Least single-worthy U2 single?

[YBORCITY]

Meh. It's not that bad. Either is The Miracle. And they're both better than Best Thing.

BOOTS is an abomination.... it's the equivalent to a dead skunk that crawled up another dead skunks ass to die..... it should never seen the light of day much less a lead single... It's embarrassing.... in fact all youtube remarks should say U2 wrote BOOTS

 

[RickFly]

I am going to have to go with Boots not a fan.

 

[Iggy Fizz]

BOOTS is an abomination.... it's the equivalent to a dead skunk that crawled up another dead skunks ass to die..... it should never seen the light of day much less a lead single... It's embarrassing.... in fact all youtube remarks should say U2 wrote BOOTS

This

 

[Mac Phisto]

With or Without You. Too slow, too quiet, too boring. Doomed to failure. Idiots.

To be honest, for many reasons, Boots has to win this inauspicious prize. Bomb was a success, the band had been away a while, they were approaching 50 so were always up against it yet they had people on their side.
Then Boots. It's like sending a text to your mate about how stinky your girlfriend's pits are, only to realise you sent it to your girlfriend.
Disaster.

This pretty much sums it up.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Meh. It's not that bad.

i agree. It has a cool guitar a drum beat and some interesting things going on. i don’t consider it a good song but it’s not bad either.

Either is The Miracle.

agree again. It’s a solid song that is missing “something” but it’s a song that i don’t skip.

And they're both better than Best Thing.

i find TBT has that “something” that was missing from The Miracle. It’s a fun song, has a lot going on in the background a cool chorus and i dig it.

With that said, it is drenched in “pop” music and has a cheesy feel and i get why some people, especially U2 fans, would not like it.

 

[The_acrobat]

BOOTS is an abomination.... it's the equivalent to a dead skunk that crawled up another dead skunks ass to die..... it should never seen the light of day much less a lead single... It's embarrassing.... in fact all youtube remarks should say U2 wrote BOOTS

This pretty much says it!

I'll never forget the first time I heard it. I was at work and snuck off to a place nobody would find me to listen to it on my iPod. I thought WTF IS THIS?!?! That "solo" is the lamest thing ever recorded. The lyrics blow, the hook is non-existent. I have tried for a long time to enjoy it, and I simply cannot.

 

[namkcuR]

I'll mention one that hasn't been mentioned yet: The Unforgettable Fire.

Now, to be clear, I think it's one of the greatest songs they've ever written. But it wasn't great as a single, imo. Pride was successful for them and UF wasn't as successful on its heels.

Now, granted, there's not much on UF that screams single, it's such an ambient, atmospheric record. But I may have gone with Wire. It's a rocker, it's got a big chorus, I think it could've been successful.

It's not the 'least-worthy' by any stretch, but this thread seems to have veered into simply 'bad singles choices' anyway.

 

[rennowba]

I'll mention one that hasn't been mentioned yet: The Unforgettable Fire.

Now, to be clear, I think it's one of the greatest songs they've ever written. But it wasn't great as a single, imo. Pride was successful for them and UF wasn't as successful on its heels.

Now, granted, there's not much on UF that screams single, it's such an ambient, atmospheric record. But I may have gone with Wire. It's a rocker, it's got a big chorus, I think it could've been successful.

It's not the 'least-worthy' by any stretch, but this thread seems to have veered into simply 'bad singles choices' anyway.

It's all a matter of opinion but I really don't think the unforgettable fire should ever be mentioned in a thread about U2's worst single

 

[The_acrobat]

I agree that UF is an incredibly beautiful song and one of U2's career highlights, but it was not really a good choice for a radio single. It's "too good" for radio, if that makes sense.

I think "A day without me" was a poor choice for a single, as a young band trying to break out. OOC and SFB were both better choices from BOY, even Twilight would've been.

 

[purpleoscar]

I don't mind Boots, but probably Boots. After Vertigo and the success of the last album I remember comments from the media that they wanted to take U2 down a peg. I was worried what would happen. Also because a more ambient TUF style album would have been much better to release as a response to HTDAAB. Boots is trying to be another Vertigo and anything that is too formulaic "oh the audience probably want another Vertigo" is going to be shot down.

A more ambient NLOTH and a low key approach would garner more respect and give the audience a breather from the same old same old. I know it's "proggy" and Bono doesn't like prog, but they should have gone MORE PROG on that one. Less ambivalence.

 

[hasin73]

Take these boots, they are going nowhere.

 

[The_acrobat]

Anything U2 released after the success of HTDAAB/Vertigo was going to fail. People were over it by then, critics had their knives out, etc. The fact that the song was not very good just made dismissing U2 easier.

NLOTH wasn't a widely hated failure. It was just met with a giant, collective "MEH".

 

[nathan1977]

A Celebration.

Shake! Shake!

 

[adb280z]

Boots - just awful on a lousy album
Miracle of Joey Ramone - meh on an album with much better options

 

[aviastar]

I've softened my stance on Boots over time. I don't despise it anymore.

I'll go with Vertigo - just never got into that song. I hate the lyrics and I think it's aged terribly. It's like they found the shouty "Big Rawk" vein on Elevation and decided to tap the fuck out of it. As bad as Boots can be, this behavior was originally encouraged by the (undeserved, IMO) success of Vertigo.

Most underrated single IMO? Fire. Lead single from October that gets little love.

 

[Axver]

Hard to say Vertigo is the least single-worthy song, personal taste aside, when it was, well, so successful as a single. The position it occupied in 2004 pop culture indicates it was the ideal single, whatever you think of the song (I'm not a big fan; it got better live) or of how it has aged (I agree it hasn't aged so well). But yeah it's definitely a shame it encouraged Boots and Miracle sorts of behaviour.

Fire is an under-rated track but Gloria was the obvious lead single for October and it baffles me it had to wait until second. Same goes re: ADWM and I Will Follow for Boy.

 

[Yahweh]

There have been quite a few - for me the top of the list though is Get On Your Boots.

 

[Catman]

Honestly, I think I might have to go with The Miracle. While I can see glimpses of a potential single-worthy tune in Boots (or, at least, understand what the band wanted the song to be), even though it is an obvious misfire, I have no idea what led U2 to believe Miracle was the best way to kickoff SoI, complete w/ its own Apple tv ad--I mean, aside from an ear-catching intro, the song doesn't really have a particularly identifiable identity, at least so far as mainstream listeners are concerned. I think U2 would have been better off if TIWYCRMN was the song playing across television stations--though its chart success would probably have been just as nonexistent, the piece at least has a fresher, more rhythmic presence.

 

[Mac_Fly]

Honestly, I think I might have to go with The Miracle. While I can see glimpses of a potential single-worthy tune in Boots (or, at least, understand what the band wanted the song to be), even though it is an obvious misfire, I have no idea what led U2 to believe Miracle was the best way to kickoff SoI, complete w/ its own Apple tv ad--I mean, aside from an ear-catching intro, the song doesn't really have a particularly identifiable identity, at least so far as mainstream listeners are concerned. I think U2 would have been better off if TIWYCRMN was the song playing across television stations--though its chart success would probably have been just as nonexistent, the piece at least has a fresher, more rhythmic presence.

While The Miracle is my least favorite song on the album, I'd have to say it's the only song to have the gravitas as a lead-off single: Loud crunchy guitar with a "ohhhh-ohhhh" chorus line.

Lead off singles are tricky, if I had to pick a different song from that album for the role I guess it would be . . . . . hmm, nothing comes to mind.

Miracle was the right choice, I guess, it just didn't have the chops of a Beautiful Day or Vertigo.

 

[Mac_Fly]

Fire is an under-rated track but Gloria was the obvious lead single for October and it baffles me it had to wait until second. Same goes re: ADWM and I Will Follow for Boy.

Wasn't The Fly the lead single off of AB?

Then came Mysterious Ways and One.