Most Overrated U2 Song vs Most Underrated U2 Song

[Earnie Shavers]

Magnificent really is a bit 'emperors new clothes'. There is, in every way, pretty much nothing there - but it is very, very well polished.

On the Mercy argument - you both mean 'work in progress' vs 'finished'. The version we have might not be where they finished with it (e.g. the CD Bono handed over might have been one he was using to review tracklisting or something, capturing the songs at a certain stage while they were still being tidied up) but then it might be. It could well be the last work-in-progress version before the decision to dump it, but it is not (even given room for it being simply a very poor quality copy) what it would have sounded like had it been given the thumbs up for Atomic Bomb. There's still clearly work to go there. It's not what most people would describe as a 'demo', which is to most people a rough/raw idea put to tape, but it is clearly still at a (late) work-in-progress stage. The version we have anyway.

 

[nielsgov]

Most Underrated: Crumbs From Your Table. Doubt anyone's gonna agree with me on this song, but I personally think it's the best song off HTDAAB. The lyrics are great, the guitar is fantastic, the drums are upbeat and awesome to "air-drum" to. I think that it deserved to be performed more on Vertigo Tour and, if the band's going to bring any Atomic Bomb songs back onto 360 tour, I pray that it will be this one.

I agree that the music is decent, though not great, but great lyrics? I think it has some of the worst lyrics of any U2 song. They're so cheesy. It's just Bono in save-the-world-mode

 

[jphelmet]

Overrated - Stuck. Don't really like anything about it. Vertigo is a close second, and I actually like Vertigo. It's just compared to great U2 tracks, of which there are so many, it shouldn't even be mentioned with them. Sadly for a lot of younger fans Vertigo will be the first song they associate with U2.

Honorable mention: elevation, magnificent, & boots are all pretty low spots for the band. Magnficent, just because it is such a boring, blatant rehash of everything they have done. And no the disco beat, does not make it interesting.

Underrated- Promenade.

 

[jphelmet]

Magnificent really is a bit 'emperors new clothes'. There is, in every way, pretty much nothing there - but it is very, very well polished.

well said. I really want to like it, and i keep going back to, thinking I am just missing something, but its always a huge letdown.

 

[ozeeko]

If you were to take Magnificent's intro and 1st instrumental chorus and then go immediately to the soft break in the middle and through Edge's slide solo...you'd have an awesome Instrumental track. It's everything in between that's kinda ho-hum. They had a great song there but something went wrong. I always felt the song peaked in the intro.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Overrated - Stuck. Don't really like anything about it. Vertigo is a close second, and I actually like Vertigo. It's just compared to great U2 tracks, of which there are so many, it shouldn't even be mentioned with them. Sadly for a lot of younger fans Vertigo will be the first song they associate with U2.

Honorable mention: elevation, magnificent, & boots are all pretty low spots for the band. Magnficent, just because it is such a boring, blatant rehash of everything they have done. And no the disco beat, does not make it interesting.

Underrated- Promenade.

I'm going to agree and disagree about Stuck. It is extremely poppy, but it serves for an amazing live song. In respects to Vertigo, I completely agree. I like it, but it's not that great. Gonna have to say agree on Elevation and Boots, but not Magnificent. It's different, it just lacks lyrics in my opinion.

For underrated, Promenade could very well be underrated I'm not too familiar with it myself, so there could be a reason!

Here's my picks:

Overrated - Lemon. With a huge hello to Miss Sarajevo.

Underrated - Numb, perhaps Always and Where Did It All Go Wrong?

 

[theedgeu2]

LuckyNumber7 - I'm going to disagree with you on Lemon. One of my favorite songs EVER. I think it's right where it needs to be. Great tune! Agree on the underrated.

Overrated: One. I love this song so, so much but it is overplayed and I'm growing a little sick of it to be honest. It gets played every night and it just seems tired. Still a great song but overrated.

Underrated: Zooropa. They've barely even tried it live and it is an amazing song off an amazing album that nobody, outside of Interference anyway, really knows about.

 

[ozeeko]

Lemon is one of U2's perfect songs. I don't understand how it could even be overrated when they haven't played it since when?...1994? Plus its not on any greatest hits...

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Overrated by the hardcore U2 fans as opposed to the general public, in my opinion.

 

[ozeeko]

To the 5% of fans who actually like the Zooropa album, yea I guess maybe you have a point...

 

[cobl04]

Miss Sarajevo is definitely underrated. people have been bitching about it nonstop since it made its way into the 360 setlist and i honestly believe they've completely forgotten about the jaw-dropping opera part.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Hehe, I think it's underrated by the fans and overrated by the band. I cant stand the song, it's incredibly boring.

And it's one of the band's favorite songs.

 

[cobl04]

i can understand you find all the "is there a time..." parts boring, but you're seriously telling me the opera part does nothing for you?

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I respect it, and I respect Pavoratti, but that is equally boring. Incredibly static and monotone (the entire song).

I cant deal with a song that's too slow unless it's FUN. That's why I dont mind Stuck in a Moment. It's really not a great song musically or lyrically, but it's definitely a fun song. One almost touches that.

I guess I'm like Larry Mullen? Although even he appriciates Miss Sarajevo. Shame on me :/

 

[cobl04]

well each to their own then i guess. reserve your judgement until you've heard Bono belt that out live at least. one of the innumerable highlights of the show.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Haha yeah, I try to keep an open mind with it of course. Took me forever with Pride, I listened to it once, hated it. Listened to it again. Hated it. Put it away, came back to it years later, absolutely love it.

I'm sure one day it will settle in my head.

 

[pitt_norton]

Overrated: Beautiful Day... only because it set in motion this decade's version of U2.

Underrated: If You Wear That Velvet Dress. If you have ears, that song is just plain magic.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Overrated - Stuck. Don't really like anything about it. Vertigo is a close second, and I actually like Vertigo. It's just compared to great U2 tracks, of which there are so many, it shouldn't even be mentioned with them. Sadly for a lot of younger fans Vertigo will be the first song they associate with U2.

Honorable mention: elevation, magnificent, & boots are all pretty low spots for the band. Magnficent, just because it is such a boring, blatant rehash of everything they have done. And no the disco beat, does not make it interesting.

Underrated- Promenade.

Promenade is one of u2's most perfect songs.

 

[BVS]

I respect it, and I respect Pavoratti, but that is equally boring. Incredibly static and monotone (the entire song).

This is an interesting complaint coming from someone who has Numb in their top 10.

Lemon is one of U2's perfect songs. I don't understand how it could even be overrated when they haven't played it since when?...1994? Plus its not on any greatest hits...

I don't know what playing it has to do with being overrated, but I think it's overrated in here. It's a great song, but not perfect. It's two songs spliced together and that's always kind of bugged me.

 

[jphelmet]

Miss Sarajevo is far and away the most overrated song by the band themselves. It is a song that should never see the light of day live, yet the go on and on with it.

It's a momentum stopper every show. No one cares one bit, there is a swell in the crowd at the opera part, but the rest of the time it's crickets. Not worth of the 4:00 minutes of absolute bland boring awfulness for 30 seconds of opera.

I didn't even think to call it overrated, because I have never met anyone in person that likes the song, and most people don't even know what it is.

 

[BVS]

It is a song that should never see the light of day live, yet the go on and on with it.

No one cares one bit,

I have never met anyone in person that likes the song,

Hyperbole much?

 

[Aardvark747]

Under - Heartland
Over - COBL

 

[ozeeko]

This is an interesting complaint coming from someone who has Numb in their top 10.



I don't know what playing it has to do with being overrated, but I think it's overrated in here. It's a great song, but not perfect. It's two songs spliced together and that's always kind of bugged me.

Besides me and a few other Zooropa lovers, I seldom ever see the song being praised. But then again I don't spend as much time here as you, so I could be wrong.

But yea, they haven't played it live (to my knowledge) since ZooTV, they don't have it on any greatest hits compilations ('cept in a dance remix on the b-side disc), I don't hear of it ever being covered by other artists, I don't hear it on jukeboxes, I don't hear it on classic rock radio, I just don't hear of it...period. Maybe this has nothing to do with a song being overrated, but it's certainly not overexposed, or exposed at all. To the general public it's a lost U2 song. To the hardcore fans, it's all over the place in regards to opinions.

By two songs spliced together do u mean the "man makes a picture" part? I think it all flows nicely and nothing sounds forced about it.

 

[BVS]

Besides me and a few other Zooropa lovers, I seldom ever see the song being praised. But then again I don't spend as much time here as you, so I could be wrong.

But yea, they haven't played it live (to my knowledge) since ZooTV, they don't have it on any greatest hits compilations ('cept in a dance remix on the b-side disc), I don't hear of it ever being covered by other artists, I don't hear it on jukeboxes, I don't hear it on classic rock radio, I just don't hear of it...period. Maybe this has nothing to do with a song being overrated, but it's certainly not overexposed, or exposed at all. To the general public it's a lost U2 song. To the hardcore fans, it's all over the place in regards to opinions.

By two songs spliced together do u mean the "man makes a picture" part? I think it all flows nicely and nothing sounds forced about it.

Like I said in here it's overrated, the group that some would call the 90's worshipers usually praise this song as being holy.

I really like the song don't get me wrong, but I don't think it worked live and the "midnight is where the day begins" sounds very forced to me and is obviously two lyrical approaches combined into one.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Well there you go. The shifts between the different phases of Lemon are specifically what make it so great to me.

And I always thought the 'midnight' lyric is just about clarity, maybe.

I was thinking, 'outside here', you could pretty much say any/every single is overrated - given that if you think, say, Vertigo is truly one of U2's greatest songs, you clearly need to listen to more U2. And 'in here' you could say that nothing is really underrated - every dog has it's day. But two were pointed out above, 'Promenade' and 'Velvet Dress', that do seem to either get forgotten, or just not get the love, when they both deserve it.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

This is an interesting complaint coming from someone who has Numb in their top 10.

I can see where that makes plenty of sense (Numb being static and monotone). Idk, just something about Numb that I enjoy so much, something about Numb that makes it fun. I mean, it's really hard to describe, because I just dont know what to say? I love Numb.

On a side note, interesting to see who has their ears wide open in other threads

 

[BVS]

I can see where that makes plenty of sense (Numb being static and monotone). Idk, just something about Numb that I enjoy so much, something about Numb that makes it fun. I mean, it's really hard to describe, because I just dont know what to say? I love Numb.

On a side note, interesting to see who has their ears wide open in other threads

I just remember some of the most random shit, don't take it personally... not stalking you

Didn't mean anything by it, just found it interesting.

 

[europop2005]

Over- Pride, it doesn't have the epic feel that most of their great 80's work have, it feels like it just rushes through.

Under- Your Blue Room, the atmosphere, the organ, the guitar, its just an all around beautiful track.

 

[Mountain Dew Ma]

I think No Line on the Horizon is criminally underrated both by the band and I guess around here. I can't blame the general public for underrating it - it should have been the lead single, so there wasn't proper exposure to it.

They need to play that song again.

 

[BVS]

Over- Pride, it doesn't have the epic feel that most of their great 80's work have, it feels like it just rushes through.

Very interesting considering I think many would say Pride embodies U2 "epic" feeling of the 80's. In fact most criticism I see of this song is that it may have gone too epic or over the top.

I love the variety of opinions in here.