What's the longest U2 song?

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All I Want Is You on the Best of 1980-1990 is up to 9 min, but includes a 1 min break and October.

Mercy is about 6-7 min, but is an unreleased track.

Uh, I'd say the longest ones other than that have to be Lemon (6:58), All I Want Is You(6:30), or Elvis Presley and America(6:23)
 
Aardvark747 said:
Lemon yeah...so good it could run for another 6 mins!:drool:
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maybe it's just a first impression that is incorrect, but it seems most people on here really don't like long, drawn out U2 songs, am I right or wrong? help me out here cause I'm still getting a feel for all this :)
 
Rob33 said:


maybe it's just a first impression that is incorrect, but it seems most people on here really don't like long, drawn out U2 songs, am I right or wrong? help me out here cause I'm still getting a feel for all this :)
Click to expand...

Def not the case for me anyway! I love Lemon and All I Want Is You and the length of both doesnt bother me at all.

...Now if VERTIGO was dragged out for near on 6 mins!....:madspit:
 
I really like it when U2 extend songs live, 9 times out of 10 the embellishments they make on stage leave the studio counterparts in the dark. Its their unpredictability and spontaneity as a live act which makes them so interesting to me. In concert, the songs have room to grow and breathe and take on another life, in the studio they can often appear a little restrained and sometimes sterile.

Over the years I loved the long live versions of:

Desire: Edges solo's on Lovetown.

Without Or Without You: The late eighties and early nineties renditions were often inspired.

Please: One of my favourite live songs, it's incredible how much the song developed on stage and took on a whole other resonance. Listening to the studio version who would have guessed it would go on to become so powerful and poignant live? One of the reasons I like The Popmart tour so much and a real highlight of the stage career.

Kite: The Vertigo versions were tremendous, it always seemed to me that the song was crying out to start off small and slowly grow into something huge. On the last tour they really captured it. Plus I loved the dijeridoo.

Bad: A real epic, the studio versions an interesting mood piece but on stage it became a showstealer. Maybe the most interesting live song and probably the most versatille. It's always changing and developing into something new. Every tour has its own unique incarnation, just compare the Lovetown and Popmart versions.

I hope they continue to be as malleable as ever next tour.
 
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DevilsShoes said:
I really like it when U2 extend songs live, 9 times out of 10 the embellishments they make on stage leave the studio counterparts in the dark. Its their unpredictability and spontaneity as a live act which makes them so interesting to me.
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Don't wish to put a damper on things, but yes U2 often come up with longer arrangements of their songs when they play them live but those moments are seldom unpredictable or spontaneous. They rehearse the songs this way and them roll them out in this extended fashion night after night.
 
No I know, U2 are extremely meticulous when it comes to their live shows. I was just talking from the point of view of a fan who can never be quite sure what each night will bring. For me that's what makes it so exciting, its structured for the band but surprising for the fan IMO.
 
I LOVE the epic U2 songs. Even at 12 mins long the Live Aid version of Bad never gets dull.

U2 use the 6 minute song quite sparingly but they always seem to work: Lemon, Elvis Presley & America, Mercy, Zooropa, Bad, Hawkmoon, All I Want is You.

Some of those Hansa versions of Wake Up Dead Man went for 7 or more minutes and they were still great.

I actually wish they'd indulged a little more in the album version Please. There could have been a longer Edge solo - no-one would've minded :D
 
Rob33 said:


maybe it's just a first impression that is incorrect, but it seems most people on here really don't like long, drawn out U2 songs, am I right or wrong? help me out here cause I'm still getting a feel for all this :)
Click to expand...

I do when they're good. Ever hear that 14 or so minute version of Bad from Jersey in '85? Brilliant.

But when it's crap like Lemon, not so much. If Lemon & Van Diemen's Land switched track times I'd be the happiest U2 fan alive. But that's just me...Axver likes One better than I like Lemon :)
 
CTU2fan said:



Axver likes One better than I like Lemon :)
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wow, that must be big hatred...

I love Lemon, I could be listening to this song for hours and don't get bored... but I don't like it when they try to extend the songs too much, when listening to versions of Bad with 100 snippets It's becoming boring for me,
 
Mysterious ways Solar Plexus Magic Hour Remix is extremely long, but a great remix..

Longest live song I've heard is Bad at the London Astoria in 2001.. I thought it was never gonna end.
 
Rob33 said:


maybe it's just a first impression that is incorrect, but it seems most people on here really don't like long, drawn out U2 songs, am I right or wrong? help me out here cause I'm still getting a feel for all this :)
Click to expand...

I can never get enough of U2 , so for me the longer the better . :drool:
 
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