Spiderman Discussion - Part III

[powerhour24]

I love R.E.M., but I've never registered there after all the time spent cultivating a presence here, I just don't feel like bothering with it again. I read it sometimes to gauge people's reactions/thoughts, but that's about it, which is the same reason I don't post in any of the other U2 forums. Mostly I'll go to Murmurs when I'm looking for news tidbits/rumors that haven't hit the press.

 

[mama cass]

well i can't stop listening, it has got to me...

 

[mama cass]

i like the simple lyrics in it - much more human than the bloody awful "bleeding hearts" crap in the other version

 

[powerhour24]

The sound of it is addictive, and the chorus melody is still captivating here, but Bono's verses just come across as meaningless to me, .

 

[mama cass]

loss and regret, hopeless longing, feeling powerless, kind of thing? that's the vibe i get...

 

[slimongi]

This song is weak & Bono's voice is crap!!

u2 is dead after POP.....keep in mind that!!

 

[Earnie Shavers]

One level headed observation - it seems pretty wordy. Even Bono seems to be kind of tripping over himself in parts, on AI anyway. I would think the general Broadway Lyric Rule is something along the lines of K.I.S.S.

 

[Sken]

It's actually a decent song, good melody and fantastic, strangely addictive chorus.

 

[medley]

Well I don't think this version is supposed to be used for the broadway musical at all: it's basically just a remix for the radio imo. We will see if they use it during the show in the future, perhaps for the finale but right now they still sing the original version which probably fits the show much better.

This version nevertheless is extremely interesting. It could very well define what a pop song should sound like nowadays: simple, catchy, straight to the point, with Rn’B elements and an emphasis on a killer chorus. That doesn't mean that it is better than the original version but it sounds so modern and catchy, just like Vertigo in 2004, that I can see it being the single U2 as a whole absolutely needed right now and also perhaps a good indication of a new trend in their way to compose songs, especially singles. The latest U2 singles in comparison had really great melodies but the production was probably way too outdated.

Time will tell but it would again be totally amazing to see that after all these years this band is still the one that succeeds probably better than any other one to keep pop-rock music still relevant. At least they are still trying and that in itself is already fantastic.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

@U2 has a lot of the same debates/arguments along exactly the same lines, but I think it's just not as 'tight' as in here. So opposing opinions aren't backed by 10 years of 'knowing' the other person, if you know what I mean, seems to keep the heat down. There it's like "I understand what you are saying and you make a compelling argument overall, but I must respectfully disagree on your second point", while here it's like "YOU'RE WRONG ARSEHOLE!!!"

And beyond forums, a lot of the U2 disagreements are the same in the 'real' world too, to some degree anyway. I find that any time someone mentions they're a U2 fan, and you start to talk U2, pretty quickly they'll neatly slot into one of the main camps displayed here and everywhere else. Pop was shit/Bomb was awesome, no, Bomb was shit/Pop was awesome. Or whatever. There are just a few very strong lines drawn through the fanbase in general. And it's a long and varied career, career narrative that actually isn't wholly consistent globally, passionate fanbase, music in general is a passionate subject, can't avoid it.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

I really just wish this and BFFTS where U2 songs

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Studio version here:

YouTube - ‪Reeve Carney feat. Bono and The Edge - Rise Above 1 (Audio)‬‏

 

[purpleoscar]

Spoiler

Radiohead couldn't write an uplifting song like this.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Wouldn't, not couldn't.

There are some elements I do like, even though I'm not that taken by it overall. I do like that it has the feel of the more 'European' side of U2, if you know what I mean. If that at least is an indication of where their heads are at in general

 

[Super Yo]

I feel like I am in "Inception", I can´t stop singing the "And you shall rise above, open your eyes up, and you shall rise above, I can't, I can't". Please, get it out of my brain !!!

And I just heard it a few times.

 

[corianderstem]

u2 is dead after pop.....keep in mind that!!

ell
oh
ell

 

[coolian2]

without even listening, boy falls from the sky is better.

and i can say that after having listened to u2 go through it 20+ times in auckland.

 

[doctorwho]

This song is weak & Bono's voice is crap!!

u2 is dead after POP.....keep in mind that!!

You are right - Bono's voice was crap on "Pop" and U2 did die a little with "Pop".

Thank God they are back on with NLOTH.

As for this song - it's a cute, catchy bit for Broadway. Perfect, IMO, for what its use.

 

[kellyahern]

I was not expecting much from the song but I must admit I was blown away by the song. I love it!

Agreed. I was not expecting to like it at all, but I heard the iTunes version last night and thought, "Wow, this is really, really good."

But I still think a musical about Spiderman is a stupid idea .

 

[Airseven]

I feel like I am in "Inception", I can´t stop singing the "And you shall rise above, open your eyes up, and you shall rise above, I can't, I can't". Please, get it out of my brain !!!

And I just heard it a few times.

Except it's:

And you say rise above
Open your eyes of love
And you say rise above
I can't, I can't

 

[lemonfly]

It has an insanely catchy chorus (but the verses are meh). But if this song was a single release for the new Spider-Man flick, we're talking Top 10 hit. It would sit on radio playlists all summer long.

 

[Niceman]

Except it's:

And you say rise above
Open your eyes of love
And you say rise above
I can't, I can't

Of love or To love?

 

[bathiu]

I f... love the song

 

[KUEFC09U2]

It has an insanely catchy chorus (but the verses are meh). But if this song was a single release for the new Spider-Man flick, we're talking Top 10 hit. It would sit on radio playlists all summer long.

Verses are the best part imo chorus seems a bit repetetive but still catchy, love the song though

 

[ultraviolet625]

well i can't stop listening, it has got to me...

Same here. I have been playing Rise Above a lot since Wednesday. I can't stop listening to it. I love the lyrics and Bono's voice on the song.

 

[yolland]

riveby:

So opposing opinions aren't backed by 10 years of 'knowing' the other person, if you know what I mean, seems to keep the heat down. There it's like "I understand what you are saying and you make a compelling argument overall, but I must respectfully disagree on your second point", while here it's like "YOU'RE WRONG ARSEHOLE!!!"

Or "You know, for a brief instant I actually thought you might be making a compelling argument for the first time in 10 years, then I read a few sentences further and realized, nope, it's just your usual vapid bullshit."

 

[Scorpionac]

Does anyone know who produced Rise Above 1?

 

[powerhour24]

Alex da Kid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and the production was pretty horrendous, but what do you expect from something that's swinging for the teeny bopper fences.

 

[mama cass]

bloody hell, i knew there was a Love The Way You Lie vibe about it (in a good way, i actually really love that song - it has the same addictive qualities, i've even been listening to them together on my playlist the past couple of days, weird!)

 

[Earnie Shavers]

It has an insanely catchy chorus (but the verses are meh). But if this song was a single release for the new Spider-Man flick, we're talking Top 10 hit. It would sit on radio playlists all summer long.

Yeah, that's the thing. It wouldn't be a good U2 song on a good U2 album, but could you see it kicking off the closing credits of something like a Spiderman film? Absolutely. Totally, totally suits that. It's a very good song for what it needs to be good for, if that makes sense.

If it and Boy Falls were actually representative of where a new U2 album was headed? Then no. But after some blockbuster explosions and action sequences on screen in a suburban multiplex or blockbuster high wire trickery in the theatre packed with tourists who chose this over Wicked or something, when Spiderman or Will Smith or whoever has, against the odds, saved the world and gotten the girl and the sun sets to that piano intro and then the screen cuts to black and the song kicks in and the credits roll - it's near perfect.