Discotheque: The Greatness of POP

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
discothequeLP

discothequeLP

Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
Joined
Oct 22, 2003
Messages
8,095
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Discotheque is the quintissential song of Pop. If you had to play the album to someone, but could only play one song, Discotheque's the one. Heavy on effects, lot of layers, Bono's signature Pop voice, Larry's amazing drumming, Adam's cool POP basslines, and Edge's 3 layers of guitars. The track on the album is totally off the charts POP-ped out with electronics, effects, and all that crazy shit.



But when the band plays it live is really when the song stands out. On the Popmart tour, they played it totally 100% stripped down and it was amazing. No electronics, to effects, none of those frills. Just straight up rock (rock n' roll almost). Forget the giant Lemon/disco ball. The song had an amazing transformation to the stage, and showed people that they didn't need all those fancy buttons to make the song kick live. It's the sound of 4 guys playing a song, and it's just plain cool. "One" is the only other song from the 90s that can go so bare on stage and still sound as good. Not even songs off ATYCLB sound so good when they're totally stripped down.

bottom line: Discotheque rocks!
 
Pop was a very good album that was marketed very badly. For one thing naming the album Pop was a bad idea. Most U2 fans see the boys as a Rock band, and Zooropa had already pushed the envelope. Many people mistakenly believed that Pop was a indeed a "pop" -synthesizer album. At least in Canada and the States, "pop" music is a dirty word for most fans of rock music. It makes us think of the likes of Justin Timberlake.

Their second big mistake was releasing Discotheque as the first signal. While it's an excellent song, the title and the "Village People" part reinforced people's mistaken notion that it was a techno-dance album. A more guitar driven "Last Night on Earth" followed by "Staring at the Sun" as releases might have changed how the album was received (Even the rockier version of Discotheque found on their Greatest Hits might have gone over better).

The truth is that most of the songs on Pop were guitar driven, but the two factors that I mentioned above meant that many "Pop" critics never actually listened to the album...and it's a shame because "Staring at the Sun" and "Gone" were spectacular songs, and If You Wear that Velvet Dress gives me the chills live.

A bad marketing strategy basically gave a very good album a bad reputation.
 
Discotheque is the perfect example of a bad U2 idea done remarkably well. And it still sucks. The Best OF version was a major improvement, and that's not saying much.

ATYCLB wasn't a reaction to the poor reception of Pop. It was a reaction to the Pop record itself. Bono's said Larry told him, as they finished recording Pop, "maybe we should actually make a pop album next."
 
A-fucking-men.

Let me tell you my Discotheque story. There I was, 9 years old, and my mom wants to put in this CD she got by some band called U2. For some reason I thought U2 was a heavy metal band and didn't want anything to do with them ("No mom, I want to listen to Jethro Tull!!!" ... I was a weird kid.) However, eventually mom convinced me to listen to it. This CD was Pop. After the first song my response was something like "...dude, can we hear that again?!" I think I listened to the song about 600 times before I realized there were more songs on the album! :p But Discotheque started it all... I wouldn't be here if not for that song. Still one of my favourite U2 songs ever.
 
MrBrau1 said:
Discotheque is the perfect example of a bad U2 idea done remarkably well. And it still sucks. The Best OF version was a major improvement, and that's not saying much.

ATYCLB wasn't a reaction to the poor reception of Pop. It was a reaction to the Pop record itself. Bono's said Larry told him, as they finished recording Pop, "maybe we should actually make a pop album next."
Click to expand...

Hey if that is U2 making sucky work then I whole -heartedly support them in their effort to make suckiness.
 
MrBrau1 said:
The Best OF version was a major improvement, and that's not saying much.
Click to expand...

I can't stand that version. Bono's phrasing sounds so awkward.
 
Flying FuManchu said:


Hey if that is U2 making sucky work then I whole -heartedly support them in their effort to make suckiness.
Click to expand...

That's fair.

I think they kinda lost their head up their ass on the Pop record. Some of it's great, most of it is failed experimentation. They were at the end of one of their cycles, like R&H.
 
anitram said:


I can't stand that version. Bono's phrasing sounds so awkward.
Click to expand...

i think i agree with just about everything you say.

and to the person dissing justin timberlake, please. he's one of the most impressive pop acts in the world. he might get a lot of help in the studio, but regardless, it's good shit.
 
Discotheque is a great driving song. Your ears start to bleed from the volume, your foot smashes down on the pedal, and your eyes are glued to the rearview, waiting for the fuzz to bust your ass for 40 miles over whatever limit there might have been when the song came on. :up:



Discotheque and driving on an open highway. :faint:
 
Zoomerang96 said:


i think i agree with just about everything you say.

and to the person dissing justin timberlake, please. he's one of the most impressive pop acts in the world. he might get a lot of help in the studio, but regardless, it's good shit.
Click to expand...


If you like sub-par Michael Jackson schtick I suppose it is...
 
As to Discotheque, its a brilliant piece of work, I love the murky, dense feel to it, so many parts make up this song, I think it is one of U2's more ambitious songs..of course that would all meannothing if there wasn't an ace riff driving the whole (glorious;) ) mess.
 
It's funny....I think Discotheque is the WORST song on that album, followed closely by Miami. But, I really enjoy the rest of Pop.

Discotheque is a fun, cutesy song with hokey lyrics. I find it too simple and very un-U2 like. It has the lyrical complexity of an N'Sync song, and maybe that was their whole point. Leading with this single was a reason why a lot of fans were turned off by this album, which is full of some really great tunes.

BOOM CHA!!
 
discotheque is a 100 times more complex and has less cheesy lyrics than vertigo. however, that's not to say vertigo isn't a good song - it really is.

i just don't understand how one can like vertigo and not discotheque.

and if you think justin timberlake sucks, i'd like to see you put out a record that's any better. you, or anyone else in his genre.
 
Last edited:
Zoomerang96 said:
discotheque is a 100 times more complex and has less cheesy lyrics than vertigo. however, that's not to say vertigo isn't a good song - it really is.

i just don't understand how one can like vertigo and not discotheque.

and if you think justin timberlake sucks, i'd like to see you put out a record that's any better. you, or anyone else in his genre.
Click to expand...


Yes, I'm sure that twenty-five years from now, Mr. Timberlake will be given the same reverence as U2, Zeppelin, Eminem etc.

I'll bet he's Ashlee Simpsoned his way through quite a few of his studly dance routines.
 
I actually have quite a few friends who like that Timberlake record. They hide it, but they like. And it's a million times better than Ashlee Simpson.
 
AtomicBono said:
Let me tell you my Discotheque story. There I was, 9 years old, and my mom wants to put in this CD she got by some band called U2. This CD was Pop.
Click to expand...

God, I feel old. :sigh:
 
Discotheque could have been so much better if they cut it at circa 3:30. the song is too long. thats the reason why discotheque is pithy to me.
btw over the last two weeks i had some listening sessions to POP and now after 8 years the album slowly is growin at me and even LNOE is a far more better song as it ever was before - in my ears ! - Nevertheless i strongly wish, that they do a re-recording/mixing of POP someday.
 
jacobus said:
Nevertheless i strongly wish, that they do a re-recording/mixing of POP someday.
Click to expand...

Well they did a re-mixing of POP songs for the Best Of album and in the light of the results they could have saved their time since all the new mixes are IMO a piece of garbage. But then POP is in my view one hell of an album the way it is.
 
Originally posted by ultraviolet7
Well they did a re-mixing of POP songs for the Best Of album and in the light of the results they could have saved their time since all the new mixes are IMO a piece of garbage. But then POP is in my view one hell of an album the way it is.
Click to expand...
yes i know and i really like the old & the remix version of GONE. but i still think they should do a re-recording of Discotheque, SATS, LNOE at least. better they re-record all of them and release it on March 3rd 2007 as '10 YEARS IN POP - revisited'
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Reggie Thee Dog
Are we NOT discussing the Dolby Atmos Mix of Achtung Baby?
Replies
13
Views
1K
count rushmore
count rushmore
L
Play Do You Feel Loved, Babyface, Some Days Are Better Than Others, Playboy Petition
Replies
8
Views
740
rosephile
R
W
A Boy Falls From the Sky is some U2's best work
Replies
3
Views
2K
zoocarolina
Z
K
U2 Show Logistics Question/Theories
Replies
7
Views
746
lazarus
lazarus
Z
Hello!
Replies
3
Views
822
zoo skis
Z

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom