oliveu2cm
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
First of all, no one is to deny U2 are one a roll and gained momentum after each concert, each fan interaction, each interview- they seem to be incredibly positive and excited about the future. They have had "the best year of their lives", to quote Bono. They've already been working on material (like the AB/Zooropa one-two), capturing the energy and rapture that they achieved from this last tour. They have Europe 2002 to look forward to, have graced the cover of nearly every international music magazine and are in the limelight on every newspaper. (I understand it?s not all about ticket sales, press coverage, but I?m pointing out they are very available to people right now). Their music has never been more ?relevant?, and dare I say, more listened to on a huge fan base- if for nothing else, their message of renewal.
In an Australian Interview w/ Bono the other day he said the following: ?Bono has recently written a song about his father, called Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own. In the absence of a handy guitar, he half-sings, half-speaks some of it ("You don't have to put up a fight/You don't have to always be right/Let me take some of the punches for you tonight"), and then subsides into an uncharacteristic hush.?
Out of an incredibly dark time (his father?s death, Sept 11th tragedy) Bono has somehow managed to find the positive in it. His humanity about world events (from DTD to 9/11 to Aids) touches everyone- from the pacifist to the militants, while showing compassion for the countless victims across the world.
This tour has allowed the band to be SO close to us, and Bono really depends on us: ?The day Hewson died, U2 were due to headline Earl's Court in London. The show went ahead. "And it really helped me," says Bono. "It might have put the audience off their tea, but it really helped me. That recent tour in the UK is something I will never forget, because every night I would go expensively home to Dublin to sleep beside my father, on the floor of his hospital room -- the crowd was still ringing in my ears as I sat down to his silence."
That crowd, that was us. That gave Bono hope and strength, just as much as we give it to him, and I believe he taps into this when he sits down to write.
He does not diminish anything that has happened recently- but rather offers solace and comfort to people. And he steps up to bat ?let me take some of the punches for you tonight.? That line in particular is what caught my eye ? because it reminds me a lot of Acthung Baby, particularly ?Ultraviolet?, as well as Pop songs like ?VelvetDress?, in the style of it and how it sounds- I can almost hear him singing it already. However, those aforementioned songs are sung from a very selfish perspective ?baby light my way? and ?I?ve got my own hands to pray?. Bono said in the same article, "I like those albums, but I find them unbearable to listen to, because I can hear the paranoia and the panic. Achtung Baby is full of it. Zooropa kind of revolved around that great lyric by Edge, Numb. And Pop is so f---ing black.? Bono is so focused and zoned in on so much positive energy and soulfulness, I can see why it would be hard to listen to those albums. Of course, they were perfect for its time and still are important (AB is my favorite album to date by U2). I believe U2 are tapping into the intimacy, solidity, and uniqueness of AB, which I cannot justly describe, whether it be consciously or not, but they are replacing the ?paranoia and panic? with hope, soul, joy, and all the themes ATYCLB scraped the surface of.
I really think we should prepare ourselves for an album that is going to blow our minds apart- even more than AB, and certainly more than ATYCLB, which was in itself a fine album. It?s a really great time to be a U2 fan, and I sleep happily at night knowing across the ocean U2?s working on more music for us- not because they have to ? but because they need to, because they understand that God has given us their hands...
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"The Fly has to be the Fly!"
Devotion And some appreciation
Little heavy rotation Looks good on me
* U2 Take Me Higher *
In an Australian Interview w/ Bono the other day he said the following: ?Bono has recently written a song about his father, called Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own. In the absence of a handy guitar, he half-sings, half-speaks some of it ("You don't have to put up a fight/You don't have to always be right/Let me take some of the punches for you tonight"), and then subsides into an uncharacteristic hush.?
Out of an incredibly dark time (his father?s death, Sept 11th tragedy) Bono has somehow managed to find the positive in it. His humanity about world events (from DTD to 9/11 to Aids) touches everyone- from the pacifist to the militants, while showing compassion for the countless victims across the world.
This tour has allowed the band to be SO close to us, and Bono really depends on us: ?The day Hewson died, U2 were due to headline Earl's Court in London. The show went ahead. "And it really helped me," says Bono. "It might have put the audience off their tea, but it really helped me. That recent tour in the UK is something I will never forget, because every night I would go expensively home to Dublin to sleep beside my father, on the floor of his hospital room -- the crowd was still ringing in my ears as I sat down to his silence."
That crowd, that was us. That gave Bono hope and strength, just as much as we give it to him, and I believe he taps into this when he sits down to write.
He does not diminish anything that has happened recently- but rather offers solace and comfort to people. And he steps up to bat ?let me take some of the punches for you tonight.? That line in particular is what caught my eye ? because it reminds me a lot of Acthung Baby, particularly ?Ultraviolet?, as well as Pop songs like ?VelvetDress?, in the style of it and how it sounds- I can almost hear him singing it already. However, those aforementioned songs are sung from a very selfish perspective ?baby light my way? and ?I?ve got my own hands to pray?. Bono said in the same article, "I like those albums, but I find them unbearable to listen to, because I can hear the paranoia and the panic. Achtung Baby is full of it. Zooropa kind of revolved around that great lyric by Edge, Numb. And Pop is so f---ing black.? Bono is so focused and zoned in on so much positive energy and soulfulness, I can see why it would be hard to listen to those albums. Of course, they were perfect for its time and still are important (AB is my favorite album to date by U2). I believe U2 are tapping into the intimacy, solidity, and uniqueness of AB, which I cannot justly describe, whether it be consciously or not, but they are replacing the ?paranoia and panic? with hope, soul, joy, and all the themes ATYCLB scraped the surface of.
I really think we should prepare ourselves for an album that is going to blow our minds apart- even more than AB, and certainly more than ATYCLB, which was in itself a fine album. It?s a really great time to be a U2 fan, and I sleep happily at night knowing across the ocean U2?s working on more music for us- not because they have to ? but because they need to, because they understand that God has given us their hands...
------------------
"The Fly has to be the Fly!"
Devotion And some appreciation
Little heavy rotation Looks good on me
* U2 Take Me Higher *