Breathe - why getting the shortest straw..?

[Glennjamin]

Not sure if this is the correct location for this but I have a question about the song Breathe. Why is it left off of so many things - the BluRay of 360 has it but only on the deluxe version. Its also left off of U22.

This song is amazing! The guitar in it rocks!!! They opened many of their shows with it also.

 

[U2C]

Breathe is one of my favorite opening songs

 

[Galeongirl]

You'd have to ask Principle or U2 themselves.. nobody knows.

 

[Glennjamin]

You'd have to ask Principle or U2 themselves.. nobody knows.

Shame since it is amazing.

 

[Galeongirl]

Agreed, and while a lot of people here didn't like it, I enjoyed it as an opener! It was just really weird they cut it off an official dvd, really, really weird. Guess they weren't proud of it or it had to do with the 10 inch cockatoo line.

 

[jeevey]

They cut it from the tour and now it's a B side on a limited release vinyl. They just don't think it's good enough. I love it. It's not Streets, but I think it's equal to some other songs that have been bigger for them, like COBL.

 

[chork]

Love this song. The guitar is music to strip by.

 

[Glennjamin]

Love this song. The guitar is music to strip by.

..and my love for the song continues to grow lol

 

[angelordevil]

...The guitar is music to strip by.

Depending on which hemisphere you reside in as you run down that road like loose electricity.

Breathe is amazing - and one of their best, as Brian Eno says.

Love this version:

U2 - Breathe Live Letterman 1st Night [HD - High Quality] - YouTube

 

[Musikwala]

Breathe is one of my favourites off NLOTH! That guitar in the track is really joyful noise!

 

[Mountain Dew Ma]

They cut it from the tour and now it's a B side on a limited release vinyl. They just don't think it's good enough. I love it. It's not Streets, but I think it's equal to some other songs that have been bigger for them, like COBL.

This is absolutely silly. It's a b-side on a limited release with completely reworked lyrics to fit the Ordinary Love theme/ Mandela movie. They obviously think the song is good enough; it opened two legs of the tour (save one night in Foxboro).

They probably didn't think that it fit the mood of the DVD and they probably didn't like the relatively lukewarm reception it received as an opening song, and instead just started with Boots, which already had the crowd somewhat buzzing after Breathe ended.

They cut One and Mysterious Ways off the Boston DVD. Are those songs not good enough?

 

[Galeongirl]

That had different reasons entirely. U2 wanted high quality dvd for Boston, and if they had put everything on there, it wouldn't have fit one disc. By cutting One and MW off it fit on one disc. Guess they cut those two because they would appear later on Slane anyway.

 

[jeevey]

I love the song. I'm glad they're reworking it and I'll buy the single if I can get it. But if they thought it was one of the strongest songs on album I think it would have been released as a single ahead of Boots and Crazy Tonight and had a more steady place on the tour. Instead it's a B side 5 years later and those songs were played 110 and 111 times respectively, as compared to Breathe's 43.