well i love the falsetto chorus, and the muted stuff Edge does in Xanax, I'm almost positive thats not in the other version. Fast cars also sounds a little empty, and less upbeat somehow! I do like how they experimented with different world music though.
The fast cars chorus is just bad, it slows down the song, but Xanax chorus, I can't wait for it to arrive!
Also, With regards to thematic context of the album itself, xanax is clearly more fitting. The song addresses Bono's pain of lsing his father, or pain and loss in general for the rest of us, and he mentions that he is depressed by this, therfore taking xanax (anti-depressant medication) and is drinking wine, he mentioned in interviews he began drinking heavily again after his father passed.
All he wants is to be next to him, have a picture in his pocket, and needs to take a pill to get over his pain!
there is no detail that can truly fix the situation = can't just take a pill to solve your grief!
he misses his pain sometimes = misses his dad
can't believe no one else is picking up on the conection of depression pills, drinking, and losing his father, I mean, he drank out of grief, and likely felt like he needed some depression pills for him to move on, but realized a pill won't solve his problem!!!
what do you guys think of that analysis, I think xanax would have fit well between sometimes and love and peace, which can also be seen from the perspecitve of bono's tough relationship with his father, as well as seen as a plea to the middle east and such political causes.
congratz if you made it through my long post!