Bono at the Robin Hood Foundation gala
- Thread starter gvox
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
LemonMirrorSky
War Child
OP
OP
gvox
Ghost of Love
If this is the best you've got, you might want to get that dictionary back out. Grab a thesaurus, while you're at it.
Why should i waste my best with one of the worst, canuck?
OP
OP
gvox
Ghost of Love
This from the guy who had to look up dolt to formulate some feeble retort?
Keep trolling!
Both of you need to let this childish feud go.
OP
OP
gvox
Ghost of Love
Oh, I totally agree, except in the most recent 2 episodes its been him waltzing into threads I've authored for no other reason than to outright troll me.
popacrobat
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
"I agree, except"
it's like come on.
it's like come on.
jeevey
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Mama, he started it.
And at that point you have no choice but to engage? Couldn't possibly ignore him?
OP
OP
gvox
Ghost of Love
Couldn't he possibly ignore my threads? Or is posting U2 related material that provocative, just begging for his trolling? Works both ways.
OP
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gvox
Ghost of Love
Brilliant contribution.
jeevey
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Yeah, you're not helping.
doctorwho
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Whoa! I think a LOT of fans here don't like her version of "One" - and I'm one of them. Time has mellowed me a bit on this performance, but when I first heard it, I thought it was horrid.
MJB belted out the song that's not meant to be belted. I appreciate her interpretation and applaud her for that. But I just don't like the interpretation. IMO, it is by far, nowhere near as good as U2's version - especially during the ZOO TV tour. But I am happy you enjoy it.
As for MOS, that could be an interesting cover.
doctorwho
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
As I wrote above, time has mellowed me a bit on MJB's version of "One", but I'm still not a fan.
EDIT: Just heard this version of MOS. Now THIS is how one does a duet and a cover. Well done MJB and Bono. MJB has a magnificent voice - I love it. But I wasn't a fan of her version of "One" as I felt she tried to over-power the song. Sometimes the song requires a more mellow, pained voice, which Bono beautifully captured in the original. In contrast, MJB's soaring voice elevated MOS to new heights. Brilliant!
MOS, I fear, may be one of the few songs U2 do remember from NLOTH as MOS was VERY heavily praised by fans, critics and even fellow rockers. Still, if that's all that survives NLOTH, then at least it's a brilliant song (IMO).
OP
OP
gvox
Ghost of Love
No, it's a small but very vocal minority who don't like it. It charted very well and people the world over quite enjoy it.
what's this about "belted out the song that's not meant to be belted"? Just who is anyone on this forum to interpret or even dictate to U2 how their songs should be covered? If U2 themselves officially - and, repeatedly - approved and promotes her interpretation hey, guess what? It's probably how it's "meant" to be interpreted: by the very artists that wrote and own the music.
This notion that we somehow "know" how this song is to be sung and interpreted will remain one of the silliest theories ever put forth on this site.
I can just imagine the band - all of them - rolling their eyes at the comments against MJBs interpretation and saying "man these fans need to get over themselves".
OP
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gvox
Ghost of Love
I appreciate that you are being very balanced in your comments so I don't want to pick apart statements but its this sentence above that Is part of what I was talking about.
Who says the song requires that? We do? It's not our song! Lol
You're making it sound as if those who dislike MJB's version have no legitimate reason to do so.
cobl04
45:33
Gabriel's defensiveness is very funny considering how adamant he is Jack White's Love is Blindness cover sucks.
Nick66
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
De gustibus non est disputandum
jeevey
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
I don't know. Not to argue about MJB's One specifically, but don't you think that a piece of work has a character that it tries to express? Obviously things can be reworked and reinvented, but I do think that a good song has a certain internal cohesion that an interpreter needs to work with. Not to always do it the same, but to be working "with" the song, so to speak.
I don't think it's all about authorial intent, either, (ie it's not our song, it's U2's.) Any songwriter knows that once a piece is out there, he can't control what happens to it in the imaginations of others. They think it means all sorts of shit that he never thought of. The song just has to be strong enough to maintain its integrity through all those permutations.
OP
OP
gvox
Ghost of Love
I'm adamant that I don't care for it, that I think it's crappy.
What you don't hear me saying is that the way he plays it isn't how it's "supposed to be played" or that its "murdering" or "raping" the song or any of the other ridiculous adjectives people heap on MJB.
If you can't understand the difference..
OP
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gvox
Ghost of Love
Well on the points many of them raise, the ones I'm addressing, no, I don't think they are legitimate reasons. I think they're patently ludicrous excuses that probably go beyond the music itself.
OP
OP
gvox
Ghost of Love
Finally, some decent counterpoints worth addressing!
I'm not sure that the piece of work in and of itself has a character as you call it..I think the author attempts to convey a character or feeling which may mature, reshape or even shift in a new direction over time. MJBs version of One is definitely in line with the character that U2 took One into in the last decade, live.
With regards to cohesion, I haven't heard any single argument that leads me to believe that she stepped outside of this cohesion you speak of. Indeed, listening to the tune, even, I still don't see it. I think it's perfectly in line with what U2 envisioned and currently envisions the song to be.
I agree, but I raise you this: at what point do the others feel like they somehow have some sort of advanced rights or knowledge as to how the thing is supposed to sound? Far as I can see, MJBs One sounds exactly how U2 thinks its supposed to sound.
cobl04
45:33
I'm adamant that I don't care for it, that I think it's crappy.
What you don't hear me saying is that the way he plays it isn't how it's "supposed to be played" or that its "murdering" or "raping" the song or any of the other ridiculous adjectives people heap on MJB.
If you can't understand the difference..
I remember you being one of the people who was lambasting it for not including the outro and the way it was played/sung. I could very well be wrong though.
OP
OP
gvox
Ghost of Love
Maybe I did, but I don't recall. I'm sure someone with too much time on their hands will do a search and compile a multi quote to build a massive case about it, though.
But talk about ironic! Love is Blindness is sung restrained by Bono. It's never been screamed. Even the Edge, does it quietly acoustic. Quiet pain is the character of the song and it even carries over into the restraint in the solo.
But holy fuck, Whites interpretation blows the thing wide open. Speaking of screaming when restrained singing is how it's "supposed" to be sung, not only does it sound like he's screaming (ie subjective opinion about MJB)...he actually IS screaming!
So how anyone could say that MJB ruins One with her "screaming" or "over the top" spin on a song that's meant to be far more restrained, but then turn around and heap praise on White for his LIB..it's just flat out ridiculous.
Thank you for bringing that up, I couldn't have asked for a more blatant example of the sheer foolish hypocrisy of this argument.
LemonMirrorSky
War Child
We're (yourself included) posting on a forum of a band that hasn't released anything new in 4 years. Every single member here has too much time on their hands!
cobl04
45:33
I just listened to it now, cos I haven't heard it in years. The people saying she's "screaming" are a bit ignorant, she's an R&B/soul singer, that's her style. But I found her "oohs" towards the start a bit unnecessary. It's certainly nowhere near as bad as some here think, but I probably won't listen to it ever again.
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