Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
About all I remember about No Line, which I have not heard in a long time, is that I thought this was its best song.John Maddens Lunchbox said:
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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 (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter John Maddens Lunchbox
- Start date
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
One of the standouts on Boy, probably in my top 50. They do a great job of couching a serious message with an infectious melody.John Maddens Lunchbox said:
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
It’s got one of those magical melodies and is better than the vast majority of Zooropa. Exemplifies as much as anything how much they overthought things after 1991.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
It’s fine. Not sure why Vulture is so rapturous about it. Somewhere between 50 and 100 feels right.
scorchy
Footballguy
At least U2 can't say they made the worst lead single from a Batman movie as long as Prince's "Bat Dance" exists.
Shut the funk up... BAT DANCE!
Nugget
Footballguy
This song is moving up my list the more we talk about it. I may have to rerank after we are done.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
Both of these new entries would be in my top 25.
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me floored me when I first heard it. Loved it then and love it now. Great melodies, great production, great everything. Just a perfect song. This might even be top 10 for me depending on what day you ask me.
Hawkmoon 269 is a beast of a song. The slow build is incredible, and the guitar swells throughout add a great atmosphere. It is worth noting that this song was so difficult to mix that it took them 269 times to get it right, which is why 269 was added to the name of the song. I would imagine it would be difficult to nail live, which is why it has rarely been played, not to mention that Bono would probably lose his voice for the rest of the night if he went all out to sing this one, and this would suffer if he didn't go all out.
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me floored me when I first heard it. Loved it then and love it now. Great melodies, great production, great everything. Just a perfect song. This might even be top 10 for me depending on what day you ask me.
Hawkmoon 269 is a beast of a song. The slow build is incredible, and the guitar swells throughout add a great atmosphere. It is worth noting that this song was so difficult to mix that it took them 269 times to get it right, which is why 269 was added to the name of the song. I would imagine it would be difficult to nail live, which is why it has rarely been played, not to mention that Bono would probably lose his voice for the rest of the night if he went all out to sing this one, and this would suffer if he didn't go all out.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I’m on vacation so I’ll be checking in less frequently than usual. Don’t assume me being absent for a few days indicates a loss of interest. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
Co-produced by British trip-hop artist Nellee Hooper, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” dates back to the Zooropa sessions as it was considered to be too 'gothic' & left off that album.
It was the lead single from the 1995 Batman Forever soundtrack, – a rare move into blockbuster work for Bono & Edge, who had previously done music for artier films. (This was the 2nd U2 song written for a movie. The first was "Stay (Faraway So Close)" for the 1993 Wim Wenders film of the same name.) This was the only song U2 recorded in 1995, a year they were on hiatus.
Joel Schumacher (the film's director) was a fan of the band & actually inquired w Bono about appearing in Batman Forever in a party scene, dressed in his full MacPhisto getup. Bono was intrigued by the idea, but he ultimately declined, as he didn't consider himself an actor & feared diluting the stage persona. So, U2 instead provided the song because it didn't require too much of their time & the gamble paid off....It ended up a bigger hit than anything off Zooropa.
Lyrics: As what happens w most songs picked up for movies, the song's lyrics has nothing to do with Batman & doesn't make any specific references to Batman Forever. The lyrics are about "being in a rock 'n' roll band I suppose, being a star, whatever that is."
You don't know how you got here
You just know you want out
They want you to be Jesus
They'll go down on one knee
But they'll want their money back
If you're alive at thirty-three &
And you're turning tricks
With your crucifix
You're a star
You just know you want out
They want you to be Jesus
They'll go down on one knee
But they'll want their money back
If you're alive at thirty-three &
And you're turning tricks
With your crucifix
You're a star
& Bono wrote this as a direct reference to himself, being the age he was when he wrote it. (Also, it is generally believed that Jesus died at age 33 so the lyric may be reflecting that fact & then warns of the dangers of superstardom.....such as Elvis, Whitney, George Michael, Lennon, Michael Jackson). On the PopMart tour, the band made stark reference to the dark side of fame by projecting Warhol-esque images of celebrities, many of whom had died young, including Jim Morrison, Ian Curtis, Kurt Cobain & Tupac Shakur.
The title is an extension of the phrase "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me," the name of a hit song by Mel Carter in 1965.
The soundtrack sold over 2 million copies in America thanks in large part to the next single, "Kiss From A Rose" by Seal (which also wasn't written specifically for the film). "Kiss From a Rose" was released it a year earlier, but it didn't climb to #1 in America until after it was used in the movie. Both songs play under the end credits of the film.
The song was both loved & hated: It was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song & a Razzie Award for Worst Original Song. It lost both. Commercially, it was very successful, going to #1 in Ireland, #2 in the UK, & #16 in the US.
On Zooropa's album cover, the words “ISSMEKILLM.” appear in distorted purple letters. It is a reference to this track, which was not finished yet.
This song landed at #45 when Rolling Stone ranked their top 50 U2 songs
Been played live 140 times..........PopMart and 360 Tours only
Videos:
The Official video combines footage from the film w animated U2 band members in Gotham City. Bono appears at times in the guises of his characters MacPhisto & The Fly. It was directed by Kevin Godley & Maurice Linnane, both of whom started working w the band in the early '90s & contributed to the Zoo TV tour. Link
Extended mix w lots of footage from the tour Link
Live From The Foro Sol Autodromo, Mexico
Live from Invesco Field, Denver / May 21st, 2011 Here is very different live version w lasers (& you can hear director's commands)
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
Bono got the song's title from a collection of short stories by Sam Shepard called Hawk Moon, originally published in 1973.
U2 were recording at Sunset Sound studios in Hollywood when Bono came up w the lyrics for this song. Running 6:22, it's a story of desire & desperation. Bono was enjoying the nightlife in the area & was influenced by the seedy scenes in LA. He was also influenced by his hangover, which is why he came up with lines like:
When the night has no end
And the day yet to begin
As the room spins around
I need your love
Only been played live 9 times.............. (Buehler?? anyone, Buehler??) On the 1989 Lovetown tour
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Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Nemesis
Footballguy
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Decent song. Most bands would love to say they did this. It’s just meh to me.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Mrs APK likes this song more than I do. Why couldn’t they have a better title? Hawkmoon 269? Really? This ranking seems spot on (no clue what Vulture is thinking). I like the music, the lyrics, the vocals, the pacing. Not really a fan of the end — another U2 song that could have a tighter ending. It goes on a little too long. Good tune though.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Unrelated to any specific song, I’m reading the book “Unforgettable Fire” right now. Written in 1987. Lots of background on the formation and early years of the band. The Mrs had this book at her dad’s house, so I started reading it the other day.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
How many copies did Michael Jacksons Bad sell? Follow ups to mega albums do tend to sell well. I was one of the people that bought it in its first week, the first U2 album I did that for. I think if they farted songs on the follow up to Joshua Tree it probably sells at least 5 million. I do enjoy R&H, but the track listing is wrong and the 3 live tracks are a distraction.I was clowning around earlier about Vulture, but they have 9 RAH songs in their top 81.
Talk about kismet. Maybe we are soul mates. A love for the ages. I may have to get a subscription now.
RAH sold 14 million copies. Clearly there have to be other people that like it besides me.
How dare you! It’s a fun and funky tune. I’d rather Bat Dance 100 times before I want to hear Kiss from a Rose again.
Yeah, i think i saw something about that in the trainwreck draft thread. Have a great vacation, pop in when you can. We will be down to one a days in a week, so much easier to catch up. Your contributions are much appreciated.
Yeah, i think i have that one. Its a good read. Also have the Bono autobiography or Biography...can’t remember.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#64 - Zooropa (1993)
Highest Rank - 15
Lowest Rank - 181
Where to Find it - Zooropa LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -32/218 - U2 had made their peace with electronics and experimentation with new rhythms and production, and what was going to be a quick EP turned into an album recorded between dates of the Zoo TV tour. A shimmering, ethereal piece of cyberpunk, tied back to humankind with the last lines: “She’s gonna dream up the world she wants to live in / She’s gonna dream out loud.”
Comment - Whole album seems like Actung Baby leftovers, which is a good and bad thing. This one has an incredibly long build up. Such a divergent list of rankings here. I like it as it takes many detours and changes of direction, but I’d really love to hear from #15
Next up, the next one sounds like a title that they found a song for.
Highest Rank - 15
Lowest Rank - 181
Where to Find it - Zooropa LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -32/218 - U2 had made their peace with electronics and experimentation with new rhythms and production, and what was going to be a quick EP turned into an album recorded between dates of the Zoo TV tour. A shimmering, ethereal piece of cyberpunk, tied back to humankind with the last lines: “She’s gonna dream up the world she wants to live in / She’s gonna dream out loud.”
Comment - Whole album seems like Actung Baby leftovers, which is a good and bad thing. This one has an incredibly long build up. Such a divergent list of rankings here. I like it as it takes many detours and changes of direction, but I’d really love to hear from #15
Next up, the next one sounds like a title that they found a song for.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#63 - I’ll go Crazy if I Don’t go Crazy Tonight (2009)
Highest Rank - 35
Lowest Rank - 111
Where to Find it - No Line on the Horizon LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -109/218 - From the sacred to the mundane, with the classic line, “The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear.”
Comment - This song does its job, but it just seems too smart and clever. There is nothing wrong with the first 5 tracks on album, ####### Get on Your Boots is the 6th song lol. Just a lack of direction. The songs are there sitting unfulfilled
Next up, the final album joins us for the journey to the end. Which track will it be? It is followed by the last B Side Cover.
Highest Rank - 35
Lowest Rank - 111
Where to Find it - No Line on the Horizon LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -109/218 - From the sacred to the mundane, with the classic line, “The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear.”
Comment - This song does its job, but it just seems too smart and clever. There is nothing wrong with the first 5 tracks on album, ####### Get on Your Boots is the 6th song lol. Just a lack of direction. The songs are there sitting unfulfilled
Next up, the final album joins us for the journey to the end. Which track will it be? It is followed by the last B Side Cover.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
U2 has had 6 albums sell 10+ million copies. Apparently 5 of them sold that well because they were good and RAH was just a follow up album and that’s why it it moved so many units. I would suggest a follow up album to a huge seller would get a boost the first month or two, but it takes two years to hit 10+ million in sales. Plenty of time for word to get out that an album was inferior.
Sure, just because something sells a lot doesn’t make it good. But it does make it popular. I also like MJ and Prince. So what? I also like albums few people have every heard of. Again, so what?
Sure, just because something sells a lot doesn’t make it good. But it does make it popular. I also like MJ and Prince. So what? I also like albums few people have every heard of. Again, so what?
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
Interesting. What 6? UF, War, TJT, R&H, AB. Which one am I missing? Under a Blood Red Sky? I would be curious to see the month by month for each. I do have a substantial amount of Australian charts, paper copies, from 1984 to 1999. Smaller market and all, but I did also monitor the charts for the UK and US and U2 stayed in the charts with their early catalog for years. I can remember Under a Blood Red Sky staying in the Aussie charts for 5 straight years.
I think we can all agree that The Joshua Tree took U2 to a different stratosphere. Very few of the people who purchased it were disappointed. Thats an automatic sugar hit to the follow up. The publicity and attention U2 attracted for R&H was almost unparalleled. A movie. Big hit singles. An articulate band that has passionate fans. The tour to see. Sales numbers for R&H surprise me, but not that much, if you asked me, I might have said 10 million. If you love it, thats fantastic. I like it plenty, I ranked most of them second. It’s just not in the elite bracket for me.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Nemesis
Footballguy
While digging for info, I saw fans comment about the poor ending several times.
We’ve seen the poor ending comment on a lot of the B-sides (& that’s to be expected somewhat seeing as they were probably not given sufficient time)….but not as much on the album songs.
My comments on the song are, “Who is the one who surprisingly suggested to the others…..You know what this song is missing? Tympani !!!! We need more Tympani.
(personally I think it needs more cowbell
)
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Nemesis
Footballguy
Yep, I remember reading that book too as it was the only thing available at the time and definitely pre-internet
With all of the time spent on this thread, I feel as though I could write one…..
Edit to Add: I did read a rumor that Bono might be writing an autobiography. If I find anything more I’ll post.
==========================
@Alex P Keaton Here's a good interview of Bono & Edge where they comment a lot about the early days. Link
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Ghost Rider
Footballguy
Zooropa has such a unique vibe. I went nuts when they played it at the 360 show I went to in 2011. I actually thought it was a little better live as it was a little shorter and more concise. Still, the slow burn of it in the studio is really nice.
I didn’t expect to see I’ll Go Crazy... this high. I didn’t realize it hadn’t been listed yet. The studio version is unlistenable due to the mix. It feels like it’s literally being choked to death by the muddy mix. But I liked the dance live version. That was quite nice. I wouldn’t put it this high, but that’s neither here nor there.
I didn’t expect to see I’ll Go Crazy... this high. I didn’t realize it hadn’t been listed yet. The studio version is unlistenable due to the mix. It feels like it’s literally being choked to death by the muddy mix. But I liked the dance live version. That was quite nice. I wouldn’t put it this high, but that’s neither here nor there.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Great album opener. A nice way to communicate “we are being experimental” without being impenetrable.John Maddens Lunchbox said:
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:John Maddens Lunchbox said:
The song was influenced by the futuristic novels of William Gibson, who wrote about a futuristic urban environment known as "The Sprawl".
Engineer Joe O’Herlihy (yes, the guy who gave "Achtung Baby" its name) recorded jams from soundchecks on the Zoo TV Tour, the Edge combed them for backing tracks, producer Flood mixed in bits from a separate studio jam, & Brian Eno added synths. The bass guitar in the intro was played by Larry Mullen Jr. while the Edge was busy working on the album's guitar riffs.
"Zooropa" begins with a 2-minute-long introduction. As the song fades in, sustained chords are played, & a noisy collage of mainly indecipherable human voices from radio signals fades in at 0:19. The background voices include a clip of George H. W. Bush saying "Peace talks". “The opening was the audio equivalent of Blade Runner’s visuals,” said Bono of the gibbering, media-disseminated voices at the beginning of U2’s futurist opus “Zooropa.” “If you closed your eyes, you could see the neon, the giant LED screens advertising all manner of ephemera.” (During the Zoo TV tour, U2 bombarded the audience w images from huge monitors behind the band).
“It was a time when everyone was all indie & gray & dull,” said Bono. “It’s amazing to be walking around these modern cities like Houston or Tokyo – & embracing it.”
Lyrics:
They have a running theme of irony, tying in the "media overload" themes of the Zoo TV Tour into the context of a post-Berlin Wall Europe. Many are borrowed from the slogans of companies & corporations including:
"Vorsprung durch Technik" (Audi's corporate tagline, meaning "Progress through Technology")
"Be all that you can be" (from the US Army),
"Fly the friendly skies" (from United Airlines),
"We've got that ring of confidence" (from Colgate's "Ring of confidence"), and
"We're mild & green & squeaky clean" (from Fairy's "Mild green Fairy liquid")
This could be simply viewed some kind of meta commentary on consumerism (admittedly the song also has slogans from European countries) & perhaps hints at some kind of moral confusion where the morals of a society may be dictated by the corporate dollar spend on advertising. Also, how modern technology can unite people as well as separates them from each other.
The coda in "Zooropa" features the lyric "dream out loud", which Bono included as a reference to "Acrobat". The phrase was 1st used by Bono during the Lovetown Tour in 1989, & has appeared several times in U2's work since then. The phrase was also used in the song "Always" – a B-side to the "Beautiful Day" single released in 2000.
This song landed at #16 when Rolling Stone ranked their top 50 U2 songs (what were they smoking?
)Been played live 77 times.........The song was briefly performed at 3 shows on U2's 1993 Zoo TV Tour. But the band had difficulties performing it in 1993, & it was not played again until towards the end of U2's 360° Tour in 2011. It was added to the 2015 European leg of the Innocence + Experience Tour.
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Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:John Maddens Lunchbox said:
3rd single to be taken from NLOTH. This started out as a song called "Diorama." U2 then reworked it w the help of producer Steve Lillywhite.
Lyrics:
Bono about the title lyric: "sounds like a T-shirt slogan to me. It's kind of like this album's 'Beautiful Day' - it has that kind of joy to it."
Every generation has a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won't listen to you, boys & girls
The sweetest melody is the one we haven't heard
Pity the nation that won't listen to you, boys & girls
The sweetest melody is the one we haven't heard
Bono: "That's just a nice thought. The solution to the problems we find ourselves in will have to be found by the new generation but often the new ideas just aren't listened to. That lyric is meant to be playful, by the way, not earnest in any way. There's a lot of mischief on this record."
The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am contributed add'l keyboards to this track. Adam Clayton: "Will helped early on in the arranging of the demo ideas in the summer. Then when he came in we recut it & he helped us push it up the hill. The final version is a recut that we did late on when we'd kind of played it in a bit. But he's a lovely, inspiring man to be around."
The hook-up with Will.i.am came via Jimmy Iovine, legendary head of Interscope Records in the US.
Edge: "We'd heard how great he was to work with, & I think Black Eyed Peas are a great band. I've been thinking for a long time that hip hop and R&B production is really more innovative than rock 'n' roll production these days. And we just really hit it off. Will was amazing – in a few hrs he'd taken the demo of 'Crazy Tonight' up several notches. It's just a different [musical] sensibility, & I learnt a lot from him. He's got an amazing instinct, particularly for rhythm."
This song & "Breathe" are the only 2 tracks on NLOTH for which neither Brian Eno nor Daniel Lanois have a production credit.
Video:
The song's animated video was directed by artist David O'Reilly, whose résumé includes the films Son of Rambow & Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The video's concept is that the animated characters are living meaningless lives. They realize that they will go crazy if they don't go crazy tonight, so they all "decide to make a change in their lives."
Played live on Letterman April 2009
Been played live 118 times.......nearly all of them on the 2009, 2010, and 2011 legs of the 360 tour.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
Thanks. Do you have the sales figures of all the albums?Anarchy99 said:
This will come up later in the countdown lolNemesis said:(personally I think it needs more cowbell
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#62 - Zoo Station (1991)
Highest Rank - 22
Lowest Rank - 145
Where to Find it - Achtung Baby LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -56/218 - The sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree, the sound of the Berlin Wall coming down, the sound of a train coming out of a tunnel into the sunlight of another country — “Zoo Station” is all of those things. It is U2 inviting you to get on that train with them and run away. Inside the train is the Berlin of Bowie and Iggy, the Berlin of Isherwood, the Berlin split in two and reunited again. “When people put on the record, we wanted their first reaction to be either ‘This record is broken,’ or, ‘This can’t be the new U2 record, there’s been a mistake,’” Adam Clayton said. “Zoo Station” is astonishing, jaw-dropping, and ecstatic.
Comment - “We hope you like our new direction” The introduction to the great album. As soon as you heard the opening you knew you were in for something different. As a stand alone song, its ranking is about right.
Next up, the last B Side cover. The One CD Single seems like the best U2 single to own with that song ranking high and the 2 b sides finishing inside the top 5 for B Sides.
Highest Rank - 22
Lowest Rank - 145
Where to Find it - Achtung Baby LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -56/218 - The sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree, the sound of the Berlin Wall coming down, the sound of a train coming out of a tunnel into the sunlight of another country — “Zoo Station” is all of those things. It is U2 inviting you to get on that train with them and run away. Inside the train is the Berlin of Bowie and Iggy, the Berlin of Isherwood, the Berlin split in two and reunited again. “When people put on the record, we wanted their first reaction to be either ‘This record is broken,’ or, ‘This can’t be the new U2 record, there’s been a mistake,’” Adam Clayton said. “Zoo Station” is astonishing, jaw-dropping, and ecstatic.
Comment - “We hope you like our new direction” The introduction to the great album. As soon as you heard the opening you knew you were in for something different. As a stand alone song, its ranking is about right.
Next up, the last B Side cover. The One CD Single seems like the best U2 single to own with that song ranking high and the 2 b sides finishing inside the top 5 for B Sides.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#61 - Satellite of Love (1991)
Highest Rank - 28
Lowest Rank - 125
Where to Find it - B Side to One
Vulture.com ranking and comment - Not listed
Comment - U2 had the cache to involve all the cool kids in their vanity projects, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Sinead O’Connor lol. Lou Reed gets the treatment here. I can’t remember if the recorded version has Lou Reed on it or not, but thats the version that works best. My lowest rated track at this stage...until the next one
Next up, we see a single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and an album track from the 90s
Highest Rank - 28
Lowest Rank - 125
Where to Find it - B Side to One
Vulture.com ranking and comment - Not listed
Comment - U2 had the cache to involve all the cool kids in their vanity projects, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Sinead O’Connor lol. Lou Reed gets the treatment here. I can’t remember if the recorded version has Lou Reed on it or not, but thats the version that works best. My lowest rated track at this stage...until the next one
Next up, we see a single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and an album track from the 90s
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
The admin to Date with 168 songs listed and 60 to go)
B-Sides = 47 (15 covers) - (3 tracks to go here and in Soundtracks etc)
Soundtracks/Special/Greatest Hits LPs - 18
No Line On The Horizon = 10 (1 to go)
Songs of Innocence - 11 (1 to go)
October = 9 (2 to go)
Songs of Experience = 11 (2 to go)
Zooropa - 8 (2 to go)
Rattle and Hum - 9 (3 to go)
Pop - 9 (3 to go)
Boy - 8 (3 to go)
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - 8 (4 to go)
The Unforgettable Fire - 6 (4 to go)
War - 6 (4 to go)
All that you can’t leave behind - 6 (6 to go)
The Joshua Tree - 1 (10 to go)
Achtung Baby - 1 (11 to go)
B-Sides = 47 (15 covers) - (3 tracks to go here and in Soundtracks etc)
Soundtracks/Special/Greatest Hits LPs - 18
No Line On The Horizon = 10 (1 to go)
Songs of Innocence - 11 (1 to go)
October = 9 (2 to go)
Songs of Experience = 11 (2 to go)
Zooropa - 8 (2 to go)
Rattle and Hum - 9 (3 to go)
Pop - 9 (3 to go)
Boy - 8 (3 to go)
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - 8 (4 to go)
The Unforgettable Fire - 6 (4 to go)
War - 6 (4 to go)
All that you can’t leave behind - 6 (6 to go)
The Joshua Tree - 1 (10 to go)
Achtung Baby - 1 (11 to go)
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
Only 10 to go until the final 50 and one song a days. In the stretch 60-51 we will say goodbye to our first album, happily it is No Line on the Horizon. Sayonara muchacho. We will also see our second tracks from both The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. One of these tracks may be a surprise. Our 2nd last B Side falls leaving only 1 for the top 50. The other 6 songs cover 5 albums, I think, as we thin out the herd.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
It’s not U2 when you first hear it. And then, all of the sudden, it is. This would not be my lowest ranked AB song. I’d have it above some of the ballads in the second half, at minimum.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
Not surprised to see Zoo Station as the lowest ranked song from AB. I understand it, but it was integral to showing right off the bat that was going to be a different U2, and it set the tone for the record really well. And hey, it is the first song off of their best album. 
scorchy
Footballguy
Now is as good of a time as any for my Achtung Baby/Zoo TV story.
I bought Achtung Baby at midnight on the day it was released.* I had a CD player in my car (removable, natch) and Zoo Station was pretty shocking coming out of my aftermarket Boston Acoustics speakers. I drove around Gainesville for about an hour trying to judge what I was hearing - I liked it (I had just started really getting into industrial music) but did I like it for U2? That was the point, I guess.
Despite being a huge U2 fan in high school, I didn't get to see the Joshua Tree tour. When they came around my area in 1987, none of my friends had a a license yet, and anyway, DC and Philly were both more than two hours away. So when R&H came out, I obsessed over what I missed.
In early January '92, I bought tickets to see Rush in Tampa the following month with a bunch of my friends. Then, U2 announced they were touring the US for the first time in 5 years, and kicking off the show in Lakeland, FL (???) on the same night as the Rush show. Despite being a broke college student, I knew what I had to do. Me and a buddy showed up at Specs records on a Friday night around 9 pm with sleeping bags and a couple flasks. We were sixth in line, which seemed really important given that Lakeland Civic Center only held like 8k. At 8 am the following morning, Specs employees came out and said the company had issued a new policy to discourage camping out. They handed everyone in line a lottery ticket and at 9:30, they would call numbers to form a new queue. What a bunch of BS. My buddy ended up 19th and I was way farther back. We didn't get tickets as the show sold out in 5 minutes.
We were crushed. But then we heard the local rock station was giving away a pair of tickets. At 2 pm each day, the DJ would give a clue as to the location of the tickets and three callers would get a guess. I skipped class Monday and Tuesday but never got through, which was good b/c I didn't have enough clues yet anyway. On Wednesday, the third clue was released, five us dialed in, and boom, another friend got through and yelled at me to come grab his phone. I was the second caller and had to hold my breath and hope the first caller got it wrong. She did. So they get to me and ask "Where can you find the U2 tickets?" I said "They're in Joe Arnold's glovebox" (he was the UF baseball coach). And the rest, shall we say, is history.
When we got to Lakeland and saw the stage setup and all the TVs, I knew we were in for something different. Having seen and loved "The Fly" video, I had assumed that the whole persona was just Bono-schtick. Then "Zoo Station" comes on and Bono comes out in all leather with the shades and it was obvious that sincere, cowboy hat wearing, "40"-singing Bono was gone. It took me a couple of songs, but I got over my yen for nostalgia and immersed myself in the spectacle. U2 played 20 songs - 10 from AB, 5 from JT, 2 apiece from R&H and UF, and the "Satellite of Love" cover. Walking out, lots of folks seemed disappointed not to get the old stuff. My buddy and I were just overwhelmed at having the opportunity to be among the first Americans to experience the "new" U2.
*ETA: I had done the same thing for the release of "Use Your Illusion" a couple of months earlier. The lines were a lot longer for GnR - and the results way more disappointing.
I bought Achtung Baby at midnight on the day it was released.* I had a CD player in my car (removable, natch) and Zoo Station was pretty shocking coming out of my aftermarket Boston Acoustics speakers. I drove around Gainesville for about an hour trying to judge what I was hearing - I liked it (I had just started really getting into industrial music) but did I like it for U2? That was the point, I guess.
Despite being a huge U2 fan in high school, I didn't get to see the Joshua Tree tour. When they came around my area in 1987, none of my friends had a a license yet, and anyway, DC and Philly were both more than two hours away. So when R&H came out, I obsessed over what I missed.
In early January '92, I bought tickets to see Rush in Tampa the following month with a bunch of my friends. Then, U2 announced they were touring the US for the first time in 5 years, and kicking off the show in Lakeland, FL (???) on the same night as the Rush show. Despite being a broke college student, I knew what I had to do. Me and a buddy showed up at Specs records on a Friday night around 9 pm with sleeping bags and a couple flasks. We were sixth in line, which seemed really important given that Lakeland Civic Center only held like 8k. At 8 am the following morning, Specs employees came out and said the company had issued a new policy to discourage camping out. They handed everyone in line a lottery ticket and at 9:30, they would call numbers to form a new queue. What a bunch of BS. My buddy ended up 19th and I was way farther back. We didn't get tickets as the show sold out in 5 minutes.
We were crushed. But then we heard the local rock station was giving away a pair of tickets. At 2 pm each day, the DJ would give a clue as to the location of the tickets and three callers would get a guess. I skipped class Monday and Tuesday but never got through, which was good b/c I didn't have enough clues yet anyway. On Wednesday, the third clue was released, five us dialed in, and boom, another friend got through and yelled at me to come grab his phone. I was the second caller and had to hold my breath and hope the first caller got it wrong. She did. So they get to me and ask "Where can you find the U2 tickets?" I said "They're in Joe Arnold's glovebox" (he was the UF baseball coach). And the rest, shall we say, is history.
When we got to Lakeland and saw the stage setup and all the TVs, I knew we were in for something different. Having seen and loved "The Fly" video, I had assumed that the whole persona was just Bono-schtick. Then "Zoo Station" comes on and Bono comes out in all leather with the shades and it was obvious that sincere, cowboy hat wearing, "40"-singing Bono was gone. It took me a couple of songs, but I got over my yen for nostalgia and immersed myself in the spectacle. U2 played 20 songs - 10 from AB, 5 from JT, 2 apiece from R&H and UF, and the "Satellite of Love" cover. Walking out, lots of folks seemed disappointed not to get the old stuff. My buddy and I were just overwhelmed at having the opportunity to be among the first Americans to experience the "new" U2.
*ETA: I had done the same thing for the release of "Use Your Illusion" a couple of months earlier. The lines were a lot longer for GnR - and the results way more disappointing.
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Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
In honor of this song showing up, I listened to Achtung today from start to finish in order while driving from Green Bay to Chicago. This is the album that always makes me feel old. I have so many memories of it…..first U2 album purchased (vs copied/burned/whatever), first concert, album came out 6 months before I started dating Mrs APK, etc etc etc. I listened to this album the summer of 1992 a ton……the Mrs made me go back and listen to literally all their albums that summer when we started dating.
I still love the album. This song is ranked about right, but I’m still shocked it was the first AB song listed. It’s middle of the road for the album.
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
The song that opens AB & the song that defines how U2 "dreamt it all up again" following R&H. The metallic riffs that open the song portend a change of direction for U2 into a more futuristic, electric sound.
The title comes from Zoo Bahnhof, a train station in Berlin on the U2 line. Officially called Zoologischer Garten, the station is the stop for the Berlin Zoo. Link
The lyrics were inspired by a story Bono heard of Berlin during World War II in which animals escaped the Berlin city's zoo after it was damaged in overnight bombing. Rhinos, pelicans & flamingos wandered around the next morning while people were sifting through the rubble. He compared the song to the actual subway station, saying "it was written as an opening track, the beasts breaking out of their cages."
As discussed previously........the band struggled with a song called “Lady With the Spinning Head” but that work would eventually produce “The Fly”, “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)” and “Zoo Station”.
Whereas Bono exhibited a full-throated vocal delivery on the group's previous releases, for AB he extended his range into a lower register & used "breathy & subdued colors". On many tracks, including "The Fly" and "Zoo Station", he sang as a character; 1 technique used is octave doubling, in which the vocals are doubled but sung in two different octaves. This octave differentiation was sometimes done w vocals simultaneously, while at other times, it distinguishes voices between the verses & choruses. The technique introduces "a contrasting lyrical idea & vocal character to deliver it", leading to both literal & ironic interpretations of Bono's vocals. He said that lowering his voice helped him find a new vocal vocabulary, which he felt was limited to "certain words & tones" by his tenor voice. Other methods of altering his vocals included treating them w processing & feeding them through a distortion pedal. These techniques were all used to give his voice a different emotional feel & distinguish it from his previous work.
"Zoo Station" came together near the end of the recording sessions when audio engineer Flood was mixing the song & introduced distortion to the drums. The song's direction was largely influenced by the production team of Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, & Flood. Bono had been disappointed w his vocals fr early recording sessions for the album & told the production team, "Let's just try something that's gonna put me in a completely different place". After they distorted his voice to make it sound as if it were coming from a megaphone, Bono was inspired to sing in a persona, as the effect gave his vocals a different "emotional feel".
Along w introducing the band's new sound, the song opens the album as a statement of intent. Lyrically, new anticipations & appetites are suggested:
"I'm ready for what's next": a willingness to throw caution to the wind & take risks
"I'm ready to let go of the steering wheel"
The bridge before the final chorus, use the eponymous subway station as a metaphor for time:
"Time is a train / Makes the future the past
"Leaves you standing in the station / Your face pressed up against the glass".
Bono cites his wife's 2nd pregnancy as an influence during the album's 1991 recording:
"I'm ready to say I'm glad to be alive / I'm ready, I'm ready for the push"
Alternate titles considered for the AB album included calling it “Zoo Station”
U2 used this as the opening number 156 times on of their 1992-1993 Zoo TV tour, an elaborate send-up of media intrusion & the band's own popularity. The concerts immersed the audience in what felt like a TV broadcast, w constantly shifting images flashing across banks of monitors. It was a major strategy shift for the band, which was looking for a new way to connect w the MTV generation.
Been played live 248 times..............Zoo 92 &93 tours, Vertigo '95 tour,.........and 2018 E+I tour
"Bottoms, Zoo Station Remix (Wata####achi no Ookina Yume)" – Track is an instrumental remixed version. The Japanese subtitle, "Wata####achi no Ookina Yume," translates to "our big dream." The track was also featured as a bonus track on the Japanese release of Original Soundtracks 1 & was one of the b-sides releases for the "Miss Sarajevo" single.
===================
Does anyone else hear a similar chorus sound like Echo & The Bunnymen's "Lips like Sugar"? Link
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Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
A cover of a classic track originally by Lou Reed from his famous 1972 Transformer album. Featured on The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack.
To be honest.........I'm shocked this got such a high rating. Not a lot going on w this song & they have much better B-sides/covers than this.
Brony
Footballguy
Satellite is easily my favorite cover by them and probably my favorite non album single. Love everything about it.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
It’s really well done. It helps that (unlike Lou Reed), Bono can actually sing. U2 turns it into what the song had the potential to be all along.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
By the time Reed recorded his part for the Zoo TV tour version of this, he wasn’t even trying to sing anymore.
Corporation
Angry Bovine
This song came up on XM and I hadn't heard it in 20 years. I immediately thought of this thread and thought "This cannot be a top 50 U2 song". Glad to see I was right
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
I have a nasty feeling lots of songs that end up in our top 50 are going to see that same commentThis song came up on XM and I hadn't heard it in 20 years. I immediately thought of this thread and thought "This cannot be a top 50 U2 song". Glad to see I was right
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#60 - All Because of You (2004)
Highest Rank - 16
Lowest Rank - 165
Where to Find it - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -57/218 - “A love song to the Who” is how Bono introduced this the day U2 played underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s also a song about origins, and mothers, and the divine female — and sure, fine, good. But listen to the Edge peeling Townshend-ian riffs off of his guitar, Larry hitting the drums with crisp precision, Adam playing a secondary melody, and it can just be a love song to rock and roll.
Comment - Straght ahead rocker. Borderline boring to me. Surprised me when it was released as a single, but this is how some want U2 to sound. I dont have to like it though. It does its job well and somehow I ended up second highest rank on this, despite my indifference to it.
Next up, Zooropa sees its second last track and its a surprise to me.
Highest Rank - 16
Lowest Rank - 165
Where to Find it - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -57/218 - “A love song to the Who” is how Bono introduced this the day U2 played underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s also a song about origins, and mothers, and the divine female — and sure, fine, good. But listen to the Edge peeling Townshend-ian riffs off of his guitar, Larry hitting the drums with crisp precision, Adam playing a secondary melody, and it can just be a love song to rock and roll.
Comment - Straght ahead rocker. Borderline boring to me. Surprised me when it was released as a single, but this is how some want U2 to sound. I dont have to like it though. It does its job well and somehow I ended up second highest rank on this, despite my indifference to it.
Next up, Zooropa sees its second last track and its a surprise to me.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#59 - Dirty Day (1993)
Highest Rank - 47
Lowest Rank - 112
Where to Find it - Zooropa LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -83/218 - “Dirty Day” is a mix of contrasts: the low-key intro; Bono’s voice unadorned and raw, even when the falsetto comes in; the teasing hint of guitar notes under the vocal, until the song opens up at the chorus. It’s another song about fathers and sons, but this time the father walks out and meets his son years later. The outro name-checks Charles Bukowski, who (of course) the band had come to know: “Hank says, the days run like horses over the hill” references the title of one of Bukowski’s books.
Comment - A nice album track, but little more. Has a nice grimy feel and its atmospheric. I am really surprised that it beats all the others from Zooropa bar one track.
Next up, we see our second track from Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. Which will it be? We also return to the third last track from “Atomic Bomb”
Highest Rank - 47
Lowest Rank - 112
Where to Find it - Zooropa LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -83/218 - “Dirty Day” is a mix of contrasts: the low-key intro; Bono’s voice unadorned and raw, even when the falsetto comes in; the teasing hint of guitar notes under the vocal, until the song opens up at the chorus. It’s another song about fathers and sons, but this time the father walks out and meets his son years later. The outro name-checks Charles Bukowski, who (of course) the band had come to know: “Hank says, the days run like horses over the hill” references the title of one of Bukowski’s books.
Comment - A nice album track, but little more. Has a nice grimy feel and its atmospheric. I am really surprised that it beats all the others from Zooropa bar one track.
Next up, we see our second track from Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. Which will it be? We also return to the third last track from “Atomic Bomb”
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
Looking forward to tomorrows song reveal.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
This is one of the ways I want U2 to sound. May be my favorite from Dismantle.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
IMO it’s easily the best song from Zooropa, and easily in my top 50. I love the atmospheric grimy stuff when it’s done right, as it is here.
The dynamics of it remind me a bit of those in Exit, a song I am much higher on than everyone else in this thread.
That is the interesting part of this ranking exercise. I think this is such a plain track and will skip it 8 out of 10 times.
edit: it is about „all because of you“
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