Rate the Song: Vertigo

[theedgeu2]

Even though I have gotten quite tired over the years of this one, it's definitely very catchy and has great energy, especially live. I believe this song is well responsible for winning over a lot of 'new' U2 fans in '04 (I was one of them). Some of my friendsI who are not really fans of the band really enjoy Vertigo. I do think it sounded really tired on 360, though. Bono just couldn't belt out that "feeeeeeeeel" like he could on the Vertigo tour. Vertigo receives an 8.

 

[SpiralStaircase]

I'm a bit of a tune fascist, to be honest, so Vertigo is in the same kind of bracket as Elevation and GOYB as far as I'm concerned. Decent; not great. 6.

 

[ryancoke71]

229 people need ear irrigation.

Or your taste sucks!

 

[cobl04]

This is a fucking great song. One of the catchiest songs they've ever put to tape. Still love it and it was killer live.

 

[rennowba]

I recall being in sixth form when this came out and people there (between 16-18 year olds) couldnt believe the song was made by u2.it souded like a bunch of 20 year olds ripping the charts up not a band thats in there mid 40's that some people say are past it.

This tune kept u2 on the radio,it pulled in the casual music fan,with the ipod advert,with it getting to number 1 it kept u2 relevent for another few years!

Ill always remember when they performed it on top of the pops.it was freezing cold and they did it outside.bono had this big fur coat on and during the yeah yeah yeahs it pulled it down and he looked crazy. It was like boscha have some of that

Whether u like it or not its one of u2's most important tunes!

 

[The Sad Punk]

I always thought it sounded like a bunch of 40somethings trying way too hard to sound like 20somethings, but to each his own. I'm actually a bit surprised and/or impressed with how well this seems to be doing, I guess it's the strength of the live version, and the power of forced double dosage.

 

[mama cass]

i still remember to this day the very first time i heard this song, and it was a real buzz, and i loved the energy and thought it was a fresh sound for U2 which sort of smacked you in the face and said "we're back!"

 

[mama cass]

Great opening single, very very good song.
Shit video though.
9

i cannot get my head around the video! all i can see is black smoke billowing out of their asses!!

 

[nielsgov]

But it looks cool!

 

[mama cass]

it's a bit disconcerting

 

[lazarus]

Now this is a lead single.

Edge's "full metal jacket" riff is a blast, the chorus is catchier than shit, it's campy, concise, punchy, direct, and a hell of a lot of fun.

Plus, it's single-handedly provided more fodder for these discussion boards than any U2 song since the dawn of the internet (perhaps Mercy is a challenger, but I digress). In terms of hardcore U2 fandom, has there been a more iconic track than this in the last 10 years?

- Turn it up loud, captain!
- UNO, DOS, TRES, CATORCE!
- The iPod commercial
- Hello Hello (hola!)
- Vertigo x2 in the set lists (AHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!)
- Bono's weird near-skullet hair in the music video and ensuing tour

Would "Native Son" have been this big of a hit, and generated this much discussion? Or been this fun? Hell no. How would the Native Son! world tour have gone down? U2 made the right move for them at the time and, in my opinion, it's not even fucking close. Bono wanted something he could sing on stage every night for the rest of his career, and he got it. Most of all...they wanted another hit, and they got it.

Native Son doesn't have anything even remotely approaching the "HELLO HELLO" hook in this song's chorus.

Now, on the other side, it can be argued that this song's success eventually turned into a bit of a curse for the band...because they tried to make THE EXACT SAME SONG four years later and it turned into the shit-stained taint that is "Get On Your Boots." Ugh.

"Hey, let's put out another song that sounds like Vertigo for the lead single! It'll be great!"

No. That was a mistake. Oh, well. At least they got it right this one time. I can still hear the dozens of freshly baptized U2 fans walking out of the United Center in 2005, after the show, gleefully screaming this chorus at the top of their lungs.

I say this as someone who fully supports the release of Leonard Peltier, but fuck Native Son. It just. Doesn't. Work. The lyrics are maybe more "about" something and personal/political in keeping with The Bomb's themes, but I actually like the abstraction in Vertigo. It's not too far removed from what's in Discotheque.

But yeah, I don't know how people can be all down on this song aside from it being overplayed. It's fun. It has balls. It's catchy.

And man, I still can't get over than they left the counting mistake and "Turn it up loud, Captain" in there. So brilliant, and so refreshingly loose after the entombed, unadventurous vibe on ATYCLB.

 

[flybabe]

Was the fourteen a mistake? If so, I didn't know that.

 

[Galeongirl]

There's been a lot of mixed comments, mostly from Bono. He's said there was "drink involved" on VH1 All Access, on other occasions that it was meant to, and then again that his spanish wasn't so great.

Amongst fans the rumours are that it's a tribute to Lillywhite, who produced U2 albums 1,2,3 and 14.

 

[flybabe]

I've heard mentions of it being a tribute to Lillywhite, but I wasn't sure if that were all the case. It's been established for almost eight years now, so it works.

 

[popacrobat]

There's been a lot of mixed comments, mostly from Bono. He's said there was "drink involved" on VH1 All Access, on other occasions that it was meant to, and then again that his spanish wasn't so great.

Amongst fans the rumours are that it's a tribute to Lillywhite, who produced U2 albums 1,2,3 and 14.

It could very well be any of those reasons, but really, he probably just wanted something for everybody to remember immediately from the first 5-10 seconds of the song. I was senior in high school when it came out, and everybody knew Vertigo for two reasons: uno, dos, tres, catorce and hello, hello. Mission accomplished on using both.

 

[digitize]

Amongst fans the rumours are that it's a tribute to Lillywhite, who produced U2 albums 1,2,3 and 14.

It takes some strange accounting to consider Bomb U2's fourteenth album.

 

[Globo14]

It takes some strange accounting to consider Bomb U2's fourteenth album.

I think if you throw in Under a Blood Red Sky, Passengers, and one of the EP's, you get 14.

 

[digitize]

I think if you throw in Under a Blood Red Sky, Passengers, and one of the EP's, you get 14.

But why just one of the EPs? Any selection that gets to fourteen seems pretty arbitrary, and crafted specifically for the purpose of getting to fourteen. And it's really tough in the first place to consider an EP an album.

 

[OpenG180]

But why just one of the EPs? Any selection that gets to fourteen seems pretty arbitrary, and crafted specifically for the purpose of getting to fourteen. And it's really tough in the first place to consider an EP an album.

The key here is to look at the reference code of the vinyl releases. And Bomb has the U214 reference code. 90-00 reference is U213, 80-90 is U211, Pop is U210 etc

 

[digitize]

The key here is to look at the reference code of the vinyl releases. And Bomb has the U214 reference code. 90-00 reference is U213, 80-90 is U211, Pop is U210 etc

Ahh, I didn't realize that. I suppose that makes sense. What U2 albums were labeled in that way? The best of albums and OS1? Or the best of albums and UABRS?

 

[Globo14]

But why just one of the EPs? Any selection that gets to fourteen seems pretty arbitrary, and crafted specifically for the purpose of getting to fourteen. And it's really tough in the first place to consider an EP an album.

I really don't know, your guess is as good as mine. Maybe they consider Three their first record?

 

[flybabe]

Man, this is confusing... where the hell does 14 come into the mix if there is no significance to the band? Just throwing out random numbers?

 

[corianderstem]

Kinda gives the "Bono was drunk" theory a little more weight, doesn't it?

 

[flybabe]

Since all other theories are shot, and relatively useless if untrue, I think 'Bono was drunk' takes the lead for this one.

 

[OpenG180]

Ahh, I didn't realize that. I suppose that makes sense. What U2 albums were labeled in that way? The best of albums and OS1? Or the best of albums and UABRS?

Zooropa is U29, AB is U28, RH is U27, Joshua is U26, UF is U25 etc. UABRS is considered the 4th album. OS1 is not labeled in that way, neither is Wide Awake.

 

[Scorpionac]

The lyrics are maybe more "about" something and personal/political in keeping with The Bomb's themes, but I actually like the abstraction in Vertigo. It's not too far removed from what's in Discotheque.

I also find the lyrical content reminiscent of Discotheque, in a good way.

This song got me into the band. U2... came for Vertigo, stayed for Zooropa.

 

[digitize]

Zooropa is U29, AB is U28, RH is U27, Joshua is U26, UF is U25 etc. UABRS is considered the 4th album. OS1 is not labeled in that way, neither is Wide Awake.

Got it. I appreciate the information.

I also find the lyrical content reminiscent of Discotheque, in a good way.

I've noticed that too. To me, Vertigo is kind of a not-as-good version of Discothèque.

 

[cobl04]

I do not remotely understand these Discotheque-Vertigo comparisons outside of the fact they were both the first single.