New INXS Demo...Featuring Bono?

[Nick66]

I don't think the author of the letter intended anyone to think it was Bono. Is there only one Irish singer in the world? It's not like it said, "A certain Irish singer."

Of course he did. Otherwise, what's the point of being coy about who it is? The whole point of keeping it a secret is to get people guessing who it is. And whoever this singer is happens to have at least a passing resemblance to Bono's voice. And some would argue more. There's no other "Irish Singer" that would cause the kind of it excitement or speculation that Bono would. The fact that U2 websites everywhere have spent pages debating this is evidence enough of that.

I'm not saying it is Bono...but I think they wanted to us to assume it was.

 

[Val]

Had a great afternoon shopping with the new INXS song featuring Bono playing in my head. I love it!

 

[gvox]

Of course he did. Otherwise, what's the point of being coy about who it is? The whole point of keeping it a secret is to get people guessing who it is. And whoever this singer is happens to have at least a passing resemblance to Bono's voice. And some would argue more. There's no other "Irish Singer" that would cause the kind of it excitement or speculation that Bono would. The fact that U2 websites everywhere have spent pages debating this is evidence enough of that.

I'm not saying it is Bono...but I think they wanted to us to assume it was.

1. He didn't say "Irish singer", he said "songwriter...Irish bloke".

2. He's not being coy or deliberately "keeping a secret" for strategic marketing sake per se. Are things OK with JD? What if they aren't, and what if he can't say too much just yet until it gets sorted out. Additionally, what if there are things to get sorted out on the singer's end (ie this Rae guy, who fronts another band himself?)

 

[gvox]

INXS is from Australia, no?

Here is an AUSTRALIAN music mags article on the thing. Admittedly, later in their lists of "who could it be"s they get a little silly (Gaga? lmao), but note the very first sentence:

"Their camp swear to us that Bono is not the vocalist on the new INXS track"

Their camp = INXS' people. I guess this Aussie music mag might have an "in" or two..and they are a source outside the realm of U2 fansites...

WHO'S THAT SINGING WITH INXS? - Your Daily SPA - The Music.com.au


Haha, at the end they say "fuck it, surely it's Bono singing, right?". Whatever!!

 

[yolland]

This thread reminds me of those arguments you get into with your spouse/roommate about, Who is this person (who apparently knows us) who's left a message on our answering machine without giving their name. And you disagree, but each of you is SO SURE the other is laughably wrong, and when you try to convince each other all that comes out are these totally vague, subjective, arbitrary characterizations which in all likelihood misrepresent what your mind is actually locking on to.

Anyways, I'm firmly in the "reminiscent of Bono in some ways maybe, but 'clearly' not him" camp. Consciously, I'm hearing a voice with a honeyed, warm edge to it that Bono's has never had, and also many of the phonemes have a thick, plush quality that suggests a different accent. But, see, that might be so much vague, subjective and arbitrary bullshit, 'cos I'm not a linguist or a vocal coach. Nice song regardless, a bit cloying to my taste, but the melody is catchy.

And I agree the letter doesn't point to much of anything one way or the other. As pointed out earlier, INXS are getting ready to 'unveil' their new singer at a concert next month--if that singer and this "Irish bloke" are one and the same, that could be a way to give him a nod and a wink while preserving the surprise; if this is just Bono doing a guest stint on the other hand, then yeah, a teasingly vague reference would likewise make sense.

 

[gvox]

Guess the new singer of INXS on FasterLouder.com.au

INXS | Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships Fremantle

Hey guys, wanna put money on the new singer being Bono?

Let's do the math..INXS has been building mystique and hype around who the new singer will be. They drop a new song with a new voice, it's pretty clearly not JD, and he's not with them any more.

New guy is not Bono, period. I'm pretty sure noone here will try to say that the new guy they are building mystery around or be coy about, is Bono...I'm really hoping..

In which case...IF this one song - sung by someone with enough difference in his voice to NOT be Bono - actually WAS by Bono...why not just be up front about it? They have no need to build mystery using Bono, there's plenty of mystery around the new guy already as it is! And just how stupid would they be to try to add to that mystery using a track Bono guests on, only to have concert goers (and the world, next day) find out that the guy sounds nothing like the guy on Tiny Summer, and nothing like Bono?

No. They wouldn't. What they would do is build hype around new guy by giving a sneak peek at what new guy sounds like. That's what we're hearing on Tiny Summer, not Bono.

 

[Niceman]

Of course he did. Otherwise, what's the point of being coy about who it is? The whole point of keeping it a secret is to get people guessing who it is. And whoever this singer is happens to have at least a passing resemblance to Bono's voice. And some would argue more. There's no other "Irish Singer" that would cause the kind of it excitement or speculation that Bono would. The fact that U2 websites everywhere have spent pages debating this is evidence enough of that.

I'm not saying it is Bono...but I think they wanted to us to assume it was.

While I'm sure they are enjoying the attention now, I don't see any coyness in the original letter. Sure, he didn't give us a name, but that doesn't mean we were supposed to guess. It could well be someone no one has ever heard of (yet!)

 

[Niceman]

So, if this song is sung by the new front man for INXS, are there actually people who think Bono has taken the job???

 

[gvox]

I doubt it. What you might get is people claiming that Bono is guesting on this one song.

An idea that I find highly unlikely and improbable, given what they are trying to do as a band right now..you know, build excitement till they reveal who the new singer is.....

It also fits why "their camp" would swear that it wasn't Bono on that track..because given the existing mystery around who the new singer will be, allowing anyone to think that it might be Bono on a new song would really also by extension beg the insane question, well is Bono the new singer? So clearly they don't want people thinking Bono is their new singer, so why would they play into that sort of rumor? The Irish thing is just a coincidence.

 

[Nick66]

While I'm sure they are enjoying the attention now, I don't see any coyness in the original letter. Sure, he didn't give us a name, but that doesn't mean we were supposed to guess. It could well be someone no one has ever heard of (yet!)

I'd agree with you, but for the fact that the guy singing sounds enough like Bono to fool a lot of long time U2 fans (many on this site), and cause several U2 sites to report it as such. Add that to the unnamed Irish songwriter mentioned in the letter, and I just believe they knew people would assume it's Bono. Again, the key is, the guys voice is close enough to Bono to cause speculation and attention, which his exactly what I believe they wanted.

I'm not saying it is Bono (in fact it's probably not), but if they didn't intend for people to at least guess that it was, then they've just stumbled into a pretty convenient marketing ploy.

 

[BlueSilkenSky]

So, if this song is sung by the new front man for INXS, are there actually people who think Bono has taken the job???

That would actually be pretty cool, though impossible...

I'm getting irritated with the U2/INXS camps for not revealing the identity of the singer. There's only one way to solve the debate... It's driving me crazy!

 

[BVS]

Well why would the U2 camp have anything to do with this? Just because some of their fans are slightly tone deaf?

 

[yolland]

I'm not saying it is Bono (in fact it's probably not), but if they didn't intend for people to at least guess that it was, then they've just stumbled into a pretty convenient marketing ploy.

Why would a band of INXS' stature bother with that, and why would any self-respecting new frontman go along with it? If this guy is the new singer, I feel kinda sorry for him honestly...looks like he'd have to be constantly putting up with people exclaiming how much he sounds like Bono rather than appreciating his voice for what it is.

 

[Nick66]

Why would a band of INXS' stature bother with that, and why would any self-respecting new frontman go along with it? If this guy is the new singer, I feel kinda sorry for him honestly...looks like he'd have to be constantly putting up with people comparing him to Bono rather than appreciating his voice for what it is.

A "band of INXS' stature". Good one.

And if whoever this guy is is indeed their new lead singer, why not just say so? The only reason to do it this way is to generate attention...and since they know this guy sounds like Bono, you think this comes as a surprise? So a band that has some history with U2 puts out a song with someone described as an "Irish Songwriter" and it happens to sound like Bono and, what, they're supposed to be surprised that people think it just might be?

And I got the the impression that matter who it is it's just a one shot thing...though if they're worried about saddling him with Bono comparisons, they're certainly not doing him any favors going about it this way.

 

[yolland]

As in, they have a long-established fanbase and good name recognition. It wasn't a comment on artistic genius.

 

[BlueSilkenSky]

Well why would the U2 camp have anything to do with this? Just because some of their fans are slightly tone deaf?

Well, they should at least be realizing some people are thinking this new INXS song sounds like Bono on vocals... I mean, the fansites are all talking about it, just look at this thread... so I feel someone on U2's side should be able to make a statement confirming or dismissing it. But no one's said anything official from either band.

Personally I am convinced it's not Bono.

 

[gvox]

Why would a band of INXS' stature bother with that, and why would any self-respecting new frontman go along with it?

EXACTLY.

They have enough of a name to be able to whisper "new singer" and their fanbase around the world will be going crazy trying to figure it out, and they have been! The buzz around JDs exit / who is the new guy was incredible long before they leaked this track.

And like I said, it would only backfire on them to use this track to somehow build mystery around 'maybe it's Bono'. The second the new guy opens his mouth and he's clearly not Bono, it would backfire.

It's a coincidence that the guy is Irish, plain and simple.

 

[gvox]

But no one's said anything official from either band.

Here's the thing though (and I get that you don't think it's Bono ): If someone from "U2s camp" swore to NME that it wasn't Bono, most rational thinking people on this forum would accept that as "official". There would be no further argument.

I provided a link to an Aussie music mag that clearly stated that INXSs camp SWORE it was not Bono.

And yet we somehow know better?

 

[ryancoke71]

I'd feel better if it was an official statement! Swearing it isn't Bono is not enough! I guess I am just a tone deaf to idiot believe that it might be him.

 

[Nick66]

EXACTLY.

They have enough of a name to be able to whisper "new singer" and their fanbase around the world will be going crazy trying to figure it out, and they have been! The buzz around JDs exit / who is the new guy was incredible long before they leaked this track.

And like I said, it would only backfire on them to use this track to somehow build mystery around 'maybe it's Bono'. The second the new guy opens his mouth and he's clearly not Bono, it would backfire.

It's a coincidence that the guy is Irish, plain and simple.

No, it wouldn't "backfire" When you're a band like INXS, any attention is good. It's not like people (outside of their hard core fan base) is paying attention to anything they do. So they either have everyone think it might be Bono and deal with a little disappointment and amusement when it's not (and get all this attention in the meantime) or they just introduce their new singer the old fashioned way and have no one notice.

Again, if they don't intend for people to think this guy who sounds a like Bono is Bono, then why do it this way?

 

[gvox]

They didnt do anything `this way`

They had previously decided not to reveal the new singer until December. Therefore if they drop a track, it`s by default going to be a mystery who it is singing on it, regardless if the guy comes from. If they say `English bloke`, does that mean it`s Sting. If they release who is the singer on the track, then they reveal before they wanted to.

Their camp denies that it`s Bono on the track. Therefore they aren`t trying to create an illusion that their new singer is Bono.

And the only people thinking it`s Bono are people who think they hear Bono in his voice. I don`t hear enough to make me think that, at all..way too many differences. I`m not even saying in my opinion, they just do sound different enough period.

This is like listening to an MP3 of some Irish guy singing a U2 song at karaoke and debating whether Bono was at the karaoke bar that night, even when all the staff swore he wasn`t.

 

[Nick66]

This is like listening to an MP3 of some Irish guy singing a U2 song at karaoke and debating whether Bono was at the karaoke bar that night, even when all the staff swore he wasn`t.

Actually, it's nothing like that at all.

I guess it's just a happy coincidence for INXS that they released a song with a mysterious singer that sounds a lot like Bono who happens to be Irish (while calling attention this fact) and now they're getting attention like they haven't gotten in years.

Guess they've got the luck of the Irish.

In any event, no matter what their motivations, we agree it's probably not Bono, lets leave it at that.

 

[Val]

Edge also sounds fantastic on it. His "bells" are lovely!

 

[gvox]

I guess it's just a happy coincidence for INXS that they released a song with a mysterious singer that sounds a lot like Bono who happens to be Irish (while calling attention this fact) and now they're getting attention like they haven't gotten in years.

Guess they've got the luck of the Irish.

Actually it being a lucky coincidence is the probably the best answer, because if it was deliberate it`s probably one of the dumbest ways to introduce a singer, ever. Especially by also having someone from your camp say `no it`s not Bono`. Mystery over, and all you`re left with is people writing off the new guy because other people said he sounds like someone else.

`Sounds just like Bono` - or even creating the illusion - would hardly be a selling point, it would make more people say `fuck that, he sounds like Bono`, than anything. In fact, if he did really sound like Bono, I doubt INXS would even want him to front the band, it would be a distraction. You can`t move forward with a new singer on that basis as an original band.

 

[lemonfly]

Seems to me this is good fun and games for all concerned. INXS fans have got something to talk about. U2 fans have got something to chew over. Whether by accident or design, INXS have found themselves a few column inches in the music media, so they won't be displeased. As for U2's people - why bother issuing a denial? It's not like the band in question is of a controversial bent or a band Bono despises. It's only bloody INXS ffs! It's just good fun really, why the hostility in this thread? But before I go - OF COURSE it's not Bono

 

[BVS]

Seems to me this is good fun and games for all concerned. INXS fans have got something to talk about. U2 fans have got something to chew over. Whether by accident or design, INXS have found themselves a few column inches in the music media, so they won't be displeased. As for U2's people - why bother issuing a denial? It's not like the band in question is of a controversial bent or a band Bono despises. It's only bloody INXS ffs! It's just good fun really, why the hostility in this thread? But before I go - OF COURSE it's not Bono

Yep

And we have 16+ pages, people comparing themselves to Jesus, semantic wars, and some insane conspiracy theories...

This is the most entertaining thread in months.

 

[gvox]

people comparing themselves to Jesus,

`Father forgive them for they know not what they do` has gotta be the richest load of crap I`ve read on this site in a very good long while.

On that count alone, this thread wins.

 

[Nick66]

Actually it being a lucky coincidence is the probably the best answer, because if it was deliberate it`s probably one of the dumbest ways to introduce a singer, ever. Especially by also having someone from your camp say `no it`s not Bono`. Mystery over, and all you`re left with is people writing off the new guy because other people said he sounds like someone else.

`Sounds just like Bono` - or even creating the illusion - would hardly be a selling point, it would make more people say `fuck that, he sounds like Bono`, than anything. In fact, if he did really sound like Bono, I doubt INXS would even want him to front the band, it would be a distraction. You can`t move forward with a new singer on that basis as an original band.

I'm not saying it's a selling point. I'm saying it would draw attention to a band that hasn't gotten any in years. And it did.

 

[gvox]

Attention which has only one way to go - south.

So they`re really stupid then..ok!

PS - we`re talking about a band that 5 years ago released an album that went Gold and Platinum. They get attention. They tour. You`re making it sound like they in any way need any more mystery than `new singer` and a new song that features a fresh new voice for them. They absolutely don`t, when the new album drops people will take note. They don`t need the Bono angle at all.

 

[Niceman]

I'd agree with you, but for the fact that the guy singing sounds enough like Bono to fool a lot of long time U2 fans (many on this site), and cause several U2 sites to report it as such. Add that to the unnamed Irish songwriter mentioned in the letter, and I just believe they knew people would assume it's Bono. Again, the key is, the guys voice is close enough to Bono to cause speculation and attention, which his exactly what I believe they wanted.

I'm not saying it is Bono (in fact it's probably not), but if they didn't intend for people to at least guess that it was, then they've just stumbled into a pretty convenient marketing ploy.

It's amazing to me that there actually are U2 fans who can't tell this isn't Bono. The guy is clearly doing certain things better than Bono ever did - and he's unable to quite do things Bono can. Yes, the influence is unmistakable - but its so really clearly not him that I'm amazed there's a debate here!