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The Top 11 Greatest U2 Songs
Ed. Note: U2 also features into UnderGroundOnline's list of The Top 11 Songs About God.
Feature by Christian Hoopes, Contributing Editor
U2 has remained one of the most important and most popular bands on the planet going on three decades now, though they've technically only been really popular for about two. Still, they've existed for three, and that's what really matters.
Their style has changed over the years, sometimes dramatically, sometimes not. Fans didn't always know what to make of this group that would pose for artistic black and white pictures in the desert one day and dress up like the devil the next. Certainly, they've had a habit of keeping you on your toes.
Everyone has a favorite U2 song, however, and there is some consensus as to which are the best. The following list certainly includes many of these, but throws in a few curve balls you might not have expected. Just keep an open mind, and if you're Apple Computers founder Steve Jobs: I know U2 is your favorite current band - please don't pay to have me killed if you disagree with this list.
11. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
U2 may have written hundreds of songs, but did no one ever teach them you should never end a sentence with a preposition? Granted, "Stuck in a Moment in of Which You Can't Get Out" doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but at least the grammar nerds among us will sleep well at night. And if they're listening to this song, they'll have something soothing to drift off to...er, that is, they'll have something soothing to which they can offly - OK, never mind. The point is the band did an excellent job on a song that easily could have been filler on its album. The progressive tune unfolds like a winding road, and the casual melody is engaging but subtle. The message? Get out of your ruts! There's something about the cadence of "You've got to get yourself together" that feels as playful as arranging building blocks. It's a symmetrical melody, very measured. Though fans liked it fine, I still consider this one of their most underrated songs - just beneath the surface it's surprisingly well built.
10. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Many fans would prefer to forget this tune ever existed, including some of my UGO co-workers. I was threatened with a serious hazing if I was to include this song on this list, to which I replied that I would retaliate with an entire month of Neil Diamond lists, at which point we reached an unsteady truce. On one hand, I can see their point: Really, how stupid do you have to be to hitch your wagon to Batman Forever? It's the musical equivalent of Johnny Depp making a movie with Carrot Top. Still, give me U2 back when Bono was dressing like the devil, making prank calls to Clinton, and borderline feeling up women he'd invite on stage. It was his Fat Elvis phase, and it totally ruled. As did this song, which has that great trippy synth underscoring the crisp beat, especially evidenced in the "They want you to be Jesus" segment. The song is chock-full of memorable lines, such as "You're turning tricks with your crucifix," and it seeps with overflowing energy like a radioactive pinball machine. And if this isn't enough for you, remember at the very least the song was the only part of Batman Forever that didn't make you want to throw yourself under a train. Thank you, U2!
9. With or Without You
U2 was known in the '80s as a political and bombastic band, tackling big issues with big sound in songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday." But with The Joshua Tree, Bono and the boys made a more personal statement, and "With or Without You" was the album's dark, romantic center. Instead of political issues, the song explores the old saying, "Women: Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em," except with a lot more poetry, emotion and passion. Building from a quiet beginning to a swirling crescendo (remember Bono swinging his guitar around in the video?), "With or Without You" pulls at the heartstrings while reminding you of every unhealthy, codependent relationship you ever had. Or maybe that's just me.
8. Even Better than the Real Thing
U2 inaugurated the '90s with this upbeat and just basically all-around cool send-up of Big Media and commercial culture. From the tongue-in-cheek irony of the title to the flashy video, in which the band members were falling in perpetual flips off a building, everything about the experience was instantly memorable. But more than just being entertaining, the song heralds just about the first real time in their career that U2 appeared to be having fun, or at least not taking themselves so seriously. The '80s were fertile years for them, creatively, but it was rare to see the group let their hair down, much less to the point that they'd go take a leap off a building in one of their videos. Were they still making a statement? Sure: Mass-marketing has made everything plastic and they don't make 'em like they used to and so on. But sugar always goes down easier than medicine, and with this song and its accompanying album, U2 learned that it's possible to have fun and remain respected and relevant, too.
7. Zooropa
As the follow-up to U2's celebrated Achtung Baby, Zooropa might be the band's most underrated album; fans were still smarting from the fact that the band hadn't yet learned their lesson and returned to writing slow, ponderous, make-out songs rather than experimental electronica. The title track was unlike anything the band had heretofore attempted, bookended as it was with bizarre radio transmissions and disembodied whispering, barely able to contain all its moody glory. Once the vocals kicked in, we found ourselves in a spaced out trance as the beat churned forward with mechanical precision and Bono spoke in German phrases. Finally, the beast was uncaged and the song exploded with a pulsating melody, exultant in its realization of the lengthy lead-in. They've never quite sounded like this, either before or after.
6. Where the Streets Have No Name
Few songs can elicit the description "a driving beat" like "Where the Streets Have No Name." When the song gets going, it feels like you're on a horse headed 100 miles an hour into the sunset, and there's nothing that can stop it. The song has various meanings, some of them a little more abstract than others, but it ultimately feels much more like an advance than a retreat, the lyrics about the anonymous streets and the implication of escape to a simpler existence notwithstanding. The song was even flexible enough that the Pet Shop Boys were successfully able to merge it with the crooner classic "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and pay off the tune's constant build-up with an explosive "I love you, baby, and if it's quite alright..." chorus. But credit the original for crafting the sturdy legs on which it stands in the first place.
5. Numb
Some think of "Numb" as a pretentious attempt at weirdness for weirdness' sake. I could be wrong, but I see it as the band's experimental apex, made even more important considering where they'd come from. Such an unusual song might not be much of a stretch for The Flaming Lips or even Depeche Mode on a really good day, but this is a band that started out singing Irish garage rock and made a major career out of it. To do such a 180 at the then-height of their fame was one of rock history's gutsier moves, more so to not even let your lead singer sing the dang thing but instead the Mike Nesmith-esque Dave "The Edge" Evans. The song is mumbled but hypnotically-timed Orwellian chanting ("Don't think, don't worry, everything is just fine. Just fine...") coupled with Bono's occasional distant recitation "I feel numb...too much is not enough." If it feels strange, it's because it is, kind of like learning that your grandpa competes in break dancing tournaments on the weekends. This is U2?
4. The Fly
Tellingly, U2's first release off of Achtung Baby was the bohemian masterpiece "The Fly," which was about as far from their Joshua Tree personae as you could get. Sure, the band had demonstrated progression over the course of their career, but nothing up to this point had suggested they had anything remotely like this in their blood, and their insistence on leading with one of the most stylistically divergent songs on the album instead of something familiar such as "One" was a jolt few pre-Achtung fans will forget. Dark and brooding, the song paints a mysterious picture as the guitar riff keeps hammering away and Bono is dropping wacked-out Irish verse like he's at some kind of underground Lucky Charms Def Jam poetry slam. It all gives way to the engaging chorus, which features some dueling vocals from the Edge and Bono in which the former is uniquely identified in the lyric book as "Gospel voice" and the latter as "Low voice." Unusual? Yes. Brilliant? Hell yes.
3. Beautiful Day
All that You Can't Leave Behind was something of a comeback record for U2, a return to the anthemic rock form that had made them huge and away from the electronica experimentation and irony that had made them annoying. "Beautiful Day" is the herald of this bright, new era in the history of the band, its soaring chorus a clarion call to everybody who thought U2 had forgotten how to write a great rock song...or something. What's more, it's an unabashedly sentimental song, with none of the snarkiness that had characterized the band on its previous few efforts. I mean, seriously: "It's a beautiful day / Don't let it get away?" It doesn't get much simpler and more heartfelt than that, but with the band in fine musical form and Bono belting out the words over a sky-high backing vocal, it's totally exhilarating. Tack on some signature Edge guitar work and you have one of the best tunes of the new millennium and resounding proof that U2 hadn't completely lost their marbles in the late '90s.
2. Pride (In the Name of Love)
U2's ode to Martin Luther King, Jr. remains one of rock's finest moments two decades after its release. Straightforward but featuring the anthemic "woah woah-oh-oh" Edge countermelody in the background, the song doesn't have to bend itself into creative pretzels to come off as a sincere and effective ode to a man and his dream. The band even manages in the song to handle the sad occurrence of King's assassination with dignity, appropriately noting the fact that a bullet could take his life but never his ideas. Stylish, relevant, and competently executed, modern rock doesn't get purer than this.
1. Sunday Bloody Sunday
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is 'not a rebel song,' as Bono once said, but one thing's for certain: It's not a pacifist's song either. Equal parts a call to arms and a heartfelt expression of shock, anger, and sadness over the event that inspired it (1972's "Bloody Sunday" incident, in which Irish demonstrators were shot by the British Parachute Regiment), the song is nevertheless 'bloody' good. I mean, come on - it's got a great melody, has that terrific military drum cadence, it's got all the perfect elements to be the quintessential anthem. Should we feel guilty for enjoying such a memorable song in light of its serious subject matter? U2 doesn't, or they wouldn't play it so much. At the very least, though, take some time to learn about the song's meaning before you go rocking out.
--UnderGroundOnline
Ed. Note: U2 also features into UnderGroundOnline's list of The Top 11 Songs About God.
Feature by Christian Hoopes, Contributing Editor
U2 has remained one of the most important and most popular bands on the planet going on three decades now, though they've technically only been really popular for about two. Still, they've existed for three, and that's what really matters.
Their style has changed over the years, sometimes dramatically, sometimes not. Fans didn't always know what to make of this group that would pose for artistic black and white pictures in the desert one day and dress up like the devil the next. Certainly, they've had a habit of keeping you on your toes.
Everyone has a favorite U2 song, however, and there is some consensus as to which are the best. The following list certainly includes many of these, but throws in a few curve balls you might not have expected. Just keep an open mind, and if you're Apple Computers founder Steve Jobs: I know U2 is your favorite current band - please don't pay to have me killed if you disagree with this list.
11. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
U2 may have written hundreds of songs, but did no one ever teach them you should never end a sentence with a preposition? Granted, "Stuck in a Moment in of Which You Can't Get Out" doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but at least the grammar nerds among us will sleep well at night. And if they're listening to this song, they'll have something soothing to drift off to...er, that is, they'll have something soothing to which they can offly - OK, never mind. The point is the band did an excellent job on a song that easily could have been filler on its album. The progressive tune unfolds like a winding road, and the casual melody is engaging but subtle. The message? Get out of your ruts! There's something about the cadence of "You've got to get yourself together" that feels as playful as arranging building blocks. It's a symmetrical melody, very measured. Though fans liked it fine, I still consider this one of their most underrated songs - just beneath the surface it's surprisingly well built.
10. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Many fans would prefer to forget this tune ever existed, including some of my UGO co-workers. I was threatened with a serious hazing if I was to include this song on this list, to which I replied that I would retaliate with an entire month of Neil Diamond lists, at which point we reached an unsteady truce. On one hand, I can see their point: Really, how stupid do you have to be to hitch your wagon to Batman Forever? It's the musical equivalent of Johnny Depp making a movie with Carrot Top. Still, give me U2 back when Bono was dressing like the devil, making prank calls to Clinton, and borderline feeling up women he'd invite on stage. It was his Fat Elvis phase, and it totally ruled. As did this song, which has that great trippy synth underscoring the crisp beat, especially evidenced in the "They want you to be Jesus" segment. The song is chock-full of memorable lines, such as "You're turning tricks with your crucifix," and it seeps with overflowing energy like a radioactive pinball machine. And if this isn't enough for you, remember at the very least the song was the only part of Batman Forever that didn't make you want to throw yourself under a train. Thank you, U2!
9. With or Without You
U2 was known in the '80s as a political and bombastic band, tackling big issues with big sound in songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday." But with The Joshua Tree, Bono and the boys made a more personal statement, and "With or Without You" was the album's dark, romantic center. Instead of political issues, the song explores the old saying, "Women: Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em," except with a lot more poetry, emotion and passion. Building from a quiet beginning to a swirling crescendo (remember Bono swinging his guitar around in the video?), "With or Without You" pulls at the heartstrings while reminding you of every unhealthy, codependent relationship you ever had. Or maybe that's just me.
8. Even Better than the Real Thing
U2 inaugurated the '90s with this upbeat and just basically all-around cool send-up of Big Media and commercial culture. From the tongue-in-cheek irony of the title to the flashy video, in which the band members were falling in perpetual flips off a building, everything about the experience was instantly memorable. But more than just being entertaining, the song heralds just about the first real time in their career that U2 appeared to be having fun, or at least not taking themselves so seriously. The '80s were fertile years for them, creatively, but it was rare to see the group let their hair down, much less to the point that they'd go take a leap off a building in one of their videos. Were they still making a statement? Sure: Mass-marketing has made everything plastic and they don't make 'em like they used to and so on. But sugar always goes down easier than medicine, and with this song and its accompanying album, U2 learned that it's possible to have fun and remain respected and relevant, too.
7. Zooropa
As the follow-up to U2's celebrated Achtung Baby, Zooropa might be the band's most underrated album; fans were still smarting from the fact that the band hadn't yet learned their lesson and returned to writing slow, ponderous, make-out songs rather than experimental electronica. The title track was unlike anything the band had heretofore attempted, bookended as it was with bizarre radio transmissions and disembodied whispering, barely able to contain all its moody glory. Once the vocals kicked in, we found ourselves in a spaced out trance as the beat churned forward with mechanical precision and Bono spoke in German phrases. Finally, the beast was uncaged and the song exploded with a pulsating melody, exultant in its realization of the lengthy lead-in. They've never quite sounded like this, either before or after.
6. Where the Streets Have No Name
Few songs can elicit the description "a driving beat" like "Where the Streets Have No Name." When the song gets going, it feels like you're on a horse headed 100 miles an hour into the sunset, and there's nothing that can stop it. The song has various meanings, some of them a little more abstract than others, but it ultimately feels much more like an advance than a retreat, the lyrics about the anonymous streets and the implication of escape to a simpler existence notwithstanding. The song was even flexible enough that the Pet Shop Boys were successfully able to merge it with the crooner classic "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and pay off the tune's constant build-up with an explosive "I love you, baby, and if it's quite alright..." chorus. But credit the original for crafting the sturdy legs on which it stands in the first place.
5. Numb
Some think of "Numb" as a pretentious attempt at weirdness for weirdness' sake. I could be wrong, but I see it as the band's experimental apex, made even more important considering where they'd come from. Such an unusual song might not be much of a stretch for The Flaming Lips or even Depeche Mode on a really good day, but this is a band that started out singing Irish garage rock and made a major career out of it. To do such a 180 at the then-height of their fame was one of rock history's gutsier moves, more so to not even let your lead singer sing the dang thing but instead the Mike Nesmith-esque Dave "The Edge" Evans. The song is mumbled but hypnotically-timed Orwellian chanting ("Don't think, don't worry, everything is just fine. Just fine...") coupled with Bono's occasional distant recitation "I feel numb...too much is not enough." If it feels strange, it's because it is, kind of like learning that your grandpa competes in break dancing tournaments on the weekends. This is U2?
4. The Fly
Tellingly, U2's first release off of Achtung Baby was the bohemian masterpiece "The Fly," which was about as far from their Joshua Tree personae as you could get. Sure, the band had demonstrated progression over the course of their career, but nothing up to this point had suggested they had anything remotely like this in their blood, and their insistence on leading with one of the most stylistically divergent songs on the album instead of something familiar such as "One" was a jolt few pre-Achtung fans will forget. Dark and brooding, the song paints a mysterious picture as the guitar riff keeps hammering away and Bono is dropping wacked-out Irish verse like he's at some kind of underground Lucky Charms Def Jam poetry slam. It all gives way to the engaging chorus, which features some dueling vocals from the Edge and Bono in which the former is uniquely identified in the lyric book as "Gospel voice" and the latter as "Low voice." Unusual? Yes. Brilliant? Hell yes.
3. Beautiful Day
All that You Can't Leave Behind was something of a comeback record for U2, a return to the anthemic rock form that had made them huge and away from the electronica experimentation and irony that had made them annoying. "Beautiful Day" is the herald of this bright, new era in the history of the band, its soaring chorus a clarion call to everybody who thought U2 had forgotten how to write a great rock song...or something. What's more, it's an unabashedly sentimental song, with none of the snarkiness that had characterized the band on its previous few efforts. I mean, seriously: "It's a beautiful day / Don't let it get away?" It doesn't get much simpler and more heartfelt than that, but with the band in fine musical form and Bono belting out the words over a sky-high backing vocal, it's totally exhilarating. Tack on some signature Edge guitar work and you have one of the best tunes of the new millennium and resounding proof that U2 hadn't completely lost their marbles in the late '90s.
2. Pride (In the Name of Love)
U2's ode to Martin Luther King, Jr. remains one of rock's finest moments two decades after its release. Straightforward but featuring the anthemic "woah woah-oh-oh" Edge countermelody in the background, the song doesn't have to bend itself into creative pretzels to come off as a sincere and effective ode to a man and his dream. The band even manages in the song to handle the sad occurrence of King's assassination with dignity, appropriately noting the fact that a bullet could take his life but never his ideas. Stylish, relevant, and competently executed, modern rock doesn't get purer than this.
1. Sunday Bloody Sunday
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is 'not a rebel song,' as Bono once said, but one thing's for certain: It's not a pacifist's song either. Equal parts a call to arms and a heartfelt expression of shock, anger, and sadness over the event that inspired it (1972's "Bloody Sunday" incident, in which Irish demonstrators were shot by the British Parachute Regiment), the song is nevertheless 'bloody' good. I mean, come on - it's got a great melody, has that terrific military drum cadence, it's got all the perfect elements to be the quintessential anthem. Should we feel guilty for enjoying such a memorable song in light of its serious subject matter? U2 doesn't, or they wouldn't play it so much. At the very least, though, take some time to learn about the song's meaning before you go rocking out.
--UnderGroundOnline
I guess we're all gonna disagree somewhere.
. Stay, One, Running To Stand Still or I Still Haven't Found are far better
