Wire

[intedomine]

In My opinion i reckon wire is possibly one of u2's weakest songs and detracts from the overall quality of The UNforgettable Fire.

What were u2 thinking when they included it on the album, but excluded such classics as love comes tumbling and threee sunrises....it is so out of place.

People bag songs such as Elvis Presley and 4th of july yet wire never seems to recieve such criticism. Here is a rundown of how i rate each UF track.....It sticks out like a very sore thumb amongst the other tracks


1. ASOH - 9.6/10

2. PRIDE- 9.8/10

3. WIRE - 4.7/10

4. UF - 9/10

5. PROMENADE - 9.3/10

6. 4 of JULY - 8.1/10

7. BAD - 9/10

8. INDIAN SUMMER SKY - 9.2/10

9. ELVIS - 8.3/10

10 MLK - 7.7/10


It's a bloody fine album, but wire should hav been replaced with three sunrises , a song which is worth about 8.5 outta 10

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I don't think Wire is that bad; I kinda like it actually. I think U2 probably felt like they needed a more upbeat and less atmospheric song there.

My rating:

ASOH - 8/10

PRIDE - 10/10

WIRE - 6.5/10

UF - 5/10 (But it's growing on me)

PROMENADE - 6/10

4 OF JULY - 4/10

BAD - 10/10

ISS - 6/10

EPAA - 9/10

MLK - 8/10

It's been a while since I last REALLY listened to UF but it's a good album, not my favorite ever but it's an interesting one. Brings me back good memories of the time I was listening to it when I was getting heavily into U2 and finding out a lot of things. To me UF shows U2 was really trying something different than all other rock bands of their time maybe but I don't think they quite knew what it was that they were looking for on this album. Still good. 7/10

 

[GARY#2]

Is this one of those fan tests?

Where I'm supposed to disagree with an insolent tone:

"No way fellow fan! You know a replacement song isn't the answer!!! A real fan would advocate an extended version of Bad!!!??LMAO!!!"

It's one of those kinda tests, isn't it?!?

 

[BVS]

I love 'Wire"

In some white track
You come the right track
Cartoon cutout
Cut throat bled out
I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm alright Jack
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope
Here's the rope
Here's the rope
Now...swing away



...brilliant!

Now swing away...

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I love 'Wire"

In some white track
You come the right track
Cartoon cutout
Cut throat bled out
I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm alright Jack
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope
Here's the rope
Here's the rope
Now...swing away



...brilliant!

Now swing away...

 

[Axver]

You are COMPLETELY MAD. No two ways about it. Wire has the most scary ending of any U2 song, ever. I get chills listening to it because I've seen too many people swing away.

It was even more amazing live, too. That weird sound Bono would sometimes make at the start (also did it during Exit) is ... cool, in the most odd of ways.

Rating all the songs;

A Sort Of Homecoming - 10/10 - one of the most beautiful songs ever made.
Pride - 9.5/10 - remains the only U2 song to be better in the studio (besides a couple of exceptional performances)
Wire - 8.5/10
The Unforgettable Fire - 10/10 - a masterpiece of sound, vivid musical landscapes
Promenade/4th Of July/Bad - 10/10 - the flow is amazing, I refuse to rate them separately
Indian Summer Sky - 9.5/10 - vastly underrated song that I think hints at Streets
Elvis Presley And America - 8.5/10 - talk about improvisational skill!
MLK - 9.5/10 - beautiful, sweet song.

Oh, did I mention that UF is my favourite record? I once devised my own custom UF, opening with The Three Sunrises (which is easily a 10/10), but I've misplaced the order now, grr ...

 

[kennerado]

I love The Three Sunrises

 

[stagman]

Three Sunrises is a great song as is Love Comes Tumbling

 

[U2Kitten]

Three Sunrises is a great song as is Love Comes Tumbling

Me too! Once I play them I have to keep repeating them over and over. And I love all of UF

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Wire = One of my all time favorite songs. It's chaotic and manic and brilliant!!!

 

[djerdap]

Wire is great, lyrically and musically.
It is the first part of the Addiction Trilogy(Bad and Running To Stand Still are the other parts) which gives it another special meaning.
Unforgettable Fire is a fantastic album. The self-titled track and Bad are my favorites. It is an unique musical exprience.

 

[tiny dancer]

I love 'Wire"

In some white track
You come the right track
Cartoon cutout
Cut throat bled out
I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm alright Jack
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope
Here's the rope
Here's the rope
Now...swing away



...brilliant!

Now swing away...

So do I as well.

 

[bayernfc]

I like wire too.... it's not my favourite song but on the top 3 from that album.

 

[wolfeden]

Wire was absolutely blood-chilling to me back in '84. Still is. Still scares me sometimes.

I have a live version that brings across its manic, strung-out feeling to brilliant effect, the madness of drugs and chasing the high, even to your own death.

You have to remember, UF was an album that related a great deal to the enormous heroin problem engulfing Ireland - and a lot of other places- at that time, from the late 70s into the mid-80s, and if you weren't there or aren't familiar with the history, it's not going to mean much to you. Same with Lennon's "Cold Turkey", for just one example. BAD is one side of the coin, Wire is the other.

If you can't relate to that, then I guess you won't get the song..... doesn't mean at all that it's a "weak" contribution to the album. It just means it's out of your milieu and you don't get it, so you don't like it, and that's fine, but don't call the song "weak". You want weak? Try Grace.

 

[Bonochick]

I love 'Wire"

In some white track
You come the right track
Cartoon cutout
Cut throat bled out
I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm alright Jack
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope
Here's the rope
Here's the rope
Now...swing away



...brilliant!

Now swing away...

 

[najeena]

I've always loved Wire... but it's one of the few tracks from that era that sound a bit dated to me now.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

I think the whole album's perfect really....the sorta rap in "Wire" is the only part of that song that ever sticks in my mind for one reason or another, but it's definitely a very good tune. Not sure how anyone could think it's weaker than "Elvis Presley and America" which runs a wee bit too long.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Elvis Presley And America is one of the best songs on UF. A true gem.

Wire is indeed a bit dated but so is most of UF in my opinion.

 

[u2ulysses]

I really enjoy "Wire" and the album, UF. In fact, I rank UF above many other "classic" U2 albums.

My least favorite U2 song - and one that flat out ruins JT - is "Trip Through Your Wires". BLECH!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Heh, I'm always gonna be in the minority regarding "Trip Through Your Wires", it seems-I'm sorry, but I seriously love that song.

I love 'Wire"

In some white track
You come the right track
Cartoon cutout
Cut throat bled out
I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm alright Jack
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope
Here's the rope
Here's the rope
Now...swing away



...brilliant!

Now swing away...

. Agree wholeheartedly. I've never experienced what this song's about (which I actually never really realized until this thread), but I still love this song-I really love the way it's sung, particularly with this last part that BVS has quoted here, and I love the music in it.

My rating for the songs off of that album: 10/10 for every song except for "Elvis Presley and America", which I'd rate as a 7/10, and "4th of July", whose rating I'm not sure of right now. The Unforgettable Fire is one of my absolute favorite U2 albums. It's tied with Rattle & Hum when I make my list of my top 5 U2 albums.

Angela

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Heh, I'm always gonna be in the minority regarding "Trip Through Your Wires", it seems-I'm sorry, but I seriously love that song.

I gues I'm with you in that minority Angela. I love TTYW too, it's a great song and it worked really well live.

 

[Muggsy]

i like wire...

 

[The Sage]

Wire has to be one of my absolute favourite U2 songs - I always forget about it when it comes to listing my top songs but every time I listen to it I remember just how f-ing amazing it really is, and starts of what has to be the greatest sequence of songs on any album ever in my very humble opinion, from wire all the way through to Indian Summer Sky - such amazing atmosphere

I love The Three Sunrises and Love Comes Tumbling too, possibly my 2 favourite U2 b-sides (and they would have been standout tracks on any album), but I wouldn't change the greatest album ever made, even for them...

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I gues I'm with you in that minority Angela. I love TTYW too, it's a great song

.

Originally posted by TheBrazilianFly
and it worked really well live.

...I really need to go hunting for more live versions of songs out there (there just haven't been many places I can find a lot of this stuff)...I've never heard a live version of this song.

Angela

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

...I've never heard a live version of this song.

Angela

What's your e-mail?

 

[Jack In The Box]

Wire is my second favorite U2 song...

describes me... in many ways

I have a live version too, pretty cool

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

What's your e-mail?

angienic2001@yahoo.com

By the way, I forgot to mention earlier that I, too, adore "The Three Sunrises" and "Love Comes Tumbling". Excellent songs. "The Three Sunrises" puts me in a really cheerful mood whenever I hear it, and I love the way "Love Comes Tumbling" is sung (also really like the lyrics).

Angela

 

[gareth brown]

Sort of Homecoming- 9/10
Pride- 9/10
Wire- 10/10
Unforgettable Fire- 10/10
Promenade- 10/10
4th of July- 10/10
Bad- 10/10
Indian Summer Sky- 9/10
Elvis Presley and America- 10/10
MLK- 10/10

This may be very, VERY biased if that's the right word, but The Unforgettable Fire is and always will be one of my favourite albums by ANY band and all the tracks are near-PERFECT except 'A.S.O.H' 'Pride' and 'I.S.S', which I either listened to too much or didn't take to the first time (the latter being I.S.S)...anyway....Wire is absolutley FANTASTIC and I will never tire of what Axver described as the chilling ending and the superb guitar parts....

 

[The Sage]

Oh, and, by the way, if you con't mind me saying, the last line of the song is swing ON IT not swing away, and im sure of it no mater how many of you tell me otherwise

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Oh, and, by the way, if you con't mind me saying, the last line of the song is swing ON IT not swing away, and im sure of it no mater how many of you tell me otherwise

I just listened to it really loud some 10 times and I think it's swing away...