City Of Blinding Lights depriciation thread

[Bono's shades]

I remember when HTDAAB leaked and everyone was going ga-ga over this song. Then I heard it and I thought "Is THAT what everyone is so excited about?"

This song is U2 at its blandest, most generic and most forced. It sounds like their sole purpose for writing the thing was to have a new sing-a-long anthem for the upcoming tour.

 

[Aygo]

As long as it might seem to sometimes, I don't think U2 creates songs with this or that purposal and forcing the songs to this or that objective. It means that I don't believe that the band got at the point of "well, let's create a stadium anthem Streets-like that we can lend to tv commercials".
If the rumours are true - and I do believe in it - COBL has been around since the Pop era (perhaps in another form, we don't know how) and the thing evoluted to how we know it. Ok, maybe in the end they tried to put those elements to create the stadium atmosphere that characterizes it (and maybe that's why it sounds forced), but saying that it is cheesy, bland, forced and other adjectives... that happens when we don't get into a song just because we say that we don't like it (that's a feeling that's been seen here at the forum frequently, unfortunately)...

 

[ozeeko]

I remember when HTDAAB leaked and everyone was going ga-ga over this song. Then I heard it and I thought "Is THAT what everyone is so excited about?"

This song is U2 at its blandest, most generic and most forced. It sounds like their sole purpose for writing the thing was to have a new sing-a-long anthem for the upcoming tour.

Totally agree with that statement. It's like U2 wanted to record the "WTSHNN" for the 21st century. Failed miserably.

U2 in the 80's wrote great songs like "Streets" because it was part of their natural creative evolution. Then the stuff they came up with in the 90's was a result of their natural creative evolution.

When I listen to a song like COBL, it frustrates me because it sounds like U2 trying to be the 1980's version of U2, musically and image-wise. And that is not progress.

 

[kafrun]

Simplicity can make for good music.

Bingo. The beauty is in the simplicity.

 

[Kildare]

I remember when HTDAAB leaked and everyone was going ga-ga over this song. Then I heard it and I thought "Is THAT what everyone is so excited about?"

This song is U2 at its blandest, most generic and most forced. It sounds like their sole purpose for writing the thing was to have a new sing-a-long anthem for the upcoming tour.

I felt the same way until I saw it live (on the Chicago DVD, not in person). While the live version is way better, it made me take another look (er... take another listen?) at the album version and I appreciate that version more now as well. It's probably the best song on the album.

 

[Hoodlem]

I don't dislike the song...but...I pretty much agree with the original post. This is absolutely sub-standard for U2.

The pre-chorus build up is awesome and then it just falls flat with that stupid chorus line. It's so anti-climactic that it's depressing. And the piano outro/intro is so dumb and un-interesting. Think of the piano intro to Zooropa, now that's brilliant and engaging. That's how you make a piano intro! COBL piano intro is simple in the worst sense of the word. Boring to the point that it is annoying.

 

[Aygo]

The piano intro in Zooropa is there because it was supposed to be an independent track, the situation with COBL is totally different.

Oh Lord, I'm so thankfull that U2 doesn't give a damn about the things interferers shout here...

 

[Earnie Shavers]

My two reviews:

For me:
Bland. Incredibly poor production. A pop rehash that doesn't work. A fine example of U2 trying too hard to sound like the stereotyped expectation of U2 and in the process washing out all of the spirit of what makes them U2 no matter what they actually sound like, be it Slug or be it In God's Country, and makes it normally impossible for anyone to actually mimick U2. Anyone could pull this song off successfuly and sound like U2. U2 have made the same mistake every U2 wannabe has ever made before. The U2 Sound is not a simple formula. This song is trying to work to the assumed formula, as so many of the songs on the album do.

For those who like this generation of U2 and quite like them gunning for the pop singles:
Production killed this song, and production could have made it a winner. As per the Crumbs thread, every knob in this song was just turned all the way around to the top, flooding the thing, giving it no personality and no distinct separation of sound or feeling. I would have had the guitar part at the front driving the thing from start to finish. With that as the rocket, the rest as the booster, this song could have taken off. They put everything at the front an it just toppled over on the launch pad. It's a neat little pop song that does run, it's catchy, it's memorable. It just doesn't sound good.

 

[Zoots]

Zootlesque - where have you been? I haven't seen you post in awhile...have just missed you?

I've been kinda taking a break from U2. But these 'depreciation' threads are too funny to just lurk in.

 

[AtomicBono]

I've been kinda taking a break from U2. But these 'depreciation' threads are too funny to just lurk in.

Oh, I see, you're only around to depreciate U2, huh? Why don't you go join a RHCP forum or something then?

I kid, I kid.

Yeah, for some reason City doesn't come across as forced to me, especially live. I think it has its own charm, unlike the derivative Crumbs.

 

[Zoots]

I still don't understand why nobody has even mentioned the Crumbs alt. version in that other thread. That version is IMO much better than the overproduced mess of the album.

 

[LMP]

There's an alternate version of Crumbs?

 

[Zoots]

There most certainly is. I'm listening to it right now. It's the one where at the beginning, Bono goes 'try Crumbs... oh Crumbs...'. It's stripped down and pretty. You can almost not even hear the drums. They're in the back of the mix.

Leave your email. I'll send it to ya.

 

[LMP]

islagia@aol.com

thanks in advance

 

[angelordevil]

Yeah, for some reason City doesn't come across as forced to me, especially live. I think it has its own charm, unlike the derivative Crumbs.

I believe in COBL much more than Crumbs. And, as mentioned, the live version is so much better than on the album...I was lucky enough to be a part of that in the ellipse in Toronto.

 

[AtomicBono]

I still don't understand why nobody has even mentioned the Crumbs alt. version in that other thread. That version is IMO much better than the overproduced mess of the album.

I did mention it! I said something about the version on the HTDAAB DVD showing potential. That's the one, from HQ. don't underestimate me

 

[Zoots]

islagia@aol.com

thanks in advance

No problem! Sent.

 

[Zoots]

I did mention it! I said something about the version on the HTDAAB DVD showing potential. That's the one, from HQ. don't underestimate me

Oh well. Maybe you hadn't posted yet when I last checked the thread.

I'm so out of the loop in this forum, it's not funny.

 

[AtomicBono]

Oh well. Maybe you hadn't posted yet when I last checked the thread.

I'm so out of the loop in this forum, it's not funny.

don't worry about it, I just said it in passing -

The bare song has potential, as evidenced by the HTDAAB DVD, but all the extra parts seem unnecessary, especially since the whole point of U2's last two albums has been a "stripped down" approach.

but this is the wrong thread for that

 

[LMP]

yeah, if only the guitar part was louder on this song, I would just love it.

thanks Zoots, teh Crumbs is amazing.

 

[t8thgr8]

can i have the alt crumbs?

t8thgr8@hotmail.com

 

[corianderstem]

Me too? Please and thank you!

alicia.k@comcast.net

 

[Zoots]

can i have the alt crumbs?

t8thgr8@hotmail.com

why sad?

Sent to both t8thgr8 and Coriander Stem.

 

[XHendrix24]

I hate to derail this thread further, but could I get a copy of that, too?

XHendrix24@comcast.net

Oh, and to stay somewhat on topic, I love City of Blinding Lights. It's a great song. Slightly derivative? Maybe. Not-so-great production in some aspects? Sure. Not the deepest lyrical content? Probably not. But it's still an absolutely killer song. Easily one of the best songs of U2's 00's era.

 

[Canadiens1131]

The only gripe I have with COBL is the
goddam horrible mix and mastering jesus way to ruin a great song guyz ffs horrible production, grrrrrrrrrr

The drums in COBL sound like the sound of me hitting the side of the toilet bowl with a stream of urine.

Yeah, great production.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

any further requests for the alt. version of crumbs need to be made over at the mp3 forum. thank you.

 

[LyricalDrug]

COBL is a good, but not great, U2 song. It reminds me of Kite in that way: it strives to be a classic U2 anthem, but doesn't quite get there.

The chorus is weak, agreed. As I always say, Bono needs to try harder with his lyrics these days -- a lot of his lyrics feel phoned in. I like the music though (kudos to Edge, as always) but the production could have been better on the album track.

 

[cobl04]

No way COBL deserves a depreciation thread. Other than the Dennis DeYoung/Styx sounding intro I think it is easily one of U2's best songs, past and present. I think the song rocks.

Check my name and avatar for confirmation of my opinion.

Y'know, a little simplicity never went astray.

 

[U2girl]

For me this is the song that does pull off the "U2 sound" and does it better than, say, the overglorified Miracle Drug.
True, it peaks in the "wooo ooo ooo" bits and the chorus is somewhat weak, but it makes up for it with "Time..." section.

And the next time "U2 rehashes their sound" cries come I'll remember all the over Mercy.

 

[U2Man]

any further requests for the alt. version of crumbs need to be made over at the mp3 forum. thank you.