Why is 'The Hands That Built America' bashed so much here?

[namkcuR]

Why is 'The Hands That Built America' bashed so much around here?

I think it's beautiful - especially the 'of all of the promises/is the one we could keep/of all of the dreams/is this one of out reach' verse, and the operatic middle 8.

I know I'll get shit for this, but I think I prefer to it to anything on Bomb except for maybe Fast Cars.

So why all the hate?

 

[Ellay]

Perhaps unless you're American, its hard to relate to personally?

 

[Jack In The Box]

well, the song isn't about american people, is about immigrants

personally I love it, you know, Irish people and Latin Americans are more alike that it seems

 

[thrillme]

*Well it is post-1990's U2, and for different reasons this era gets bashed by a number of posters here?

*It's U2/[insert any band] and there will be bashing and people who don't agree with the bashing.

I really haven't noticed this particular song get bashed so much here, but U2 after Pop generally gets bashed a bit.

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

actually i don't see this song mentioned much here, good or bad; although I've just seen it being discussed twice in a row. I'll have to go give it another listen b/c I've all but forgotten about it.

 

[Nisse]

It's inclusion on Best of 90-2000 when it's far from one of the best.

 

[An Cat Gav]

It's a nice song, grand and epic, but also a little dull by their standards.
I feel that U2 were playing it a little safe by including it on the Best Of 1990-2000. The ninetees were their era of radical sonic change, of making "the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree" but THTBA is better suited to the U2 of the decade it was actually recorded in. It's sad to think that they cut "The Fly" from The US album but included this, it's kinda like they no longer had the courage of their 1991 convictions.
But saying that The Hands That Built America is a well crafted, touching song, but it doesn't make my heart ache or make me wanna "slide down the surface of things".
On the whole though, a good effort and if any other band had written it, it would rank as one of their best, just U2 have higher standards than anybody else!
It's also 100 times better than Don't Come Knockin"!!

 

[U2mixer]

It's not 'bashed', it's just a little...meh!

It's a track that I don't tend to play on its own.

 

[jacobus]

@thrillme: Well it is post-2000's U2, and for different reasons this era gets bashed by a number of poster here
but the main reason is, that the post 2000 era is U2s weakest and unispired era. too much bad smelling cheese on the albums.

 

[Tiger Edge]

I personally love the song and the imagery it has.
Steel and glass canyons
That describes New York perfectly.

 

[Canadiens1131]

I think it's a lovely song.

 

[bombergirl1978]

I like it, but don't listen to it much because it reminds me of Leonardo DiCaprio in Gangs of New York lol

 

[MumblingBono]

Suits the movie nicely. It is what it is.

Gangs of New York gained alot for me upon 2nd viewing. Good movie

 

[waynetravis]

I like it. Its not a song that I would play all the time, but its a great song.

 

[GibsonGirl]

I've never really seen it bashed here.

The song has never grabbed my attention very much.

 

[U2Soar]

Many fans have expressed a dislike for Stuck In A Moment feeling that it was way over produced i.e., the constant carousel sounding, popcorn popping keyboards. Then people hear the acoustic version and enjoy it to some extent. Stuck In A Moment may not become a favourite but a different version can make it somewhat enjoyable and possibly more preferable.

Another song that comes to mind and which shared a similar fate is Staring At The Sun. At least for me, the vocal harmony of Bono & Edge acoustic version from the PopHeart Single provided a new way of looking at the song.

The Hands That Built America could offer the same option. There was a piano version by The Edge and Bono at the Clinton Library Opening in late 2004. It would be wonderful if someone could post a link to this version.

 

[MrBrau1]

@thrillme: Well it is post-2000's U2, and for different reasons this era gets bashed by a number of poster here
but the main reason is, that the post 2000 era is U2s weakest and unispired era. too much bad smelling cheese on the albums.

Cough:bullshit:Cough

 

[RademR]

i personally think "Hands" is not a good song, one of their worst actually. Don't know what it is, just seemed kind of effortless to me.

 

[AtomicBono]

It's not bad. It's not a favourite of mine, but I like it. And it went well with the movie...when the song swelled up at the end THAT was cool.

I love the line "you gotta live with your dreams/don't make them so hard" and I love Bono's opera part.

 

[Total U2 Nut]

Cough:bullshit:Cough

Couldn't agree more

I like The Hands That Built America, it's by no means my favourite U2 song, but it doesn't derseve all the abuse people give it.

 

[RademR]

It's not bad.

true, its not a bad song. i just think for a u2 song, its pretty bad. I can still listen to it

 

[ImOuttaControl]

I don't think it gets bashed a whole lot--it's just not one of their standout songs.

I personally think it's a beautiful song with some fantastic parts (the bridge, the lyrics use great imagery). It could have been an incredible song with a little more work on the chorus. I guess the chorus just never really did the song justice IMO. This is one of those instances that would have benefited from a chorus that isn't sooooooo literal.

 

[scha]

The Hands That Built America could offer the same option. There was a piano version by The Edge and Bono at the Clinton Library Opening in late 2004. It would be wonderful if someone could post a link to this version.

I totally agree! I didn't quite get its feeling until I've heard this version. Link as requested:

http://s54.you sendit.com/d.aspx?id=1PYWLRENSP2YB3J6MG007ZIL6M

 

[doctorwho]

[Bbut the main reason is, that the post 2000 era is U2s weakest and unispired era. too much bad smelling cheese on the albums. [/B]

And thus proving why the song gets bashed - regardless of what song it is. It's post-2000, so it must be bashed.

 

[LMP]

It's an amazing song and I've loved it since the first time I heard it.

Is it just me or are all of U2's soundtrack work really stellar?

 

[susanp6]

I love it too&think it's quite underrated

Plus i think Bono's hot as ever in that video!

 

[clifedge]

I like it, but don't listen to it much because it reminds me of Leonardo DiCaprio in Gangs of New York lol

Yeah!

Seriously though, it is a really dull song. I would never bash it. I just don't listen to it.

 

[lazarus]

...because it's a weak track. "Uninspired" is how it sounds regardless of its real heartfelt inspiration, and if it wasn't some post-9/11 Let's All Heal Together song, people wouldn't be paying much attention to it. Bono's vocal, except for the opera part is pretty clunky, and it has an extremely downbeat and unmemorable chorus.

Do people just think that U2 has no subpar songs? Subject matter does not a good song make, and this is coming from someone who thinks Gangs of New York is one of the best films of the new millenium. But Eminem deserved that Oscar because Lose Yourself is a great song. THTBA is just...okay. Compare it to any U2 ballad over the years and it just doesn't measure up.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Post-2000 basher here, reporting for duty.... and I really like this song. It's a proper 'soundtrack' song, or I guess truly part of the score (or it's tune has become the main score through the film), so I don't think it should be measured up against a standard U2 ballady type song. Most of it's feel, it's meaning, it's place and sound are pre-determined. On it's own it's a nice little piece, and in the film the build up to it is great. Little string parts pop up at different times during the film that are straight from the song, then at the end there's a big build up to it, leading into the credits. I agree it shouldn't have been on the Best Of, but that thing is f*cked up from start to finish. So in summary, it is what it is, and it is perfect at being that. It's nice, I like it, and just to fit the stereotype, I think it's in the top 5-10% of stuff they've done post-2000.

 

[U2Soar]

Thanks Scha for uploading the Bono and The Edge piano version from the Clinton Library ceremony. I’d be interested in hearing what Lazarus and Earnie think of it.