FACT: Bono and his lyric writing is ruining U2

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U2girl said:
Minus the lyrics from Crazy tonight, Boots and Stand up comedy, agreed.
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I would add Magnificent to that list. I don’t mind the lyrics personally, but I think they’re holding the song back. They’re very, very Bono. Seem very dialed in. Plus, if he’d written something truly clever and iconic for it, it would give the whole song a big boost. As it stands “I was born to be with you/I was born to sing for you/from the womb my first cry was a joyful noise” – I can’t see that getting much more than a big roll of the eyes from a LOT of people as it booms out of their radio. “What a wanker”.

On UC: I think the technology references mixed with the chanting give it a cold chill, or a cold reality, but some of their choice of references is poor. Even the password one is okay by me – the solution is simple, you know it, you need to do it right now. The Mac stuff really, really, really bugs me though.

But yeah, compared especially to his last outing, well, no comparison really. A vast, vast improvement over the Bomb.
 
Breathe isn't terribly impressive either, though it's not bad at all, which I'm fine with. I'd say:

Weak: Magnificent, Unknown Caller, Crazy Tonight, Get on Your Boots, Stand Up Comedy
Average: Fez-Being Born, Breathe
Strong: NLOTH, Moment of Surrender, White as Snow, Cedars of Lebanon
 
Unknown Caller has some nice verses...and I disagree with the quotes you cited from Magnificent..."I give you back my voice, my first cry it was a joyful noise" is one of the album's highlights in my mind. I'm not as fond of the first verse, but I think the second verse of Magnificent is compelling.
In my mind:
Strong- Moment of Surrender, Breathe, White as Snow, Cedars, NLOTH
Mixed- Unknown Caller, Magnificent, Fez-Being Born
Weak- Stand Up, Boots, Crazy Tonight
 
Earnie Shavers said:
I would add Magnificent to that list. I don’t mind the lyrics personally, but I think they’re holding the song back. They’re very, very Bono. Seem very dialed in. Plus, if he’d written something truly clever and iconic for it, it would give the whole song a big boost. As it stands “I was born to be with you/I was born to sing for you/from the womb my first cry was a joyful noise” – I can’t see that getting much more than a big roll of the eyes from a LOT of people as it booms out of their radio. “What a wanker”.
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I think this is a unique lyric in the sense that some will find it too "religious", some will think it's a cheesy love song, Christian artist will wish they could have written such a song, and others just won't get it...

Lyrically it's similar to WOWY in the sense that on the surface it's pretty questionable...
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:
I think this is a unique lyric in the sense that some will find it too "religious", some will think it's a cheesy love song, Christian artist will wish they could have written such a song, and others just won't get it...

Lyrically it's similar to WOWY in the sense that on the surface it's pretty questionable...
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i agree with this.
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:
I think this is a unique lyric in the sense that some will find it too "religious", some will think it's a cheesy love song, Christian artist will wish they could have written such a song, and others just won't get it...

Lyrically it's similar to WOWY in the sense that on the surface it's pretty questionable...
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Yeah, but with far less to work with, and with a far more prominent Bono.

I mean, at it's base to it's most casual listener - the guy catching it on the radio driving home from work, paying only passing attention - With or Without You is just some sort of tangled love song. Spend a minute paying attention and you'll start thinking about those levels, but most people don't do that.

Give that same level of attention to Magnificent and initially you might think it is a similar love story ("I was born to be with you") but then you hit the next part, and this is 2009, and this is Bono. "I was born to sing for you" (fuck off!) "My first cry was a joyful noise" (wanker!)

I'm not saying I disagree with you, it is very similar to WOWY, just taking a stab at how a very casual ear might take it. As a song on a U2 album for trained U2 ears, it's great. But as a single that might now have a bit more pressure on it to push the album, those lyrics might hold it back.
 
coolian2 said:
nloth is a huge step up....and now a thread like this turns up?

i'm actually really fond of the majority of the lyrics on the album. the last two, they sucked. this? much better.
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I loved most of the lyrics on ATYCLB.
 
Earnie Shavers said:
Yeah, but with far less to work with, and with a far more prominent Bono.

I mean, at it's base to it's most casual listener - the guy catching it on the radio driving home from work, paying only passing attention - With or Without You is just some sort of tangled love song. Spend a minute paying attention and you'll start thinking about those levels, but most people don't do that.

Give that same level of attention to Magnificent and initially you might think it is a similar love story ("I was born to be with you") but then you hit the next part, and this is 2009, and this is Bono. "I was born to sing for you" (fuck off!) "My first cry was a joyful noise" (wanker!)

I'm not saying I disagree with you, it is very similar to WOWY, just taking a stab at how a very casual ear might take it. As a song on a U2 album for trained U2 ears, it's great. But as a single that might now have a bit more pressure on it to push the album, those lyrics might hold it back.
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90% of radio listeners don't listen to lyrics. That explains why there are so many nonsense songs on the charts. People don't care about lyrics. I know a lot of people who love WOWY but have no idea what it is about. I once bothered to explain the lyrics to my brother and he was totally shocked.

As for Magnificent, it's a beautiful song. Simple message, simple lyrics, but simple things often have a great beauty. And there is something unique about Bono's lyrics: You can interpret them one way or the other, they are open for interpretation and don't tell you exactly what they mean. That's a good thing. You can see it as a love song, as a spiritual song, whatever. I'm sure U2 are fine with all of it.
 
LU, you have made some good points.. but there are levels of 'listeners' - i find new tunes (and old ones i never heard ) on a great station here. I DO listen to the music and lyric...
but for some reason i don't care as much about any other bands lyrics, the way i do about U2's. They rank so high above anyone else for me.
I think we expect a certain level from them. and if we don't understand or agree with what they are doing... or saying.. it makes some of us frustrated - which for some;
Frustrated = hate.

You are spot on about Bono's lyrics being open for interpretation. THAT is what is so genius about them.. to me, anyway. But why do some feel he can't be nonsense/experimental/silly/ light... whatever, too, at times.:huh:
 
There's one obvious piece of evidence that MANY people don't give a crap about lyrics. Why else would WOWY be a song played shitloads at a WEDDING?? Or One, for that matter. :huh: The lyrics completely do not fit such a situation, yet people choose it very often and they're U2's most used tracks, with AIWIY as third, which would be the only appropriate song for this occasion.
 
NLOTH is decent lyrically. ATYCLB and HTDAAB were abominably bad. From UF to Pop, he was fantastic. Before that it was good but still not polished.

I might make a chart.
 
I think nloth is definitely better than htdaab. Still, the choruses for UC and Breathe are pretty bad. Also, Crazy Tonight is pretty bad. I really hate Bono's attempt to spew out preachy proverbs that don't seem to mean anything of substance. That song really reminds me of Always.
 
It's actually your own problem if these lyrics have no meaning for you. I guess you're not trying hard enough. The chorus of Breathe is beautiful. one of the best they've done.
 
last unicorn said:
It's actually your own problem if these lyrics have no meaning for you. I guess you're not trying hard enough. The chorus of Breathe is beautiful. one of the best they've done.
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Maybe a crashcourse like THIS would help.

Love that Breath lyric you SOB, love it, LOVE IT I SAY! Now give me 50 push ups! Still not loving everything U2 does?! YOU ARE NOT A U2-FAN!! Give me 50 more!!

:rockon:
 
Bono's writing is sometimes very good, sometimes not so much, but at least they are always meaningful, he's never turned up with stupid lyrics like "she's beautiful, she's beautiful, that's true" and, if I am not mistaken, this song was a great hit. I don't think it is ruining anything, this also happens with their music, some songs are better than others, you cannot expect every line in his lyricist carreer to be worth a Nobel Prize, and it's also normal that some people like some lyrics more than others, this is not maths, it's art and, as such, subjective.
 
Bono's writing is sometimes very good, sometimes not so much,
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a subjective opinion

ou cannot expect every line in his lyricist carreer to be worth a Nobel Prize, and it's also normal that some people like some lyrics more than others, this is not maths, i
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This is also an opinion. Songs have won the Nobel Prize (Wonderwall won this back in 1996), that are no better lyrically than Bono's. As long as the the main premise of the song is meaningful and emotional then who gives a fig. Oh and You're Beautiful may be cheesy but the main premise points to a great love song. James blunt may sing like a cat being strangled but at least he's not a misserable swine and if it brings a smile to people's faces during these troubled times then there's nothing wrong in that, that's all that matters.

What's wrong with that? You lot are misserable nincumpoops.
 
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Oasis have won a Nobel Prize? For what? Songwriting? :ohmy:

Never knew something like that existed.

I only know the Nobel Prize for Literature and as far as I know there never was a winner called Gallagher.
 
Thing with poetry is that it IS very subjective.

I'm an absolute lover of poetry, there are certain poets I'm totally crazy about and I collect their works, and sometimes I don't read anything else for weeks or months except poetry.

And I know a lot of people who say: What's that when I'm showing them my favourite works of my favourite poets. It simply doesn't appeal to them. It's hardbreaking sometimes, but that's the way it is: Not every "lyric" appeals to everyone the same way and to some people, certain lyrics don't appeal at all. They just don't get it. That's ok, but it doesn't make the lyrics "bad".
 
I still say that liking or not liking lyrics is purely subjective. By employing this :doh: just only means that you disagree about lyrics.
This is what I look for in terms of lyrics

1/ Emotional I would prefer that it means something to the lyricist rather than some randomer like a lot of NLOTH are written from the persepctive of random people. It's like visiting someone's blog and they say "Hello my name is Mike and this is my cat Joey". Me: Hi. Random Blogger who I've never met: "This is my top 20 favourite Cure songs". I don't care. I don't know you. And I'm not really interested in politics either, unless the singer can put across their message from a personal point of view. If I wanted to know about politics I watch the news.
2/ Lack of offensive I don't nind the occasional swear word here and ther but I don't like the hip-hop scene for its f-ing and blinding, portrayals of violence and racist language.
3/ Main Premise of the songs meaning
4/ Not slushy (ie: Danniel Beddingfield's If You're Not The One lyric "If I'm not made for you than why does your hand fit perfectly inside of mine" :yuck:
5/ Not a miserable boring bastard. I like digestable joyful, happy lyrics not the glumness on NLOTH. I don't like dark lyrics. We have enough with our own problems without hearing what a multi-millionnaire has to feel so moody about.
6/ Non specific or songs that can have a double meaning and mean different things to some people.
7/ Intellectual although I prefer emotional lyrics
8/ No silly rhyming. (eg: Natalie Imbroughlia Shiver. "I walk a mile with a smile" What?
9/ Unusual subject matters
10/ I don't mind metaphors. Loads of songwriters conjure up images in their songwriting. Sting, Annie Lennox and Chad Kroeger. Wheter it's done well or not is yet again sujective from person to person. The thing that gets tedious is the fact people on interfernce have explained some of the metaphors on HTDAAB that many find so troubling and yet they still proclaim, in their usual matter-of-a-fact manner, that the lyrics are awful.
 
marionette.jpeg
 
NLOTH is lyrically one of the best they've done in years, but looking at Bomb and ATYCLB, that's not saying much. As a writer I would love Bono to bring back some of the poetry from JT, RH and AB. However you can't write on demand. Bono will write what he's compelled to write. I think we'd all rather have honest music that is relevant and soul-touching than lots of nice-sounding words that ring hollow.
 
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