Last Night on Earth

[xovonob]

The song "Last Night on Earth" is great, but I'm not entirely sure what it is describing though. What do you think? I have my suspicions but I don't want to pollute your thoughts with mine right now.

 

[ishkash]

Well xovonob The beauty about U2 songs is that you can percieve it as it suits you,eg.Even Better Than The Real Thing.
Since you aske about LNOE,I think its about the pressure of living this life in franatic pace of material world, where most of the things you deal with are either irrelevant or lacks substance, still you've to live each day as it might be your last, you've to keep yourself on the cutting Edge every momment.Doin all this for nothing and the point is why to do these things when you're not happy with it.Well more or less thats what I think of the song, hey how bout your views, whatever it is we all will welcome that.

 

[xovonob]

ishkash, I basically agree with you. I think it also probes the question what is so important that on the last night before the earth went up in a fire ball that you'd spend all your energy doing. There seems to be a missionary sense to this song. "She's at the bus stop with the news of the world in her hand" could be seen as the Good News/The Gospel. And she's giving it away. Perhaps I'm looking for something spiritual that's just not there- but you can never be entirely sure with U2

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

I read somebody elses interpretion of that line "She's at the bus stop with the news of the world.." and it was put exactly as you have said it xovonob. And I think it's very accurate. The "news" being the gospel and you having to give it away.. basically you're living like it's the last night of earth.. feeding the good news into your own minds and others so that you'll be prepared -- you're waiting for the judgement (which is where the bus stop comes in)

 

[ishkash]

Actually I'm not a christian so please pardon me, when I say I'm not aware of the fact that you're stating.So please can you do a bit of a brain storming on this,I'm really eager to know this spiritual aspect.
thanking you
-ishkash

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Personally, I don't think LNOE is much more than a portrait of a human being destined for self-destruction, a very scary snapshot of a human being who doesn't care if she sees tomorrow.

But on to the "news of the world" line:

She's at the bus-stop with news of the world and the sun
sun, here it comes

Maybe "Playboy Mansion" got me on this train of thought, but I always thought this was a reference to tabloid magazines -- not one, but two magazines! Namely, the American Weekly World News and England's The Sun.

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- Achtung Bubba

 

[zoomerang II]

The News of the World and the Sun are both UK based tabloid newspapers that are somewhat controversial.

The news of the world in the UK has just been slated over a campaign of naming and shaming all paedophiles in the UK, resulting in vigilante actions and violence. Both cater predominantly to male working class people and are thought to play on their fears (for example inciting football violence by anti-German football headlines), but that may be debatable. I don?t know if this helps any interpretation, but there are a number of European english themes in Pop ? such as ?the boot? of a car.

And i think the notw and sun newspapers that are actually referred to. It is also generally rare to see woman read them.

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Oh. I didn't know there actually was a "News of the World" so I made the logical leap to the "Weekly World News". But that wasn't a bad logical leap.

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- Achtung Bubba

 

[xovonob]

The News of The World and The Sun, huh? That turns things in a slightly different direction. I still wonder if there is a double meaning in the choice of paper titles. Going with the Gospel theme and jesus being the Son.

Achtung Bubba, or anybody else for that matter, what do you make of "giv[ing] it away"?

 

[Achtung Bubba]

I've always taken that as a return to the need to let go, seen in "Bad" and "Surrender". In LNOE, I've taken letting go as the only way the subject ("she") will ever survive.

Again, just my opinion. I could be way off base.

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- Achtung Bubba

 

[xovonob]

Achtung Bubba -- we're probably all off base so no need to qualify stuff as your personal opinion

Ishkash -- I'm not totally sure what on the Christian side you aren't familiar with. If you can be more specific, I'll try to fill in a little, without attempting to summarise the whole Bible.

 

[ishkash]

hey xovonob I just wanted to know the missioanary sense as you stated in one of you ealier posts and what do you think of the line "She's at the bus stop with the news of the world and the sun"

[This message has been edited by ishkash (edited 08-08-2000).]

 

[xovonob]

Being at a bus stop with a bunch of news in her hands, sounds like she could be going out with a purpose. Perhaps to desparately tell everyone about what she believes is true. This is something similar to what evangelists and a lot of missionaries do--go tell people what they believe.

 

[zoomerang II]

I generally agree with your interpretation xovonob, but I don't understand why she's not waiting for anyone - does that mean she has turned to the "news" from her loneliness?

 

[xovonob]

On the last night on earth somebody who thinks God is coming to take her home has two options.

1) sit and wait for the end

2) go out and tell people that the end of the world needn't be the worst news in all history...

does this make any sense?