What Is The Best U2 Song Of All Time?

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WITH OR WITHOUT YOU.

If you had asked me a week ago I would have said Until The End Of The World, but I've been listening to WOWY quite a bit lately and I've realized it is still the most beautiful, most perfect, most timeless U2 song. I wish I could go back and hear it for the first time again. Everything about it - vocals, guital, bass, and those DRUMS! :bow: There might be others that are more 'quintessential U2' like Bad and Pride, but I can't live without With Or Without You.
 
Hard question..pick only one favorite U2 song of all time. Streets and Bad instantly come to mind. If I had to choose just one I would go for Streets...I love the 90 second intro.
 
this list has unintentionally given us the most essential u2 tunes:

streets
bad
wowy
pride
one
 
heartland and sycmioyo are my two favorite. both produce emotions that are hard to come by. a state of peace, a glimmer of hope, a feeling of relaxation.
 
Something in me wants to say Luminous Times,
but I couldn't imagine a world without Bad
 
bw in dc said:
Before the release of "How to Dismantle..." I was really studying the sounds and lyrics of One Tree Hill. For about a week, I became captivated by the song. I know the whole history about Carroll's death, but the song is very flexible. I love Edge's African guitar and the pace and eventual build-up to Bono's cry to his lost friend. I've seen it played live once and could feel Bono's angst...IMV, one of U2's finest efforts and one of the great gems of JTree...
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i go round and round with the lot of you - spinning between streets and bad, and with my mood. but lately i'll have to agree with bw in dc - one tree hill is absolutely killer - fantastic rhythmically, tons of little sounds (very peter gabriel), with adam's bassline unwavering (reminds me of his technique in 'a man and a woman' never changing the bass bit with the chords...let's the synths and edge worry about that). great use of synthesizers, and larry's light to heavy drumming - and don't get me started on whatever the edge is doing - it's like he and bono start the song as tiny sparks and by the end have fanned the whole thing to a raging inferno. and bono's one take vocal.. omfg and let's not even think about the live versions. hand's down the song i most want to see live someday (so glad they have so many good recordings from lovetown). i hate jam bands, but live this is u2 as a jam band and i love it!
oh yeah, and those lyrics - where to begin...absolute poetry - amazing images...
:drool: :tongue:
 
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GibsonGirl said:
Where The Streets Have No Name - it's the one U2 song that always manages to get me teary eyed. Particularly when it's played live. There's just something so special about it that I just can't explain.
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I love the live version on the Slane DVD - sounds brilliant how All I Want Is You goes into Where The Streets Have No Name.

Anyway, I couldn't possibly choose one song. I'd have to go with Pride, Out Of Control and New Years Day. Amazing tunes, great lyrics. I've also recently taken a liking to Drowning Man.
 
with or without you is u2

when i think u2, i immediately think with or without you, its their 4 minute masterpiece
 
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Until The End Of The World

Desire in musical form. Greatest guitar solo ever, and the darkest verses they ever wrote.
Best song ever.
It's got such emotion.
 
Has to be Where the streets have no name.

This is not just my favourite U2 song but my favourite song ever bar none.
This is instant U2, there defining song!

My only regret over this song is that I didnt hear this after buying the Joshua tree and rushing home to listen all excited not Knowing what was on the album. I think if ihad done that it would have blew me away even more.

The first time I heard it was on Top of the pops and seeing the video of them on the roof top. I remember I was out of the room but could hear the programme on the TV and I heard this chiming guitar,I knew straight away it was U2 and rushed in to see it. That was my U2 moment. The moment I was hooked never to get free.
I was just married at the time,and as a lot of you will know when just married buying albums is not your first priority. I bought The joshua tree a year or so later in '88 or early 89 Just after I bought Rattle and Hum.

Eighteen years later and that song still sends shivers up my spine, especially the live versions! I am no longer married but my love for U2 remains. My new partner loves U2 also (I had to educate her mind).
I remember watching the U2 go home dvd last christmas and crying at the point All I want is you turned into Streets. I turned and looked at my partner she was crying too!
I couldnt believe that I was watching U2 with the woman I loved and she was as moved as me! amazing!

Streets means more to me than any other song, It has been there to offer hope in my darkest times, It lights my way and will be played all my life.

I cant wait to see them next year and to be in the crowd with my girl. And when the screens go red and the keyboard intro comes in more than one tee will be shed
 
I love what eveyone was said about the last minute of With Or Without You, I think it's probably the best minute of music ever. WOWY is a epic because if we take it as a tortured love song I think it's the only one where I think you can actually hear the guitar bleed.
However I'm going to have to go with Walk On, just really struck a chord.
A shout out though to anyone picking New Year's Day, One, or Streets.
 
"We're an Irish band we come from Dublin city, Ireland. Like all cities, it has its good and it had its bad. This is a song called BAD"

(gloria my sentimental fave, but Bad is U2's best song).

Close behind: One.
 
t8thgr8 said:
with or without you is u2

when i think u2, i immediately think with or without you, its their 4 minute masterpiece
Click to expand...

definitely with or without you. this made me fall for u2 the first time and been hooked to this song. i listen to it everyday, or if i cant or am not accessible to it, i play it in my head.
it sounds surreal to me. like when the intro starts, all of a sudden the lights are out and i am in space floating and just me having the thoughts of the one i love. and all you hear is the echoing of bono's voice and the constellation around you. it's ethereal and makes me feel like being marooned in space but in a nirvana like way. whew!
 
quickly acquiring proper grammar

boosterjuice said:


no prob,

I'm sure aren't too many grammer teachers lurking.
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It's funny you should mention this... I'm currently in a Professional Writing Program in college and one of my courses is Grammar for Writers, so I am learning, but spelling errors make me cringe more than anything...;)
 
I have been a fan since 1987. It wasn't until I met my husband that I REALLY got into them and that is putting it mildly. Without a doubt my favorite song is With or Without you. . . BUT it is off the rattle and hum dvd. Just sitting here thinking about it puts shivers down my spine. We listened to it so much that my 18 month old duaghter loves U2 as much as she loves Barney with one exception. She doesnt try to kiss the TV when Barney is on like she does when Bono is on. Plus she imitates his actions. Especially when he raises his arms. I think she might be their youngest fan
 
hey everyone. A newbie here and this is my first post since I started stalking this site. I had to put my two cents in here about the best/favorite song....BAD. Perhaps it's the opening guitar rifts or the memories associated with it, who knows, but I looooooove it! I'd share what my second and third favs are but no no, that's against the rules. I do really like the new album though, but best is on the new dvd that has the edge and bono playing a banjo only Vertigo. I drowned in my droool...

"A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle."
riverfari
 
I couldn't list what U2's greatest song is because they have so many that are great for different reasons - like Pride, Streets, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bad and One. But my favorite is With or Without You. It was the first U2 song I ever heard and I couldn't believe something so beautiful and haunting and ethereal was created by mere mortals.
 
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