shuttlecock XXIV: it's the little swings

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Grace is a whore.

 

[Hewson]

l. I went through a Wild Honey kick for a week. 2020, man.

Might want to seek some help.
Telehealth visits with mental health professionals are free with most insurance carriers during the pandemic.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Hee-son, your jokeometer during the last two weeks is like... broked.

 

[lazarus]

The reason I can't get on board with the Unknown Caller hate is because, while some (not all, because I think the verses are very good) of the lyrics are dubious, the music is at least great.

The actual worst ones are those that don't have much to offer lyrically or musically. Which is why Get Out is so terrible, it's a Beautiful Day wannabe that also is crammed with too many syllables and Bono's typical 2000s inspirational pap. Stand Up Comedy is this lame-ass attempt at RAWK while also featuring cringe-worthy self-deprecating lines, and the vocal just sucks in general.

1. Get Out
2. Stand Up Comedy
3. Cock Crazy ("haven't herrrrrd", cheesy as fuck solo)
4. Window in the Skies
5. Best Thing (mainly for that guitar breakdown part that is the nadir of Edge's career)

 

[LuckyNumber7]

The reason I can't get on board with the Unknown Caller hate is because, while some (not all, because I think the verses are very good) of the lyrics are dubious, the music is at least great.

I was genuinely surprised to come in here and see people shitting all over it. The cringiness over that line is valid, but I mean hey we all love Bono and his ATM machine in MOS...

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Unknown Caller is trash specifically because the music and lyrics are great. They had a masterpiece on their hands and then they wrote the chorus and shit all over it.

Unknown Caller before the chorus is on the left. Unknown Caller after the chorus is in the right.

 

[mikal]

Unknown Caller is trash specifically because the music and lyrics are great. They had a masterpiece on their hands and then they wrote the chorus and shit all over it.

Unknown Caller before the chorus is on the left. Unknown Caller after the chorus is in the right.

I heard they had an alternate rooting Android version that would have aged just as poorly.

Unlock Bootloader
Reboot to Recovery
Wipe Cache
Flash ROM

Ohhhhhhh Ohhhhhhh

 

[LemonMelon]

Unknown Caller is trash specifically because the music and lyrics are great. They had a masterpiece on their hands and then they wrote the chorus and shit all over it.

Unknown Caller before the chorus is on the left. Unknown Caller after the chorus is in the right.

Considering there are multiple songs on the last two albums with neither good lyrics nor good music, it's silly to trash Unknown Caller for having both but not sticking the landing. Always liked the song, I'll stand by it.

The stretch of Best Thing/Get Out/American Soul is even worse than the middle of NLOTH, only there's nothing nearly as good as that album's highs to bail it out.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Because something tried to be great and fell in a pile of shit doesn't make it better than something that tried to be hip and cool with the kids and was merely bland and forgettable.

As the kids say, agree to disagree

 

[mikal]

The stretch of Best Thing/Get Out/American Soul is even worse than the middle of NLOTH, only there's nothing nearly as good as that album's highs to bail it out.

Oooh I definitely can’t get on board with this. Not saying that stretch on SOE is a strong point but “Haven’t heard “ and SUC are probably the two lowest points of the bands career sandwiching a horrendous choice for a lead single.

 

[LemonMelon]

Crazy Tonight is a more effective pop song than Best Thing or Get Out and American Soul has many of the same problems as SUC, being a lame rocker with a stilted arrangement

Basically, I'm saying I agree with Cobbler. Which is a precarious position to be in, I know.

 

[Hewson]

Bottom 5 songs in no particular order:

Song For Someone
Grace
Get Out of Your Own Way
SUC (most appropriate acronym in the catalogue)
Peace on Earth

 

[mikal]

I’m surprised that The Refugee and Red Light aren’t getting more hate. Those are 2 pretty cringeworthy tracks that I think are forgiven because they’re on the War album.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Bottom 5 songs in no particular order:

Song For Someone
Grace
Get Out of Your Own Way
SUC (most appropriate acronym in the catalogue)
Peace on Earth

What, you don’t like GOOYOW??

 

[Hewson]

I’m surprised that The Refugee and Red Light aren’t getting more hate. Those are 2 pretty cringeworthy tracks that I think are forgiven because they’re on the War album.

Red Light is a masterpiece compared to Grace and SFS.
The Refugee isn't good, but its not bottom 5 material.

 

[DaveC]

I’m surprised that The Refugee and Red Light aren’t getting more hate. Those are 2 pretty cringeworthy tracks that I think are forgiven because they’re on the War album.

i like red light quite a bit once you get past the "da-da-da" intro.

the refugee doesn't fit in with the rest of the album it's on and i'll probably skip it if i'm listening to war all the way through, but it's not nigh-unlistenable like the NLOTH/SOE clunkers we've been talking about.

i'm also pleasantly surprised that nobody has mentioned miami yet. it gets a lot of undeserved hate from interference, though that may be more of a "the other place" opinion than a shuttlecock opinion.

 

[iron yuppie]

I’ve always liked Miami. That little drum and bass breakdown toward the middle is maybe the grooviest thing they’ve ever done.

 

[Hewson]

I have no issue with Miami (OK, maybe one, "My Mammy!"), its an average tune but as iyup said, has an interesting little groove to it.

 

[lazarus]

Crazy Tonight is a more effective pop song than Best Thing or Get Out and American Soul has many of the same problems as SUC, being a lame rocker with a stilted arrangement

I don't mind the music of American Soul much. You can't argue that beat and riff isn't a little more suited to the band than whatever bastardized bluesy Zeppelin shit they were trying on SUC. Also, while "refu-Jesus" is indeed awful, that whole "come all ye people" nonsense and the double-tracked "stop helping god across the road..." just put it over the top (or bottom, as it were) for me.

If we're looking at Cock Crazy in a vacuum, perhaps it's better pop, but because it was a late-hour addition to an album where it didn't fit sonically or lyrically, it gets bonus negative points for that. It's legitimately offensive because of where it is.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Crazy is a great song with a bad title.

If you replace Boots with it, NLOTH goes up in value.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The only album tracks that I actually refuse to listen to are Boots, Babyface, Unknown Caller and Grace.

Best Thing and Get Out only offend me as single choices, not as songs. American Soul www disappointing after hearing it as part of XXX first, but I'm not offended by it like some are here. But like the other two, it should not have been promoted.

I get where Crazy doesn't fit the album, but it's a harmless bubble gum pop song. Stand Up? Eh... I guess I normally skip it, too.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

The only album tracks that I actually refuse to listen to are Boots, Babyface, Unknown Caller and Grace.

Best Thing and Get Out only offend me as single choices, not as songs. American Soul www disappointing after hearing it as part of XXX first, but I'm not offended by it like some are here. But like the other two, it should not have been promoted.

I get where Crazy doesn't fit the album, but it's a harmless bubble gum pop song. Stand Up? Eh... I guess I normally skip it, too.

Babyface because it’s creepy or why?

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Also:

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Babyface because it’s creepy or why?

It's creepy as hell

 

[LuckyNumber7]

It's creepy as hell

Babyface, babyface
Hillary Clinton and I at that pizza place
Babyface, babyface
Slow down Bono don’t eat your whole plate
Mozzarella cheese all over my face
Tomato sauce, babyface

 

[Hewson]

The one place I differ with most here is Boots.
No question its a mish mash of several ideas Frankensteined together, and the "sexy boots" lines are mind numbingly dumb, but its at least got some energy, was pretty fun live.
Not a bottom 5 song, and I won't skip it.

 

[Hewson]

Slow down Bono don’t eat your whole plate

Not happening.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

The one place I differ with most here is Boots.
No question its a mish mash of several ideas Frankensteined together, and the "sexy boots" lines are mind numbingly dumb, but its at least got some energy, was pretty fun live.
Not a bottom 5 song, and I won't skip it.

I’ve learned to be okay with “sexy boots” but can’t get over the grotesque structure of wash rinse repeat of a really annoying “boots!” sound.

Also there’s no forgiving “yeah yeah yeah yeah!” Sorry, but it was just dying to be vertigo.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Boots sounds like an axtung bebi outtake. Some nice pieces... there's something there that could have been something cool - but ultimately that's all it is, a mishmosh of pieces that should never have seen the light of day.

 

[the tourist]

My bottom five, in no particular order:

Grace
Peace On Earth
Yahweh
Stand Up Comedy
Elvis Ate America (if that counts; The Hands That Built America if it doesn’t)