Walk on, ES, Crumbs...).
Breathe - maybe the beat and Bono's delivery/lyric, but otherwise this is reminiscent of Bomb, in particular the chorus and "every-day-I etc" part. you know - plug in the delay and BIG vocals.
Crazy - ATYCLB.
edit - it will be hard to do something new but I trust they can do it one more (last?) time. I always thought they should have explored the sound they had on GBHF and Stateless on MDH soundtrack; maybe NLOTH - studio, not live - is similar. Kind of has the known ingredients, you know it's U2 - yet it's not like the 80's, 90's or the 00's.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Something interesting that I just read is that the producers of Brothers are actually submitting Winner for consideration during this year's awards season. As most people around here consider it unfinished, this presents an interesting quandary:
If the song manages to seriously compete in the Golden Globe/Academy Award arena, does it make it more likely that its exposure will cause it to NOT appear on SOA, in a been-there, done-that sense, or is it something that will make the album more marketable ("Featuring the Award-Winning song...") and force its inclusion, perhaps in a more polished state?
Also keep in mind that if it receives an Oscar nomination, the band will more likely than not be PERFORMING it live during the telecast, which is just as interesting to me in terms of how they will present it. Would working on the song become a priority?
Personally, while I don't think the song is perfect (and could do without the Cockplay-sounding string intro), I'd rather see them win for this than the neutered and boring misfire that is The Cocks That Built America, as its more representative of the band's talent.
If the song manages to seriously compete in the Golden Globe/Academy Award arena, does it make it more likely that its exposure will cause it to NOT appear on SOA, in a been-there, done-that sense, or is it something that will make the album more marketable ("Featuring the Award-Winning song...") and force its inclusion, perhaps in a more polished state?
Also keep in mind that if it receives an Oscar nomination, the band will more likely than not be PERFORMING it live during the telecast, which is just as interesting to me in terms of how they will present it. Would working on the song become a priority?
Personally, while I don't think the song is perfect (and could do without the Cockplay-sounding string intro), I'd rather see them win for this than the neutered and boring misfire that is The Cocks That Built America, as its more representative of the band's talent.
Snowlock
Refugee
Good call on the line between Crazy and Pop.
Unknown Caller I can't see as anything new at all. It sounds almost lifted from Miracle Drug. The only new territory on it is the chanted chorus and I think a fair argument either way could be made as to its acceptance.
Breathe is cool (accept the cockatoo line) but its in that same early 00's modern rock vein as Electrical Storm. Love the song, glad its on the album; but nothing new.
Fez sounds to me like U2 being U2. It's different from what we've heard recently but different isn't expermentall.
The title track is really the most experimental thing on the album. If they could've gone further down that trail without getting caught up in the other stuff, it would really have been something. It doesn't have a great hook like their best do, but the arrangements, sounds, vocals and lyrics are spot on.
roy
Refugee
I'm sorry but I don't hear any resemblence with Miracle Drug at all.
Also the Walk On/Crumbs comparisons are only relevant to the very start of UC; the song completely changes direction after that opening sequence.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
You seem to be really caught up on that...
That's too bad, it's a great song that combines elements of both rock and disco.
elevated_u2_fan
Blue Crack Supplier
I'm sorry but I don't hear any resemblence with Miracle Drug at all.
Also the Walk On/Crumbs comparisons are only relevant to the very start of UC; the song completely changes direction after that opening sequence.
I'd also like someone to give an example of another U2 song with an Organ solo in it...
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
does anyone know when Songs Of Ascent is coming out?
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