Your least favorite U2 song?

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Earnie Shavers said:
Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms sounds comical, like a clown walking into the room? Really? I think it’s very weighty. I totally get that sonically, or melodically or whatever it’s the driest point on an otherwise mostly exciting, vibrant album, but it’s certainly no out of place filler. He’s deliberately crossed his fingers and leapt off the edge at Zoo Station, taken the Fly’s sinister attitude and pushed it too far from some self discovery into self destruction, realised he’s gone too far… Tryin’ to Throw is that moment of clarity, massive guilt arriving the next day with the hangover, and hoping it wasn’t too, too far, that what he left behind will still be there on his return. Musically that fits as well, after the buzz and excitement of the Even Better/Mysterious Ways lust chasing the night before, Tryin’ to Throw is now stumbling home in a blazing sun at 9am the next morning, feeling like utter sh*t both mentally and physically. Not as superficial as just someone on the way home after a few too many cans on the town, but someone who’s been systematically destroying themselves in some selfish search for something, only now realising where it really is, but that you might have actually pushed it away. It sounds low and gentle, but throbbing and gutless, like if Edge actually hit just one even mildly strong note, or if they even just threw an unexpected chord change in there somewhere, it would be just enough to kill the guy. So yeah, I skip it a lot too because often when I want me some Achtung I want it for some kick arse Achtung songs, but it is to me an absolutely key part of the album in a wanky thematic sense.
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Thank you for expressing this so eloquently. It's exactly the way I've always thought of the song. It's an integral part of the Achtung story, the beginning of the aftermath, where the character (I believe the majority of the lyrics on this album are autobiographical, btw, not about Edge the way we've always been told) is heading home after his "journey," and at this point, he's wondering if he even has a home. Hardly the lightweight throwaway tune many on this forum would have you believe.
 
Here's one to throw in the mix.

North and South of the River.

Always thought that one was a bit of a plodder.

It should work, on paper - Bono and Edge team up with one of Ireland's best traditional/folk singers (and let's not forget that U2 proved they could do traditional music, or at least a reasonable impression of it, in the mid and late 1980s with songs like In a Lifetime and Van Diemen's Land) - but it doesn't really come off. Lyrics are pretty decent, but musically it's a bit lame.

It's one of the few bum notes of 1990s U2, for me.
 
financeguy said:
Here's one to throw in the mix.

North and South of the River.

Always thought that one was a bit of a plodder.

It should work, on paper - Bono and Edge team up with one of Ireland's best traditional/folk singers (and let's not forget that U2 proved they could do traditional music, or at least a reasonable impression of it, in the mid and late 1980s with songs like In a Lifetime and Van Diemen's Land) - but it doesn't really come off. Lyrics are pretty decent, but musically it's a bit lame.

It's one of the few bum notes of 1990s U2, for me.
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Have you ever heard the live version? I like the studio version but the live version chokes me up everytime.
 
VintagePunk said:
Thank you for expressing this so eloquently. It's exactly the way I've always thought of the song. It's an integral part of the Achtung story, the beginning of the aftermath, where the character (I believe the majority of the lyrics on this album are autobiographical, btw, not about Edge the way we've always been told) is heading home after his "journey," and at this point, he's wondering if he even has a home. Hardly the lightweight throwaway tune many on this forum would have you believe.
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Different strokes...

I have always skipped over the song, feeling that it ruined an otherwise brilliant album. It seems dramatically out of place. It's not that I'm opposed to an upbeat or lighter song on the album - in fact, songs like "Even Better Than..." and "Mysterious Ways" are perfect on the album. But "Trying..." just seems ridiculous. The story may make sense in terms of their personal lives, but instead of coming across as a song of wondering, it comes across as a drunken fool stumbling for his keys at the door. U2 have done far FAR better interpretations of this "journey", IMO.

But, you know, that's the danger of this thread. Pick a "worst" song and there's bound to be tons who love it. :)

I just tried to showcase that throughout U2's career there have been songs that made me go "what?" :scratch: But just because I wasn't a fan of a song or two on any given album, I could still appreciate the brilliance of the remaining songs. And AB is indeed brilliant. While I give JT a hard time on these forums, it's only because I'm comparing it to other U2 songs and albums. Overall, I feel JT is the best album of 1987 and one of the best of the 80's.
 
financeguy said:
Here's one to throw in the mix.

North and South of the River.

Always thought that one was a bit of a plodder.

It should work, on paper - Bono and Edge team up with one of Ireland's best traditional/folk singers (and let's not forget that U2 proved they could do traditional music, or at least a reasonable impression of it, in the mid and late 1980s with songs like In a Lifetime and Van Diemen's Land) - but it doesn't really come off. Lyrics are pretty decent, but musically it's a bit lame.

It's one of the few bum notes of 1990s U2, for me.
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Do you not like this performance?

YouTube - U2 - North and South of the river (live)
 
I had not heard that before. Thanks for posting it. It is certainly a lot better than the studio version I have heard. But IMO it still isn't a patch on, say, U2's cover of Springhill Mining Disaster or their own song Van Diemen's Land
 
doctorwho said:
But "Trying..." just seems ridiculous. The story may make sense in terms of their personal lives, but instead of coming across as a song of wondering, it comes across as a drunken fool stumbling for his keys at the door.
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I get that, and I agree with the part that I've underlined. However, I don't think that's a negative thing, and I think an interpretation such as this has its place within the story. The character that was so eager to experience and explore earlier in the album has pushed his journey to the extent that he has almost become a caricature of himself, a cliche, he really has become the "drunken fool stumbling for his keys at the door." I think the stylistic choices made on the song reflect this, too.

Not saying you're wrong not to like it. I'm very much in the "music is subjective" camp. I'm just explaining why it makes sense to me, in context. :)

But, you know, that's the danger of this thread. Pick a "worst" song and there's bound to be tons who love it. :)
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Agreed. :up: This thread has been very good, very little of "this song sucks/is the best song ever, and if you don't agree with me, you have no taste!!!111!"
 
Vintage Punk said:
I get that, and I agree with the part that I've underlined. However, I don't think that's a negative thing, and I think an interpretation such as this has its place within the story. The character that was so eager to experience and explore earlier in the album has pushed his journey to the extent that he has almost become a caricature of himself, a cliche, he really has become the "drunken fool stumbling for his keys at the door." I think the stylistic choices made on the song reflect this, too.

Not saying you're wrong not to like it. I'm very much in the "music is subjective" camp. I'm just explaining why it makes sense to me, in context.


Agreed. This thread has been very good, very little of "this song sucks/is the best song ever, and if you don't agree with me, you have no taste!!!111!"
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Individual impressions of songs will be coloured by such factors as the space you were in at that moment in time, the first time you heard the song in question.

Because I have fond recollections of the mid 1990's, I have favourable impressions of all the songs and the albums U2 released in that period, even though, objectively speaking, I can see the sense in arguments that 'POP' was not all it was meant to be, or that 'Miami', for example, ain't all that great. But I still listen to 'Pop' as much as any other U2 album, and more than most.


On the other hand, I do not have particularly positive recollections of the early 1980's, yet I like most U2's material from that era, so maybe the theory is bunk.

It's a question of space and time, is what I'm trying to say. :hmm::wink:
 
financeguy said:
Individual impressions of songs will be coloured by such factors as the space you were in at that moment in time, the first time you heard the song in question.

Because I have fond recollections of the mid 1990's, I have favourable impressions of all the songs and the albums U2 released in that period, even though, objectively speaking, I can see the sense in arguments that 'POP' was not all it was meant to be, or that 'Miami', for example, ain't all that great. But I still listen to 'Pop' as much as any other U2 album, and more than most.

On the other hand, I do not have particularly positive recollections of the early 1980's, yet I like most U2's material from that era, so maybe the theory is bunk.

It's a question of space and time, is what I'm trying to say. :hmm::wink:
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I wasn't alive until 1993, so this theory is pretty much moot for me.
 
digitize said:
I wasn't alive until 1993, so this theory is pretty much moot for me.
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In a way, that's better, as you are looking at the songs and albums brand new and hence better able to see "the newness in every stale thing", as the poet Kavanagh put it.
 
financeguy said:
Individual impressions of songs will be coloured by such factors as the space you were in at that moment in time, the first time you heard the song in question.

Because I have fond recollections of the mid 1990's, I have favourable impressions of all the songs and the albums U2 released in that period, even though, objectively speaking, I can see the sense in arguments that 'POP' was not all it was meant to be, or that 'Miami', for example, ain't all that great. But I still listen to 'Pop' as much as any other U2 album, and more than most.


On the other hand, I do not have particularly positive recollections of the early 1980's, yet I like most U2's material from that era, so maybe the theory is bunk.

It's a question of space and time, is what I'm trying to say. :hmm::wink:
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I experience music in much the same way, for the most part. If I have positive associations of the time/place/people who were in my life during the time that I heavily listened to or heard a particular song or album, that will colour my view of it. I don't think it entirely works that way, I won't hate a song I otherwise would have liked, or vice-versa, but I think those factors can certainly enhance what my tendencies toward the songs might have been on their own. This isn't a hard and fast rule for me, but it does definitely happen sometimes.
 
Post-Boy released tunes:

Red Light
Acrobat
Unknown Caller

Pre-Boy:

Street Mission. Dear god, that song is worse than your average Kings of Leon track, and KOL is terrible.
 
Oh, I forgot about Street Mission. What a woefully godawful song. :cute:

But it's only barely worse than KOL.
 
digitize said:
But it's only barely worse than KOL.
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4hfe6a.gif
 
digitize said:
I wasn't alive until 1993, so this theory is pretty much moot for me.
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:shocked: Holy crap you're only 16????? I thought you were WAY older than that!!




And wow. Acrobat is someone's least favourite song? That's an interesting choice! :hmm: Never heard that one before.

What's there not to like about SCHTREEET MISSHSHUUUUUUUUUUUNZ

Epic Edge solo work. :lol: Epic 80s looks as well.
 
Even at that age, Bono's voice wasn't as obnoxious as Caleb's. Dear Lord, he sounds like a cat being beaten by a detuned banjo
 
Earnie Shavers said:
In defence of a few songs, your honour…

Songs like Wild Honey and Man & A Woman I don’t think are bad songs, they’re both, IMO, very well written, clever, creative etc, it’s just that coming from U2 within the context of one of their albums, they sound cheesy. If U2 were dropping these kind of songs out there as b-sides, they’d be embraced as a bit of fun on the side, the cheesiness likely loved to a degree, in its own way. Still never ever going to make anyone’s Best Of lists, but they’d more likely find their own place. I mean, just imagine Wild Honey was not on ATYCLB, but was just dropped out there as a b-side to, say, the heavier/’serious’ Walk On. Suddenly you already appreciate it for what it is a bit more, no? Having said that, yeah, I don’t think I’ve specifically chosen to listen to either of these individually in perhaps years.
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Interesting. Personally, I think Wild Honey is a lovely song with a lot of poignancy hidden underneath a sweet, poppy surface. It's one of my favorites on ATYCLB. A Man and a Woman seems to be like an inferior knock-off of Wild Honey. It feels schmaltzy, cliched and false. I'm not sure it's my least favorite U2 song, but it ranks right up there.
 
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