Rate the Song: Window in the Skies

[digitize]

Wow… now we begin the very final round of this rate the song series, the last round of 2000s non-album songs. The full list of such songs is:

Stateless
Summer Rain
Always
Levitate
Love You Like Mad
Smile
Flower Child
Big Girls Are Best
Electrical Storm
The Hands That Built America
Native Son
Xanax and Wine
Are You Gonna Wait Forever?
Window in the Skies
Soon
Winter
Mercy

Today's round will cover the last five songs, from Are You Gonna Wait Forever? to Mercy.

Please rate Window in the Skies 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.

A short while after this round closes, I will post results for only 2000s songs, as usual. (Hopefully) a short while after that, I will post full results in a new thread, with a link to a PDF file filled with the full statistical nonsense. I will do my best to make both come out as soon as possible - thank God, these polls close on Saturday, the first day of my Spring Break, so I should have plenty of time with which to work on everything.

I would also like to thank everyone for participating. There have been some skirmishes, but overall, I think this has been a fun experience, and I'm really glad to have run it.

Have fun! This poll will close in 96 hours.

 

[gvox]

Just..there..

 

[Nick66]

Typical 00's "B-side" nonsense. I think there's one lyric in it I really like, but can't be bothered to listen again and check.

5.

 

[An Cat Gav]

It's ok, nothing more really. Maybe I shouldn't but I do expect a bit more from U2 than this. Nice melody but nothing to write home about. #
The video was good though.
6

 

[Nick66]

Maybe I shouldn't but I do expect a bit more from U2 than this.

This seems like you're stating the obvious, but it's a good point and really can't be said enough. Some of this stuff is OK until you remember what they're capable of.

But if I rated all of these 00's b-sides against what I know this band can do, they'd all be at least 3 notches below what I'm giving them. So I tend to just rate them against each other and not the entire catalogue. And I'm generally pretty selective about the higher scores (8+) I give anyway.

 

[djerdap]

Window in the Skies was a single. Pretty much the opposite of a B-Side.

As for the song, I actually like it, despite all the cheesiness, since it does have that hook in the chorus, and it doesn't sound nearly as forced as some of the attempted "hits" they've tried in the last 10 years. A guilty pleasure if you will. 8

 

[LadySpinHead]

Agree with it being a guilty pleasure. I like this- it's uplifting and fun to sing along to. 8

 

[Nick66]

Window in the Skies was a single. Pretty much the opposite of a B-Side.

Hence the reason I put "B-side" in quotes....or did you miss that? I'm using it generically, since technically "B-side", using the literal definition, ended with the CD era. Call it a non-album track, whatever. A track not officially released on a regular studio album.

Ugh.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Hence the reason I put "B-side" in quotes....or did you miss that? I'm using it generically, since technically "B-side", using the literal definition, ended with the CD era. Call it a non-album track, whatever. A track not officially released on a regular studio album.

Ugh.

It would have been a very good b-side though, but was just an average A-side.

The term b-side seems to have lost it's true meaning, probably because most music buyers don't remember a time when they existed!

 

[djerdap]

Hence the reason I put "B-side" in quotes....or did you miss that? I'm using it generically, since technically "B-side", using the literal definition, ended with the CD era. Call it a non-album track, whatever. A track not officially released on a regular studio album.

Ugh.

You know, this whole "playing the misunderstood victim" thing you have going on, especially when reacting to such a mild reply... It's even more annoying than the usual beehive crap.

Time to put you on Ignore again.

 

[mikal]

was this song remastered?

 

[Nick66]

You know, this whole "playing the misunderstood victim" thing you have going on, especially when reacting to such a mild reply... It's even more annoying than the usual beehive crap.

Um, yeah...you're the one nitpicking on the definition of a B-side, and I'm the one being annoying.

Time to put you on Ignore again.

 

[digitize]

So, umm, changing the subject, I like the single version better than the U218 version. Is that view shared by anyone?

 

[mikal]

wait, there are 2 versions?

 

[digitize]

wait, there are 2 versions?

They're slightly different.

 

[Hollow Island]

This is the worst U2 song. It's like they tried to make a song that fulfill every negative, hyperbolic U2 stereotype there is. It's the worst song of the decade. It just sickens me. I was subjected to it while in a drug store and i don"t think being the target in a mass bukkake would feel all that different (unless you're into that kind of thing).

 

[Hollow Island]

Hence the reason I put "B-side" in quotes....or did you miss that? I'm using it generically, since technically "B-side", using the literal definition, ended with the CD era. Call it a non-album track, whatever. A track not officially released on a regular studio album.

Ugh.

if you want to be literal, there were no b-sides on CDs because there were no sides. The term "b side" literally refers to the song on the reverse side of the single that is being marketed. So there...

 

[Galeongirl]

Loved it at first listen, loved it at the 999th listen, still love it today. I don't care that it's cheesy, it's uplifting and has a 12 string guitar. Instant win.

 

[God Part III]

3. It's not that the song is that terrible, I'd call it 'passable', so maybe more 4-5, but it's just not the kind of song U2 should be doing. It's pure pop music, there's nothing distinctive to it, it sounds too much like U2 trying to do a Beatles song, and there's not enough Edge. I was so worried for their direction when this came out. I'm happy that (at least for now) it was just a little sidestep.

 

[gvox]

being the target in a mass bukkake would feel all that different

Oh, please, DO TELL?!

 

[Nick66]

if you want to be literal, there were no b-sides on CDs because there were no sides. The term "b side" literally refers to the song on the reverse side of the single that is being marketed. So there...

Um, yes, I know. Which is the reason I said:

technically "B-side", using the literal definition, ended with the CD era.

So there!

(sigh)

 

[God Part III]

So, umm, changing the subject, I like the single version better than the U218 version. Is that view shared by anyone?

The less strings, the better.

So no

 

[Scorpionac]

I like this song a lot. The lyrics get steadily worse, though.

I also prefer the single version.

 

[trevgreg]

Never was particularly big on this, though it can hit home for me at the right time. Gave it a 7, though I could make it a 6 at times too.

 

[popacrobat]

So, umm, changing the subject, I like the single version better than the U218 version. Is that view shared by anyone?

yes, I can't stand the U218 mix compared to the single version.

And I actually do like this song, too. It's oozing of cheese, but it's pleasant, and I really like the breakdown in the middle.

 

[PennyLanePHINS]

I really like it for some reason.

 

[LemonMelon]

6 for the song, 11 for the video.

 

[corianderstem]

I don't like the song as much as I used to, but I like it well enough. Love the "performers" video; the other version is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

I mean, it's got ACTUAL WINDOWS IN THE SKY.

 

[gareth brown]

The term b-side seems to have lost it's true meaning

yeah it certainly has round here i KNOW it shouldn't bother me.....but whenever I see people on here say B-side when referring to stuff that isn't like Levitate, Mercy and Electrical Storm(?!?!) it just makes me want to yell at the screen!!

I mean sure there'll be some people who genuinely don't know what a B-side actually is...or quite simply just don't give a shit because let's face it there are more important things in life
but it's just weird haha - I mean it's not like singles are totally dead and buried, there are song that are actual B-sides and ones that are just unreleased. but obviously you can't force them to follow some strict code can you? and these days you could argue the lines are being blurred somewhat...but even so - half of what people here call B-sides just aren't.

 

[Galeongirl]

I think right now most unreleased tracks are thrown on the "B-sides" heap. It's easier than saying B-sides and unreleased tracks and singles that weren't on any album.