The meaning of "the sound" throughout the album

[psychrunner]

"The sound" is made reference to several times in the lyrics of NLOTH. What is this "sound"? "I found grace inside the sound". "let me in the sound.". Then Bono, interestingly has been singing "Amazing Grace" on tour with the lyric, "Amazing grace how sweet the SOUND." My guess is that this "sound" he is referring to throughout is the "sound" of grace, and what Christ did because of grace.
Just my thoughts.

 

[coolian2]

the so-called sound is also mentioned in electrical storm.

it's not the same meaning throughout, it definitely doesn't have a particularly holy meaning in boots or electrical storm, but i'd never thought about it in breathe. tbh i think that's a face value lyrics where he finds grace in the music, because the song seems to have a connection to noise - the roar that lies etc - rather than anything spiritual.

amazing grace is probably just a co-incidence that serves as a nice segue into streets...it's a fuck of a lot better than going cold from one -> streets, plus we've known for decades bono likes singing it.

 

[popsadie]

"it's not the same meaning throughout, it definitely doesn't have a particularly holy meaning in boots or electrical storm, but i'd never thought about it in breathe. tbh i think that's a face value lyrics where he finds grace in the music, because the song seems to have a connection to noise - the roar that lies etc - rather than anything spiritual."

Actually, I beg to differ. The use of 'sound' in "Get on Your Boots" does have a spiritual dimension. The lyric "let me in the sound, god I'm going down, I don't want to drown..drown.. meet me in the sound" supports my assertion. Regarding the use of "sound" in "Electrical Storm", that sound refers to an entirely different meaning of sound, which is a body of water. Personally, I agree with the original poster. The use of sound in "Breathe" combined with its use in "Boots" and the inclusion of "Amazing Grace" in the show does seem to hint at a mystical metaphor for sound.

 

[coolian2]

Actually, I beg to differ. The use of 'sound' in "Get on Your Boots" does have a spiritual dimension. The lyric "let me in the sound, god I'm going down, I don't want to drown..drown.. meet me in the sound" supports my assertion. Regarding the use of "sound" in "Electrical Storm", that sound refers to an entirely different meaning of sound, which is a body of water. Personally, I agree with the original poster. The use of sound in "Breathe" combined with its use in "Boots" and the inclusion of "Amazing Grace" in the show does seem to hint at a mystical metaphor for sound.

i don't think the simple meaning of saying god makes it instantly spiritual in boots. if anything i think it makes it less so because bono usually isn't as obvious when it comes to bringing religion into songs.

yeah, i agree with you on electrical storm, although given the subject matter of the song i wouldn't be surprised if the sound is two thing again.

i'll defer on breathe because i don't want to talk out of my ass.

 

[popsadie]

But, the bridge part is spoken like a prayer and repeated like a mantra....who else would Bono be speaking to? I liken it to "Love...bring me out of the blues...won't you tell me something true..I believe in you.." in Elevation.

 

[Galeongirl]

spoken like a prayer? No way. It's shouted like a frustrated person who wants to get out. I really don't see any religious reference there.

And Elevation is about sex. Everyone knows religious people don't do sex.

 

[popsadie]

Prayers in U2 songs are often yelled out. Wake up Dead Man is a prayer and it definitely expresses frustration. Elevation can be about sex...or prayer, much like "Your Blue Room". Bono has constantly compared the two in his lyrics. Do you feel loved makes this comparison explicit, "take this tangle of a conversation and turn it into your own prayer". In regards to Elevation, "I and I in the sky" is a Rastafarian term used to describe the closeness that Rastafarians feel to Yahweh, who is also known as "I am" and thus is definitely a religious reference.

 

[coolian2]

i'll never understand this mad desire to equate everything bono writes to religion.

 

[popsadie]

Bono doesn't really separate the two...relationships between man and god and man and man(or woman). Listen to interviews where he discusses his lyrics. I personally can't understand why people must segregate the two. U2 songs are often meant to apply to both. As Bono has said ,"All our songs are about God or women, and we often get the two mixed up."

 

[coolian2]

Bono doesn't really separate the two...relationships between man and god and man and man(or woman). Listen to interviews where he discusses his lyrics. I personally can't understand why people must segregate the two. U2 songs are often meant to apply to both. As Bono has said ,"All our songs are about God or women, and we often get the two mixed up."

i completely understand that, but sometimes a spade is a spade, if you will.

 

[RedRocksU2]

"Sound" = sound.

 

[popsadie]

Yes, but when a word occurs throughout an album, and sound is definitely a spiritual reference in Breathe, "I found grace inside a sound, I found grace, its all I found" then there is good reason to think that it could have a specific meaning or metaphor. I would compare Bono's use of sound in this album to his use of sun in Pop and there Bono often used sun to stand in for God.

 

[psychrunner]

okay

i'll never understand this mad desire to equate everything bono writes to religion.

I didn't mention religion. I mentioned spirituality. I don't think Bono is "religious", but do think that very much of what he writes is directly tied to the spiritual. "Let he who has ears, let him hear." For those whose ears and eyes are open, this is obvious.

 

[Galeongirl]

People hear what they want to hear.

 

[popsadie]

"People hear what they want to hear"- This was Neil McCormick's response to an assertion he heard at the u2 conference regarding Achtung Baby being linked to the biblical fall of man. However, when he complained to Bono about this, Bono surprised him by saying "that sounds bang on to me." Bono has called NLOTH an "album of futuristic hymns" so why wouldn't a good portion of the songs have spiritual as well as human relational aspects? Oh well..I suppose I could say it as well..."people hear what they want to hear." U2 put spiritual, sexual and political aspects simultaneously into a good proportion of their songs and the listener decides what they wish to concentrate on or ignore.

 

[Galeongirl]

I didn't quote Neil on this. I quoted Freud.

 

[popsadie]

That wasn't my point. Neil also recently said this same thing and it was in reference to the complaint that has been made on this post about people reading the spiritual into u2 songs. Since Bono himself replied to that assertion, I thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[Galeongirl]

I did not say the same thing as Neil. I am entirely NOT denying that there's a lot of spirituality in U2's music. I'm just sayin' that it's not ALWAYS that. Sometimes a log is just a log.

 

[coolian2]

I did not say the same thing as Neil. I am entirely NOT denying that there's a lot of spirituality in U2's music. I'm just sayin' that it's not ALWAYS that. Sometimes a log is just a log.

 

[mama cass]

"Sound" = sound.

lmfao!!

 

[last unicorn]

The great thing about many lyrics, and U2's lyrics in particular, is that they reach people where they are standing. Thus, different people have different interpretation of the lyrics. Once written and shared, the lyrics don't belong to the writer anymore and it's not relevant what he meant by writing them or what he wanted to express. The important thing is what people make out of the lyrics, what these lyrics mean to them personally. Therefore it's not about a wrong or right interpretation. If the lyrics appeal to you and if you consider them to mean something particular, based on your own experience and emotions, it's a totally legitimate way of interpretation. So U2 lyrics can mean something very spiritual to one person, and something totally different to another person. I don't see why there should be only one meaning to certain lyrics.

 

[JanuaryStar]

The great thing about many lyrics, and U2's lyrics in particular, is that they reach people where they are standing. Thus, different people have different interpretation of the lyrics. Once written and shared, the lyrics don't belong to the writer anymore and it's not relevant what he meant by writing them or what he wanted to express. The important thing is what people make out of the lyrics, what these lyrics mean to them personally. Therefore it's not about a wrong or right interpretation. If the lyrics appeal to you and if you consider them to mean something particular, based on your own experience and emotions, it's a totally legitimate way of interpretation. So U2 lyrics can mean something very spiritual to one person, and something totally different to another person. I don't see why there should be only one meaning to certain lyrics.

Lyrics can of course have different meanings to different people. That is the beauty of interpretation. And there is indeed no 'right or wrong'. Though I don't agree that it's not relevant anymore what the writer means. To some people, reading about what a certain writer meant/thought/felt when they wrote a song and the lyrics can give new, deeper meaning to their own interpretation they had before they had that knowledge.

 

[last unicorn]

Yes, I'm still interested in what the writer originally meant and what he has to say about the lyrics, but in the end I feel that my interpretation is more important to me.
I think that when you give a work of art to the world it's not really your work anymore.
I'm a writer myself and I've had long discussions with people about the interpretation of poetry and what's "right" or "wrong" and why it means different things to different people.
It's a great subject and I really love that about U2's songs: That they can mean different things to different people.
Like the spiritual theme: For someone who's not really spiritual, it can mean something totally different, still the lyrics have a important meaning to this person, even if it's not the one that the writer may have intended.
Of course, I'm not saying the writer's intention is irrelevant, but sometimes, as a writer, you discover that other people's interpretation of your work is at least as interesting as your own. I've actually learned a lot about my own work by listening to other people's interpretation of it

 

[kassandra]

I think the sound is the sound that is in his head, the perfect song he is always trying to achieve.