The Little Things That Give You Away - Appreciation Thread

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MattD said:
I'm tempted to say it might be their greatest song of the 21st century.

Which is absolutely astounding as the first time I heard it I thought it was a nice if not run-of-the-mill standard U2 song. Usual melodic style of U2, along with the standard Edge guitars. It wasn't even like this was a 'challenging' experimental piece of work that would take time to appreciate. Yet the more I listened to the live version, the more the lyrics and melody started to creep their way into my mind, and small little beautiful nuances of the song (the little pre-chorus before the first chorus - 'oh la la, I'm not a ghost now....') really moved me in a way that I hadn't been with U2 songs for a long long time.

I think it's a bonafide classic. The vulnerability and fragility is greater and more significant than any U2 song since many of the great tunes from Pop, and if the job of a frontman is to shed light on the very depths of his soul, then Bono has revealed it considerably. And a shout out to The Edge - again, like Bono, he's not doing anything new in this song, but he is like Bono, channeling the greatness of earlier years and replicating that greatness without a hint of pastiche.

It's a song full of the classic U2 sound. It's not mere tropes in a desperate attempt to retread old classics as many songs could be accused of lately, it's a genuinely sincere piece of work that distills the greatness of them into one song.
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:heart::heart::heart::heart:
 
MrsSpringsteen said:
Yep, it's still a masterpiece. And having Landlady right after it is just perfect.
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To continue ur thought to including the blackout is a great 1-2-3 sequence for me.

Whomever above that actually wrote out the lyrics I have to tip my hat to because I've tried to stay away from reading the lyrics in the CD jacket. It hits me way to close to home... It encapsulates exactly where I am in my life...it utterly devastates me every listen.. This is what a song heck art should do. Make I feel something whether it's a good or bad thing.
 
YBORCITY said:
Whomever above that actually wrote out the lyrics I have to tip my hat to because I've tried to stay away from reading the lyrics in the CD jacket. It hits me way to close to home... It encapsulates exactly where I am in my life...it utterly devastates me every listen.. This is what a song heck art should do. Make I feel something whether it's a good or bad thing.
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Same for me. I read them yesterday when I was listening. This album will always have meaning for me because of what I'm dealing with in my life right now. But always this song, that's what will stay with me forever.
 
Really stunning song! I agree that this is one of the best songs they've released this century. They got pretty much everything right with this song. Lyrics are great. There's atmosphere. There's enough of that signature guitar yet doesn't sound cheesy or as though they're copying their own work. And the best part is that Bono doesn't overdo anything. No extra dramatic refujesus style crap. Lol. Without overdoing anything the song sounds grand! Songs like miracle drug could learn from this one.
 
LemonMirrorSky said:
Really stunning song! I agree that this is one of the best songs they've released this century. They got pretty much everything right with this song. Lyrics are great. There's atmosphere. There's enough of that signature guitar yet doesn't sound cheesy or as though they're copying their own work. And the best part is that Bono doesn't overdo anything. No extra dramatic refujesus style crap. Lol. Without overdoing anything the song sounds grand! Songs like miracle drug could learn from this one.
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Agree with it all. It’s sad when it is rare not to have some ridiculous Bono lyric in a song that we have to call it out. Most of the songs I like by U2 from 1993 forward have some type of lyric that makes you go “wait, did I just sing XYZ? Aw fuck it, the song is great”
 
CosmoKramer said:
Agree with it all. It’s sad when it is rare not to have some ridiculous Bono lyric in a song that we have to call it out. Most of the songs I like by U2 from 1993 forward have some type of lyric that makes you go “wait, did I just sing XYZ? Aw fuck it, the song is great”
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Haha true though I would say for me it's more year 2000 and forward.
 
Spotify version tips this into a perfect 10 out of 10 song. You can pick out Adam's bassline more clearly and I love how they let the piano (complete with old-school U2 effect) breathe and cook for a while before the explosion of guitar and Larry's full-on drumming kicks in. Album version builds nicely, but this one really drives it home for me.

Another plus is that this version includes some sounds that you could almost convince me were generated by an Eno synth.
 
Rich79 said:
Spotify version tips this into a perfect 10 out of 10 song. You can pick out Adam's bassline more clearly and I love how they let the piano (complete with old-school U2 effect) breathe and cook for a while before the explosion of guitar and Larry's full-on drumming kicks in. Album version builds nicely, but this one really drives it home for me.

Another plus is that this version includes some sounds that you could almost convince me were generated by an Eno synth.
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I'm not so sure I agree, I'm one in a minority here that doesn't care as much for the keyboards in U2 music. For example I really liked the full band version of EBW much (more) better. than acoustic. You see Edge is one of my all time favorite guitarists and when he plays keyboards I find I would be missing the guitars. Although I admit with the keyboards in the Spotify version then building into this great soaring guitar parts. Still a fantastic song.
 
I think I prefer the album version, having the feeling that Edge's subtle guitar instead of the keyboard gives the song more texture, more depth. Also, Bono's vocal deliverance is more controled, and less "screamy" (the way he did it in the live performances, which I think is one of the reasons I didn't like much the song at first).
 
Listening to this now....yeah, it’s really good!

I hope they can take this to the next level during the ei tour
 
Aygo said:
It's funny, because when they started playing it, this song said nothing to me. I remember people here in the forum appreciating it a lot but I was like "not again, not another typical U2 number with Bono's random lyrics written in his private jet, with MOS/Troubles-sort-of entrance and 80's/00's-reminiscent crescendo-build up ala-COBL with random Edge guitar".
So, I didn't give it much attention until the album came out.

And I have to admit that as soon as I listened to the studio recording in my SOE's first listen I thought "WOW, I was so wrong about this song". I thought that maybe the studio version had polished a lot of what I had listened to months ago, but then I went back to the live versions and they weren't substantially different.
It still does have a lot of cliché-U2 sound, but I think it's very beautifuly crafted and delicate. And I like the way Bono speaks a lot from the heart.

Sometimes I can’t believe my existence / See myself from a distance / I can’t get back inside (...) Sometimes I wake at four in the morning / When all the darkness is swarming / And it covers me in fear / Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes / Full of anger and grieving / So far away from believing / That any sun will reappear / Sometimes / The end is not coming / It’s not coming / The end is here"
Fuck. This is so heartbreaking and it gives me chills when I try to picture it. This album has some of Bono's best lyrics is a looooong time. These are definitely some of those.
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:applaud:
 
I finally read that Rolling Stone interview at the library today, and he doesn't mention this song once. Maybe there was just too much health scare and Bible analyzing (zone out) to fit that in. But I'm confused because I think it's such a great song.
 
I'll have to listen to the Spotify version (no earbuds w me).

I was not impressed w the ?original live version except for the faster 2nd half. But when I heard the recorded version, then I was like, 'woooah, wow!'. 1) I heard/read all the lyrics, 2) heard the musical nuances of the first part, and it all melded together into an excellent song. Such intense personal feelings/experience!


And stay strong, YBOR, and Mrs Springsteen through your travails.
 
As I've been literally awake since four in the morning (wake up, East Coast!), what better time than to chime in (again) on this song. About a month and a half with SOE now, and this is still to me the top track. I'm kind of obsessed with it. lol. First to really grab me was Red Flag Day (sorry - can't do the acronym thing :) ... but that is a more "immediate" song -- very grabby right away. This one sneaks up on you, rather in time with its own tempo. And suddenly it hits home -- third or fourth listen for me -- and then BAM.

The "oh, la la la, I'm not a ghost " part is so haunting and beautiful. It doesn't have a complement, structurally, in the second verse, so it sticks out, and I find that little part can be an earworm all by itself. I'm not as well versed as many of you all are about all the unreleased tracks and such floating out there between official releases, so this song was brand new to me with the album release and man-alive what an absolute gem.

This is mature U2, with many more years in the rear-view mirror than are left on the road ahead. I've worried in the past that this band will have a hard time calling it a career -- something, even as a huge fan, that I'd prefer they do rather than tour into their 70s and 80s like another legendary band we could all name! This song tells me that when U2 ends, it will know how to end well, with grace, dignity, and beauty. And by the force of Mr. Larry Mullen Jr., there will be no effing one-off nostalgia reunions: They will STAY retired. lol.

OK, all done blathering! Carry on! Too much coffee, methinks :hyper:
 
dan_smee said:
This is a U2 classic.

Honestly, the build up is old school U2 magic, and something those who have lost the band in the last few years have been lamenting.
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This song simply has all of what I want from U2. Period. In my top 5.
 
J_Frank_Parnell said:
As I've been literally awake since four in the morning (wake up, East Coast!), what better time than to chime in (again) on this song. About a month and a half with SOE now, and this is still to me the top track. I'm kind of obsessed with it. lol. First to really grab me was Red Flag Day (sorry - can't do the acronym thing :) ... but that is a more "immediate" song -- very grabby right away. This one sneaks up on you, rather in time with its own tempo. And suddenly it hits home -- third or fourth listen for me -- and then BAM.



The "oh, la la la, I'm not a ghost " part is so haunting and beautiful. It doesn't have a complement, structurally, in the second verse, so it sticks out, and I find that little part can be an earworm all by itself. I'm not as well versed as many of you all are about all the unreleased tracks and such floating out there between official releases, so this song was brand new to me with the album release and man-alive what an absolute gem.



This is mature U2, with many more years in the rear-view mirror than are left on the road ahead. I've worried in the past that this band will have a hard time calling it a career -- something, even as a huge fan, that I'd prefer they do rather than tour into their 70s and 80s like another legendary band we could all name! This song tells me that when U2 ends, it will know how to end well, with grace, dignity, and beauty. And by the force of Mr. Larry Mullen Jr., there will be no effing one-off nostalgia reunions: They will STAY retired. lol.



OK, all done blathering! Carry on! Too much coffee, methinks :hyper:
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Well said and not many songs can I say that when I hear that first note it puts a smile on your face because you know what’s coming. I think it’s the WOWY of this decade if I were to draw a comparison.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
Friends don't let friends watch Jimmy Fallon.
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Very true! Although Fallon has his own talents, for example, his impressions, hosting a talk show and interviewing guests are not among them. His most annoying feature is praising every single person on his show, and on the planet for that matter, as the greatest actor/singer/artist/person ever. I wish someone would call him out on this on his show.

Example
Fallon: You are the greatest group ever! Total geniuses! Right up there with the Beatles!
U2: We heard you say the same thing to Bieber last night and the Spice Girls the week before. What is wrong with you? Do you understand the words coming out of your own mouth?
Fallon: You're right, again!. See your geniuses...so right! I love these guys! Aren't they the best? Of course, the greatest, just amazing!

I guess celebrities enjoy going on the show because they know they will not be challenged with any tough questions and will have their backsides kissed incessantly.
 
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