doctorwho
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I don't really have a problem with Bono singing about that particular topic as long as it is done well. I love the lyrics in Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me, Kill Me, but now it's more wink, wink, nudge, nudge - a throwaway line here and there that have nothing to do with the rest of the song, and it IS kind of annoying.
What you wrote makes it seem backwards.
I would think the average person could NOT relate to "Hold Me..." because it really is all about fame.
In contrast, token lines here and there, which, despite some of your claims, can blend in with the song (I will admit the line in "Kite" doesn't flow, but others do), aren't hammering a person over the head with the idea. As such, an average person can relate to most of the lyrics.
Plus, a like like "Josephine beware of little men with big ideas" has SO many interpretations! There's the obvious Napoleon reference and some Bono self-mocking, but there's also the notion of inferiority complexes, a need to prove one's self, the notion that some people talk big, the notion that some people talk above themselves, the notion that despite success there will always be dissenters, etc.
Even the like "last of the rock stars, hip-hop drove the big cars" isn't quite as straight-forward as it seems. Of course the obvious interpretation is there, but clearly Bono (or U2) are not the "last of the rock stars". So what else can it mean? Perhaps a change - a change in how music is presented and perceived? A change in what is now hip or cool? A change in image? A change in style? A change in sound? A change in what the public demands in music?
Bono rarely writes directly, which is why he's such an outstanding lyricist. Trouble is, many people only look for the obvious interpretation.