Elvis Presley and America...

[youtooellen]

I don't hear much about this song around the board but I'm sure there are reasons why it's not loved as much as other songs.

To be honest, this song is one of my top played songs on iTunes.
I absolutely love this song because of it's sound and its background (the drums, made after one take with Bono I think?) ...

So, any love out there for this song? (feel free to leave some info. about the song. I'd love to know more )

 

[BVS]

I love this song. Bono's singing is amazing.

Love the mood.

 

[beegee]

it's been my favorite U2 song since 1984

 

[Chizip]

i it too, yet it seems to get a bad rap around here

 

[typhoon]

It's awesome. One of the most expressive songs on a very moody album, and it does it without making any literal sense at all.

 

[youtooellen]

^

the lyrics and Bonos singing are so incoherent but it somehow just adds to the mood of the song and the album

I think this song adds so much to the atmosphere of the UF album that it's pretty hard to even imagine the way the album would've sounded without this song..

 

[joerags]

This song used to drive me nuts for years. The lyrics make no sense whatsoever, but the melodic vibe and the meloncholic vibe is so intriguing. For years, I always thought Bono sang, "this song is through" for the last line of the song. The song is so long and drags on and on, that that's what I thought he sang. He's so incoherent thoughout the entire song that it drove me nuts.

 

[HelloAngel]

This song breaks my heart. I love it so much.

 

[scottyT]

yeah i like it a lot, i know it's partially beautiful cause it's a one take deal, but if it were polished a bit i'd like it even more.

 

[Irishteen]

When I listen I don't have any idea what is going on, the lyrics sound so random, it's not until the last verse I get into the song really, but I still love it, amazing sound

 

[LuvandPeace1980]

This song breaks my heart. I love it so much.

Yeah I love this song and what you said too.

It's sad and it reminds me a little bit like Bad

 

[youtooellen]

around the last verse of the song, I get chills because Bonos singing is so expressive.

the last line of the song makes me so sad too

 

[clifedge]

I think it's great. The story makes it even better.

 

[prisz25]

I love this song!!! I listen to it and i just melt...Like many have said it is very expressive... I didn't like it at first listen but after a while it totally grew on me.

 

[u2mad25]

I prefer Elvis Ate America over it ...

 

[U2One]

beautiful song, beautiful album....great to listen to while you're going to bed....

gotta love promenade also, another very underrated song on the album

 

[Lancemc]

"You say go, you live
Go live outside of me
Don't you leave
Don't leave out part of me
Then can feel
Like I feel before
Like I hurt now
And I see the floor
If you pick me up
Bits and pieces on this floor!"


^^^Fucking breathtaking.

 

[youtooellen]

beautiful song, beautiful album....great to listen to while you're going to bed....

gotta love promenade also, another very underrated song on the album

I agree with everything you said

Promenade
I that song

when I go to bed, I have this certain playlist on my iPod and it's titled "Goodnight" and it's filled with songs by U2 that help me go to bed. Both Promenade and EPAA are on it

 

[youtooellen]

my bad.

 

[chocky]

It's an awesome song and my "most listened to" song off UF.

I have a playlist with 8 songs from that era for when I'm feeling moody (ie sorry for myself):

Bad
Promenade
Elvis Presley & America
Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)
Deep in the Heart
Walk to the Water
In a Lifetime
Love Comes Tumbling

 

[Harry Vest]

One of the most underrated U2 songs EVER!!!

 

[longingforBono]

Here is some of what was said about it in "U2 Into The Heart- the stories behind every song."

The difference between the production styles of Steve Lillywhite and Brian Eno could not be more starkly expressed than by this track. Lillywhite was prepared to experiment alright, but Eno went much further.

He saw a piece that had been recorded as utterly malleable. You could open it up, slow it down, stand it on its head, reverse it- anything that might work was worth a shot. And so on an experimental day, when Daniel Lanois and he were fishing around for ideas, they slowed down the backing track from "A Sort of Homecoming" and played it for Bono without telling him what it was. Eno encouraged the singer to improvise over it.

...Bono approached the track like a jazzman, letting his voice take the song and following it, improvising the lyrics as he went along. Bono saw it as a dry run. The lyrical ideas could be sifted through and refined later. But Eno had other plans.

...It still came as a shock to Bono when Eno told him that the cut was finished. It was one of Eno's oblique strategies in action: overtly resist change. And another: emphasize the flaws.

..."I think it that is does evoke that decline, the stupor, the period when- if you've seen the clips of him (Elvis)- he forgets his words and fumbles," Bono argued at the time.

The book goes on to say this is not a U2 classic, which I would have to whole-heartedly DISAGREE with.

One of my favorite U2 songs ever. Such a cool thread BTW!!!!!!

 

[youtooellen]

thanks a lot for the background info. about the song longingforBono

if the song were to be refined and sifted through, the song would've become something completely different.

question though, does anyone know the story about the guitar on the song? I'm wondering if Edge was improvising too? or was it just snips of ASOH and he slowed the guitar down...

 

[dandy]

one of my favourite songs ever

 

[Meghan]

It took a very long time for me to 'get.' I do like it now, but I'd be very surprised if it found its way into my list of top 100 U2 songs.

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

It's one of my favorite songs off of UF. In fact, if U2 were to play it in Pride's place every night, I'd be thrilled