let's go through this again:
forgettable chorus. "theeese are the hands...that built America" zzzzzzzzz....
Awkward moments in the verses, usually rushing to squeeze too many syllables into one verse (ex: From digging in our pockets for a reason not to say goodbye), or ending a line with too few syllables (ex: You gotta live with your dreams, don’t make them so hard). It sounds EXTREMELY awkward when Bono sings them.
There's also a couple parts where his voice breaks and sounds out of tune. The vocal melody itself is just really weak aside from a few good moments like the "Of all the promises" section leading into the opera part, which Bono flubs anyway on the word "keep".
Considering how ambitious (some, not I, thought too ambitious) the film Gangs of New York was, this song is a very minor exercise despite Bono's vocal gymnastics in the middle.
I invite anyone to refute any of the claims I have made. Take a fresh, objective listen and you'll see what I'm talking about. Of course anyone's free to like the song, but from a composition standpoint I think most people with musical knowledge would agree.
And once again, it FAILED TO WIN AN OSCAR FROM A VOTING BODY OF MOSTLY OLD HOLLYWOOD VETERANS, and to a rap song, no less. I thought Lose Yourself was a better song too, but how weak is hands to not convince a bunch of 60+ year olds?
laz