The Little Things That Give You Away - Appreciation Thread

[ChurchBay]

As the weeks go by since this album was released my initial opinion that this could be the best U2 song released in the last couple of decades becomes solidified into certainty.

It doesn't do anything new for U2 - in my opinion it very much uses all the same navigational tool that takes them to their true heart - atmospheric, filtering musicianship, gloomy yet heartfelt all the while accompanied by a trickle of melancholy that becomes a flood when Edge really takes off about a minute or two before the end of the track.

It brings Songs of Experience into the aphotic zone and the pensive lyrics only serve to deepen the atmosphere further with it's very honest and personal reflection. It's no surprise that a lot of people have been able to relate to this song. It proves Bono's knack for taking his doubtful insecurities and laying them out so nakedly to the extent that it forces the listener to take the song to their heart.

And at heart that's who I believe Bono really is. To a lot of people out there they see him as a posturing, pompous blowhard (and he certainly presents himself that way...) but behind all that is a figure who harbors the many doubts, insecurities and worry that consumes many human souls out there. Songs like The Little Things allow us to hear that true voice of his and it's that honesty that has made U2 become the great band they are.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

@Church Bay

I enjoyed reading your post, you have such a way with words. Just perfectly stated.

 

[Catman]

Yeah, I wish I made that post--goodstuff, ChurchBay!

 

[Irvine511]

Bono once talked about how in songwriting you have to go into a basement and open your veins with a rusty knife.

He really does that here, and it still retains its emotional power a couple months later. “The end is not coming / The end is here” is as bleak and nearly nihilist a statement as they have ever made.

 

[ChurchBay]

@Church Bay

I enjoyed reading your post, you have such a way with words. Just perfectly stated.

Yeah, I wish I made that post--goodstuff, ChurchBay!

Why, thank you!

 

[super fly guy]

I used to think the line was "that any song would reappear",I think that's better!

 

[Montrose]

I used to think the line was "that any song would reappear",I think that's better!

I heard that at first too.

It fit well with how Bono used to talk about how, as they got better at the craftwork of songwriting, it was harder to capture the 'magic' that they used to unearth through jamming sessions. God was walking through the room less often, it seemed at one point, and I sensed some serious anxiety that would have been reflected well in this version of the lyric.

The other one I thought misheard at first, and still like to mis-hear intentionally, is:

"Sometime I wake at four in the morning
when all the doctors are swarming"

Which for me tied it into the whole near-death-experience angle, and how it impacted the writing of this album. Clearly not the lyric, but I had fun with it.

 

[super fly guy]

I heard that at first too.


"Sometime I wake at four in the morning
when all the doctors are swarming"

Which for me tied it into the whole near-death-experience angle, and how it impacted the writing of this album. Clearly not the lyric, but I had fun with it.

It would certainly fit in with the theme of the song.

 

[AtomicHorizon]

I used to think the line was "that any song would reappear",I think that's better!

I used to also think it was song. It works very well both ways. It is hard to go wrong with this song. Easily one of the best things the band has done!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

That they aren't promoting this song pisses me off more than anything else they've ever done

 

[womanfish]

That they aren't promoting this song pisses me off more than anything else they've ever done

So true.
Imagine them coming out with BBC style live performance of this at the Grammy's, actually on stage. It would have been one of those epic moments for them i think. Where so many people who have written them off as of late, would have seen this and been brought back to reality.

Runner up for better Grammy ideas would have been the orchestral/choir backing of Lights or Love is Bigger.

But no, they sang one of their most mediocre songs on barge.

 

[CosmoKramer]

This song is amazing.

 

[kiwilad]

So true.
Imagine them coming out with BBC style live performance of this at the Grammy's, actually on stage. It would have been one of those epic moments for them i think. Where so many people who have written them off as of late, would have seen this and been brought back to reality.

Runner up for better Grammy ideas would have been the orchestral/choir backing of Lights or Love is Bigger.

But no, they sang one of their most mediocre songs on barge.

Yep. Being a U2 fan these days is pretty much a combo of discovering huge opportunities and then grimacing while the band pisses all over them.

 

[RoKKeR]

Still one of the best songs they've written in the 2000's.

Damn, can you imagine if the lead single was Red Flag Day and then they hit us with this beast? SIGH.

 

[trevgreg]

So true.
Imagine them coming out with BBC style live performance of this at the Grammy's, actually on stage. It would have been one of those epic moments for them i think. Where so many people who have written them off as of late, would have seen this and been brought back to reality.

Runner up for better Grammy ideas would have been the orchestral/choir backing of Lights or Love is Bigger.

But no, they sang one of their most mediocre songs on barge.

Eh... I can't see it going much different either way. Love is Bigger might've been a tad long for the Grammys anyway... or had people criticize it for being cheesy. Lights doesn't exactly set the world on fire on an initial listen either.

GOOYOW at least has the G-A-D-Bm progression going for it (as does The Best Thing), which is naturally going to attract a few more ears to it.

 

[zoocarolina]

Hopefully they’ll have another chance to perform at the Grammys next year and just play a F off version of Little Things.

 

[Rachel D.]

When I first got into U2 in the Elevation era, they were the band that would do the opposite of what everyone else was doing. When other groups were going on TV and being trashy and shocking, U2 would come out and do something deep and profound that would reach beyond the garbage and really affect people. Now, it seems like they're just riding the wave and trying to blend in. (Not that they're being trashy.) A soul-shaking performance of a song like Little Things is the kind of emotional release that our crappy society needs right now, and is something that they could have done at the Grammys. That's what I grew to expect from U2 early on and they don't do things that way anymore. Do you know what I mean? I don't think I'm putting my feelings into words very well, but there you go.

 

[zoocarolina]

When I first got into U2 in the Elevation era, they were the band that would do the opposite of what everyone else was doing. When other groups were going on TV and being trashy and shocking, U2 would come out and do something deep and profound that would reach beyond the garbage and really affect people. Now, it seems like they're just riding the wave and trying to blend in. (Not that they're being trashy.) A soul-shaking performance of a song like Little Things is the kind of emotional release that our crappy society needs right now, and is something that they could have done at the Grammys. That's what I grew to expect from U2 early on and they don't do things that way anymore. Do you know what I mean? I don't think I'm putting my feelings into words very well, but there you go.

You’re spot on and hopefully they’ll get another crack at performing next year and do just that.

 

[derekkan]

Now, it seems like they're just riding the wave and trying to blend in.

You're right. "Bad" became a classic because of its live performance and clearly would have sounded rather strange on the radio. "The Little Things" is the new "Bad" and I like the dark lyrics although if you think too hard the lyrics seem almost ominous.

They do need to be braver and they have lost their tendency to challenge the status quo now. It happens to most of us (we get older) but if they could bring out their inner mojo they might be surprised.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

When I first got into U2 in the Elevation era, they were the band that would do the opposite of what everyone else was doing. When other groups were going on TV and being trashy and shocking, U2 would come out and do something deep and profound that would reach beyond the garbage and really affect people. Now, it seems like they're just riding the wave and trying to blend in. (Not that they're being trashy.) A soul-shaking performance of a song like Little Things is the kind of emotional release that our crappy society needs right now, and is something that they could have done at the Grammys. That's what I grew to expect from U2 early on and they don't do things that way anymore. Do you know what I mean? I don't think I'm putting my feelings into words very well, but there you go.

You've hit the nail on the head with this one... U2 have always been doing something a little different than the mainstream, and now they're trying to fit in amongst the mainstream with their single choices.

Mind you I'm only speaking of their musical direction - even at the height of ironic u2 and "we don't need the pop kids" u2, they were chasing the pop kids. They just did it differently.

 

[lazarus]

I agree with the sentiment. But I think suggesting Little Things is in the same league as Bad is a bit much. Maybe it's the closest they can get in their post-2000 guise, but still.

And I think Mercy comes closer anyway in terms of the band really going for it with that old school "transcendence" sound near the end of the track.

 

[kabigon]

Maybe Bono had the rough lyrics for Bad for months before it was recorded for the album, but the abstract sketch-like words are a big part of that transcendence. With Little Things, we knew some of the lyrics months in advance. It takes away the possibility of any last minute inspiration in the studio. It doesn't matter a lot, just that it can't help feeling calculated / less 'special' if we know too much about it before it's released.

 

[Catman]

You've hit the nail on the head with this one... U2 have always been doing something a little different than the mainstream, and now they're trying to fit in amongst the mainstream with their single choices.

I was gonna respond with something similar to this. While I feel that SoE, overall, is a quality record, the band seems to want to shape a narrative that's incongruous with the album. It's like they want to make a political statement (or, at least, Bono does), but that's not what the record is about. And because of this, unfortunately, U2 has chosen to highlight some of the more ho-hum album tracks in an attempt to get their message across, and at the expense of much more worthy, quality single material (still can't get over their song choices for the SNL performance).

 

[super fly guy]

I was gonna respond with something similar to this. While I feel that SoE, overall, is a quality record, the band seems to want to shape a narrative that's incongruous with the album. It's like they want to make a political statement (or, at least, Bono does), but that's not what the record is about. And because of this, unfortunately, U2 has chosen to highlight some of the more ho-hum album tracks in an attempt to get their message across, and at the expense of much more worthy, quality single material (still can't get over their song choices for the SNL performance).

It really is strange,while the best thing has grown on me a lot. There are far better songs on this album,yet they pick best thing as the first single. And as for GOOYOW,it's ok. Especially the last minute or so,it shouldn't have been the second single.

 

[beau99]

This should've been released as a single.

My favorite song by U2 in a long time. Probably my favorite song of theirs ever. I've found myself relating to the lyrics rather heavily. I like to sing as a fun hobby, nothing serious, and Little Things is one of the songs I keep wanting to play over and over again. The entire 'sometimes...' section is cathartic as hell to sing.

 

[CosmoKramer]

This should've been released as a single.



My favorite song by U2 in a long time. Probably my favorite song of theirs ever. I've found myself relating to the lyrics rather heavily. I like to sing as a fun hobby, nothing serious, and Little Things is one of the songs I keep wanting to play over and over again. The entire 'sometimes...' section is cathartic as hell to sing.

When I first heard it in YouTube, it was just “ok”. But I found myself always randomly singling the chorus and “sooomtimes”. When I heard the song in the album, it was just beautiful and I realized it was a “live” miss for U2 where the live version was a poor representation of the album cut.

Fantastic song and up there with their best!

 

[zoocarolina]

Little Things to me is gradual progression on Moment of Surrender which was really strong, I think it will go over much stronger live this year with the album version. It was great last year, but I don’t think people knew what to do with it and to me it is much more emotional now after the album version.

 

[super fly guy]

Astonished this song hasn't been pushed as a single,not just classic U2 but a classic song. And if it is released,please no butchered single edit!

 

[Catman]

Ehhh... despite my love for the song, it just doesn't scream "single" material to me (though still a better choice than either GOOYOW or AS). Lights of Home, Summer of Love, Red Flag Day... those are the tunes the band should be directing their marketing power behind ;D

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

It screams single in bright neon lights.

What, slower songs can't be singles anymore? Especially on adult formats, which is the only place they should be focusing?