Do you not think that Best Thing could have been a "hit" under different circumstances? I thought it was one of those radio-friendly pop songs the band writes occasionally which just needed a bit of luck or a remix which got some airplay in order to gain some traction? Hokey lyrics or not, I was surprised it didn't do better.
Its really interesting to read polar opposite views and interpretations of songs and albums on here, whether I agree with them or not. One thing I agree with in a lot of the recent posts is that they'd benefit massively on the next record from sticking to one producer and a cohesive idea/theme/approach from start to finish. It might not produce their best ever album, but I bet it produces a much more interesting album for us to digest.
I've said it before, but I think U2 are still punching above their weight in terms of the quality of new music we should reasonably expect from a band whose original lineup is still together after all these years.
I agree with all of this!
Best Thing definitely could've done a little better than it did. I do think the Kygo version would've had a better shot, but the version we got is both very U2 sounding and very 2017 sounding without being forced. It's not my favorite song or anything- and I'm not saying it was going to be a top 40, but I could've easily seen it do better.
I loved both SOI and SOE, though I prefer SOI. I too think a lot about both albums would've benefited from a single, cohesive production approach. More SOE than SOI, but it's easy to see on SOI a common vein running from Ordinary Love through Invisible, Raised by Wolves, Sleep Like A Baby, Crystal Ballroom, etc.
We've lived with the Danger Mouse tracks for 7 years now, so it's hard to remember them in the context of the first time we heard them. I remember being immediately grabbed, in a positive way, by the production on Ordinary Love. It sounded fresh, bright, effortless and even though it's a mid tempo track, energetic. The drums and the slide solo sounded like an update on their raw early sound. Same for Invisible. It was clear they had captured something there- something that would've been quite interesting sitting with for a whole album.
Reading the discussions here of both tracks, many were very optimistic about the sound they'd tapped into.
This is an interesting 'what if'.
I don't know if it could ever have reached 'Beautiful Day' levels of success, but I think if the final mix of 'Best Thing' had been more like the Kygo Remix, it could have done a lot better. The Kygo version (imo) sounded stronger, more contemporary, and very effortless and confident. I remember the leaked beach clip back in 2016, it was the first time we heard a clip of the song (it ended up being the Kygo mix), and I remember immediately liking the vibe of the track.
All of that was lost imo when they put out the final single version, which to me sounded too over the top and had a rock n' roll vibe which would have worked in 2005, but not 2017. The Kygo mix, with it's dance/electro elements, sounded more in keeping with the times, kind of how Coldplay moved from making stuff like 'Yellow' to 'A sky full of stars' in order to stay relevant in the charts.
Absolutely! I felt the same way, and though I liked the version we got enough, my criticism at the outset was "I wish it had kept more of the beach clip feel."
