Thoughts on Boots:
I like it a lot, but I don't love it as much as I was hoping I would. The biggest reason for that is that it sounds too much like Vertigo in the verse. I LOVE Vertigo, but I know many casual U2 fans who don't. Many, in fact, grew to despise U2 because of the ubiquitousness of that song. I think U2 have opened themselves up to a pile of criticism for essentially repeating that rant-verse with the scratch-beat guitar on their first single.
Another annoying thing is Bono's "you don't know" shouting over the chorus. I typically like when he cranks up that tenor (his voice is in rare form), but this song has such a nice slinky, sexy, whispering vocal quality to it that I want all the vocals to be like that (see "Golden Age" by TV on the Radio). Now, I do recognize that the "you don't know" is the hook that will be planted in everyone's ear. But this song would've been better without it. Don't like his "Yeah, hey, hey, hey" thing at the end either.
That said, there are so many instrumental layers and sonic gems in this song that I really like. My favorite part of the song is the almost awkward "you don't know how/...beautiful" first line of the chorus. The way "beautiful" is sung down low in the mix, as if by a bedouin campfire, is irresistible and infectious. I almost see camels.
Love the low dirt grunge of Edge's guitar, too, but once again it's too polished. That will improve live. Also love the middle eastern colors around the chorus and the industrial, electro-beat bang and clatter at the end.
It'll be a modern radio hit, but like The Fly, it won't be the song that identifies this album, and that's good.
Bottom line: I like it; it'll be great live and it will keep them on top and relevant, once again avoiding the Aerosmith-like downward trend that will have to come at some point. And it's MUCH better when played at ear-splitting level. But I was hoping for something that, like The Fly, was a huge departure from what we were used to, and took more time to grow—something a little less disposable. I have enormous hopes for the rest of the album in that regard.
