Why do some people think that One is better than Streets?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
cobl04

cobl04

45:33
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Messages
59,348
Location
East Point to Shaolin
I don't mean to cause any tension here, but this has been eating at me for a while. For all those people who like One better than Where the Streets Have No Name, I ask, why?

I am not knocking One - I am actually really starting to get the fascination with it and Achtung Baby (I'd love a ZooTV DVD) but I just think it is inferior to Streets. To me, Streets is just so...complete. An awseome intro, that just builds and builds and builds and then explodes into awesomeness, terrific vocals, drumming bettered maybe only by Bad, a magnificent bass line, and of course THE electric guitar.

One is a great song, the melody is fantastic, the vocals good as well, but I don't reach that high that I get with Streets. It is a much better songs live, in fact I think the Slane performance would be one of my favourite live performances ever. The Do you hear us coming, Lord? verse adds so much more to the song.

Back to the question - I just want to know why some people think One is better. I just can't see it. Who knows, maybe in 15 years time I might think One is the best song ever. But for now, I can't fathom how One is better than Streets.
 
I find that liking a song, an album, or even a band often has less to do with the actual music than the way the particular song/album/band makes the listener feel.

I've had people tell me their favourite song from a particular band is a song I don't really care that much for. And I care for songs I know aren't necessarily technically superior. But what makes one song be favoured over another (or all others) by most people is a personal connection to it.

So Streets clicks somehow with you and One clicks with someone else.
 
If you ask which one I LIKE better, I'd say Streets. I like the Streets album version over the One album version, and if I had to pick between hearing one of them live, it would be Streets.

However, I think One is a better song. Lyrically, it's tops. Also, even though it's not nearly one of U2's most versatile songs, live it is a lot more versatile than Streets. There's plain old One, then there's that orchestra version, then more loaded versions with Edge going on and on and Bono singing exrta verses....it's hard for me to say exactly why because I'm not totally sure myself, but I think One is a better song, more of a classic, like a song of all songs. It's so simple, but depending on the context it can be so deep it's almost painful to listen to.

I also think One, at least live with the "Do you hear us coming Lord?..." verse is more climactic than Streets. Streets live is almost SO powerful right from the beginning, it can be like a burnout. One has this slow ascent that kind of creeps up on you until you're totally caught up in the song.
 
Because people have different opinions? Both are amazing songs.
 
indra said:
I find that liking a song, an album, or even a band often has less to do with the actual music than the way the particular song/album/band makes the listener feel.

I've had people tell me their favourite song from a particular band is a song I don't really care that much for. And I care for songs I know aren't necessarily technically superior. But what makes one song be favoured over another (or all others) by most people is a personal connection to it.

So Streets clicks somehow with you and One clicks with someone else.
Click to expand...
:yes:

I think that a lot of people (including me) connect to the subject matter of One much better than they do to Streets. Streets is a little more ambiguous in terms of lyrical interpretation than One is, which I guess, means that One is easier to understand/relate to.

When I listen to Streets, it sounds great and everything, and sometimes it makes me feel pretty elated, but it doesn't actually mean anything to me.

One on the other hand, not only sounds great and can soar if performed properly, but it means so much to me personally that I can't help feeling at least a little emotional.
 
Streets wins Live and Studio

One live has been boring since popmart, I'll never get sick of the studio version though.
 
LivLuvAndBootlegMusic said:
I also think One, at least live with the "Do you hear us coming Lord?..." verse is more climactic than Streets. Streets live is almost SO powerful right from the beginning, it can be like a burnout. One has this slow ascent that kind of creeps up on you until you're totally caught up in the song.
Click to expand...

I can see what you mean there actually. That's probably why I loved the Slane version so much. AIWIY-Streets was awesome, but One can be just as good because it starts slow but builds into a great song - and the do you hear us coming Lord verse ends it perfectly. It reaches a high the album version does not.
 
I love both songs. One has more emotional impact on me. But live Streets gets my heart pumping like nothing else.
 
AB as an album is simply perfection to me, and One is the perfect perfection. ;) I love Streets, don't get me wrong, and I think JT is an incredible album. Sure, Streets gets everyone jumping at a concert and rightly so, it's a brilliant song and that intro is wonderful. But as a song for many themes, which has such fascinating lyrics and a beautiful, timeless melody with nothing overly demanding, and yet a restrained anger, almost, nothing can ever beat One. It's my fave ever U2 song. I hadn't listened to it properly for ages and then I got it on vinyl, put it on, turned it up loud and it moved me to tears.
 
My humble theory: If you look at the ages on the profiles of folks who've said they like One better, you'll see that they're at the right age that they probably just got into music or just got into U2 around AB, or maybe a little while after AB.

I'm 25 & probably got into music right around AB. But since I was pretty much raised on early U2, Springsteen, Doors, etc., with my dad constantly playing the radio, I leaned toward the earlier U2-style music and more classic rock when I got into music. My brother, OTH, who's now 23, got into music around the same time & he immediately went to AB.

So, I recognize that I have no idea when & how people got into music or U2....but that's just my theory. :D (It's also pretty much my theory about why so many people here on Interference LOVE Pop so much...) :hmm:
 
One is better than Streets- live performance, studio performance, and just the song itself.

Streets is a great song and all. Its very overrated though. It's not even the best song on The JT (WOWY). I agree with miss becky and LivLuvandBootlegMusic above me. I just think its a more powerful song.

I cringe when people here say that they hope One is cut next tour. I would be extremely upset if I went to a concert and didnt hear One. But if I didnt hear Streets....eh....oh well.

To me, a more logical question would be "How can some people think Streets is better than One?"
 
Last edited:
I love them both, but One is just so meaningful and the vocals on most live performances (but especially the studio one) are amazing, but I'll give it to you that Streets wins live (most times)
 
Why do some feel these two songs need to be compared? I mean they are two entirely different feelings, moods, tempos; they aren't the same type of song.
 
It's not very fair to put Streets and One up against eachother. Streets is uplifting, One is bitter. A fairer JT-AB comparison would be Streets vs. Mysterious Ways, or With or Without You vs. One. Either of these work (especially the latter), because the these pairs have similar moods.

If one must compare though, Streets is hands-down better live. In my opinion, the emotion in the studio version of One is just so perfect, it's incredibly difficult to compare with live. I love One, don't get me wrong, but live, it's getting played out, and often just doesn't work anymore. For such a deeply emotional song, it just doesn't work if that emotion isn't there. As much as I love the "Hear me coming" verse, I don't really like hearing One live. I do, however, really like the PopMart Mexico version, as Bono is nearly in tears singing it, and so the emotion does carry over.

As for Streets, the album version is quite good, but live, it's amazing. It's like: "I want to RUN! **bright red lights**" and it's amazing. Streets is amazingly uplifting and has a wonderful joy in it, studio or live.

I still like One best, but Streets is much more universal. I suppose you could say it has a better shelf life. It doesn't get stale like One seems to.
 
One album > Streets album
Streets live.............................................. ...... > One live



'nuff said. :wink:
 
'Streets'=U2
'One'=U2 - (All songs but 'One')
therefore
Streets=U2>U2 - (All song but 'One')

It's math people, don't deny it. :tsk:
 
I love both songs equally, maybe Streets a bit more than One, but probably because when the song is played live, it's amazing.

it's understandable why One would be better to others though. the song has great lyrics, a very big meaning behind it.. er.. probably multiple meanings, and the video(s) for it could say something also.
 
Because they're dumb. :wink:

Seriously though, there's really not much of a contest. Sure, One is a great, touching song. It is. It's probably one of U2's best. But Streets is the ESSENCE of U2. It's U2 at their very best. Streets is the very definition of U2. And One is just a really good U2 song. That's the difference.

In my opinon, of course.

(I am right, though. ;))
 
Streets is a classic that will never fade, or age terribly.

One will always be a classic, though Bono's vocals, don't suite the song well, but even without the falsettos, Bono can still deliver a strong version of this, watch Slane 2001, and even Chicago 2005 has a really good version of the song.

The Milan version, I have a feeling will be great.

I think it's kinda a good move for the band to play One after Streets, it's like a one-two-classic combo.

But back to the question, people probably like One more because it was a popular song back in the 90s, and that's probably how people got to liking it. They probably didn't know U2 had a song called Streets back in the 80s, or it might have been to... "edgy" for them, no pun...

One was a ballad that probably people had some connection with, just like we do with Streets. What it is, we'll never know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

O
Better late than never “they” say…
Replies
1
Views
309
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
L
Play Do You Feel Loved, Babyface, Some Days Are Better Than Others, Playboy Petition
Replies
8
Views
757
rosephile
R
Reggie Thee Dog
Are we NOT discussing the Dolby Atmos Mix of Achtung Baby?
Replies
13
Views
1K
count rushmore
count rushmore
W
A Boy Falls From the Sky is some U2's best work
Replies
3
Views
2K
zoocarolina
Z
Scorpionac
Songs that would fit better on SOI vs. SOE?
Replies
1
Views
420
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom