You're the Best Thing About Me - Song Discussion

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
Status
Not open for further replies.
Wait I've only seen u2 perform 1000 times over various forms of media and live. When did Adam and Larry not look exactly like they did last night? Larry looks like he wants to kill everyone and Adam has that "what's for dinner?" face the whole time.
 
purpleblackeye said:
I am starting to like The Best Thing quite a lot.....can't help but fall for its charms, despite some awkward parts. I have two young kids and sometimes I am forced to listen to pop music in the car. I go from rolling my eyes and bearing it but then something clicks. I forget the title of the song but that Justin Timberlake tune "sunshine in my pocket" from some kids movie. I used to cringe when I heard it. Now I think its fun and infectious, especially when I see my boys dance to it. That's sort of the situation with The Best Thing. I found myself tapping the steering wheel this morning listening to it in the car. It gave me a little laugh.
Click to expand...

"Can't Stop the Feeling" from Trolls
 
Ok, I've just sat down and watched the performance on YouTube on my tv.

Completely ignore my fat English ass. Comparing it to boots at the grammys wow what a dick I am :)

Needs polishing up but not a bad performance

I blame the machinery at work for my bad judgement this morning :)
 
U2freakboy said:
Agreed. Why on earth would you go on a show, and play a 30-year-old song before you play your new single? By the time they played the single it was 2 AM Eastern time. It was a very stupid decision.

However the song does sound much better live than in the studio recording.
Click to expand...
It's actually a much smarter marketing decision than they've done in a while.

Bullet is getting the attention beyond normal "hey U2 played a new song" venues. It's drawing people in to watch it, and when they're drawn in, they discover the new song as well.

After the horrific marketing decisions of SOI, the band kind of has to remind people that..."Hey, remember who we really are, you dicks? That's right."

JT30 was part of that, and I'm glad to see them continue this pattern.
 
Hook people in with a powerfull rendition of bullet then play the new one. Wouldn't of changed it myself
 
Y2K said:
It was probably their only realistic opportunity to get on The Tonight Show for the foreseeable future. They were already in NY after the Buffalo show, they had an off-day on the tour, and there happened to be an opening in the schedule on Fallon.
Click to expand...
So yea...

First, there are three other time zones that didn't have the song play at 2 am.

Late night TV has also transitioned to a more viral, on demand way of measuring success vs staight overnight ratings. Notice that the videos of each song and the interviews we're up this morning, and the performance of Bullet is getting a lot of traction... which will lead people to the performance of Best Thing by default.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
It's actually a much smarter marketing decision than they've done in a while.

Bullet is getting the attention beyond normal "hey U2 played a new song" venues. It's drawing people in to watch it, and when they're drawn in, they discover the new song as well.

After the horrific marketing decisions of SOI, the band kind of has to remind people that..."Hey, remember who we really are, you dicks? That's right."

JT30 was part of that, and I'm glad to see them continue this pattern.
Click to expand...

yea, when Vice is writing good things about U2 (even a bit backhanded) and saying the new song is good... they're doing something right.
 
I'm totally taken with this new song, it's everything that U2 has tried to do (and failed) for the better part of the last 20 years in writing and creating that perfect "pop" rock song. Whatever that even means, This certainly isn't 'song for someone' or 'window in the skies', to me it's much better than 'stuck..' possibly even a 'sweetest thing'.

it will sound good in the F12 or the new 812SF. I can see why this was the lead single for SOE, and it's wayyyy better than the last two attempts at a lead single from previous outings.

Maybe they are onto something with this or maybe I'm am just on something, whatever the case, "why am I walking away..." they said that was a letter from Bono to his wife but I wonder if it could also be interpreted as a letter to the fans, since that is supposedly where they were going with the album.

Legends never really die, sometimes they retire, walk away, sometimes the people behind those legends enter another dimension, sometimes they don't. Bob, Barry, you know who you are.

I'm all for hitting the road above and leaving my troubles down below, riding the eternal sunset to the edge of oblivion and beyond. Remember the good times...
 
Nick66 said:
I hate it when they play songs like Bullet on shows like Fallon. Robs the whole thing of its potency.

I feel the same when I see U2 cover bands play it, or especially SBS. The lyrical content is just so heavy that it just feels weird and inappropriate to play it at weddings, birthday parties, etc. And to have people who have no emotional investment in that song mimic those words feels off to me (no insult to cover bands intended).
Click to expand...
... what?
 
for the US, U2 is and always will be a political "important" band -- that's a reason as much as any that Pop didn't go over as well, it might have been satirical but there was so much gloss over the top that their identity got lost in a crowded marketplace.

it might have been very smart to wait post-Trump, since they connect best over here post tragedy (see: 9/11, and even Hurricane Katrina). i haven't watched the "bullet" yet, but sounds like it was a good idea.

also, wtf kind of wedding plays "bullet the blue sky??
 
Irvine511 said:
for the US, U2 is and always will be a political "important" band -- that's a reason as much as any that Pop didn't go over as well, it might have been satirical but there was so much gloss over the top that their identity got lost in a crowded marketplace.

it might have been very smart to wait post-Trump, since they connect best over here post tragedy (see: 9/11, and even Hurricane Katrina). i haven't watched the "bullet" yet, but sounds like it was a good idea.

also, wtf kind of wedding plays "bullet the blue sky??
Click to expand...
Awesome ones?
 
I said TBTAM sounded awesome on my drive this morning, but I still say it's my least favourite among the three SOE songs we have heard in some form or the other so far. LTTGYA is the winner by far. But I like all three and that makes me very excited for SOE
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
It's actually a much smarter marketing decision than they've done in a while.

Bullet is getting the attention beyond normal "hey U2 played a new song" venues. It's drawing people in to watch it, and when they're drawn in, they discover the new song as well.

After the horrific marketing decisions of SOI, the band kind of has to remind people that..."Hey, remember who we really are, you dicks? That's right."

JT30 was part of that, and I'm glad to see them continue this pattern.
Click to expand...

JT30 audience - the average Joe fan doesn't care about new stuff. They're there to hear JT.

The stupid U2 choices of 2017 continue. Let's not play the song that had the actual first video and had lots of views on FB next to the first "official" video. Let us instead play a scorching version of one of our best live songs and make sure new stuff won't be talked about.
 
U2girl said:
JT30 audience - the average Joe fan doesn't care about new stuff. They're there to hear JT.

The stupid U2 choices of 2017 continue. Let's not play the song that had the actual first video and had lots of views on FB next to the first "official" video. Let us instead play a scorching version of one of our best live songs and make sure new stuff won't be talked about.
Click to expand...
Oh [emoji90] on you.

What's getting more play today on YouTube, Bullet or Best Thing?

Best Thing 37k
Bullet 30k

They played a show with a lead in that ran long, cutting live viewers, but were still able to create a buzz by playing Bullet. And the new song is benefiting because of it.
 
Last edited:
rennowba said:
Still don't understand why it was released on a Wednesday. They would have only Wednesday and Thursdays sales. Don't make sense to me
Click to expand...

Sales just aren't as important a metric anymore and by releasing it on a Wednesday they allowed more attention on it instead of competing with other songs being released on Friday. There was no major competition on the 6th whereas today Sam Smith's new song is getting a ton of buzz (and already has more Spotify streams and is currently #1 on iTunes vs. U2's #16 position).

Alan Cross has posited this is why it was released on a Wednesday instead of the now typical Friday:

Some may find the release of the single on a Wednesday as rather curious, but if you know what U2 is trying to accomplish with this album, it makes plenty of sense.

U2 knows that they’ve neglected radio over the last couple of albums and are making a concerted effort to have hits in the old fashioned way. Wednesdays and Thursdays are when the majority of radio stations have music meetings, the day they decide what songs to add and drop from their playlists. By releasing the song Wednesday, it’ll be sure to be top of mind for program directors and music directors.
Click to expand...

Source: A Journal of Musical ThingsSome Thoughts Ahead of Wednesday's Release of a New U2 Single-And a Lost Opportunity - A Journal of Musical Things
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
Looking for the best storyteller of U2 - Garage to Stadius
Replies
0
Views
1K
Dave A
D
MrsSpringsteen
Atomic City
Replies
11
Views
1K
HeartlandGirl
HeartlandGirl
W
A Boy Falls From the Sky is some U2's best work
Replies
3
Views
2K
zoocarolina
Z
dan_smee
I listened to No Line on the Horizon right through tonight for the first time in about 10 years…
2 3
Replies
83
Views
4K
lazarus
lazarus
Reggie Thee Dog
Are we NOT discussing the Dolby Atmos Mix of Achtung Baby?
Replies
13
Views
2K
count rushmore
count rushmore

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom