Zooropa - the song.

[Zoocoustic]

I am listening to this song right now, and I've got to say that I think this is one of the best U2 songs of all time. I know it isn't talked about much, and certainly it was never a popular U2 song, but regardless, the building intro, the catchy verses, and the explosive final section all work together so well that it makes for one amazing tune.

It also has a lot of memories for me...takes me back quite a few years. It was in 1993 that I really felt no band could ever top U2, because not only had they released a bold daring album unlike anything else out there, but they did it in such a way that made them seem even cooler than I already thought they were with Achtung Baby. It was almost like a middle finger to the rest of the music world - U2 proudly stating that they were going to do it their way no matter what. I mean, I remember listening to this song and thinking "I've never heard these sounds before" - and they all sounded so incredibly amazing!

Anyway, that's my short but sweet appreciation of Zooropa...I have to stop there because its hard putting words around something that you find so moving. But this song is one of those that really does it for me.

Dream out loud, baby.

 

[catlhere]

Zooropa. Omg my second favorite album intro after WTSHNN. This is so awesome. You're right it doesn't get enough praise around here! I love the whole different layers going on. The slow October-ish piano and then the funky groove and then the rock out ending. Dee-rish!

@Zooropa

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

 

[jonnytakeawalk]

The last two minutes are just incredible

Not a fan of the intro though. I always skip it

 

[ShellBeThere]

I love Zooropa...I am pissed at myself for not actually being in touch with it when it was current! To me it soo captures that period in time, that berlin-wall-just-down europe grappling with its issues time. Maybe as an American I had tuned out, maybe I had just not "gotten" what U2 were doing...I didn't stick with them after the 'shock' of AB, which I liked but felt was so different from the before work that I just moved on.
how wrong of me!
then when I re-discovered it for the first time I wanted to put on those 'right shoes' and put flowers in the mud baby...so gorgeously layered, so evocative...and I missed that whole damn euro-cool scene dammit
oh well, it's still great for driving even if not on the autobahn...

cheers!

 

[Jack In The Box]

I started to appreciate it when I listened the Zooropa tour intro ("what do you want?", etc.) and since then... it's one of my favorite U2 songs

 

[Ellay]

The build up's a tad too long maybe, but a great song nonetheless.

Shame it wasn't played more often live.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Zooropa is such a beautiful piece of work,only WTSHNN jas a better intro.
It sums up a lot of things for me; the shaping of a new, exciting Europe, the new uber coolness of U2, the fact that my band, the band id always championed were now making some of the coolest most leftfield music of any mainstream artist since Bowie with Low and it almost summed up how beautiful and sublime U2's music is.
I saw them play it at Wembley Stadium in 1993, they played Zooropa, but without the intro or the mid-section, it rocked but in my opinion it should be played in it's entirety!
The period between Night and Day and just after Passengers was the golden era of U2 for me. They were great before and are equally great now, but for me they were at their creative zenith then and the song Zooropa captures that time perfectly, so full of hope and beauty.

 

[U2mixer]

Great track - pity they couldn't 'get it' live.

As An Cat Gav says, the live version 'rocked', but it wasn't performed with the atmosphere of the original.

 

[Axver]

Slamming Zooropa's intro should be considered a crime. Patience is a virtue that leads to appreciation, people.

The song's a piece of complex artwork in sonic form. Every part comes together perfectly to create a thought-provoking cohesive whole.

It is one of the best songs of U2's career and of the nineties in general.

 

[gareth brown]

U2's greatest song and my favourite song of all time! Pure GOD in music form!

 

[An Cat Gav]

Nice comment Gareth, I totally agree, especialy the piano in the intro.
Also it has one of Bono's best monents, when he sings
"Dont worry baby, it'll be alright, you've got the right shoes to get you through the night, its cold outside but brightly Lit. Skip the subway, lets go to the overground!"
Perfect, one of his best lyrics.

 

[YBORCITY]

^ Great Post An Cat!!!! Just reading those lyrics I got goosebumps. What a great song INDEED!!!!

 

[Iskra]

A perfect song that could only be written by an artist. A song that only U2 could make.

 

[one4u2]

Slamming Zooropa's intro should be considered a crime. Patience is a virtue that leads to appreciation, people.

The song's a piece of complex artwork in sonic form. Every part comes together perfectly to create a thought-provoking cohesive whole.

It is one of the best songs of U2's career and of the nineties in general.

 

[The Disciple]

F'n AMAZING song.....

 

[Tiger Edge]

My next favorite off Zooropa after Lemon.
Took me a while to get into though. I think the long intro just made me want to skip to Numb right away but lately I've been appreciating the intro.
Great song to drive to, IMO.

 

[U2democrat]

Zooropa is an excellent song. It just feels good.

 

[vivaSA]

Great song, great album!

 

[tink]

Zooropa is an excellent song. It just feels good.

Couldn't have put it better than that

'Put flowers in the mud, baby' ... stunning track. Liking this thread

 

[GibsonGirl]

One of the few U2 songs I still love. Zooropa is just brilliant the whole way through. My second favourite U2 song. Everything about it is perfect - the long intro, Edge's crazy guitar, the tempo shift at the end...

 

[Party Boy]

Love this song - fav from Zooropa

(what do you want?)
(what do you want?)

Zooropa...Vorsprung durch Technik
Zooropa...be all that you can be
Be a winner
Eat to get slimmer

Zooropa...a bluer kind of white
Zooropa...it could be yours tonight
We're mild and green
And squeaky clean

Zooropa...better by design
Zooropa...fly the friendly skies
Through appliance of science
We've got that ring of confidence

And I have no compass
And I have no map
And I have no reasons
No reasons to get back

And I have no religion
And I don't know what's what
And I don't know the limit
The limit of what we've got

Don't worry baby, it'll be alright
You got the right shoes
To get you through the night
It's cold outside, but brightly lit
Skip the subway
Let's go to the overground
Get your head out of the mud baby
Put flowers in the mud baby
Overground

No particular place names
No particular song
I've been hiding
What am I hiding from

Don't worry baby, it's gonna be alright
Uncertainty can be a guiding light
I hear voices, ridiculous voices
Out in the slipstream
Let's go, let's go overground
Take your head out of the mud baby

She's gonna dream up
The world she wants to live in
She's gonna dream out loud
She's gonna dream out loud
Dream out loud

 

[Tiger Edge]

You should start letting it log on last.fm. You know it's awesome.

I wonder what your #1 is?


Can I also add that this is one of the best U2 songs to sing along to?

VORSPRUNG DURCH TECHNIK.

 

[mackemlad]

Love this song

All of it,espicially where it kicks in and takes off!

Love the wierd noises at the end that just seems to lead perfectly into Babyface.

great song great Album

 

[RavenBlue]

I love Zooropa, great song. One of my favs for sure

 

[ShellBeThere]

Can I also add that this is one of the best U2 songs to sing along to?

VORSPRUNG DURCH TECHNIK.

Yeah, it is really fun to sing to, but for some reason for me it's such a car song...to sing along while driving. Especially city-driving...the whole album really is great for that.

It's not a song I crave hearing live really though...I like it thru speakers and infront of a steeringwheel a lot...

happy trails all...

 

[benito]

The song was ahead of its time. It still sounds current and its middle 8 is fantastic!

 

[City7]

Zooropa... it's an AMAZING song... i just LOVE the blend of sounds and the edge's effects... plus the deep, outer-spacey feel of the song. This has to be one of my favorites

 

[Azor]

Zooropa is Elegant

There is no other words to describe it

 

[Slipstream]

This my favourite U2 song. Here is some info on the song and what the intro is called that some people don't know about.

The US CD featured an edit of the Zooropa album track. The material that makes up the "Babel" at the start of the track has been deleted. This was originally almost done with the album as well, splitting the first track into two, "Babel" and "Zooropa".