Songs of Surrender - Discussion, reviews, impressions

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It's far from my favorite passage of music from them, but I take that line to be Bono's near-death-inspired words of wisdom.. presumably speaking to his children, or to humanity as a whole.. a sort of "fuck the artifice/judgment/fear, and live as your whole self"



earlier he says "In your eyes alone I see the lights of home" before ending with "If only you could see yourself, If only you could see" which seems to lend itself to my half-baked interpretation



Deliberate callback to Iris
 
And the line "In your eyes alone I see the lights of home", I thought, was a call back to I Will Follow's: "Your eyes make a circle, I see you when I go in there".

Bono's often said that his home just became a house after his mother died, and now on the verge of his own death he might finally be "home" again.
 
U2’s ‘Songs Of Surrender’ Becomes Band’s 11th UK No.1 Album, First Since 2009
The new release outsells the competition more than two to one.

"As a side benefit of the new success of Songs of Surrender, the Irish band’s 2006 greatest hits collection U218 Singles jumps back into the chart at No.38, its 70th week in the Top 100 and highest ranking since it held the same position in September 2009."

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/u2-songs-of-surrender-11th-uk-no-1-album/
 
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so i really like invisible on the album... but i like this version a little better, as the pace is a tad quicker. plus glen hansard, i mean come on



SO glad they released this, wow! Was transfixed during the doc… I think the essence of the song really comes through in this (and the SOS) version. What an underrated gem. Glad it’s getting some extra love.

Edit: Dang still has the cutaway to the pub. But still great.
 
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I’m already creating a “what if” album combining what I feel are the best songs from innocence/experience and replacing some versions with the surrender versions. Especially the Lights of Home Surrender version, which is so good.
 
I’m already creating a “what if” album combining what I feel are the best songs from innocence/experience and replacing some versions with the surrender versions. Especially the Lights of Home Surrender version, which is so good.

I'm trying to think of how to approach the "what if" album. Just from following this thread, there's a wealth of stripped down format songs done over the years and I think it'd be great to use SOS and all the random versions throughout their history to create one 40-song mega-mix.

Related note: Always thought acoustic Yahweh kicked the crap out of the album version.
 
Been listening to the 40 track vinyl while doing my taxes tonight... volume cranked and singing away haha, it really is a fun collection. So many songs that I find myself enjoying the alternate takes or subdued energy, but still remembering how great the core of the song is. Which I guess is the point.

The only major dud is GOOYOW... that is a hard listen lol. But otherwise, lots to like. I continue to think this thing will age super well.
 
It is a form of surrender, if you think about it.
alonzo-mourning-gary-payton.gif
 
Anyone gets the version with actual credits to these songs? I want to know what songs Edge gets credit for singing and how Larry and Adam are listed... are they just the old original credits... or just a blanket credit like "by U2."
 
Larry has credits on a few tracks for drums and percussion. A single credit for piano on “One”.

He’s credited on all tracks for eye rolls and grumbles.
 
While I wouldn't blame you for this feeling after listening to bits of the first few, I think there are some that just need to be heard. I would say that Stories for Boys, 11 O'Clock, and Bad would be a good place to start. Stay and Dirty Day are both excellent. And if you still think meh, then wait for the new stuff.
last night i listened to the tracks you recommended, plus a few others i was interested in.

i'll keep waiting for new stuff.

:|
 
Larry has credits on a few tracks for drums and percussion. A single credit for piano on “One”.

He’s credited on all tracks for eye rolls and grumbles.


I was expecting to see Chopin credited for the piano on One, but no, it was just Larry.
 
Been listening to the 40 track vinyl while doing my taxes tonight... volume cranked and singing away haha, it really is a fun collection. So many songs that I find myself enjoying the alternate takes or subdued energy, but still remembering how great the core of the song is. Which I guess is the point.

The only major dud is GOOYOW... that is a hard listen lol. But otherwise, lots to like. I continue to think this thing will age super well.
GOYOW is just a fun throwaway song,love the loosnise of it.
 
GOYOW is just a fun throwaway song,love the loosnise of it.

The idea they had with it is perfectly good, they just didn't try very hard at it, it feels like. It's still not as bad as what they did to the chorus of The Miracle, which is a shame because otherwise I really like the arrangement of it.
 
The idea they had with it is perfectly good, they just didn't try very hard at it, it feels like. It's still not as bad as what they did to the chorus of The Miracle, which is a shame because otherwise I really like the arrangement of it.



If anything they tried too hard.
 
https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/broken-record/the-edge#play

Just finished, Edge as excellent as usual and no questions/mention about Rubin’s earlier unreleased sessions with U2 which was surprising, who knows, perhaps being saved for some type of inclusion in a box set down the road.

I really enjoyed the podcast and I thought the pair of them sounded like very similar characters by how they spoke and articulated the thoughtful questions and answers.

Was Rubin not frustrated with the lack of finished/tangible songs when they worked together - i.e. they were still largely in that mode of having snippets of ideas and working on them as a band to see where they went? Or have I misremembered that?

That approach within the band has obviously changed to the point where it's now the opposite of that, so could it be they could work together in the future? Or has that ship sailed?

So many questions.
 
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