TripItUp
Footballguy
So Cruel is actually my favorite song from Achtung and didn't get much play. I've never seen it pop up on Pandora etc.
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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 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter John Maddens Lunchbox
- Start date
So Cruel is actually my favorite song from Achtung and didn't get much play. I've never seen it pop up on Pandora etc.
krista4
Footballguy
Lovely ballad. Big fan. It’s never been my favorite song on TJT - maybe even never top 3 for me - but it would be top-2 on any other U2 album for me (I think…..maybe…..hmmm).
I had it ranked 12. Mrs APK…..only ranked 30 songs….and thus she didn’t rank this one.
Mrs APK: “I’ve never loved this song. How did you not know this? It’s probably my 8th favorite song on the album. Just a boring love song.”
Ok. So the woman who loves Rocky Raccoon doesn’t like one of the most famous songs, by her favorite band, from one of her favorite albums. @krista4: can you see my confusion on Rocky Raccoon now?!!?
Thought of you guys the other day when online chatting with a couple of friends, and one asked what our most despised Beatles song was. The other guy said, “That would be Rocky Raccoon.”
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Anarchy99
Footballguy
No offense to the missus, but let's see her write a boring song that topped the Billboard charts for three weeks, came from an Album of the Year Grammy winner, ranked 8th in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Pop Songs, and has regularly stayed ranked in their Top 500 songs of all time.Alex P Keaton said:Lovely ballad. Big fan. It’s never been my favorite song on TJT - maybe even never top 3 for me - but it would be top-2 on any other U2 album for me (I think…..maybe…..hmmm).
I had it ranked 12. Mrs APK…..only ranked 30 songs….and thus she didn’t rank this one.
Mrs APK: “I’ve never loved this song. How did you not know this? It’s probably my 8th favorite song on the album. Just a boring love song.”
Ok. So the woman who loves Rocky Raccoon doesn’t like one of the most famous songs, by her favorite band, from one of her favorite albums. @krista4: can you see my confusion on Rocky Raccoon now?!!?
Sure, I get it, it's not their best work and is a bit maudlin. But writing songs that masses will purchase and appreciate while critics will like is no easy task. I had it at 14 (which is too high).
Rocky Raccoon may not be in the Top 5 of raccoon songs, but it deserves consideration for the Top 10.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Mr. Mojo said:
Alex P Keaton said:
TripItUp said:
The criticism of this song surprises me. Of course music is a personal taste and this song has been overexposed and iconic, but as Anarchy said these things arent easy to do. Its a beautiful song, full of emotion and very well written. I had it at #8, but its a song i need to be in the right mood to hear. I could easily drop it lower on most moods though. As a songwriting, performance and production lesson, it’s a masterclass.krista4 said:
Comparing it to Sunday Bloody Sunday....it’s a different type of song. Try listening to the studio version of SBS 5 times and being inspired
Will be interesting to see a bunch of lists without With or Without You coming up lol
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Oh, I’m with you here 100%. Except for the part about Rocky Raccoon - it’s proof that raccoon songs should never be written!
While WOWY isn’t my favorite song on TJT, it’s a great song!! I had it at #12 for a reason. Almost wonder if she left it unranked to taunt me, to trivialize the process….or perhaps it dredges up some subconsciously bad memories. She has a couple of songs like that which she can’t listen to because they make her sad.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
I’m with the other guy.krista4 said:
I’m with the Mrs on this one, though.
RR isn’t a horrible song — I just still can’t believe she has it so high!!! (But then also thinks Taxman is just ok)Tangent: I can only share this stuff in the safe space of the FFA…..because honesty is NOT always a good policy. Example: Mrs and son brought home a snack this morning (“just for you!!”) — scones. Look, I enjoy scones, I’m a donut guy. Scones and donuts are not the same thing. So was the scone treat really “just for me”? We all know the truth. Luckily I caught myself and simply said “wow, scones, awesome!!!”
krista4
Footballguy
I’m with the other guy.
Tangent: I can only share this stuff in the safe space of the FFA…..because honesty is NOT always a good policy. Example: Mrs and son brought home a snack this morning (“just for you!!”) — scones. Look, I enjoy scones, I’m a donut guy. Scones and donuts are not the same thing. So was the scone treat really “just for me”? We all know the truth. Luckily I caught myself and simply said “wow, scones, awesome!!!”
Geez, even *I* would know to bring you a donut!
The criticism of this song surprises me. Of course music is a personal taste and this song has been overexposed and iconic, but as Anarchy said these things arent easy to do. Its a beautiful song, full of emotion and very well written. I had it at #8, but its a song i need to be in the right mood to hear. I could easily drop it lower on most moods though. As a songwriting, performance and production lesson, it’s a masterclass.
Comparing it to Sunday Bloody Sunday....it’s a different type of song. Try listening to the studio version of SBS 5 times and being inspired
Will be interesting to see a bunch of lists without With or Without You coming up lol
I wouldn't call mine a "criticism" so much as an acknowledgment that U2 has loads of songs I enjoy more. This is obviously a good song (well, maybe not obviously since a couple of people seem to despise it), but I don't find it up to the standards of a moderate number of those already posted.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
My take on Rocky Raccoon:
Not better than Bullet the Blue Sky.
Not better than Bullet the Blue Sky.
Nemesis
Footballguy
JML.....I'm with you as I had it at #3. WOWY is a classic that is Unlike ANY OTHER SONG.......not just when you are comparing vs other U2 songs, but unlike any other Non-U2 songs. That "Infinite Guitar" sound (I think that is what Edge has labelled it as).......It's instantly recognizable and creeps in like a fog and then at the end.....that fog just fades away. The song is simple and isn't overproduced. They didn't ruin it by trying to add more to it.
Edge explains the song WOWY
=======================
When i did my list, i asked myself, what songs make the hair on my arm stand up when i hear them?
What songs are the ones that make me lean a little more toward the speaker to catch something new on the song?
Those were the songs that got top billing for me........regardless if i thought the song was overexposed or not.
Sure, AB produced such a new & different sound for U2 & I applaud them for it..........but WOWY did that for me on TJT album.
Nemesis
Footballguy
DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE WAS A MAJOR CONTROVERSY WITH THE SONG'S ORIGINAL VIDEO & IT HAD TO BE RE-SHOT DUE TO NUDITY?John Maddens Lunchbox said:
The video for WOWY, the 1st song of U2's to reach #1 on the American charts, has an interesting & somewhat complicated history. The final version that everyone is familiar with (JML's link)..........it's actually 2 separate videos spliced together.
The 1st video started as a dark & moody & very artistic film from Matt Mahurin. Listening to the song, which itself is dark & kind of moody, it is easy to hear what inspired him to create the video in question. The video for this is shot in Black & White, & includes footage of the band & footage of a female model twisting & turning (more on her in a moment). The video opens with a shot of her arm, & then her face, before turning to The Edge in black & white. Throughout the video her naked body is much more evident, & Bono appears to be much darker lit than the final version of the song. We also see scenes of someone naked crashing in waves at night.
Due to the lighting & nudity in Mahurin's version of the video, it was obviously not appropriate for airplay on the mainstream MTV channel, & as fitting as this video is for the song, this version of the video would have been unlikely to give U2 the chart-busting hit that they were searching for. So, U2 turned to their reliable video-making partner, Meiert Avis, who had been responsible for most of their music videos up to that point, to re-shoot a more commercially viable music video.
The more common (Final) version opens on Bono, & the scenes w the band are much better lit throughout. The focus is much more on the band in the main version, & a good portion of the footage is in color, but still uses some shots of the Alternate black & white version interlaced throughout the video.
Original Black & White Mahurin version <---check it out (Mahurin's original video for the song was not released for years, but was finally included on the deluxe box set for the remastered 25th Anniversary edition of The Joshua Tree. It is called the "alternate version") Go here & Scroll down to see some still images taken from the video
Couple of notes:
- In case you didn't know, the female model who can be seen in both versions of this video is Morleigh Steinberg, who would later go on to dance onstage for U2 during the ZooTV tour & then, yrs later, marry Edge. At the time that the video for WOWY was shot, Edge was still married to his 1st wife, Aislinn. However, all of the video shoots for Morleigh were done separately & the band wasn't even present during her shots........Edge & Morleigh would meet later on though.
- All of these yrs & all of that success later, it is easy to say that the band made the right choice by re-shooting the video. One might wonder nowadays, what might have happened, had they stuck w the original video.
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simey
Footballguy
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:John Maddens Lunchbox said:
“It doesn’t sound like anything else of its time,” Edge said of the 1st single from TJT. “It’s not coming from an 80's mentality. It’s coming from somewhere completely different.” With its stark sound & low-key video, WOWY cut through the bloat & slickness of 80's rock (“It whispers its way into the world,” Bono said), giving U2 their 1st #1 hit in the U.S. & turning the band into reluctant pop stars. “You don’t imagine hearing it [on the radio],” Clayton said.
The song’s lyrics were sparked by heroes of the U.S. civil rights movement & the “new journalism” of the 1960s. Yet WOWY – rooted in a simple bass groove & an ethereal guitar that frames Bono’s yearning vocals – remains 1 of U2’s most universal songs to date, a meditation on the painful ambivalence of a love affair. Bono describes a tortured relationship that he can't escape. The lyric can be interpreted many ways; Bono explained that he wanted to write a love song that dealt w real issues.
Another song that came together in the studio while the band were harboring fears of creative drought, sonically speaking, With Or Without You was a great leap forward for U2. It’s the 1st U2 song to feature Bono singing in a confessional lower register & Larry Mullen experimenting w an electronically enhanced drumkit; but the key ingredient was once again Edge, whose used a prototype distortion device called an "Infinite Guitar" to create the wail that he’d just received. It added a haunting quality that elevated its sound created from the feedback.
The prototype Infinite Guitar was created by Edge’s friend Michael Brook, whom Edge worked w on the soundtrack for a 1986 film called The Captive. "Brook created the Infinite Guitar by replacing the pickup on a guitar with a magnetic device that vibrates the strings so you didn't have to use your right hand on the guitar. You just held a note w your left hand, & he had a little self-looping system built into the instrument. But as you went up higher on the guitar, the infinite sustain just kept going into the stratosphere." Over the yrs, the setup has given guitar tech Dallas Schoo several electric shocks.
Edge: "I was taking the infinite sustain out of the box & plugging it in to see what it did, & it started making that sound. I was really just testing the guitar to see what it could do. After 1 take, I said, 'That sounds pretty good. And then we did a 2nd one, & that was it. We did a little 'best of the 2 performances,' & then it became that signature, high-frequency stratospheric sound on 'With Or Without You.'"
It’s another example of winning simplicity. Edge believes the triumphal riff at the song’s ending is an encapsulation of his minimalist guitar approach: “The end of With Or Without You could have been so much bigger, so much more of a climax, but there’s this power to it which I think is even more potent because it’s held back.”
Bono explained that everybody in the group knows what the line "and you give yourself away" means: "It's about how I feel in U2 at times - exposed. I know that the group thinks I’m exposed & that I give myself away. I think if I do any damage to U2, it’s that I’m too open.” I'm not going to do many interviews this year. Because there's a cost to my personal life, and a cost to the group as well."
Bono called the refrain most important part of the song because it signifies a release of mental tension, "which is when the 'Aah-aah' comes out. That is what giving yourself away is, musically."
The title is a more sincere variation of the "can't live with them, can't live without them" idiom, which is typically used to describe something or someone that is frustrating, but hard to give up.
Bono intended this as part of a trilogy with 2 other songs that did not make the album, which explains the rather vague imagery. At the time, Bono didn't think it made any sense without the other 2 songs, but listeners were happy to fill in the gaps with their own interpretations.
On the R&H tour, Bono added the lyrics at the end... "Yeah, we'll shine like stars in the summer night, We'll shine like stars in the winter night, One heart, One hope, One love."
This was a song that caught Bono torn between a life of domesticity & free-spirited artistry. "I had some difficult emotional stuff going on. I didn't understand at that point the freedom that I would receive from a committed relationship. I was feeling guilty if I was talking to somebody in their record company who was really attractive. I was you know, just everything was at 11. But that's why 'With or Without You' is so operatic & that's OK."
In 1987, this was voted best single in a Rolling Stone magazine readers poll.
This was played on 2 episodes of the TV series Friends: the 2nd season (1995, "The One w the List"), & then in the 3rd season (1997, "The One Where Ross & Rachel Take A Break"). It became the anthem of the characters Ross & Rachel, w both scenes coming at pivotal moments in their relationship.
This was used in the movies Cousins (1989), Blown Away (1994) & Looking for Alibrandi (2000).
In The 2006 Office episode "Valentine's Day", Michael Scott uses this song as background music for his "Faces of Scranton" presentation.
The song returned twice to the UK Top 75 within the space of 8 mths, both due to performances by reality show contestants. In October 2008 following a performance by contestant Diana Vickers on X Factor & again in May 2009 thanks to Shaun Smith's rendition of the song during a semi-final edition of Britain's Got Talent.
This plays in 1 of the closing scenes of the TV series The Americans, which ran 2013-2018. It was used in a section where the family of Russian spies was separating as FBI closed in.
Recording: Regarding how the track was compiled, Lanois said they started with a rhythm on a Yamaha beatbox. Next came the chord sequence, then Adam Clayton's bass part, and then Edge using the Infinite Guitar.
The band brought Steve Lillywhite, who produced their 1st 3 albums, on board to remix the singles to boost their commercial appeal. On this track, his treatment of the drums was controversial among producers Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois. Lanois: WOWY was the 1 that there was the most discussion about, because Brian certainly had a very different idea of how it should go. I had yet another idea, & Steve pushed the mix in a direction that was a little more mainstream in its approach. When the drums came in, they were a little more crash, bang, which is a sound that Steve is known for. Certainly, Brian would have preferred to have the drums be more mysterious and more supportive."
Charts-peaked at: UK # 4 US: #1 (3 wks at #1) Canada: #1 IRE: #1
Video: The video, directed by Meiert Avis did very well on MTV, where it was nominated for 7 Video Music Awards, including Video Of The Yr. It won for Viewer's Choice, beating Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer."
Live Versions / Remixes:
WOWY - from R&H
WOWY (Zoo TV Tour - Washington, August 16 1992)
WOWY - Daniel Lanois version
San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy on 21st July 2005 during the Vertigo tour
WOWY - at the BBC 2017
WOWY - live on the 2017 JT Anniv tour
WOWY - 30th Anniv Edit extended mix
WOWY - with orchestra
WOWY - with Chris Martin singing (when Bono got hurt with his bike accident, U2 band members played with various other singers)
When Rolling Stone ranked their Top50 U2 songs: 7
Been played live 842 times
Nemesis
Footballguy
U2 Tidbits:
- ATYCLB: The cover of the album features the band in the departures hall of 2F at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris photographed by Anton Corbijn. The band enjoyed a little hidden message & so they revised the oval signage that appears on the left hand side of the album sleeve. The original image had F21-36 & indicated the direction to a series of check-in desks. The sleeve says J33-3 & is a biblical reference to Jeremiah 33.3, which reads “Call to me & I will answer you & tell you great & hidden things which you have not known.”
- In 2000, Bono was checked for throat cancer, which turned out negative.
- U2 were the top touring act of 2001 playing 113 shows & made $143 million. Next closest was 'N Sync w $90 million.
- In 2001, Bono invited 79 year-old US Senator Jesse Helms to a show. It was Helms' 1st rock concert - he turned down his hearing aid & covered his ears throughout the show.
- The Hands That Built America from the soundtrack to The Gangs of New York, was nominated for an Oscar in March 2003.
- In July 2004 Edge's CD demo of the new album 'HTDAAB' was stolen in the south of France. Despite a detailed investigation by French police, it was never found but on the plus side, it was never leaked on the internet either. Bono stated that if the songs had turned up on the internet before the official release date, then the CD would have been released immediately.
- 'HTDAAB' was released in Nov 2004 w its 1st single named 'Vertigo' being released in Sept. In conjunction with Apple, a special edition iPod was released to promote the new release. It came pre-loaded w U2's entire back catalog but some fans complained that buying it meant they were effectively being forced to pay again for songs they already owned.
- The name for the HTDAAB comes from a conversation that Bono had w Christian songwriter Michael W. Smith in 2004. He asked Smith if he knew how to dismantle an atomic bomb & when Smith said that he didn't Bono answered, "With love."
- HTDAAB opens w the 1st single taken from it, Vertigo. Bono said in an interview that there was a connection between this song & 'Stories For Boys' from the band's 1st ever single (the U23 EP) in 1979. Popular opinion seems to be that the connection is the line "Hello, hello", which appears in both songs, although no one seems to know for sure.
- In 2004, U2's Bono delivered The University of Pennsylvania Commencement Address to the Class of 2004 at historic Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLem1Zijmo
Here's the written speech https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/between/2004/commence-b.html
- In MAR 2006, the South American(4th) & Australian(5th) legs of the Vertigo tour had to be called off after the child of a band member was diagnosed w leukemia. No official announcement was ever confirmed, but it's widely known to have been Edge's daughter Sian, who was 7. For a time, it seemed that the rest of the tour might be cancelled altogether but fortunately for all concerned, Sian responded to treatment & the affected dates were all strategically rescheduled to enable Edge to get home more often.
Nemesis
Footballguy
In 1993, Edge began dating Morleigh Steinberg, an American professional dancer who was employed by U2 as a choreographer & belly dancer during the Zoo TV Tour. "Towards the tour's end, it was clear to observers & the couple themselves that the friendship developed into a relationship, & Steinberg broke up with her boyfriend of the time. Following the tour's completion, Steinberg & The Edge discovered they missed each other; she moved to Dublin in 1994, & the relationship became firm. Having grown up around Hollywood, the prospect of being associated with a famous rock star did not faze her.
They have a daughter, Sian (born 1997), & a son, Levi (born OCT 1999). The couple were married in 2002.
(Although many have identified Morleigh as the belly dancer seen in the 1991 "Mysterious Ways" video, it is not Morleigh Steinberg.)
Steinberg's 1st association w U2 came in FEB 1987. The group's lead singer, Bono, was a fan of ISO (her dance company) & she was cast for the music video of their hit "With or Without You". In it, director Matt Mahurin portrayed Steinberg in a black & white abstract style shot on a California beach, swirling in various positions that were interposed with the band performing. Although her filming sessions were done separately from the band, later during the LA stop on the band's subsequent JT Tour, Steinberg met The Edge in person for the 1st time during a party at her house.
After meeting U2 in 1987, Steinberg stayed in touch with Bono & when the group was putting the Zoo TV Tour together in 1992, the lead singer thought it would be good to have a choreographer to critique his moves on stage. Steinberg worked during the tour's pre-production to show the group how to communicate their ideas all the way to the last rows of a venue. Recognizing Bono was not a dancer, she focused on movements he could do, & sought to help him pace himself & not get lost visually in the show's enormous stage set. The group's hit "Mysterious Ways" had featured a belly dancer in its music video, & the group decided to incorporate one in their on-stage performance of the song. The original dancer left when the tour moved to its outdoor stadium legs. According to Steinberg, having a belly dancer on the tour originated as "a bit of a joke". Steinberg began by training the dancer, & when that dancer left the tour, a replacement was needed. Bono asked Steinberg if she would like to take over & she agreed, although she had never belly danced before & by her own description did not have the voluptuous body usually associated with the form.
While still on the European (4th) leg of ZooTV tour (still in support of Actung Baby album), the band used the day before their June 1993 Berlin concert to film the music video for their 1st single release called "Numb" on their upcoming Zooropa album. The ionic video features Edge staring straight into the camera, while strange things happen to him, such as having feet put on his face, being tied down by the other group members, & belly dancer Morleigh Steinberg performing in front of him.
Steinberg directed one of the 2 music videos made for their 1997 single "Staring at the Sun". (the Miami version)
Other info about Morleigh:
They have a daughter, Sian (born 1997), & a son, Levi (born OCT 1999). The couple were married in 2002.
(Although many have identified Morleigh as the belly dancer seen in the 1991 "Mysterious Ways" video, it is not Morleigh Steinberg.)
Steinberg's 1st association w U2 came in FEB 1987. The group's lead singer, Bono, was a fan of ISO (her dance company) & she was cast for the music video of their hit "With or Without You". In it, director Matt Mahurin portrayed Steinberg in a black & white abstract style shot on a California beach, swirling in various positions that were interposed with the band performing. Although her filming sessions were done separately from the band, later during the LA stop on the band's subsequent JT Tour, Steinberg met The Edge in person for the 1st time during a party at her house.
After meeting U2 in 1987, Steinberg stayed in touch with Bono & when the group was putting the Zoo TV Tour together in 1992, the lead singer thought it would be good to have a choreographer to critique his moves on stage. Steinberg worked during the tour's pre-production to show the group how to communicate their ideas all the way to the last rows of a venue. Recognizing Bono was not a dancer, she focused on movements he could do, & sought to help him pace himself & not get lost visually in the show's enormous stage set. The group's hit "Mysterious Ways" had featured a belly dancer in its music video, & the group decided to incorporate one in their on-stage performance of the song. The original dancer left when the tour moved to its outdoor stadium legs. According to Steinberg, having a belly dancer on the tour originated as "a bit of a joke". Steinberg began by training the dancer, & when that dancer left the tour, a replacement was needed. Bono asked Steinberg if she would like to take over & she agreed, although she had never belly danced before & by her own description did not have the voluptuous body usually associated with the form.
While still on the European (4th) leg of ZooTV tour (still in support of Actung Baby album), the band used the day before their June 1993 Berlin concert to film the music video for their 1st single release called "Numb" on their upcoming Zooropa album. The ionic video features Edge staring straight into the camera, while strange things happen to him, such as having feet put on his face, being tied down by the other group members, & belly dancer Morleigh Steinberg performing in front of him.
Steinberg directed one of the 2 music videos made for their 1997 single "Staring at the Sun". (the Miami version)
Other info about Morleigh:
- She did the choreography for Paula Abdul's 1991–1992 Under My Spell Tour.
- She did concert or music video choreographic work for David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Sting, & Lenny Kravitz
- Steinberg provided the inspiration behind the dropped-from-on-high steering-wheel microphone that was a striking visual feature of the 2009–2011 U2 360° Tour.
- On U2's JT Anniv Tour in 2017, Steinberg was featured in the stage video accompanying concert performances of the song "Trip Through Your Wires". She is dressed as a cowgirl, often drawing stage comment from Bono, while an American flag is painted on a wooden shack & with a lasso.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hw4AHwaSLk <---this one has better visuals & audiohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSjuCvTK98o <---see where Bono comments on it at ~2:15
bigbottom
Footballguy
The bolded is my take on the song as well. It’s simple and restrained and beautiful. Is it among my favorites? No (maybe top 25). But I recognize that it took sophisticated songwriting skills to create it.
Oddly enough, my favorite part of the song is when Larry doubles the time signature during the fade out. Love that.
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John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Love info like this. Its clear that the final version works so whoever project managed this, got it right
I thought it was common knowledge it was Edge’s daughter. I can’t remember if it was in the press or on the U2 forum that the Edge often flew home after a European gig to spend time with his daughter. Thats why the gig I went to in Glasgow, Edge was extra pissed at Bono. Not only did Bono delay the start by meeting with world leaders in Edinburgh, Edge had all that pressure of a sick kid at home.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
#6 - I Will Follow (1980)
Highest Rank - 8
Lowest Rank - 29
Where to Find it - Boy LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -2/218 - There are a handful of records that sound so completely different that you will always remember the first moment you heard them. That’s “I Will Follow,” which I heard for the first time while sitting in traffic on the way home from my high-school part-time job, listening to the WNYU New Afternoon Show. The opening thrum of guitar notes, a literal siren, mystical bells in the distance, a rhythm section playing almost off-rhythm, and those opening lines, sung by a voice full of urgency and emotion: “I was on the outside / When you said you needed me …” It sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. The otherworldly noises acting as percussion — bicycle spokes, broken bottles — and the guitar moving back into angelic notes, before picking up the SOS pace into full speed, coming out of the bridge and back into the last chorus. There is so much going on that it leaves you breathless. It is one of the best opening songs on a debut album, ever. Live, it turned into a maelstrom, and never really stopped.
Comment - I first heard this song on Under a Blood Red Sky. It was magnificent. Loved it. Would have been top 11 just like everyone else. I know we are supposed to rate it on the best version, but it wasn’t until years later that I checked out the version on Boy. I knew after hearing both versions of Sunday Bloody Sunday and others that sometimes the difference was significant. Holy sheeetballs, I almost threw up. That bell, triangle, glockenspiel or whatever drives me crazy. I guess its trying to add a level of chaos, but it is maddening. I notice on wiki it says “For the middle eightsection of the song, producer Steve Lillywhiterecorded the sounds of cutleryrubbing against the spokes of a spinning wheel on an upturned bicycle, as well as Bono smashing bottles”
It doesnt work for me and makes me hate a version, the studio version, of a song I love when they knock that shiit off. As mentioned on this track it didn’t matter that I rated it #29 or #8, it still lands at #6. Big leap in the rankings from #5 to #6. I Will Follow beat out many songs that could have landed at #6, but weren’t strong enough to break the top 5.
Next up, the top 5 begins with the first #1 ranking, mine. I am not the only 1 to rate it at #1, but we will get to that.
Highest Rank - 8
Lowest Rank - 29
Where to Find it - Boy LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -2/218 - There are a handful of records that sound so completely different that you will always remember the first moment you heard them. That’s “I Will Follow,” which I heard for the first time while sitting in traffic on the way home from my high-school part-time job, listening to the WNYU New Afternoon Show. The opening thrum of guitar notes, a literal siren, mystical bells in the distance, a rhythm section playing almost off-rhythm, and those opening lines, sung by a voice full of urgency and emotion: “I was on the outside / When you said you needed me …” It sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. The otherworldly noises acting as percussion — bicycle spokes, broken bottles — and the guitar moving back into angelic notes, before picking up the SOS pace into full speed, coming out of the bridge and back into the last chorus. There is so much going on that it leaves you breathless. It is one of the best opening songs on a debut album, ever. Live, it turned into a maelstrom, and never really stopped.
Comment - I first heard this song on Under a Blood Red Sky. It was magnificent. Loved it. Would have been top 11 just like everyone else. I know we are supposed to rate it on the best version, but it wasn’t until years later that I checked out the version on Boy. I knew after hearing both versions of Sunday Bloody Sunday and others that sometimes the difference was significant. Holy sheeetballs, I almost threw up. That bell, triangle, glockenspiel or whatever drives me crazy. I guess its trying to add a level of chaos, but it is maddening. I notice on wiki it says “For the middle eightsection of the song, producer Steve Lillywhiterecorded the sounds of cutleryrubbing against the spokes of a spinning wheel on an upturned bicycle, as well as Bono smashing bottles”
It doesnt work for me and makes me hate a version, the studio version, of a song I love when they knock that shiit off. As mentioned on this track it didn’t matter that I rated it #29 or #8, it still lands at #6. Big leap in the rankings from #5 to #6. I Will Follow beat out many songs that could have landed at #6, but weren’t strong enough to break the top 5.
Next up, the top 5 begins with the first #1 ranking, mine. I am not the only 1 to rate it at #1, but we will get to that.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Of the remaining 5 songs, they are all in my Top 10 (and I am guessing the next song is probably my #10 song). I was surprised that I was highest on New Year's Day at 15. I thought other people would have it in their Top 10 and I would be lowest.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Did we both pick the same #1 song? I don't see the other ones having many detractors.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
The #5 song has a #23 attached to it. It has to be one of the 3 that aren’t your #1 or #10
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Arguably the most important song in their catalog. If this doesn’t catch on with college/alternative radio in the US and other formats elsewhere, who knows what other opportunities they might have gotten.
It’s in my top 25 but I’m not exactly sure where yet. The opening riff is fantastic and an instant attention-grabber. But my favorite part may be the “your eyes” bridge, where they take it down a notch and give us some cool stuff from Adam, then soar back into the main riff again.
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Ghost Rider
Footballguy
I will Follow is so damn great. It has an urgency and edge to it that most of their other rockers do not. A top 10 U2 track, without a doubt.
Mr. Mojo
Footballguy
Well that put the list back on track very quickly.
And on a side note Rocky Racoon sucks.
simey
Footballguy
Poor RR. It isn't one of my favorites, but I don't hate it. I like the lyrics...
Her name was Magill and she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy
krista4
Footballguy
bigbottom
Footballguy
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
The very beginning & a crowning moment. U2’s 1st & opening track from their debut album is an instant classic of post-punk & is their most-performed live song. I Will Follow’s mesmerizing lick & menacing bassline combine to leave an indelible impression....which underlines its timeless rock ’n’ roll energy. “I Will Follow” quickly became their live trump card; Edge recalled a Boston gig where they played it 3 times, as set opener, closer & encore, to a rapturous crowd. “We left the stage feeling incredible.”
Bono: “It’s coming from a very dark place,” – noting that it was inspired by “real anger & an enormous sense of yearning.” Written about the love between a son & his mother (Bono’s died when he was 14), it gave stomping U.K. post-punk a heraldic urgency. The first verse evokes imagery of a mother pointing out to her son the path he should probably follow, rather than the 1 he might have appeared to be on.
Bono sings the lyrics from a mother's point of view. "I know that's mad but I have done it a few times," he says. "But if you step out of that for a second and think it's a song about my own mother, it becomes a suicide note - 'If you leave me, I'm coming after you.' This is mind-blowing to me looking back. What drugs were we on? None!"
The Replacements recorded an answer song to this called "Kids Don't Follow" on their 1982 album Stink.
The song is included in the 2015 music video game Rock Band 4 as a playable track.
Recording: Bono: "It came out of a screaming argument in the rehearsal room". "I remember trying to make a sound I heard in my head, & taking Edge's guitar from him & playing the 2-stringed chord … to show the others the aggression I wanted.. It was literally coming out of a kind of rage, the sound of a nail being hammered into your frontal lobe."
The song hinted at hidden depths to their sound – producer Steve Lillywhite added additional sound effects, such as bottles being thrown on the floor & a judicious glockenspiel....“The percussion in the drop was a bicycle spinning, wheels upside down & played like a harp w a kitchen fork.”
The Edge used his 1976 Gibson Explorer for the recording of the 1st album, & says its lack of bass response was a factor in defining his sound. “I used to stay away from the low strings, & a lot of the chords I played were very trebly, on the 1st 4, or even 3 strings. I discovered that through using this 1 area of the fretboard I was developing a very stylized way of doing something that someone else would play in a normal way”.
Release: The 1st U2 single to be released worldwide, “I Will Follow” was issued Oct 1980 in Ireland, the UK, Australia, & New Zealand. In all of these regions, a live version of “Boy/Girl,” recorded at The Marquee in London on Sept 2, 1980, was the b-side.
In March of 1981, the song was released in the US & Canada (U2's 1st single release in those territories), but w a different b-side, a live version of “Out of Control” taken from a performance on March 6, 1981 in Boston.
It took a few albums for the band to catch on outside their native Ireland, so "I Will Follow" didn't get much attention when it was 1st released. The song was always a concert favorite, & many heard it for the 1st time on the 1983 live album UABRS, which far outsold the Boy album. The UABRS version, charted in the US at #81, & came from the band's appearance at the Rockpalast festival in Germany that year.
All in all........the song has been released a total of 5 times.
Charts-peaked at: UK # US: #81 Canada: # AUS #71
Video: U2's 1st music video was for this song. Directed by Meiert Avis (same as WOWY), is shows the band performing the song in front of a giant image of the album cover. It's 1 of those unfortunate early '80s videos that used green screen before it could produce a clean key, so there are some ugly edges on the band, who are superimposed in front of the image.
Live Versions / Remixes:
IWF - live Old Grey Whistle Test / Feb 1981
IWF - Live Swedish TV Sep 1981
IWF - live Milan 2005
IWF - live in Paris - I+E tour
IWF - live on the 2017 JT Anniv tour
When Rolling Stone ranked their Top50 U2 songs: 9
Been played live 994 times….....only 10x on the ZooTV tour & only ~15 times on the 2017 JT Anniv tour
In The Zone
Footballguy
Gr00vus
Footballguy
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
If I want to hear pots and pans being smashed around on a song I will pick Depeche ModeGr00vus said:
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
#5 - Where the Streets Have No Name (1987)
Highest Rank - 1
Lowest Rank - 23
Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -1/218 - “It’s the point where craft ends and spirit begins,” Bono has said about “Streets,” and if you do not like Bono or U2, it’s the kind of thing that makes you hate them. But if that’s true, you have also never stood in the middle of an arena or a stadium or an open field surrounded by jumping people caught up in the sheer elation of this song. There is no way that U2 knew what this song was going to be when they wrote it, or even when they recorded it — the story about Brian Eno being so sick of the song he almost erased the tape so they’d get on with it, is definitely a point in that opinion’s favor — but, like all the best U2 songs, it is what “Streets” became once it was performed in front of an audience that was its transfiguration and its transmogrification.
“Streets” is you at your best, wearing church clothes and standing up straight. It is possibility, it is aspiration, it is joy incarnate. Its transformative nature can change the quality of the air and the energy around you at a level up there with “Amazing Grace,” “Fanfare for the Common Man,” and “Hound Dog.” It does not matter how many times you have seen it performed live, or when you saw it first; “Streets” can still catch you by surprise — like it did in 2017, when it careened off the stage and hit you straight in the heart.
Comment - What can I say? This is how you craft a song. Hooks, excellent build up, soaring chorus, great musicality. The fact they had no idea of the power of the song amazes me. They opened the album with the song, they were expecting the album to do great things. Yet they consider Red Hill Mining Town among others ahead of it? I am glad that common sense prevailed and it became a single and one of their most famous tracks. Not only my number one, its vultures as well.
Next up, we have 4 left and two are from Unforgettable Fire. We finally get to the second last song from That album. Which one will it be?
Highest Rank - 1
Lowest Rank - 23
Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -1/218 - “It’s the point where craft ends and spirit begins,” Bono has said about “Streets,” and if you do not like Bono or U2, it’s the kind of thing that makes you hate them. But if that’s true, you have also never stood in the middle of an arena or a stadium or an open field surrounded by jumping people caught up in the sheer elation of this song. There is no way that U2 knew what this song was going to be when they wrote it, or even when they recorded it — the story about Brian Eno being so sick of the song he almost erased the tape so they’d get on with it, is definitely a point in that opinion’s favor — but, like all the best U2 songs, it is what “Streets” became once it was performed in front of an audience that was its transfiguration and its transmogrification.
“Streets” is you at your best, wearing church clothes and standing up straight. It is possibility, it is aspiration, it is joy incarnate. Its transformative nature can change the quality of the air and the energy around you at a level up there with “Amazing Grace,” “Fanfare for the Common Man,” and “Hound Dog.” It does not matter how many times you have seen it performed live, or when you saw it first; “Streets” can still catch you by surprise — like it did in 2017, when it careened off the stage and hit you straight in the heart.
Comment - What can I say? This is how you craft a song. Hooks, excellent build up, soaring chorus, great musicality. The fact they had no idea of the power of the song amazes me. They opened the album with the song, they were expecting the album to do great things. Yet they consider Red Hill Mining Town among others ahead of it? I am glad that common sense prevailed and it became a single and one of their most famous tracks. Not only my number one, its vultures as well.
Next up, we have 4 left and two are from Unforgettable Fire. We finally get to the second last song from That album. Which one will it be?
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
Only 3 days left in our countdown.
Tomorrow we do #4, the day after that #3.
#2 and #1 will be done on the same day.
Then its over to everyone to get their lists in. Any number from 25 to 228 or even more Can be listed
Tomorrow we do #4, the day after that #3.
#2 and #1 will be done on the same day.
Then its over to everyone to get their lists in. Any number from 25 to 228 or even more Can be listed
Anarchy99
Footballguy
The time when Edge and Adam showed up to play with Unforgettable Fire (U2 tribute band) to play Streets and Out of Control. It takes a while for the guy next to the camera to notice, but he then drops 12 OMG!s in a row,
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Love it. Just love it. Along with SBS (live) this song epitomizes U2. The sound, the lyrics, the meaning behind it. To me it’s perfect.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I am with you and Vulture. I rearrange my list in my head all the time, but this will be my No. 1 when I turn it in.
I will never forget the first time I put on TJT. This is the perfect opening song to an album or concert. It delivers an incredible buildup and explodes into a rolling, roiling anthem. All of the power and atmospherics that had marked their best work to date were condensed into one song. The music is powerful but accessible and the lyrics are full of striving and hope. This is about as good as mainstream rock and roll can get.
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Ghost Rider
Footballguy
I am surprised this finished at 5. I thought for sure it would be 1 or 2. It's in my top 3, usually number 2 more days than not. This is the song that really made me a U2 fan back in 1987/1988. And live they always musically take it to the next level, although I think Bono rarely nails the vocal as well as he did in the studio.
krista4
Footballguy
Nemesis
Footballguy
@Pip's Invitation My sentiments exactly.........And it's my #1 as well. As i said before, when i hear this song, it grabs me me & like a moth to a flame, i can't pull myself away from it & the hair stands up on my arm. I don't even think the lyrics matter to me........the melody & timing of the song had me hooked from the very start.
Edit to Add: This song is the equivalent of sitting in a movie theater & that THX promo rattles the entire building.
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Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Bono interview the other day:
https://people.com/music/u2s-bono-still-really-doesnt-like-band-name-is-often-embarrassed-by-songs/
https://people.com/music/u2s-bono-still-really-doesnt-like-band-name-is-often-embarrassed-by-songs/
Nemesis
Footballguy
Someone online took the song ISHFWILF & increased the key & tempo in attempt to replicate the original recording before it was slowed down during mixing. (REM: The original key was a semitone higher than what was released).
Listen here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/ntqfslghzq7ovji/ISHFWILF_original_key_tempo.flac/file
Their comments were:
My comment: I always thought TJT version of the song dragged along & I get bored.......but this new version, I actually like the increased tempo.
Listen here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/ntqfslghzq7ovji/ISHFWILF_original_key_tempo.flac/file
Their comments were:
- Bono sounds a bit more like his natural '86-'87 self (I always thought the released recording felt unnatural in the chorus) & it's quite impressive how high he pushes himself.
- The tempo to match the key change is a modest increase of 6 BPM to 107 BPM.
My comment: I always thought TJT version of the song dragged along & I get bored.......but this new version, I actually like the increased tempo.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
I wish our ranker would give his thoughts on a lot of his outliers, but understand that the time invested in defending decisions is wholly negative. The #23 ranking really sunk it. If it was ranked #5 by that ranker, it’s our number one. After my number 1 ranking, there are two 7 rankings.
Our #4 ranked song has a #14 and #17 attached, as well as two #3 rankings, so it will be interesting to see the reaction
Grace Under Pressure
Footballguy
Haven't chimed in since around #10 or so when the War and Joshua Tree had back to back songs each. Busy and hope to weigh in on some tunes later, as they've all been great recently (obviously).
But I did want to quickly say hell yes to Where the Streets Have No Name. Hell yes.
But I did want to quickly say hell yes to Where the Streets Have No Name. Hell yes.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
If nothing else, I am pleased to see that my favorite U2 song, and one of my 10 favorite songs by anyone ever, will finish in the top 4 here. I figured it would be top 20, maybe even top 10, but wasn't sure top 5 was realistic.
Mr. Landry
Footballguy
I am really hoping it's not the one I have at, far and away, #1. My favorite #2 - #500 U2 songs change daily, if not hourly. But my #1 song has always been my #1 song since I heard it. I'm hoping you rankers made the right choice....
John Maddens Lunchbox
Socialism for Dummies
I was hoping nemesis would have his write up for WTSHNN, as the piece I wanted to write about it could be in his bit.
Not to worry I will just plow ahead. The Pet Shop Boys version of WTSHNN/Cant take my eyes off of you. Now I love the Pet Shop Boys, they are in my top 10 all time favorite groups. I heard Opportunities before they rereleased West End Girls and it finally became a hit, i read Neil Tennants articles in Smash Hits. I still buy their stuff as the Tennant/Low combo write wonderful synth pop music.
That said their cover of Where the Streets Have No Name was one of the most cynical mean spirited covers of all time. As a former journo, Tennant is in full sneering dismissive superior mode as he thought U2 hated gays, were fundamentalist christians and didnt like pop stars as humanitarians.. He wanted to rub their nose in with the most over the top cover he could. Techno wizard Chris Lowe loved the idea of taking rock songs and turning them into stomping disco songs so he loved it from a musical challenge point of view. It was the AA side to the song How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously which again took aim at pop stars and their “causes”
After hearing it Bono, in good humor but obviously upset said “What Have We Done to Deserve This”
10 years later.....
Not to worry I will just plow ahead. The Pet Shop Boys version of WTSHNN/Cant take my eyes off of you. Now I love the Pet Shop Boys, they are in my top 10 all time favorite groups. I heard Opportunities before they rereleased West End Girls and it finally became a hit, i read Neil Tennants articles in Smash Hits. I still buy their stuff as the Tennant/Low combo write wonderful synth pop music.
That said their cover of Where the Streets Have No Name was one of the most cynical mean spirited covers of all time. As a former journo, Tennant is in full sneering dismissive superior mode as he thought U2 hated gays, were fundamentalist christians and didnt like pop stars as humanitarians.. He wanted to rub their nose in with the most over the top cover he could. Techno wizard Chris Lowe loved the idea of taking rock songs and turning them into stomping disco songs so he loved it from a musical challenge point of view. It was the AA side to the song How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously which again took aim at pop stars and their “causes”
After hearing it Bono, in good humor but obviously upset said “What Have We Done to Deserve This”
10 years later.....
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