Should U2 release a ballad as the first single off the next album?

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Does anyone even listen to the radio anymore? U2 should know that the market has changed. Release your best song, have some clever marketing (not just doing late night shows) like the iPod commercial.

Lets face it, in order for U2 to be heard, they gonna have to do commercials. Selling out just doesn't matter anymore.

Of course most of us would prefer the band to just release the music and be happy with it, as opposed to trying so hard to being relevant. The latter is always going to be there, especially with Bono. So they are going to have to be creative to still have some integrity with the music and selling it
 
BEAL said:
Lets face it, in order for U2 to be heard, they gonna have to do commercials. Selling out just doesn't matter anymore.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Did Somebody That I Used To Know (much as I detest the song) get popular because of a commercial? What about We Are Young, or Some Nights? Or I Will Wait? Or The A Team? These are all alternative hits that, while not necessarily doing well on Billboard's Top 40 chart, were nonetheless very popular amongst actual people. And I think that such a hit is definitely within reach for U2, honestly. A few years ago, I wouldn't have said that, but the music market (at least in the United States) appears to my eyes to be changing. What is on the charts isn't actually what is popular, and I don't think that commercials generate what is popular either.
 
U2girl said:
NYD, Pride, WOWY, Desire, The Fly, Numb, Discotheque, BD, Vertigo, Boots.

Notice the pattern of lead singles being guitar driven rock songs that work. Well, minus Boots and I think MW would be a great lead single. Just as fresh as The Fly, yet actually something the radio cared about.

No, they should not be going out with a ballad. And challenging ? Never, but very trend-conscious since the early 90's.
Click to expand...


"The Fly" was a fairly short-lived lead single. By that, I mean U2 didn't rest AB on how successful "The Fly" was. The purpose of "The Fly" was to show the world the "new" U2. U2 then rather quickly followed up by releasing the far more radio-friendly "Mysterious Ways" as arguably the "true" lead single for AB.

Substituting MW in for "The Fly" and all lead singles, from the 80's to present, are perhaps the catchiest radio-friendly songs on the album (with the possible exception of "Numb").

Almost all are rockers, with the possible exception of WOWY. However, even that song is a harder rocking song than say a true U2 slow ballad, like "Stay" or "Sometimes...".

Most of the lead singles have a universal tone to them. One can readily relate to a sacrifice of a hero ("Pride") or a torn-love (WOWY) or the acceptance of how glorious life is even during troubling times (BD). These songs really helped propel their respective albums.

The songs that audiences found more difficult to accept, namely "Discotheque" and GOYB, ultimately floundered even if they enjoyed some chart success. As a result, the albums suffered.

Therefore, the goal isn't to release a rocker or a ballad. The goal is to release a strong single that does not alienate U2's audience. If that song happens to be more of a "power ballad", so be it.

The real questions now are:
(1) can U2 create another great lead single?
(2) will U2 recognize that song as the lead single?

BEAL said:
Does anyone even listen to the radio anymore? U2 should know that the market has changed. Release your best song, have some clever marketing (not just doing late night shows) like the iPod commercial.

Lets face it, in order for U2 to be heard, they gonna have to do commercials. Selling out just doesn't matter anymore.

Of course most of us would prefer the band to just release the music and be happy with it, as opposed to trying so hard to being relevant. The latter is always going to be there, especially with Bono. So they are going to have to be creative to still have some integrity with the music and selling it
Click to expand...

Sadly, commercials have become a way for many artists to promote their work. People still listen to the radio quite a bit. What's changed is the format. Current "hit song" radio allows almost no room for a new artist. As a result, as early as 1999/2000 or so, established artists like Sting, had to rely on commercials to promote their music. "Desert Rose" did not become a hit until AFTER it was played in a commercial. The success of that song created a 3x Platinum album. Odd how radio was ready to dismiss it, no? But that's the problem when corporations take over.

U2's "Vertigo" is an excellent example of U2 using their song to promote a product and themselves. Having a U2-themed iPod also helped.

U2's Vertigo commercial was the perfect timing - cool commercial, cool song, cool format - everything was hip and the song rocked. But it did not work a second time when U2 tried to use "Crazy" with Blackberry. The song, like the product, seemed "wrong".

For a commercial song to work, it has to match the product well. Car commercials often do the trick of matching music with the product. While I'm not sure U2 should sell out for a car commercial, if it's that or nothing, then go for it. Still, it sure would be nice to have U2 with the current hip product - like the next big Apple (U2 can always "make up" with them) or Android or whatever - item. Apple is talking about a wrist-product. That would be hip - can U2 work with that?
 
U2 should just release their first single to GLEE. Have some of the cast sing it, than the young tweens will hunt for the real song. Thats pretty much how We Are Young took off, same with Its Time by Imagine Dragons. Got big on GLEE than the original took off.
 
doctorwho said:
"The Fly" was a fairly short-lived lead single. By that, I mean U2 didn't rest AB on how successful "The Fly" was. The purpose of "The Fly" was to show the world the "new" U2. U2 then rather quickly followed up by releasing the far more radio-friendly "Mysterious Ways" as arguably the "true" lead single for AB.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

Which is what they need to do again.
It's irrelevant whether it's all guitars or doesn't have a lick of guitar in it.
 
digitize said:
I disagree. Did Somebody That I Used To Know (much as I detest the song) get popular because of a commercial? What about We Are Young, or Some Nights? Or I Will Wait? Or The A Team? These are all alternative hits that, while not necessarily doing well on Billboard's Top 40 chart, were nonetheless very popular amongst actual people. And I think that such a hit is definitely within reach for U2, honestly. A few years ago, I wouldn't have said that, but the music market (at least in the United States) appears to my eyes to be changing. What is on the charts isn't actually what is popular, and I don't think that commercials generate what is popular either.
Click to expand...

The Gotye song got popular because of the video going viral, IMO.

But do you really think that one of the biggest and most prominent musical acts in the world can correlate to artists that practically had no exposure?

U2 can do whatever they want. They can put out a song w/o a video, it can be Bono A cappella, whatever, people will take notice because it is U2 and they will make note if it is good or at least interesting.

but DW got to the heart of my previous point. U2 put out The Fly as if they couldn't care less about its chart performance. They just wanted to announce to the world that 'we're not the U2 you knew anymore'.

It's a risk. And it should be.
U2 need to behave as if they are a girl playing hard to get.
 
BEAL said:
Does anyone even listen to the radio anymore? U2 should know that the market has changed. Release your best song, have some clever marketing (not just doing late night shows) like the iPod commercial.


Lets face it, in order for U2 to be heard, they gonna have to do commercials. Selling out just doesn't matter anymore.
Click to expand...

digitize said:
I disagree. Did Somebody That I Used To Know (much as I detest the song) get popular because of a commercial? What about We Are Young, or Some Nights? Or I Will Wait? Or The A Team? These are all alternative hits that, while not necessarily doing well on Billboard's Top 40 chart, were nonetheless very popular amongst actual people. .
Click to expand...

I agree with you, Digitize. :up:

I listen to the radio all the time when I'm driving. A few years ago while driving to work I turned on an "alternative" radio station and heard this amazing song that made such an impression on me that when I got back to my computer I had to go the radio station website to view last songs played to find out the song title. It turned out to be Rolling In the Deep by Adele months before it became a monster hit. After I heard that song I knew it had everything to be a hit and it sounded like nothing else that was on the radio at the time. My point being--Never underestimate the power of a great song. I don't think U2 need to sellout or become a commercial in order to remain relevant. That's not why I got into the band. I wouldn't want the band to 'sell out' because it would mean their heart's not in it. I just want for them to release a great song/album and for them to remain true what made/makes them a great band in the first place!
 
U2DMfan said:
if it is good or at least interesting.
Click to expand...


U2DMfan said:
if it is good or at least interesting.
Click to expand...

U2DMfan said:
if it is good or at least interesting.
Click to expand...

U2DMfan said:
if it is good or at least interesting.
Click to expand...

U2DMfan said:
if it is good or at least interesting.
Click to expand...

U2DMfan said:
if it is good or at least interesting.
Click to expand...

.


Ps the Goyte video went viral because talented musicians thought it was good or at least interesting, and so covered it.
 
The fact that the Goatyay song was so popular is evidence to me that God needs to smite all of humanity from the globe.
 
Just get Adam naked for the lead single, and have him sing some shit about his benders in the early '90s and his midnight trysts with supermodels.

But in ballad form.
 
They should release a ballad as a first single, but after a week two or three new singles should be released. I remember MWays released only a week after the Fly. It worked perfectly. So throw a bunch of singles in the airwaves with videos, so the album will be recognized by a lot of people.
 
I think the popularity of the Gotye song shows that people want to hear something different. And I couldn't believe that I was hearing banjos on the radio the first time I heard Mumford and Sons on there a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully the new U2 single sounds very different and isn't just another rehashed Vertigo. It needs to grab people's attention and make them ask, "What band is this?"
 
nielsgov said:
Come on, that's a good song.
Click to expand...

If we were doing a rate the song series with Somebody That I Used To Know, I'd give it a 0/10 on artistic merits alone. If I were to factor in my distaste for its universal acclaim, I would have to plunge into the negatives.

Rachel D. said:
I think the popularity of the Gotye song shows that people want to hear something different. And I couldn't believe that I was hearing banjos on the radio the first time I heard Mumford and Sons on there a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully the new U2 single sounds very different and isn't just another rehashed Vertigo. It needs to grab people's attention and make them ask, "What band is this?"
Click to expand...

I do agree with that.
 
doctorwho said:
"The Fly" was a fairly short-lived lead single. By that, I mean U2 didn't rest AB on how successful "The Fly" was. The purpose of "The Fly" was to show the world the "new" U2. U2 then rather quickly followed up by releasing the far more radio-friendly "Mysterious Ways" as arguably the "true" lead single for AB.

Substituting MW in for "The Fly" and all lead singles, from the 80's to present, are perhaps the catchiest radio-friendly songs on the album (with the possible exception of "Numb").

Almost all are rockers, with the possible exception of WOWY. However, even that song is a harder rocking song than say a true U2 slow ballad, like "Stay" or "Sometimes...".

Most of the lead singles have a universal tone to them. One can readily relate to a sacrifice of a hero ("Pride") or a torn-love (WOWY) or the acceptance of how glorious life is even during troubling times (BD). These songs really helped propel their respective albums.

The songs that audiences found more difficult to accept, namely "Discotheque" and GOYB, ultimately floundered even if they enjoyed some chart success. As a result, the albums suffered.

Therefore, the goal isn't to release a rocker or a ballad. The goal is to release a strong single that does not alienate U2's audience. If that song happens to be more of a "power ballad", so be it.

The real questions now are:
(1) can U2 create another great lead single?
(2) will U2 recognize that song as the lead single?



Sadly, commercials have become a way for many artists to promote their work. People still listen to the radio quite a bit. What's changed is the format. Current "hit song" radio allows almost no room for a new artist. As a result, as early as 1999/2000 or so, established artists like Sting, had to rely on commercials to promote their music. "Desert Rose" did not become a hit until AFTER it was played in a commercial. The success of that song created a 3x Platinum album. Odd how radio was ready to dismiss it, no? But that's the problem when corporations take over.

U2's "Vertigo" is an excellent example of U2 using their song to promote a product and themselves. Having a U2-themed iPod also helped.

U2's Vertigo commercial was the perfect timing - cool commercial, cool song, cool format - everything was hip and the song rocked. But it did not work a second time when U2 tried to use "Crazy" with Blackberry. The song, like the product, seemed "wrong".

For a commercial song to work, it has to match the product well. Car commercials often do the trick of matching music with the product. While I'm not sure U2 should sell out for a car commercial, if it's that or nothing, then go for it. Still, it sure would be nice to have U2 with the current hip product - like the next big Apple (U2 can always "make up" with them) or Android or whatever - item. Apple is talking about a wrist-product. That would be hip - can U2 work with that?
Click to expand...

We all know the purpose of The Fly. Would MW not announce the arrival of "new U2" just as much ? :shrug:

As for the Ipod ad - maybe it had a role in US. But Vertigo was a huge hit all over the world, with or without the commercial. U2 captured and responded to the rise of rock bands in the early 00's perfectly. As we saw a few years later, commercial sure didn't help Crazy...I don't think they need a commercial for a hit.

1) We'll see. I think Vertigo was their last worldwide hit, and more importantly for them, the last US hit.
2) They did so for most part of their career.

But there is also this

3) being past 50, what are the odds radio and audience outside of U2 fans caring for a new single ? NLOTH had three chances with three singles.
 
U2girl said:
We all know the purpose of The Fly. Would MW not announce the arrival of "new U2" just as much ? :shrug:
Click to expand...

No. Bear in mind, The Fly tied in with ZooTV as well. The song embodied the media overload the band sought to highlight. This could not be accomplished with a groovy track like MW.
 
LemonMelon said:
No. Bear in mind, The Fly tied in with ZooTV as well. The song embodied the media overload the band sought to highlight. This could not be accomplished with a groovy track like MW.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Mysterious Ways is a great song but other than the groovy guitar and heavier bass sounds it's a fairly traditionally structured and sounding song. The Fly on the other hand did sound like it came from another planet, in 91 at least. In an age of grunge guitar bands U2 managed to sound far more alternative than any of them.
 
Somebody That I Used To Know is a great tune, overplayed or not. :shrug:

Mumford and Sons, however, deserve to be fired into the sun. Fucking horrendous. Every song sounds the same.

Or,

leIDA.gif
 
Mumford and Sons are meh/ok-ish, but the singer just doesn't have "the voice", not like old-school Waterboys anyway - in fact, they don't even come close to that kind of proper folky-style greatness!
 
cobl04 said:
Somebody That I Used To Know is a great tune, overplayed or not. :shrug:

Mumford and Sons, however, deserve to be fired into the sun. Fucking horrendous. Every song sounds the same.

Or,
Click to expand...

I detest both STIUTK and Mumford and Sons.
 
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