Rate The Song: New Year's Day

[digitize]

Today we shall begin rating War! We're moving along fairly quickly in this Rate The Song Series.

Please rate New Year's Day on a scale from 0 to 10, using whatever criteria you feel allows you to best evaluate the song as a whole. I will not set criteria for people to based on, but if you feel like your best evaluation of the merits of a song comes from voting only based on, say, the studio version, go right ahead and vote that way. Full information on the Rate The Song series may be found in this thread.

Have fun! This poll will close in 96 hours.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

10 from me. I think it's one of the best raw compositions of the 80s.

Got a great yet basic music video, great bass line, and it's just a door opening on War showing you what U2 is capable of in the future. Multiple home runs on one album, and it's just that. They hit a home run with this, IMO.

 

[The_acrobat]

Perfect 10!
Great bassline, kickass chorus, sweet guitar solo, and that keyboard part is to die for! Plus the fact that Edge does double duty of guitar and keyboards so effortlessly makes it awesome x 1,000,000,000.

Of all the "warhorses", this is one that should be played MORE OFTEN, instead of sparingly like it has been on the last 2 tours.

 

[Globo14]

I gave it a 9. The bass line is phenomenal, and the keyboard riff and guitar work is fantastic. It's also one of U2's greatest live tracks.

The only reason I gave it a 9 instead of 10 is because I'm reserving 10 for the two or three U2 tracks that are perfect to me. This isn't quite, but close.

 

[God Part III]

One of U2's best songs ever. Clear 10.

 

[prbiker15]

Perfect 10. This was the one song I wish I heard live at the Miami show this summer. Should have been played more frequently on U2360.

Other than that, their best song in the pre-Unforgettable Fire era. Love it, love it, love it.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I know, NYD and Bad are two songs I need to see live before all is said and donel.

 

[The Panther]

I'm tempted to give this one a '9' because it's been whored-out far too much in endless live performances of the same, tired, boring arrangement that hasn't changed since Pac-Man and E.T. were all the rage, but it's simply too good to not give it a '10'.

 

[coolian2]

I'm tempted to give this one a '9' because it's been whored-out far too much in endless live performances of the same, tired, boring arrangement that hasn't changed since Pac-Man and E.T. were all the rage, but it's simply too good to not give it a '10'.

good, because i was half tempted to ask precisely what the hell actually needed changing.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

perfect song, killer single and yet still a live favourite for me (unlike Pride, SBS, WOWY, etc...)

 

[ryancoke71]

I'm tempted to give this one a '9' because it's been whored-out far too much in endless live performances of the same, tired, boring arrangement that hasn't changed since Pac-Man and E.T. were all the rage, but it's simply too good to not give it a '10'.

Seriously? This rocks live.

10.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Utter perfection.
Still one of their greatest ever songs.
10

 

[The Panther]

Seriously? This rocks live.

I agree. But I don't like how they drag it out in EVERY SINGLE U2 concert video and concert, in general. I mean, surely "New Year's Day" is the #1 most performed song in U2's history...? It wouldn't be so bad if they actually changed the arrangement even slightly in a quarter-century, but it still sounds exactly like it did in 1982.

Damn good song, though.

 

[silkensky]

If anything, they don't play NYD often enough! It's all a matter of opinion, though. I have seen 5 shows and it wasn't performed at any of them.

Anyway whether it's overplayed or not this is absolutely a top 5 song from the 80's for me. Totally driven by that awesome bassline, this belongs to Adam as far as I'm concerned. One of his best, and complimented so well by Edge's stellar piano and guitar work. Well deserved 10.

 

[corianderstem]

They barely played it on 360. It's one of those songs that I think I'm sick of, and then I hear the opening chords, either in concert or the album version, and it still sounds fresh and amazing.

 

[coolian2]

I agree. But I don't like how they drag it out in EVERY SINGLE U2 concert video and concert, in general. I mean, surely "New Year's Day" is the #1 most performed song in U2's history...?

i, um....yeah. what now?

 

[Globo14]

I agree with Panther here. The song rocks the socks, but having been played for 28 years in the same arrangement, it's a bit tiring. That said, I'd much rather hear that than Pride, which also hasn't changed all that much.

FTR, I Will Follow and Pride are the most played songs IIRC.

 

[corianderstem]

It ain't broke; it don't need fixin'.

 

[popacrobat]

I agree. But I don't like how they drag it out in EVERY SINGLE U2 concert video and concert, in general.

I've seen U2 41 times since 2001, and have only seen New Year's Day seven times.

 

[coolian2]

It ain't broke; it don't need fixin'.

i know, right?

 

[Cactus Annie]

Hello Corian I'm a year ahead of you for a few hours. You're still stuck in 2011

 

[happyfeet]

I'm giving it a 10
Because I just love the song, clip & of course when I got to hear at the 2nd 360 show in Sydney & of course it's the best song to hear first thing on New Years Day

 

[corianderstem]

Hello Corian I'm a year ahead of you for a few hours. You're still stuck in 2011

How is life in the future? Is it better there? I'm stuck in a 2011 I can't get out of. (HAR HAR HAR.)

 

[ryancoke71]

I agree. But I don't like how they drag it out in EVERY SINGLE U2 concert video and concert, in general. I mean, surely "New Year's Day" is the #1 most performed song in U2's history...? It wouldn't be so bad if they actually changed the arrangement even slightly in a quarter-century, but it still sounds exactly like it did in 1982.

Damn good song, though.

I have only seen it once. I wasn't expecting it at all (Montreal 2). I remember seeing them on the Vertigo tour in Minneapolis and someone in the crowd said "What about New Year's Day?" So, I guess it all depends on what shows you have seen.

As Cori said, I don't think it needs any changes at all.

 

[cobl04]

I'm tempted to give this one a '9' because it's been whored-out far too much in endless live performances of the same, tired, boring arrangement that hasn't changed since Pac-Man and E.T. were all the rage, but it's simply too good to not give it a '10'.

Would you prefer they drop the affecting piano and awesome solo for a reggae beat and some bagpipes?

Nothing less than a 10.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Isn't it ironic that Montreal got New Year's Day and then I got New Year's Day at the Panthers v. Montreal Canadiens game tonight on New Year's Eve?


While in conversation with a U2 fan via Facebook, who happened to be at that show and got NYD. Who is also a Canadien fan?


More reasons to give it a 10.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

Isn't it ironic that Montreal got New Year's Day and then I got New Year's Day at the Panthers v. Montreal Canadiens game tonight on New Year's Eve?

no?

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Well sure it is. The Canadiens don't have to be in town in the first place! The song isn't ironic, the Montreal is.

 

[The Panther]

Apparently, the song is somewhat less played than I thought (I confess I haven't paid any attention to live U2 since 2006). "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is sort of fine, but they did "fix" Bullet The Blue Sky and other songs that didn't necessarily need fixin'. Some change is good. (On the positive side, Bono can sing "NYD" really well still, but not so much "Pride".)

 

[digitize]

NYD is absolutely demolishing the competition in this contest so far.