Boots vs Vertigo

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers

Which song do you like better?

  • Vertigo

    Votes: 70 29.3%

  • Get On Your Boots

    Votes: 169 70.7%
  • Total voters
    239
I love Vertigo- I always will do and when I first heard it, I did have a transcendental experience haha, BUT, I think Boots is a more carefully constructed, ambitiously produced and inventively performed song. It may not have the instant smack of Vertigo but in the long run it is a clear winner.
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:
You're right they were both the lead off single, so in that respect they are comparable as well.

But to say this song borrows from Vertigo, which 2 people at least have said in this thread is downright lazy.

Vertigo is linear in the since that it doesn't really go anywhere, which is fine nothing wrong with that, but it's just a series of little power chord riffs.

verse chorus bridge pretty typical structure, Boots goes somewhere and leaves the riff at times and comes back, it's not as straight forward as Vertigo.

But for anyone to say this song borrows from Vertigo is being very short sighted and they should really look at other riff based U2 songs like Disco, Big Girls, or Fly to try and draw their comparisons...
Click to expand...

The song structures are very very similar actually. Drum into, awesome sounding guitar riffs, followed by verses where Bono tries to rap... The outros both are loud to try and finish strong...

Also anyone else here who plays guitar kinda notice that Adam's bass line in vertigo uses an octive variation during the verse, similar to the Boots riff?

I see plenty of similarities, but I'm not saying that's a bad thing.
 
IrishDawg said:
The song structures are very very similar actually. Drum into, awesome sounding guitar riffs, followed by verses where Bono tries to rap... The outros both are loud to try and finish strong...

Also anyone else here who plays guitar kinda notice that Adam's bass line in vertigo uses an octive variation during the verse, similar to the Boots riff?

I see plenty of similarities, but I'm not saying that's a bad thing.
Click to expand...

Not really, I think that's pretty inaccurate. Very, very similar? C'mon. Guitar riffs and loud outros? That's not structural. And the bass lines are not the same.

The only thing that made me think of Vertigo was the power chords in the chorus. But the GOYB chorus is much better executed.

Other than that, they're quite different. Vertigo really only has one verse structure and one chorus. GOYB has two verse structures as well as a chorus, and a great breakdown (let me in the sound) at the end.

Just because they have guitar riffs and loud outros doesn't make them similar. They're not, really at all.
 
boosterjuice said:
Also, please explain the terminology of "linear power chord riffs". How is Vertigo chorus a linear power chord riff and boots not?
Click to expand...

Because one riff involves power chords and the other does not. :scratch:

EDIT: I took that to mean the main guitar riffs, not the chorus. Yes, both songs use power chords in the chorus, but the main guitar riff of GOYB is not driven by power chords.
 
Using what I know about song structure (and that's not much) here's my comparision of Boots and Vertigo

Vertigo:

Intro
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus
Outro

Boots:

Intro
Verse
Pre-chorus
Verse
Chorus
Break
Verse
Pre-chorus
Chorus
Bridge
Outro
 
phillyfan26 said:
Vertigo really only has one verse structure and one chorus. GOYB has two verse structures as well as a chorus, and a great breakdown (let me in the sound) at the end.
Click to expand...

This is a key point you've hit on, if I had more time I'd really break these songs down but this is at least one idea where Boots shows more of a compositional skill.

Vertigo is linear, just like BVS said.
 
I'll bet you any money that GOYB will be considered by everyone to be either the worst song on the album, or well into the bottom half.

Based on this, yes, I'm thrilled to hear what NLOTH has in store.
 
If the whole album is on the same level of quality as Boots, then U2 did it's third masterpiece.
 
i answered GOYB in the poll, I think its a much ebtter song. I wonder though, if in 12 months it will be so clear cut as to which is the favourite on the forum?
 
If GOYB was the worst song on NLOTH then imagine how good the others will be. :drool:
 
I'm a latecomer but some should do a comparison of ...
New years day vs Pride vs With or without you vs Desire Vs the fly vs numb vs discoteque vs beautiful day vs vertigo vs get on your boots
 
adam3000 said:
I'm a latecomer but some should do a comparison of ...
New years day vs Pride vs With or without you vs Desire Vs the fly vs numb vs discoteque vs beautiful day vs vertigo vs get on your boots
Click to expand...

Get on Your Boots the winner with WOWY following close.
 
adam3000 said:
Personally it's hard not to declare WOWY the winner.
Click to expand...

I've always thought WOWY was beautiful but a bit monotonous. Plus, I've heard it too damn much.

I'd personally take Beautiful Day if someone made a poll of that kind. GOYB would be in the lower middle. It's great fun, but hardly superior to New Year's Day.
 
adam3000 said:
I'm a latecomer but some should do a comparison of ...
New years day vs Pride vs With or without you vs Desire Vs the fly vs numb vs discoteque vs beautiful day vs vertigo vs get on your boots
Click to expand...

Which is our favorite song or which worked the best as a lead single?
WOWY is hard to beat as far as being successful.

Pride and The Fly are the elite among the rest of the bunch, for different reasons. Pride, as stale as it has got over the years live, was a huge song for them in the U.S. Their first real big hit and it's still a great studio cut. The Fly was so effectively odd, and was such a dramatic change, it has to be recognized.

Most of the rest are in there together.
Beautiful Day was a damn good one, really launched them back into the mix, I might place that one 4th. Desire was big but rode the coattails of the JT and Vertigo did the same as well, riding the success of ATYCLB, BD and the tour.

Numb was effective in it's strangeness, I still love the video, although it had no commercial aim at all. New Years Day is a great song, I remember seeing the video on MTV (I would have been 8) but I couldn't speak to it's effectiveness as a lead single. I doubt it's in the argument with the others.

Discotheque shares a lot of common ground with Boots, IMO.
Just in style, tone, etc. I hope the video is not a complete debacle.
Discotheque, for all the history revisions that go on about POP, was a big successful song.
 
I read a stupid review today that said the Vertigo lyrics made more sense than the GOYB lyrics. :lol:

As for first singles, I prefer Beautiful Day, then GOYB, then Vertigo. Discoteque isn't one of my favourite songs, I ususally skip it on the album.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dan_smee
I listened to No Line on the Horizon right through tonight for the first time in about 10 years…
2 3
Replies
83
Views
2K
lazarus
lazarus
Reggie Thee Dog
Are we NOT discussing the Dolby Atmos Mix of Achtung Baby?
Replies
13
Views
1K
count rushmore
count rushmore
Janet H
  • Sticky
Forum Update - We're back! Ask your questions here.
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
Popmartijn
Popmartijn
O
Better late than never “they” say…
Replies
1
Views
289
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
dan_smee
New Album Discussion 1 - Songs of..... - Unreasonable guitar album
60 61 62
Replies
2K
Views
102K
Achtung Ya'll
A

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom