why wasn't Miracle Drug a huge song?

[An Cat Gav]

Cause it fuckin' sucked?

Specifically, it's absolutely terribly produced.

 

[t8thgr8]

HTDAAB: 3 fresh innovative songs like Vertigo, A Man And A Woman and Yahweh.

youre pushig it with yahweh but yeah youre right on these but youre forgetting crumbs and xanax and wine. neither of which got the attention they deserved.

you know, now that i think about it.... miracle drug is the only u2 song i cant stand. everything else im ok with, even yahweh, but this pile of shit i just cant do. and its at the top of the album right after your first impression of bomb. vertigo gets you pumped. maybe u2 are gonna kick ass on this record, lets see...oop no. miracle drug.

 

[Vlaco]

I agree with Axver.

 

[DaveC]

youre forgetting crumbs

You mean the song that uses the exact same chord structure and guitar solo that Walk On (which is on the album that directly precedes HTDAAB) uses??

 

[Bean Skidds]

I agree MD's placement at #2 on the Bomb totally kills the flow. I would have put it near the end.. well actually I wouldnt have included it at all and would have put Smile or Mercy on there

Miracle Drug is my least favorite U2 tune, maybe ever. And there have been some clunkers.

 

[socceroo]

Instead, I thought that Crumbs' could've been a hit, because it has a hook musically & is a very topical subject matter.
I agree about the comment that it shouln't have been track 2. That kills the energy of the album.

 

[U2girl]

It's the Walk on on Bomb, it's trying too hard to be epic. Nothing wrong with epic when done right. (see Kite and COBL)

The take off with Edge's lines and the solo is as good as anything U2 ever did, and Coldplay only wishes they could pull that off.

 

[RavenBlue]

I seem to remember Muchmusic I think, doing a little preview of HTDAAB and saying that Miracle Drug was going to be the next single...

Personally, I still adore this song. The lyrics and the presentation are quite moving.. to me anyway

 

[BVS]

You mean the song that uses the exact same chord structure and guitar solo that Walk On (which is on the album that directly precedes HTDAAB) uses??

Same chord structure? How do you figure?

 

[Salome]

All that said, it's not that it's a bad song. It just doesn't have any electricity to it. I usually start off thinking about skipping it, then end up singing with it, then at the end thinking it's not as bad as I thought.

fine description

 

[DaveC]

Same chord structure? How do you figure?

Um...they're the exact same chords.

 

[roy]

Same chord structure? How do you figure?

To me both songs don't sound that similar at all.

 

[U2DMfan]

bit of a stretch, Dave
(from memory)

you have to be talking about this:

Walk On's basic rhythm is D-A-G-Em

the chorus of Crumbs "You speak of signs and wonders......."

is Em-G-D-A

same 4 chords, different chord structures

the solo in Crumbs is played over the basic verse rhythm, which is G sliding up to A, with maybe a D thrown in there.

the solo in Walk On is played over Bm, G, Em, A

It is similar to the ear but actually different
That might not be 100% to the 'T' but the idea isn't changed.

(edit)

After a second look/listen, I think the outro to Walk On and the chorus to Crumbs are the same.

Em G D A

but that is only two segments of those songs.
So, I guess it might depend on how you look at it.
Those are very common chords anyways.

I think the solo is what sounds the most similar but I have never transcribed it, so I couldn't speak to the actual notes.

For the record, I like both songs, especially Walk On, which IMO is one of their 3 or 4 best songs since the end of PopMart.

 

[ImOuttaControl]

Um...they're the exact same chords.

Walk On:

The majority of the song is:
D, Asus4, G, Em ----with a couple of E majors in at the end of the verses.

The outtro is:Em, G, D, Asus4


Crumbs:

Verses: D, A, G

Chorus: Em, G, D, A


Similar, yes. Exactly the same, no.

 

[BVS]

Um...they're the exact same chords.

Um, no...

 

[t8thgr8]

Um...they're the exact same chords.

so what? i could make 11ty songs with the same chord structure and they would all sound different. if they had the same chord progression youd have a case. its like mexican food.

 

[guill]

Pompous and emphatic U2 songs are great when they're spontaneous. MD is too calculated and Bono tries too hard to shout at the mic as if he was still a gauche young singer.
The first half of Bomb has the same problems of spontaneity.

 

[Zoots]

"God I need your help tonight" - Could a lyric get any more lame and direct like that? It's like getting hit in the face by the brick of subtlety!

 

[BVS]

Come on, is that really fair? I could list a thousand songs with a "direct" line like that. Out of all the lines in that song I would have never picked that line. In fact I really like the delivery of that line.

 

[Zoots]

In fact I really like the delivery of that line.

I'm glad you do. The line bugs the hell out of me. I think it's a lazy lyric.

 

[BVS]

I'm glad you do. The line bugs the hell out of me. I think it's a lazy lyric.

To each it's own, I can think of much lazier lines from bands like Floyd, Radiohead, etc...

 

[Earnie Shavers]

It's just not the sort of song that would ever be 'huge'. Regardless of whether you are in the "Instant U2 classic full of classic U2 classic stuff" camp, or the "U2 trying to create an instant U2 classic and ending up sounding like a band desperately trying to create a U2-like classic" camp, it's just not that kind of song. Original of the Species is far, far more pop-chart ready, and even it didn't create the most minor of ripples.

 

[Utoo]

Original of the Species is far, far more pop-chart ready, and even it didn't create the most minor of ripples.

That's because they didn't release the new, unofficial remix version. So much better

 

[shart1780]

I agree with Utoo

 

[ahittle]

Miracle Drug is U2's Speed of Sound. The band trying too hard to sound like itself.

I endorse this statement. The four chords of the verses basically ape WOWY. I do dig the chorus and the solo bit, but I think this song lacks real spark.

It also underscores the problem of kicking in the dynamics too quickly. Remember when they could release a song like WOWY that built slowly? This and OOTS seem forced to me - like they imagine their listeners have no attention span: "Quick, kick this one in! Quick, get to the chorus!"

 

[65980]

What a load of utter crap posted on this topic. So now, "Miracle Drug" is despised by the "fanbase" because its trying to sound epic, and because it sounds like U2?

To conclude, the problem then with U2 nowadays is that they sound a lot like Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry, and also they're going for a strong, arena-filling sound. Which of course they didn't do on any of the previous albums.

If U2 went on making albums as great as The Bomb and songs as great as 'Miracle Drug' forever, I would have nothing to complain about.

But it seems their loyal fanbase prefers Milli Vanilli to it, as "Miracle Drug" is apparently the worst song in the history of the world.

 

[MrBrau1]

To each it's own, I can think of much lazier lines from bands like Floyd, Radiohead, etc...

It's Zoots. Understand that.

2 guitar solos.

An "Edge" Verse.

Show me the other U2 songs with that.

How do you make the subject of Motherly love not sound sappy and lame?

I hate myself and the world sucks is what the crowd wants.

It's Motherly love. It's sappy and lame.

But U2 do it.

There's a reason Larry and Bono sing the bridge.

Arcade Fire don't touch the subject.

Porcupine Tree? Please.

Radiohead? Only if you hate the mother.

Motherly love cool?

NEVER.

It's not in the "cool" rulebook.

Can anyone name another "Mother" love song?

anyone?

 

[MrBrau1]

Um...they're the exact same chords.

I'd love to hear some of the music you've produced.

 

[Zoots]

Can anyone name another "Mother" love song?

anyone?

Floyd's Matilda Mother. Go look up the lyrics!

 

[gman]

As far as DaveC's assumption about same chords for Walk On and MD, he is a million miles from being correct!