I agree with everything you said about what the "job" of a single is, and BD accomplished it with ATYCLB just as Vertigo has done it for HTDAAB. Green Day has shown, however, just how much of a difference it can make to have at smash hit(s) that reaches #1 on the BB Hot 100 and the Global Chart. Vertigo can be classified as a worldwide smash hit, as it was at #2 on the Global chart for 4-5 weeks and is still in the Top 50-60 on the BB Pop 100. ABOY did OK on a few formats, but I doubt it helped sell too many more records. I would say it was a modest hit.
Sometimes is just as good of a ballad as Green Day's Boulevard. It can also be classified as a worldwide hit, as it hit the Top 10 on the Global chart before it was being played that much in the U.S. Here is where I do think Paul M. could have played his cards better. I probably hit on 40 different country websites today, looking at music charts around the world. Vertigo is holding up in many places similar to how it has held on in the U.S. Sometimes is on a freefall in some countries, but it's also had a slight bounce in others, which may be due to the recent rise in Airplay in North and South America. It's the number 1 song in Argentina, for example, so the song's rise on the world chart has more to do with it's rise in just N.A.
What should have happened, though, is a common release date worldwide for the song, moderate promotion, and the song could have easily peaked at the top of the Global Charts and done at least as well as Vertigo. I have no idea why there was no single AT LEAST for download, with a few quality b-sides. What kind of cost is incurred in that? I don't think it's much, and like you said, they won't make money off of the single, but they sure could benefit from the publicity of a smash hit in terms of album sales.
This lack of a singles strategy bothers me, and yet Sometimes has taken off in a "grass roots" sort of way, which is pretty cool. However, I think it lends itself to confusion, as COBL continues to pick up airplay on certain formats, especially throughout the NE U.S. Most people know COBL is the next single, and radio seems to want to get a jump on things in certain areas. So, Sometimes is really competing with Vertigo, ABOY, and COBL right now in the U.S. for U2 airplay. Again, comparing to Green Day, it's been clear so for, at least to me, that they've released 3 singles worldwide off their new album, and they have done it simultaneously world-wide along with a decent video, promotion, and some download single promotion.
They milked American Idiot quite a bit, but as soon as it started sliding down the charts, Boulevard came out and went right to the top. Now, as Boulevard has peaked and is starting to fall, Holiday is right there with a new video and plenty of MTV/VH1 promotion. Combine that with their world tour, and they seem to be executing the perfect marketing strategy.
Both albums have plenty of potential in terms of additional singles. Both bands are on a world tour, but like someone else posted...U2 is making SO MUCH money off of the tour, maybe album sales don't matter too much to them anymore. HTDAAB will be a great seller even if they quit promoting it right now. While Green Day is having a successful album and singles run with American Idiot, no other band in the world has the tour power of U2, and that is what tips the scales and makes U2 the "best band in the world". At least that won't change in the next few years, as it looks like the tour may last well into 2006 and hit most parts of the world. As for album sales, they still have the tour effect, some level of hit single effect, and another BIG wildcard...HTDAAB will be up for Album of the Year at next year's grammies, w/o Green Day as competition. There may or may not be more deserving albums, but U2 has become the darling of the Grammy world, and they may just surpass the 7 grammies from ATYCLB with HTDAAB. Enough rambling on this subject...thanks for the information.
