MERGED-->I can HARDLY breathe + more reactions

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I liked this song a lot.. It definitely has the Steve Lillywhite feel to it, and outside of the 'toolish' spanish countdown at the beginning, the song itself is quite good and does the job of satisfying those looking forward to new U2... and sets the stage for the music to come.
 
i was tingling when i listened to it for the first time
it was a mixture of excitement and relief and general total and utter awe!
i f*cking love this song man, its so much more than i could have hoped for! my housemate came home to me blaring it through the surround sound and suggested i turn it down cause he could hear it from about 10m down the road!

its brilliant,
i think the best description of what it felt like when i heard it the first time:
pure and complete joy
 
Some observations about Vertigo:

1. It has a deep, almost consciously self-referential connection to early U2, ESPECIALLY I will Follow. Check out the harmonics in the bridge. Which is nowhere saying that they are repeating themselves. Everyone is just playing their natural game, which is why that energy just seems to FLOW from the track. Very disciplined music, but the playing is fresh, loose and free.

2. It has a light-weight feel to it, particularly Bono's delivery of the lyrics, with the "yeah yeah"s and the "whoas". This is not one of the meaning-of-life songs ala One or WOWY, but it isn't meant to be either (unlike Walk On, which IMO tried and failed, precisely because it tried). However, there are a lot of allusions to God and the Spirit, and the lyrics, if taken seriously, paint a very interesting, abstract scene. In fact, assuming there is a cohesive meaning to the song to the whole (instead of a bunch of random words thrown around here and there), which there probably is, I havent figured it out yet. Except the simultaneous euphoria and paranoia of being in a place you do not understand. And fuck the lyrics, the holiness of the song is just in the chemistry and energy which no one can doubt they FEEEEEEEEL.

3. In many ways this is very un-U2. I dont remember Edge ever riffing power chords like that so many at a time. Things are beginning to go off into another direction, while still maintaining some integrity of identity, which means VERY interesting things for the rest of the album...

4. It's fucking catchy. One of you motherfuckers tell me that song wont be in your head all day. And it has attitude, something that Elevation (a "rocker" from ATYCLB) totally lacks.

5. This is either a live cut (the one that will be on one of the singles), or a radio edit. Definitely not the album version IMO.

6. I love it.
 
An instant U2 classic! It simply R-O-C-K-S!!! Nice to see U2 put the bubblegum popsters and non-stick wallpaper musicians in their rightful place-at the bottom of the radio charts!
 
Well, I fucking love it. Not much more I can say in that regard.

Few things though, above it's mentioned that this may not be the album cut. It does sound 'rougher' and it is missing that part where the song completely cuts out that is in the Beach clip.

Elvis - when was your interview with U2 done? In that they (I'm guessing it was the Edge that was answering most of those questions) talked about that part in Vertigo where the song cuts out ("sounds like pulling the power plug out" or something similar).

Anyway, maybe this earlier leak isn't the final thing... maybe it is a single version and the album is different.... dunno....

The only other thing is "Turn it up loud Captain" is a bit poo-poo. The Spanish countdown is fine, just don't like the Captain bit. It took a bunch of listens for the "Hoooolaaaaa" and "Thaaats Riiiight" to warm up on me as well. They fit though if you aren't paying too close attention to them.

It's a kick arse song though. It won't be as mega huge as Beautiful Day, but it will certainly win over new fans and considering this is a song that most people had no idea about (released pretty much on the sly - no hype, no publicity unlike with BD) I think it will be a nice big kick for the album.

Great stuff.
 
This is fucking brilliant. Amazing, so much better than I expected! It is basically perfection, Bono is raging and the other three are at full volume. Just like I pictured!!! The best is the second verse, how he delivers it. "Girl with crimson nails, jesus around her neck!" What a line!!!! This song is unbelievable. Might have to cry or do something to maintain, I'm requesting this song on my local DC station every minute!!!! GO EDGE!!!!!!!!!!
 
Like I havent listened to Vertigo enough today...my local radio station is playing it tomorrow, every hour on the hour...YES!!!!
Its a slap in the face to everyone I went to highschool with...who thought U2 were old rockers...losers!!!
 
starsgoblue said:
That's a good word Indigo :hug: I'm so excited I'm hitting the bars tonight! I'm definetly going to be in a place called Vertigo tonight!!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Its a bit difficult for me to describe things sometime.

And have fun! But don't get drunk...Or maybe that takes the whole point out of "hitting the bars?":wink:
 
85076692

It' a kind of blockbuster summer movie... It's popcorn...

The kind of song that non U2 fans will love, the kind of song that rocks a party, the kind of song that sticks in your head and grab you from the first seconds.

A great rockin' song...a great in yer face single.

But it lacks the soaring quality, the crescendo quality that i love so much on the best U2 songs...

I guess Miracle Drug will be the song i'm expecting.

For now, Vertigo will do what a blockbuster, popcorns, bubblegum and fissy drinks would do: it will keep me 2 hours happy...
 
Oh, I just wanted to mention that as I listen to this song, I can picture myself jumping up and down at a concert.

Vertigo is going to kick ASS live!!!!
 
Just think about this: You heard the beach clip of Vertigo and were blown away. But I personally was not expecting the song to be like this. I mean this good, for me the huge surprise of the way Bono is singing the verses, the rumble of it etc etc. I mean it's 1,000,000 times better than that beach clip suggests, and there were dozens of new surprises with the real thing.


Now think about this: Real versions of Miracle Drug. Love & Peace Or Else. All Because Of You + 7 other songs we have no idea about.

Can't. Fucking. Wait.
 
I love the callbacks in the Chorus, fuck knows whats being called back but it works.
 
I totally agree...I'm breathlessly happy about how brilliant it is...
but...
and I've been injecting this into a bunch of threads...

it's not just ear candy....
the spanish isn't "toolin" I don't think,
and the call-backs are "Donde esta?" ("where is it?" in spanish)
in response to bono's saying he's in a place called vertigo...

The spanish is there because this is not just fun but also about 3/11 (uno dos tres catorce ...3 + 11 =14, and as leopoldobloom pointed out elsewhere the track is also 3:11 long)...
the confusion isn't merely confusion...
it's "about" the 3/11 and the committing and the un-committing of spanish troops and the alternate confidence and fear and pleading is
all of this all of this can be yours
just give me what I want and nobody gets hurt...
is this war spain decided it 'wanted the check' on...

it's wartime chaos and vertigo of thinking and
your head can't rule your heart
and it leaves you reeling with vertigo
and this song
just fucking rocks (and is far more complex than it seems at first
listen!).....

cheers all!
 
I can't read anymore of your mindless devotion...I have loved U2 since 1984, went to all of the tours bought all the albums, singles, poster, calanders, etc. etc. etc. from then 'till now, and up to today every time I heard something new from the boys I was blown away: that is until today. I mean what the hell happened to the magic? Anyone else think this is U2 trying to be something of a white stripes cross-bread.

I am so hurt, and I know many of you will just write me off as an idiot for not just eating it up with a spoon, ,but I have to be honest with my impression here. I would not say this if it truly had not hurt to be so under whelmed.

Again, let me state I have been with U2 since the early early early days, I love Zooropa and Pop (two of the least favs among large groups) I have loved it all until today.

There are songs on each album that don't do it for me like others do (i.e. Miami on Pop), but never have U2 lead out with a new single from the new album that I did not like.

1984: Pride <-- How can anyone not like this?

1987: Streets <-- Should be the national anthem!

1988: Desire <-- Damn nice, enough said.

1991: One <-- Don't need to say anything.

1993: Stay <-- Refer to above.

2001: Beautiful Day <-- Amazing!

2004: Vertigo <-- What the hell happened to the magic???

I even loved Electrical Storm, that William Orbit Mix had tons of U2 magic, but I can't hear any magic in this new stuff (so far). So please help me 'cause all of a sudden I don't even know who I am anymore.


RobVox
 
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I wonder if they will have any Vertigo brand condoms, on this tour...I really missed out at popmart...*crosses fingers*
 
I was absolutely amazed. At first I thought Bono was trying to rap, and then I was disappointed b/c it sounded a lot like Elevation, and then I got REALLY into it and danced around my room. I insist onlistening to it on KRock every hour. Oh yeah, by the 2nd time I regonized that the riff was from Out of Control. Awesome song- it has so much energy!
 
indigo tree said:


Thanks. Its a bit difficult for me to describe things sometime.

And have fun! But don't get drunk...Or maybe that takes the whole point out of "hitting the bars?":wink:
Click to expand...


Ugh, I think the bars hit me back.... :uhoh: Definetly took a little wind out of my sails...but I was celebrating!!!
 
RobVox...I'm not writing you off as anything. You have as much right to say what you think on here as any of us do. I think your wrong but that's ok....let's see how the rest of the album gets ya, I'm sure it will. ;)
 
Hey there RobVox..why is it mindless devotion if a lot of us like Vertigo, but not (I guess you'd say it's not) for you to like those 'unlikeable' bits like Pop and Zooropa? hmm?

I was a fan early on, then got eye-rolled out when they pulled the Rattle & Hum roots show thing and sort of wrote them off actually.

Then they did Achtung baby and I didn't quite know what to make of it for a while but loved it for driving..
boycotted basically everything thru the 90s for no particular reason and then went back and realized what I missed was fantastic, even the stuff lots of folks didn't like!

Maybe I don't feel like they're trying to be some whitestripes crossbreed (?) because I listened to the whitestripes once and thought they were basically crap. So I don't/can't make such god-awful associations. But I do think they are being at least a little cheeky with their use of that driving sound...
You can hate the powerchords (sorry, my knowledge of music wouldn't really let me pick powerchords out of a lineup) but I see it as the effect they're going for here...it's up and down columns of sound and sort of monolithic and 'dumb' and echoes the call-and-response of the vocals (hello hello...hola hola) in feel at a bunch of places. I liked that. It's not soaring because the effect here is fucking loud messy-think chaos, garage-band punk. But then Bono comes in with the chorus and it's like a line of light out of the noise. he sends his "feeeell" and "kneeeel" soaring out, trying to get it over those horrific power chords, and I like like like the feeeel of it...very catchy and evocative to me. i think you would be able to pick out some other guitar voices there too, in the quiet parts.
I think it's not like U2 to do that messy sonic stuff generally but they're doing it here *to a certain effect* and I like that effect!

cheerio all!
 
starsgoblue said:
RobVox...I'm not writing you off as anything. You have as much right to say what you think on here as any of us do. I think your wrong but that's ok....let's see how the rest of the album gets ya, I'm sure it will. ;)
Click to expand...


I truly hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'Cause right now I am SO DEPRESSED!!

Truly, I am not starting flames, but man I miss that old feeling.

And my whole point with my comments has been that I can't remember a single release I didn't like, until today.


RobVox
 
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Robvox did that long post of yours appear in another thread? 'cause I replied to it and now I can't find my reply anywhere...
 
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