What is U2's most popular song ever?
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LuckyNumber7
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I mean I was still a fan ten years ago and I still think you're making the same argument Ax is. How popular it is live doesn't make it popular amongst casual fans or people who aren't fans of U2 at all.
Huh? I'd say Pride is the reverse of what you suggest - the general public adores it while we're all a bit jaded about it. I keep forgetting it's even in the JT30 setlist, and I doubt most hardcore fans lamented its absence when it has missed shows in the past.
It's probably the U2 song I've heard the most in public over the last decade apart from WOWY and maybe One and ISHFWILF. Definition of "classic U2" for casual listeners - the big chiming guitars and Bono bellowing some vaguely political uplifting stuff. I'd say that despite WOWY's obvious greatest popularity, Pride has done the most to define what U2 sound like to the general public.
It's probably the U2 song I've heard the most in public over the last decade apart from WOWY and maybe One and ISHFWILF. Definition of "classic U2" for casual listeners - the big chiming guitars and Bono bellowing some vaguely political uplifting stuff. I'd say that despite WOWY's obvious greatest popularity, Pride has done the most to define what U2 sound like to the general public.
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
I cannot think of a single person in my age group who isn't a diehard U2 fan who could recognize Pride in any way.
Not even from The Simpsons?
the tourist
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More of my friends know "In The Name Of Love" than know One. I think Pride is a top 5 for sure. With Or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Beautiful Day, Vertigo, Pride, Desire, New Year's Day, and One are probably the top, anecdotally of music fans that I'm friends with and have discussed U2 with.
Yeah it's no accident they used Pride on the Simpsons.
And the songs that have out-sized popularity in Australia aren't UF tracks - outside of people willing to at least buy a U2 Best Of, you're not going to find anybody who recognises UF the song despite it being a decent single back in the day - it's the Rattle and Hum tracks thanks to Lovetown. Sure, Desire, Angel of Harlem, and AIWIY are popular globally, but they're massive here. Everlasting Love is popular; I've heard it in the bank and at the supermarket. My mother, whose knowledge of U2 is not particularly deep, was surprised U2 didn't play Silver and Gold at the Brisbane Vertigo show! (My flatmate, then aged 18, was all about Sunday Bloody Sunday, before the show he couldn't stop talking about wanting to hear it.)
And the songs that have out-sized popularity in Australia aren't UF tracks - outside of people willing to at least buy a U2 Best Of, you're not going to find anybody who recognises UF the song despite it being a decent single back in the day - it's the Rattle and Hum tracks thanks to Lovetown. Sure, Desire, Angel of Harlem, and AIWIY are popular globally, but they're massive here. Everlasting Love is popular; I've heard it in the bank and at the supermarket. My mother, whose knowledge of U2 is not particularly deep, was surprised U2 didn't play Silver and Gold at the Brisbane Vertigo show! (My flatmate, then aged 18, was all about Sunday Bloody Sunday, before the show he couldn't stop talking about wanting to hear it.)
If they didn't spend the past 8 years destroying their image with younger generations by trying too hard to appeal to them, then more of the younger generation would know Pride (although they'd still think it was called in the name of love).
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
I don't know any non-U2 fans would know the song as "In the Name of Love" because they just wouldn't know the song if you played it. At least, with folks of my age group that I have encountered. "Old " U2 is exclusive to those who have explored it, with exceptions to Sunday Bloody Sunday, WOWY, and ISHFWILF. And only WOWY would I trust they be able to pair the artist with the song, and go beyond just recognizing the tune.
Coincidentally, I feel as though they'd be most in tune with Beautiful Day and Vertigo in terms of being able to identify the song, but still less likely to be able to point out U2 than with WOWY.
Coincidentally, I feel as though they'd be most in tune with Beautiful Day and Vertigo in terms of being able to identify the song, but still less likely to be able to point out U2 than with WOWY.
kiwilad
Refugee
The dark horse in this conversation is, of course, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).
I'm not even joking. In the last 10 years that's become a major radio xmas staple.
I'm not even joking. In the last 10 years that's become a major radio xmas staple.
Nick66
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Cover bands definitely have their place, and there are some very good ones, but there's a few U2 songs I don't think they should sing. SBS is one of them.
There's just something vaguely cringeworthy about a fake Bono singing "Broken bottles under children's feet, Bodies strewn across the dead end street" to a bunch of drunk people at a wedding or birthday party. You need to earn those words to sing them. Even U2 contemplated retiring the song at some point, until they found a way to make it relevant again.
kiwilad
Refugee
You know, and I'm going to have to look this up (Ax/Dan/other Aussies can you help?) but I feel Sunday Bloody Sunday was covered in the 80s by an Aussie band and did quite well.
Something to do with broadcasting rules, radio stations needing an Aust-made quota or some such led to heaps of cover acts.
Then again, I may have dreamed that...
Nick66
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
It has nothing to do with how well the song is covered. I'm sure there are a lot bands that can do an outstanding job of the song musically. There are no doubt cover bands out there where the musicians are more talented than their counterparts in U2 in terms of raw skill.
I just think U2 some songs just aren't suited for a cover band to play for the reasons I said. Just my personal preference, and I might feel differently if an artist, for whom the song had meaning, or gave it new meaning. recorded the cover and transformed it somehow.
But your average cover band dressed as U2 banging out songs at bar mitzvah's and corporate retreats? No.
I just think U2 some songs just aren't suited for a cover band to play for the reasons I said. Just my personal preference, and I might feel differently if an artist, for whom the song had meaning, or gave it new meaning. recorded the cover and transformed it somehow.
But your average cover band dressed as U2 banging out songs at bar mitzvah's and corporate retreats? No.
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BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
You'd be crazy not to include Pride in this conversation. It's used in classic rock commercials, any news segment or vh1 special regarding U2 uses it, several artists have covered it, and it was played at Obama's inauguration.
If I hadn't looked at any stats (or basically, when I first started the thread), my 'shortlist' of predictions was:
1 - WOWY
2 - One
3 - Beautiful Day
4 - Pride
5 - ISHFWILF
6 - Streets
7 - Vertigo (but for the wrong reasons)
Then some others circled round my head, such as SBS, Elevation, Desire, NYD, and even HMTMKMKM (am I crazy with that one?)
1 - WOWY
2 - One
3 - Beautiful Day
4 - Pride
5 - ISHFWILF
6 - Streets
7 - Vertigo (but for the wrong reasons)
Then some others circled round my head, such as SBS, Elevation, Desire, NYD, and even HMTMKMKM (am I crazy with that one?)
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
I don't think HMTMKMKM qualifies, it was everywhere when that movie came out but it didn't really have any staying power.
And why Vertigo for the wrong reasons?
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
I also really don't get the repeated mentions of New Year's Day. That's not even the biggest song on its own album.
Maybe I worded that wrongly, but I just meant that it strikes me as a very lighthearted song and one that is easy for people to take the piss out of, fuel for U2 haters etc, but at the same time it is one of their most well-known songs. Therefore not representative of their deeper songwriting skills. I don't mind it, but I don't love it either.
HMTMKMKM is amazing and it is a shame it kind of got forgotten about over the years. I guess it entered my head because it was a massive hit at the time, but that's just it, "at the time". It seems to have vanished into obscurity now
Yeah, the "at the time" factor is important. SYCMIOYO did really well at the time, at least in the UK, but Vertigo is the HTDAAB song that lasted. ATYCLB is impressive in that three of its four singles remain prominent U2 tracks (just a shame that the best of the four, Walk On, is the one that's slipped through the cracks).
Yeah I was surprised by it performing well on last.fm. In 2003 I only knew that song because I was the sort of person who has an account here. In recent years I've actually heard it out and about in December.
If there was, I don't know it, sorry!
That one's everywhere on, well, New Year's Day. Seems every second NYE party plays it at midnight. It's the go-to New Year's song ahead of anything else, in my experience. Pretty good staying power there.
Yeah I was surprised by it performing well on last.fm. In 2003 I only knew that song because I was the sort of person who has an account here. In recent years I've actually heard it out and about in December.
If there was, I don't know it, sorry!
That one's everywhere on, well, New Year's Day. Seems every second NYE party plays it at midnight. It's the go-to New Year's song ahead of anything else, in my experience. Pretty good staying power there.
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
I don't know what parties you're going to.
I can vouch for NYD being played at NYE parties, I've heard it a few times.
As much as I love the song though, it does seem out of place in that environment lol I mean it's not exactly a 'party song' (Though I still love that it plays)
To flip the question a bit, which singles were the least successful? (Missing out Boy and October probably because they weren't as massive as a band yet?)
Two Hearts Beat As One?
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?
Last Night On Earth?
If God Will Send His Angels?
All 3 NLOTH singles?
Two Hearts Beat As One?
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?
Last Night On Earth?
If God Will Send His Angels?
All 3 NLOTH singles?
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
New Year's Day doesn't even crack U2's top 10 most popular songs ever.
Ahem:
It's 22 on Headache's YouTube list below. But you can eliminate from this list Saints Are Coming, Every Breaking Wave, Song for Someone, Invisible, Magnificent, and COBL straight off the bat because they were released in the YouTube era and inherently have higher play counts than something from over two decades before the platform existed. I'd also argue some others are indisputably less popular but benefit from various recent boosts (yes, Ordinary Love is one, also who thinks Walk On is more popular than NYD?!). So yeah, NYD's getting pretty close to the YouTube U2 top ten too, despite YouTube privileging recent stuff to a greater extent than the last.fm stats.
I recommend turning off the computer and walking around any major metropolis at about 12:01am on 1 January.
Or just tune into a TV broadcast of midnight fireworks. It'll be playing.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
That doesn't really bother me any, I'm fine that one of their more lighthearted songs is among the most popular.
Try being a James fan in the US where Laid is the only song they're known for.
the tourist
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Firstly: a band covering a song IS NOT THE SAME as a cover band. Not remotely.
Secondly: New Year's Day is easily one of U2s most well known and popular songs. Aside from Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, and With Or Without You, it's the only 80s U2 song I've heard on the radio in the last 15 years [with the exception of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)].
Secondly: New Year's Day is easily one of U2s most well known and popular songs. Aside from Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, and With Or Without You, it's the only 80s U2 song I've heard on the radio in the last 15 years [with the exception of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)].
