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U2 - Community rankings - FIN - #4 Sunday Bloody Sunday, #3 - One, #2 - Bad, #1 - Where the Streets Have No Name -Spotify links, thanks to Krista4 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter John Maddens Lunchbox
- Start date
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
I have 5 songs post-Achtung in my top 40. This is one of them — and I have it at 15. Love this song. That said — many songs could swing 20 slots on any given day. Up or down. Razor thin margin for some of these rankings.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I only have 4 post AB songs in my Top 40 (Vertigo, Hold Me Thrill Me, Elevation, and Beautiful Day). As you said, on any given day those could slide some (although I doubt most days they would climb much).
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest
It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success
Look I gotta go, yeah, I'm running outta change
There's a lot of things if I could I'd rearrange
Hope that helps
I can see why people would think this. It was ridiculously overplayed. That said its my number 9. These days im more fascinated by the evolution of Always into Beautiful Day. Is there another song in between?
I have 16 songs post AB in my top 40 (Stay - Faraway So Close, Kite, Beautiful Day, Elevation, Raised By Wolves, Sleep Like a Baby Tonight, Crystal Ballroom, Love is All We Have Left, Lemon, Iris, Numb, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, Get Out of Our Own Way, You’re the Best Thing About Me, Vertigo and of course City of Blinding Lights)
Raised By Wolves is clearly out now, but The Little Things that give you away might replace it.
I am not counting The Sweetest Thing, although I could.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Oddly enough, if I were to re-rank my list, I would drop several older songs and AB songs near the top down some . . . to be replaced by several other older songs. I did gain some additional appreciation for some of the newer songs, and several would get ranked a fair amount higher. However, I don't see (m)any newer songs from the past 20 years vaulting into my Top 50. Going from 170 to 140 would be a big jump, but that wouldn't really make a dent near the top of the list.
Once I finish posting all the songs in the "rest of" thread, there are several of those songs that would probably get consideration as Top 100 songs. Bottom line, I'm not entirely sure what a new list might turn out to be if we add in other songs that were excluded here.
I know you said you wanted to try to get more lists and make another set of rankings without a uniform number of songs on a list. But how would you work that? For example, if someone submitted a list of only 1 song, does song that get the same value as someone that submitted a list with 228 songs? How would you create an average score for each song?
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Has to be a minimum of 25 songs.
The 1 to 25 will be easy. All #1 ranked songs carry the same weight. All #25 ranked songs carry the same weight. I do want to weigh the top 5, 10 or even 25 considerably higher than anything below eg #1 might be worth 50 points, #2 might be worth 45...#20 might be worth 10 etc.
Once we get below 25 it will be fractions eg #50 might be worth 0.50, #100 might be worth 0.25.....something like that. The maths takes care of itself.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:John Maddens Lunchbox said:
"Beautiful Day" was the lead single from U2's year 2000 'comeback' album, ATYCLB.
It was a commercial success & is 1 of U2's biggest hits to date. It was their fourth #1 single in the UK.
After spending the 90s creating music that didn’t sound anything like the anthemic albums that had won U2 a massive audience during the 80s, the band decided to kick off the 2000s by getting back to basics. “There was a big debate over the guitar sound on ‘Beautiful Day,'” Edge said. Edge was playing the song on his Gibson Explorer guitar w a tone used in much of their early material up to their 1983 album War. “That was really the sound of U2, the sound we made our own
& abandoned. Whether or not we should bring it back became a real talking point.” The group ultimately combined an unmistakable stripped-down sound w co-producer Brian Eno’s electronic flourishes.
Bono wrote a set of lyrics about the importance of embracing painful moments....whatever situation you find yourself in, as uncomfortable & upsetting as they can be, if you're alive & you are awake, then you have perspective on it. "I was influenced by an Australian preacher I know called John Smith, who was a pastor for the Hell's Angels at 1 point & who is a very eloquent speaker w a brilliant mind. I remember him talking to me about how depression is a nerve end. Pain is evidence of life because it reminds you there are things in your life that aren't right. So you should be thankful for it really & celebrate that there is so much to live for."
U2 wrote this in stages. The song evolved out of a punk rock song U2 were working on called "Always," which was eventually used as the B-side to "Beautiful Day." It changed drastically when Bono came up w the "Beautiful Day" lyric & the idea for the backing vocals. The band knew it was a hit when they took it to their label boss Jimmy Iovine. As Iovine tells it, the group was disappointed w their 1997 album Pop, & told Jimmy they didn't want to release another album until he told them they had a hit single. Brian Eno's contribution was that fantastically Euro kick drum opening & keyboard line, & that gave us the clue as to where it should go next." (Note: "Always" was included on a 2002 album of rarities called U2 7, distributed through Target stores.)
“Beautiful Day” won U2 3 Grammy Awards for Song of the Yr, Record of the Yr, & Best Rock Performance By Duo Or Group. When Bono accepted 1 of the awards, he said the band was “reapplying for the job of the best band in the world.” Meanwhile, Edge wore a jersey w the number 3 as a tribute to Dale Earnhardt, a race car driver who died the weekend earlier in the Daytona 500.
BD was heavily featured in television coverage of the 2000 Olympics from Australia. It was used in a nightly video recap called "Images Of The Games." NBC made a donation to The Special Olympics in exchange for the rights to use it.
A live performance was taped for British TV show Top Of The Pops on the rooftop of a hotel in Ireland that Bono & The Edge own. They also taped a performance of "Elevation" that day.
In 2002, U2 performed this at halftime of the Super Bowl after it won an online poll, beating out "Desire," "Pride" & "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."
Clips of this song are used as the theme music for The Premiership, a weekly TV show in the UK which shows that covers all the English Premier League football (soccer) games.
In 2008, this was used extensively by Barack Obama during his presidential campaign.
Michael Stipe of R.E.M. is the song’s biggest fan, saying: “I wish I’d written it, & they know I wish I’d written it. It makes me dance; it makes me angry that I didn’t write it”.
Charts-peaked at: UK # 1 US: #21 Canada: #1 IRE:#1 AUS #1
In England, this went to #1 its 1st week. It beat out a duet by Robbie Williams & Kylie Minogue which was expected to claim the top spot. When this went to #1 in the UK, Bono: "This tastes very sweet. You think to yourself, you're a rock band, you don't need the pop charts, but you do need the pop charts. Singles are what makes rock sharp, & we've not been great at singles. I can't tell you how excited we feel, we've been around for a while & to hear this song on the radio, it feels very special."
Video: The video was 1st shown at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sep. 7, 2000. The clip was filmed at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Bono: "The video for 'Beautiful Day' was shot on the runway, which I couldn't believe we got permission for. The Concorde had recently crashed & they were very sensitive about the runway. But it was a beautiful day, literally. I had a character in mind, who was just a little half-cocked, a kind of uber-Bono. My favorite scene, which was done spontaneously, was getting on the luggage rack and being taken through that black hole where the bags go. Everyone wants to go through the hole, don't they?"
The album cover was also shot at the Charles de Gaulle airport, the same locale as the music video, tying in w Bono's fascination w airports. On the front cover, Bono thought he'd put God's phone number up in the airport's digital clock. J33.3. That's Jeremiah 33:3. The Scripture is 'Call unto Me & I will answer you.' It's celestial telephony."
Live Versions / Remixes:
U2 - Beautiful Day (Eze Version) scenes of the band recording Beautiful Day at their HQ Studio in Dublin, intercut w scenes of them in Eze, France
BD - live from Boston 2001 remastered & released as part of the live album: Elevation Live From Boston.
BD - w Orchestra
BD - Live from the 2017 JT Anniv Tour
When Rolling Stone ranked their Top50 U2 songs: 3
Been played live 605 times…......every tour since release
Last edited by a moderator:
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
#11 - I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (1987)
Highest Rank - 6
Lowest Rank - 43
Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -4/218 - It’s a gospel song, period. Not kind of a gospel song, or inspired by a gospel song, but an honest-to-goodness gospel song. It is inspirational and uplifting and heartbreaking and just plain gorgeous. The melody is just so deft: Larry and Adam in the pocket, Edge coasting along the top of the melody, and Bono singing with actual humility. “Gospel” should not be a dirty word to rock fans — that’s where it comes from, where the church met the field met the juke joint. Take me to church.
Comment - This is such a well paced and organised track. It speaks to the spiritual struggle that the band and millions of followers (religious not U2, but maybe both) struggle with. At the time it was released I was a conflicted young man being pulled in many directions. This track spoke to me in ways that music often can. Once again I am the highest ranker. That’s 4 of the last 5 tracks. I am the solo highest ranker on only one more track, my number 1.
Next up, all of us still have our number one songs left. All make the top 10. Acrobat is the only #3 song we have seen to date. We only have one #2 ranked song left. This same song also has another top #3 ranking attached. We will see that song tomorrow as we start the top 10. Why are we seeing a song with a #2 AND a #3 ranking tomorrow? Stay tuned.
Highest Rank - 6
Lowest Rank - 43
Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -4/218 - It’s a gospel song, period. Not kind of a gospel song, or inspired by a gospel song, but an honest-to-goodness gospel song. It is inspirational and uplifting and heartbreaking and just plain gorgeous. The melody is just so deft: Larry and Adam in the pocket, Edge coasting along the top of the melody, and Bono singing with actual humility. “Gospel” should not be a dirty word to rock fans — that’s where it comes from, where the church met the field met the juke joint. Take me to church.
Comment - This is such a well paced and organised track. It speaks to the spiritual struggle that the band and millions of followers (religious not U2, but maybe both) struggle with. At the time it was released I was a conflicted young man being pulled in many directions. This track spoke to me in ways that music often can. Once again I am the highest ranker. That’s 4 of the last 5 tracks. I am the solo highest ranker on only one more track, my number 1.
Next up, all of us still have our number one songs left. All make the top 10. Acrobat is the only #3 song we have seen to date. We only have one #2 ranked song left. This same song also has another top #3 ranking attached. We will see that song tomorrow as we start the top 10. Why are we seeing a song with a #2 AND a #3 ranking tomorrow? Stay tuned.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Last admin report with 218 songs listed and 10 to go
B-Sides = 49 (15 covers) - (All done here and in Soundtracks etc)
Soundtracks/Special/Greatest Hits LPs - 19
No Line On The Horizon = 11 (All Done)
Songs of Innocence - 12 (All Done)
Songs of Experience = 13 (All Done)
Zooropa - 10 (Al Done)
Pop - 12 (All Done)
October = 10 (All Done)
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - 11 (All Done)
All that you can’t leave behind - 11 (All Done)
Rattle and Hum - 1 to go
Boy - 1 to go
Achtung Baby - 1 to go
War - 2 to go
The Unforgettable Fire - 2 to go
The Joshua Tree - 3 to go
B-Sides = 49 (15 covers) - (All done here and in Soundtracks etc)
Soundtracks/Special/Greatest Hits LPs - 19
No Line On The Horizon = 11 (All Done)
Songs of Innocence - 12 (All Done)
Songs of Experience = 13 (All Done)
Zooropa - 10 (Al Done)
Pop - 12 (All Done)
October = 10 (All Done)
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - 11 (All Done)
All that you can’t leave behind - 11 (All Done)
Rattle and Hum - 1 to go
Boy - 1 to go
Achtung Baby - 1 to go
War - 2 to go
The Unforgettable Fire - 2 to go
The Joshua Tree - 3 to go
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
So we reach our elite 10. The oldest track left is One from Achtung Baby... 30 years ago. 80% are tracks that are at least 35 years old. Only 7 were singles. All the remaining tracks have at least 2 of us rank them top 11, except 1 song. This one song has a highest rank of #15, but we haven’t seen it yet. Why? The answer will astound you lol. When will the first #1 ranked song see the light of day? Hint, it’s mine at #5. Will there be any surprises left? What track will be #1 overall? Time to get excited.
So, to me this is the big one.
„Big“ as in it would probably not make my top 100. The song simply sounds bland and boring to me. Ironically it was my first exposure to the band. A band that I became to love.
Is it maybe due to me not being religious? Does it hit you and the other fans differently because of that? I find myself skipping it more often than not and while I enjoyed the JT30 tour immensely this, to me, remains the weakest TJT song.
Go on and shoot me. I dropped comments on the inexcusable low rankings for Bullet and UTEOTW as well.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
This feels right. I Still Haven't Found... would likely finish just outside of my top 10, so I am good with it at 11.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Vulture is right, it is a gospel song, dressed up in U2 costume on TJT and made more overt on RAH. It’s what U2 had been building toward the whole time. Some of the best U2 vocals and lyrics can be found here. The music on the TJT version has always seemed to me to be just a vehicle to get the message and the passion out. This is why it’s not in my top 10 and may not even be in my top half of TJT songs. Nonetheless it’s a remarkable accomplishment.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I’m gonna guess that the next song is Running to Stand Still. Some people think it’s one of the greatest songs ever written, others think it’s boring. That would be consistent with two people ranking it 2 and 3 and two others ranking it much lower.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
It’s not in my top-30. Maybe if they hadn’t done the version R&H…..maybe it makes my top-30 then. It’s a lovely song, but it places 8th on TJT for me. (Barely ahead of BulletSo, to me this is the big one.
„Big“ as in it would probably not make my top 100. The song simply sounds bland and boring to me. Ironically it was my first exposure to the band. A band that I became to love.
Is it maybe due to me not being religious? Does it hit you and the other fans differently because of that? I find myself skipping it more often than not and while I enjoyed the JT30 tour immensely this, to me, remains the weakest TJT song.
Go on and shoot me. I dropped comments on the inexcusable low rankings for Bullet and UTEOTW as well.
and way way way ahead of the last 2 album tracks which I don’t acknowledge as part of TJT)
Grace Under Pressure
Footballguy
Beautiful Day is a terrific "wake up and get on the treadmill" song that gets me pumped a little when I think of it.
I was pleased at how popular it was and it helped announce, once again like a cat with nine lives, that U2 was "back".
It's a pretty good song. Feels like one that's more on the "important/impactful" end of the spectrum of U2 songs rather than actually a great song, but that's just IMO.
I was pleased at how popular it was and it helped announce, once again like a cat with nine lives, that U2 was "back".
It's a pretty good song. Feels like one that's more on the "important/impactful" end of the spectrum of U2 songs rather than actually a great song, but that's just IMO.
Grace Under Pressure
Footballguy
Ok I just went back and watched Beautiful Day performed live on David Letterman. It's absolutely a great song.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
IMO, Beautiful Day is totally mood dependent. If you are on vacation, it's 75 degrees and sunny at the beach, no stress, no pressures, sipping margaritas, headphones on, nice and relaxed, etc. then it's awesome.
Then there are days like I've been having this week. Negative temps and snow. Two cars in the shop so I had to walk to places in that weather. Had a plumbing and frozen pipe issue. My best friend of almost 30 years died (cancer). A family member in his late 20's that had come home injured from three tours in Afghanistan with a wife and 1-year-old and a 5-year-old OD'ed on Oxy and died. My son that recently had back surgery to have a tumor removed now needs the same surgery again a few months later because the tumor grew back. And we are still in the middle of a pandemic. So yeah, Beautiful Day . . . U2 can go eff themselves.
Obviously, the song is the song no matter how life is treating you, but the subject matter makes it really tough to evaluate it in an unbiased or neutral manner. I had it at 40 (lowest of the rankers). At present, I would be inclined to rank it lower (although certainly that's not the song's fault).
Then there are days like I've been having this week. Negative temps and snow. Two cars in the shop so I had to walk to places in that weather. Had a plumbing and frozen pipe issue. My best friend of almost 30 years died (cancer). A family member in his late 20's that had come home injured from three tours in Afghanistan with a wife and 1-year-old and a 5-year-old OD'ed on Oxy and died. My son that recently had back surgery to have a tumor removed now needs the same surgery again a few months later because the tumor grew back. And we are still in the middle of a pandemic. So yeah, Beautiful Day . . . U2 can go eff themselves.
Obviously, the song is the song no matter how life is treating you, but the subject matter makes it really tough to evaluate it in an unbiased or neutral manner. I had it at 40 (lowest of the rankers). At present, I would be inclined to rank it lower (although certainly that's not the song's fault).
Gr00vus
Footballguy
Oldest, or newest? I can think of one that goes way back that doesn't seem to have been ranked yet that I'm pretty sure won't be getting left off completely.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Yeah thats a pretty awful week. Sorry its happened to you mate. ####. Beautiful day would be the last thing i would want to here.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Obviously the religious angle is important, but the message itself doesnt have to be just be religious. The song can be about unfulfilled ambitions. Its not like they are going Jesus or God every second word.So, to me this is the big one.
„Big“ as in it would probably not make my top 100. The song simply sounds bland and boring to me. Ironically it was my first exposure to the band. A band that I became to love.
Is it maybe due to me not being religious? Does it hit you and the other fans differently because of that? I find myself skipping it more often than not and while I enjoyed the JT30 tour immensely this, to me, remains the weakest TJT song.
Go on and shoot me. I dropped comments on the inexcusable low rankings for Bullet and UTEOTW as well.
If the message is a sledgehammer, which i think its not, then i can understand it pissing you off. There are plenty of examples of songs that do that for me.
Its an outlier opinion, but ive been pretty clear that i welcome outliers, especially if they have reasoning.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Interesting logic. There is only one other song in the top 10 that has two rankers putting it in their top 3. That song is much higher, but it also has two rankers outside their top 13.
The songs in the top 10 have their top 2 ranks as follows
1-4, 1-4, 1-7, 3-3, 1-7, 8-11, 4-8, 5-6, 15-18, 2-3
We also have rankings of 48, 44, 38 and 29 left. Tomorrows song has the 48.
Will #10 be what you say or another song? Stay tuned
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation said:
Oh jeez, how about we not spotlight too much? Even if the songs are obvious, I find it in poor taste for anyone other than the thread runner to start mentioning songs still to be featured in the countdown. Maybe it's just me.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact: The 2nd track from TJT.....the 2nd single to be released......and became the band's 2nd #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 after "With or Without You". (“Red Hill Mining Town” had initially been planned as the second single, but Bono had difficulty performing that song during rehearsals & the band was unhappy w the video that had been filmed for it.)John Maddens Lunchbox said:
Bono: “The music that really turns me on is either running toward God or away from God,” "Revels in ambivalence – an anthem of doubt more than faith”.
The song was typical of the arduous sessions that went into creating TJT: Originally from a demo called "The Weather Girls" and “Under the Weather,” it began, like most U2 songs, as a jam. “It sounded to me a little like ‘Eye of the Tiger,’ played by a reggae band,” Edge recalled. “It had this great beat,” producer Daniel Lanois said. “I remember humming a traditional melody in Bono’s ear. He said, ‘That’s it! Don’t sing any more!’ – & went off & wrote the melody as we know it.” The song’s lyrics were full of religious allusions, classic images steeped in the tradition of American gospel music that the band filled w new meaning & purpose. “I was rooting around for a sense of the traditional & then trying to twist it a bit,” Bono. “That’s the idea of ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.'”
Stealing the line from the Bible's 1 Corinthians 13:1: "If I speak in the tongues of men & of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."
Bono sung "I have spoken w the tongue of angels" thus heralding to the world where he was coming from yet he then signalled his mischievous side w the following lyric that he had also 'held the hand of the Devil'.
The lyrics could refer to a search for spiritual enlightenment or a search for love. Bono said the song was "an anthem of doubt more than faith."
This was influenced by gospel music. Bono wanted TJT to explore various forms of American music they had encountered while touring there. The album's co-producer Daniel Lanois said he nudged Bono in the gospel direction on tracks like this one. He explained: It was a very non-U2 thing to do at the time, to go up the street of gospel. I think it opened a door for them, to experiment w that territory... He's singing at the top of his range & there is something very compelling about somebody pushing themselves. It jumps on you & you can't help but feel the feeling."
Edge: "We were listening to some gospel during TJT sessions. The original was more loose, almost Jamaican. Bono hit on the melody & I had the title in a notebook. At first, no 1 took it that seriously because it sounded so unlike anything we'd ever done & it didn't gel until the mix, but when it was finished we all realized that we had something special. The reviewers didn't like it though. One American said it was a pale imitation of the original form & that Foreigner song 'I Want to Know What Love Is' was better."
The b-side to the single was the charming "Spanish Eyes" & "Deep in the Heart".
By the time the song was released as a single, TJT had become a major hit, & Island Records was eager to capitalize on that success. The label commissioned New York choir director Dennis Bell to record a “gospel” version of the song, w an eye toward releasing it after U2’s version had peaked on the charts. Island Records’ founder, Chris Blackwell, stepped in & put a stop to this plan, suggesting that it would look like a money-grab. In the summer of 1987, while on tour in Europe, Bell had an opportunity to play the recorded gospel demo, featuring a choir known as the New Voices of Freedom, for U2. On Sept 28, 1987, while in NY for a stop on TJT Tour, U2 met w the choir & practiced performing “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” w them in a church in Harlem. Those sessions led to a live performance at Madison Square Garden, which would be recorded & later released on the R&H album. Video footage of the rehearsals in Harlem would also turn up in the R&H film.
This won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group in 1988. Adam Clayton, missed the presentation because he was in the bathroom.
In 1991, a group called Negativland released a single called "U2," which was a parody of this. They were sued by Island Records & forced to pull the record.
This was used in the movies Runaway Bride (1999) & Ricki And The Flash (2015). It was also used on Glee in the 2014 episode "City Of Angels."
A joint version by Scarlett Johansson & Bono soundtracked a trailer for the animated film Sing 2. Bono plays a rock star lion named Clay Calloway in the movie.
Charts-peaked at: UK # 6 US: #1 Canada: #6 IRE: #1
Video: directed by Barry Devlin ("Pride (In The Name Of Love)"), features U2 walking around Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas & interacting w passersby. Bono even smooches a couple fans & climbs on the hood of a car to speak to its driver. The clip boosted Sin City's credibility in the music scene. "The whole perception of Vegas changed w that video," "Now all the big names come here, some of them 5, 6 times a yr."
Live Versions / Remixes:
Live from Tempe, AZ 1987 Outtake Footage From Rattle & Hum - Tempe, Arizona 12/20/1987
ISHFWILF - Live on the 2017 JT Anniv Tour
When Rolling Stone ranked their Top50 U2 songs: 2
Been played live 687 times
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Have not been following closely, but interest is ramping up as we near the end.
Three song runs on an album do not get any better than In God's Country, Trip Through Your Wires, and One Tree Hill - One Tree Hill being my favorite in the entire U2 catalog (though a few runner-ups are ranked very closely behind). OTH vocals still give me goosebumps.
Three song runs on an album do not get any better than In God's Country, Trip Through Your Wires, and One Tree Hill - One Tree Hill being my favorite in the entire U2 catalog (though a few runner-ups are ranked very closely behind). OTH vocals still give me goosebumps.
Nemesis
Footballguy
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
It’s all good. In actual fact he was right on the money. Which is pretty good given how little info I provided. Might get annoying if its done on every track,.but my hints will be more subtle or not even hints for the last ones.
Pick tomorrows from my hint
Thanks for chipping in. Might be an interesting aside to do best 3 song stretch. I have stated multiple times that the worst two song stretch was Miami and Playboy Mansion from Pop
There is so much info in this thread. So many good links that it will be a great resource for all U2 related stuff. Wonder how easy it is to find for U2 fans who don’t care or know about footballguys. I did have a username for the U2 forum, but cant remember it.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
#10 - Running to Stand Still (1987)
Highest Rank - 2
Lowest Rank - 48
Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -15/218 - The song starts in the middle of the story because the beginning almost doesn’t matter. What matters is the end, even though we know how these stories end. The point here is to stand in witness, but not in judgment. Heroin wrecked so many close to U2 — the death of Phil Lynott in 1986 was on their minds — and everything they wrote about it crucifies the drug, not the addict. The lyrics here find the beauty and the pain in the human condition, and deny neither. Musically, it fakes you out in the intro; you think it’s going to be a blues song, then it switches into a composition that’s almost orchestral. It’s still a blues, though: stunning, atmospheric, and heartbreakingly tragic.
Comment - Such a beautifully understated song. I am really surprised at the 2 AND 3 ranking. If the 48 ranking was the same as my 22, it would have landed at 6. A 10 ranking would have put it at 4. All this number masturbation doesn’t really help us I guess, but it goes to show with just 4 lists the volatility of one ranking can dramatically alter a songs placement.
Next up, a song with perhaps the most bizarre set of rankings. Its highest rank was 15, but it’s the next song we see all the way up at #9. Why?
Highest Rank - 2
Lowest Rank - 48
Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -15/218 - The song starts in the middle of the story because the beginning almost doesn’t matter. What matters is the end, even though we know how these stories end. The point here is to stand in witness, but not in judgment. Heroin wrecked so many close to U2 — the death of Phil Lynott in 1986 was on their minds — and everything they wrote about it crucifies the drug, not the addict. The lyrics here find the beauty and the pain in the human condition, and deny neither. Musically, it fakes you out in the intro; you think it’s going to be a blues song, then it switches into a composition that’s almost orchestral. It’s still a blues, though: stunning, atmospheric, and heartbreakingly tragic.
Comment - Such a beautifully understated song. I am really surprised at the 2 AND 3 ranking. If the 48 ranking was the same as my 22, it would have landed at 6. A 10 ranking would have put it at 4. All this number masturbation doesn’t really help us I guess, but it goes to show with just 4 lists the volatility of one ranking can dramatically alter a songs placement.
Next up, a song with perhaps the most bizarre set of rankings. Its highest rank was 15, but it’s the next song we see all the way up at #9. Why?
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
As mentioned in the OP and header, start getting your lists ready to PM to me. Minimum 25, maximum whatever you want. 37, 56, 112, whatever number you land at.
If you prefer the Hollywood Remix of Desire or any version of a song, put it in your list eg 23 - Desire (Hollywood Remix). Links help, but aren’t necessary.
All 228 songs her are eligible, as well as anything from anarchy99s thread or anything else under the U2 banner like the song from Sing 2 or those awful covers theyve done of late.
I have an idea on the maths, but it really doesnt matter. Top 25 will obviously garner more points than lower, but every song ranked will contribute to a final ranking.
My rankings will have some significant changes and I will rank 228 again. No Line on the Horizon 2 and Pop Muzik will be dropped making for 2 from anarchys thread or not listed.
More details to come
If you prefer the Hollywood Remix of Desire or any version of a song, put it in your list eg 23 - Desire (Hollywood Remix). Links help, but aren’t necessary.
All 228 songs her are eligible, as well as anything from anarchy99s thread or anything else under the U2 banner like the song from Sing 2 or those awful covers theyve done of late.
I have an idea on the maths, but it really doesnt matter. Top 25 will obviously garner more points than lower, but every song ranked will contribute to a final ranking.
My rankings will have some significant changes and I will rank 228 again. No Line on the Horizon 2 and Pop Muzik will be dropped making for 2 from anarchys thread or not listed.
More details to come
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I was lowest on Running, mostly because I misunderstood the rules of how to rank the songs. I thought we had to rank the songs based on how they appeared on official albums. I like TJT version, but to me it's a little too stripped down. I much prefer the ZooTV Sydney version. It's more fleshed out and features Edge's electric guitar the entire song. Others may like the more subdued version better, but the live 1993 version would be in my Top 5-10 range.
I will start this of with the low hanging fruits: With or Without You - Bullet the Blue Sky - Running to Stand Still.
Honorable mentions to: So Cruel/The Fly/Mysterious Ways, Ultra Violet/Acrobat/Love is Blindness and Elevation/Walk On/Kite.
For more variance: Staring at the Sun/Last Night on Earth/Gone.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
Running to Stand Still is magnificent. One of the best Bono's vocal moments ever, both studio and live. The melodic twist of the below is nothing short of incredible.
She walks through the streets
With her eyes painted red
Under a black belly of cloud in the rain
I probably thought of this as a top 10 song before, but giving it some thought, this almost has to be top 3-4 for me, so I may need to bump a couple down a spot or two when I post my list when Lunchbox finishes this up.
She walks through the streets
With her eyes painted red
Under a black belly of cloud in the rain
I probably thought of this as a top 10 song before, but giving it some thought, this almost has to be top 3-4 for me, so I may need to bump a couple down a spot or two when I post my list when Lunchbox finishes this up.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Loved this song the first time I heard it, even though I was too young to understand addiction and tragic loss. It captures a range of conflicting emotions into one song and creates a beautiful expression out of the loneliness and emptiness many people experience day in day out.
#13 on my original list. A big reason why I like songs 5-9 better than songs 1-4 on TJT. (Along with iGC and OTH)
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Gorgeous and heartbreaking. Really speaks to their strength as songwriters. Again, most bands don’t come close to a song of this quality, and it’s not even the best one on the album it came from.
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Clear cut top 20 for me and the Sydney live performance probably securs it in my top 10.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Since it fits the subject matter of Running To Stand Still . . .
I hate to be a Debbie Downer two days in a row after my post yesterday about Beautiful Day, but I had no idea how big a problem drug use is in younger age groups right now.
When our daughter (25) came home for the holidays, we were shocked to learn that 3 of her high school friends and 3 of her friends from college (all women) had died of overdoses since the pandemic started. I don't know if they shot up, snorted, smoked, or ingested.
One died on her first use (at least that's the story). Another had started dating a drug dealer. One was found in her room by her mother. Another was found dumped on the side of the road. The other two had been at our house many times. We have pictures of them from birthday parties when they were in elementary school together.
Maybe I am just naive, but I always thought drug use was a guy thing. Clearly, it's not. I don't really have a point or anything to really add. But listening to Running To Stand Still again really hit me a lot harder after that.
I hate to be a Debbie Downer two days in a row after my post yesterday about Beautiful Day, but I had no idea how big a problem drug use is in younger age groups right now.
When our daughter (25) came home for the holidays, we were shocked to learn that 3 of her high school friends and 3 of her friends from college (all women) had died of overdoses since the pandemic started. I don't know if they shot up, snorted, smoked, or ingested.
One died on her first use (at least that's the story). Another had started dating a drug dealer. One was found in her room by her mother. Another was found dumped on the side of the road. The other two had been at our house many times. We have pictures of them from birthday parties when they were in elementary school together.
Maybe I am just naive, but I always thought drug use was a guy thing. Clearly, it's not. I don't really have a point or anything to really add. But listening to Running To Stand Still again really hit me a lot harder after that.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Can't speak for the rest of the country, but in NJ, opioid addiction has been a huge issue for more than 10 years now, affecting all ages, races and genders, but it has been particularly bad in teens and twentysomethings. And I'm sure the pandemic has made it worse. The school district in the town where my office is, which is middle-to-upper-middle-class, seems to lose a few kids each year.
It's also a big reason why life expectancy among certain demographics has dropped, even before the pandemic.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I live in NH, which has one of the worst drug situations in the country. Like triple the national average for fentanyl and heroin deaths. The state has no money to devote to treatment or education, very few treatment facilities, and a huge shortage off healthcare workers.
I have a friend who is the on site cop at the middle school. He said they have more problems there than the HS (and kids have dropped dead in the bathroom at the HS). He was telling me they can at least get younger looking cops to go undercover at the HS, but you can’t do that at the MS. Add in that they have no idea about what they or doing or what they are getting into, and you have an escalating and accelerating problem. But this is a U2 thread and we are just getting to the good part, so on with the rankings.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
We’ve lost 3 different people around us to opioids and heroin in the past year. Long story. But for me it’s part of why this song (and Wire, and Bad) hit me really hard.
Rattle and Hum
Footballguy
John Maddens Lunchbox said:
Here we go, baby!
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Such a big jump for a different version of a song. It will be interesting to see an updated list, if you do one and how deep you go.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
JFC. Thats horrible. What kind of poison is out there running amok among the populace? Wouldn’t drug dealers be interested in ensuring that their customers you know, stay alive?
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I might have 50 songs in me, but don't be surprised if you get a much different list depending upon my reactions of the moment when I put it together. So Rattle and Hum and 35 other songs.
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John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Wouldnt expect anything less. Mine will be different, but not crazily so. Dont think I will do 228 again in hindsight. Might just do one more than whatever the next longest list is or until i get bored deciding between Happiness is Warm Gun, Big Girls are Best and Bass Trap
I am tempted to do my 228 list. Does somebody know of an (online?) tool where you can drop in 228 names and it then offers you song pairs where you pick your favorite? After a couple of thousand iterations you should be done with the ranking… 
(there is a specific term for that kind of analysis but university was a while ago and i forgot…)
(there is a specific term for that kind of analysis but university was a while ago and i forgot…)
bigbottom
Footballguy
That would be cool.I am tempted to do my 228 list. Does somebody know of an (online?) tool where you can drop in 228 names and it then offers you song pairs where you pick your favorite? After a couple of thousand iterations you should be done with the ranking…
(there is a specific term for that kind of analysis but university was a while ago and i forgot…)
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