The awesomeness of Unknown Caller

[gvox]

Hmm...I think Vertigo is worse to be honest, given the lyrics (native son) that were trashed in favor of making it a 'hit', followed by Elevation's "mole, diggin in a hole".

Is there anything that dumb on UC? "Force quit, and move to trash" maybe? I don't mind it, I actually think it's kindof cool and speaks to the computer-obsessed generation we are. I don't think it's a hugely deep or meaningful lyric and I wouldn't write a dissertation on it, that's for sure, but it does seem to have a bit more substance than say Vertigo. And yeah, that goddamn mole is way more abysmal.

Having said all that, I do not want it to open the show. The encore, maybe. Played right after MOS, for sure. But not to open the show.

 

[phillyfan26]

"Password, you enter here," "force quite and move to trash," "You know your name, so punch it in" ... all horrendous. All of the technology references are just embarrassingly literal.

I'm a big supporter of Native Son, but Vertigo isn't that bad. The verses are inoffensive: it's just that the chorus is really stupid.

Elevation is awful the whole way through, lyrically.

 

[Irishteen]

"Password, you enter here," "force quite and move to trash," "You know your name, so punch it in" ... all horrendous. All of the technology references are just embarrassingly literal.

I'm a big supporter of Native Son, but Vertigo isn't that bad. The verses are inoffensive: it's just that the chorus is really stupid.

Elevation is awful the whole way through, lyrically.

UC has some of the best verses on the album though

 

[bonocomet]

"Password, you enter here," "force quite and move to trash," "You know your name, so punch it in" ... all horrendous. All of the technology references are just embarrassingly literal.

Well, you did leave out an important comma, which I think is important to that line:

Password, you(,) enter here, right now


Making the the password "YOU", (your name)

but I do get why you and many people don't like it, it's understandable.
(I also know that the comma doesn't appear in the books, but it does appear on u2.com and the pause in the singing makes me hear it that way so I choose to take it that way the booklets are known to have misprints, but who knows I guess. Bono was either very clever there or just got lucky. )


Anyways... I have been hoping sooo much to hear this one live.

 

[last unicorn]

Well, you did leave out an important comma, which I think is important to that line:

Password, you(,) enter here, right now


Making the the password "YOU", (your name)

´

Exactly

I love the song and cannot wait to hear it live. I wonder how they're going to do the chorus that has so many vocals on the album.

 

[Axver]

Personally, my one big problem with Unknown Caller's lyrics is "cease to speak/that I may speak". Rhyming 'speak' with ... itself? Come on Bono, you can do better than that.

Regardless of any lyrical flubs (and I'll second that it has some of the album's best verses), it should be pretty damn good live. I'm rather keen to hear it.

 

[bonocomet]

I don't really pay much mind to an occasional word rhyming with itself. It doesn't happen all that often and sometimes I think it's just coincidence that a certain idea or point being made contains the same word twice. And sometimes it just wouldn't make as much sense to substitute another word just for the sake of that.

I think it would be pretty cool to get a Lanois/Eno appearance at a show as well.

 

[mikal]

the lyrics to this song are great. end of discussion.

 

[subnet]

maybe Bono's MacBook has been giving him troubles

 

[gvox]

Um. is it just me or does the inclusion or exclusion of the comma in 'password you enter here' make no difference one way or the other to the lyric? Other than grammar of course..

 

[bonocomet]

well yeah it changes the meaning of the sentence without it

unless you already know that the password is yourself, but it sounds more to me like the unknown caller is telling you that "you" are the password at that moment in the song.

 

[gvox]

To be honest, I think that's assigning an unintended meaning. I think the pause before "enter here" is simply just a rhythmic device, nothing more. That's why I say the comma is meaningless.

 

[bonocomet]

Why would it have to be unintended? Bono is clever sometimes... but like I said before ^, yes even I will say he may have got lucky (meaning yes, unintended) I guess we don't really know for sure anyways, and that's ok, as Bono even says that's the great thing about U2 songs. (different interpretations)

 

[gvox]

True enough, but he also says 'you know your pin, so punch it in'...and pins have to be at least 4 digits...there's only 3 digits in "you"


:runsawayfast:

 

[bonocomet]

ok you win!

Spoiler

but now I win

 

[bonocomet]

you do know though that he's not saying the password is the word YOU though right? just checking!

 

[gvox]

LOL I know I'm being facetious.

Having said that, if your name was Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff, Venkatanarasimharajuvaripet or Abeygoonewardena, you might just have to use a different PIN.

 

[digitize]

My name has four letters... maybe the song is speaking directly to ME!

 

[bonocomet]

password is you = your name.

If your name is 3 letters or less I guess you are out of luck

Ahh edit, ok I see your post he can always just use Wolfy.


But anyways... I only get to see 2 shows. I hope I will see it played. And I agree it's an awesome song. It was one that I overlooked initially with the excitement of getting the new album. After my 16 year old daughter told me after her first listen it was the best song on the album I listened harder, with a more open mind about it.

 

[Trabbie]

With a super extended Edge solo in UC too please..thanks!

 

[Vlaco]

He messed up the solo unfortunately.

 

[AndrewCowley]

Only a minor mess up though. We can be very analytical sitting at our computers watching youtube. I rate a mess up in terms of how bad would be if you were actually there?

 

[Vlaco]

Only a minor mess up though. We can be very analytical sitting at our computers watching youtube. I rate a mess up in terms of how bad would be if you were actually there?

He messed up some chords, that's for sure. I think I would have noticed it if I was actually there. But it's not the easiest song to play live.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Don't worry, UC will come good soon. It wasn't always gonna be perfect on the first go, after much practice Edge will continously nail the solo and all will be well.

 

[gvox]

I fucking love Bono's movements during the solo. Completely goofy awestruck ecstatic I-love-you-Edge twitching is how I can only describe it

 

[Tiger Edge]

gvox, you miss the point of Unknown Caller completely. I am embarrassed for you.

bonocomet:

 

[namkcuR]

I thought it was a pretty good performance for being it's live debut. The one thing I'll say is that I'm not a big fan of the refrain of the chorus after the solo that's been added, I think ending with the solo makes the song as a whole more powerful.

 

[RademR]

the crowd was really into it......crowd seemed really into all the new songs for the most part. happy about that.

 

[gvox]

gvox, you miss the point of Unknown Caller completely. I am embarrassed for you.

bonocomet:

uh...okay? I was just commenting on his movements during the solo...

 

[RademR]

ya just saw that they put the lyrics on the screen during the chorus.

thats cool