Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen.

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Axver

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I would like to direct your attention to the very beginning of Vertigo. Everyone has been saying it is 'uno', but to my ears, it sounds like 'uns'. Whatever the case, there is an 's' sound. So I put this to my friend who can speak Spanish, and we are 100% certain that the first number is 'eleven' in Spanish, not 'one'. Now we suspect the next two are actually 'twelve, thirteen' instead of 'two, three'.

Thus, I give you the corrected intro to Vertigo in English: eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen.

Problems and debates solved. Unless someone has a problem with this correction.

Edit: I would just like to say that after further discussion, there is no doubt in the mind of my friend who speaks Spanish. The first number is eleven, the last number is fourteen, and the middle two are twelve and thirteen said with Bono's wonderful ability to slur and fail to enunciate. Your eyes make a circoh, anyone?

Wow, I can't believe my suspicion about 'uns'/once paid off. Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen!
 
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in portuguese eleven is "onze", so in spanish it's maybe "once" or something near that.
 
yeah in spanish it's once, doce, trece, catorce...but even if he did...i've listened to it...he's not pronouncing it right...he's pronouncing dos, tres
 
Mullen-Girl said:
yeah in spanish it's once, doce, trece, catorce...but even if he did...i've listened to it...he's not pronouncing it right...he's pronouncing dos, tres

I just consulted more with my Spanish speaker. There's absolutely no doubt the first number is 'eleven'. It cannot be 'uno', it has to be 'once'. Just listen for the 's' sound. After listening to it a few times, she now says there's no doubt in her mind, the next two numbers are twelve and thirteen - Bono is simply slurring and not enunciating. And remember, Bono is shocking at enunciation! Remember that your eyes make a circoh.
 
I felt like bumping this up.

Has this piece of information been noticed while I was asleep, or are you all still counting 'one, two, three, fourteen'?
 
Queen Bee said:


Yeah, I'm a spanish speaker and I'm not hearing the "doce" and "trece" either.

And you hear 'circle' in I Will Follow? We all know Bono's shocking at enunciation.
 
Axver said:
There's absolutely no doubt the first number is 'eleven'. It cannot be 'uno', it has to be 'once'. Just listen for the 's' sound.

I hear something like 'unos' as the word. Definately not once (there is no 'e' after the 's' sound). And the next two numbers are definately 'dos' and 'tres', as again there is no 'e' sound after the 's' sound.

So to me, it is definately 'unos, dos, tres catorce!'

:)

Marty
 
Popmartijn said:
I hear something like 'unos' as the word.

Hmm ... I don't hear an 'o' sound at all. It's most certainly 'uns' to me.

Whatever the case, one thing we can be certain of is that just like always, Bono's enunciation could use some work!

And another point to bear in mind - note Bono's counting in fast. Say it fast yourself and see how clear you are when you say it. I know I slur and fail to enunciate English numbers when I do that.
 
Popmartijn said:


I hear something like 'unos' as the word. Definately not once (there is no 'e' after the 's' sound). And the next two numbers are definately 'dos' and 'tres', as again there is no 'e' sound after the 's' sound.

So to me, it is definately 'unos, dos, tres catorce!'

:)

Marty

i agree.
ax, you keep saying how bono has enunciation problems. so why are you so convinced that its "once doce" if even you say it's hard to tell what bono sings?
 
U2democrat said:
ax, you keep saying how bono has enunciation problems. so why are you so convinced that its "once doce" if even you say it's hard to tell what bono sings?

Well, considering the fact I have a Spanish speaker who says that the first number is absolutely eleven and can't be one in any way, and that it in no way sounds like 'uno', I am sure about that. Eleven, slurred number, slurred number, fourteen. One, two, three, fourteen didn't make much sense, but eleven, two, three, fourteen makes even less sense.
 
Axver said:
Well, considering the fact I have a Spanish speaker who says that the first number is absolutely eleven and can't be one in any way, and that it in no way sounds like 'uno', I am sure about that.

Well, your Spanish speaker is right that the first word isn't one in any way. But I think that then the hypothesis shouldn't automatically conclude that it is eleven. Because if you consider it with the hypothesis that what Bono's saying is 'once' then you also have to reject that one (as he definately doesn't say 'once'). Just because it isn't 'uno', doesn't mean it is 'once' then. ;)

So it's more something like <slurred number>. dos, tres, catorce.

C ya!

Marty
 
Popmartijn said:


Well, your Spanish speaker is right that the first word isn't one in any way. But I think that then the hypothesis shouldn't automatically conclude that it is eleven. Because if you consider it with the hypothesis that what Bono's saying is 'once' then you also have to reject that one (as he definately doesn't say 'once'). Just because it isn't 'uno', doesn't mean it is 'once' then. ;)

So it's more something like <slurred number>. dos, tres, catorce.

C ya!

Marty

Absolutely! :up:



Bono just makes a mistake on the first number (probably not on purpose but it's cool that they left it there), it feels like he wanted to say uno (when it's actually un, it's okay I typed uno in my sig at first too :D) but he says unos, he definitely says "dos" (two) after that, not doce (twelve), and it's definitely a "tres" (three), not a trece (thirteen).

So he says: unos, dos, tres, catorce.
 
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I SPEAK SPANISH... it's 1, definitely

sure, if you have the image in your head, and by the way he says it (and with the breathing or whatever sounds), it could sound as an ONCE... but NO

it's UNOsss... DOSss... TRESsss.. CATORCE

listen to the live at RADIO 1
 
yeah it sounds like "unos" to me too. But I'm definitely not hearing doce or trece in there. Is it in the liner notes?

Either way, bono is just trying to be shocking and silly.
 
bcrt2000 said:
Bono scewed up on the studio version, in the live versions he says one properly

And you know this for a fact?

They had quite some time with that song and you actually think that he screwed it up and they didn't realize?
 
I imagine if Bono's english pronunciation sucks, so does his spanish pronunciation. :|
 
If you listen to a live performance like radio one he clearly says Uno and leaves off the s that is on the cd.

So on the CD he says UNO's for some reason. You can also hear on the live one he says Dos threce clearly.
 
Did anyone besides me notice this thread was started in August?
 
Just thinking...Is this their fourteenth album? I counted on fingers and toes but am too lazy to get to the cd collection way over there. So, if so, maybe it is one two three...fourteen. counting off the albums?
or maybe too much wine...

riverfari
 
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