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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)

I had Running to Stand Still at #9 and regret I didn't put it higher. It just might be a perfect song and, to my mind, doesn't sound like any other U2 song. The bending guitar notes to begin and the harmonica at the end give it a Western feel, and those two quiet instrumental notions perfectly bookend the powerful middle. Like One Tree Hill, this is a song where I feel like Bono could have gone off the rails in the vocal, but instead it is clearly emotional but also beautifully restrained. As with most of their songs, I don't have a particular connection to the lyrics, and in fact until this thread it had not registered to me that it's about drug addiction. :bag: But I do particularly love these lines, which are gorgeously evocative and which I think are one of the highlights of Bono's vocal in not just this, but any song: "You gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice." The rise and fall between his delivery of these lines when combined with the next section is perfection.
 
I caught flack for ranking RTSS at 48 the first time around (and dragging the overall ranking down). I like the live, retooled version from the Sydney show better than the original. Yes, the album version is very good . . . but to me the energized live version with Edge playing guitar throughout makes it more powerful. I didn't grasp that we could rank songs based on different versions of songs, so this time around I ranked RTSS at 6.

To me, the message of the song changes a lot with the guitar driven version. It just seems more like an epic struggle with heroin addiction that's palpable and painful . . . the live version sounds like an ongoing battle but one of hope. The album version seems like it's more of a hidden, inner struggle that is ever present but more subdued with a sense of defeat and already having given up. The two versions are so different that they don't really feel like the same song. I don't remember there being much discussion about the live Sydney version (which wasn't played very often . . . only the last leg of the AB tour) They went back to playing the song a lot closer to the "regular" version when they reintroduced the song in their live shows in 2005 (as well as their 2017 and 2019 shows). The more up-tempo version was only played 15 or 20 times (if my math is right).
 
The other thing I was thinking about over the weekend was U2 has retained the same lineup for 46 years (which is really unbelievable when you think about it). Can anyone think of another band that 100% kept the same musicians for the entirety of their recording and performing career without making any personnel moves? I can't think of another example remotely close to U2.
 
The other thing I was thinking about over the weekend was U2 has retained the same lineup for 46 years (which is really unbelievable when you think about it). Can anyone think of another band that 100% kept the same musicians for the entirety of their recording and performing career without making any personnel moves? I can't think of another example remotely close to U2.
According to Google, ZZ Top has U2 beat by a few years.

Granted, they've only released 2 new albums in the past 20 years, the last one in 2012, but technically I guess they're still an active band?
 
The other thing I was thinking about over the weekend was U2 has retained the same lineup for 46 years (which is really unbelievable when you think about it). Can anyone think of another band that 100% kept the same musicians for the entirety of their recording and performing career without making any personnel moves? I can't think of another example remotely close to U2.
According to Google, ZZ Top has U2 beat by a few years.

Granted, they've only released 2 new albums in the past 20 years, the last one in 2012, but technically I guess they're still an active band?

Well, not anymore, since Dusty Hill died last year?
 
The other thing I was thinking about over the weekend was U2 has retained the same lineup for 46 years (which is really unbelievable when you think about it). Can anyone think of another band that 100% kept the same musicians for the entirety of their recording and performing career without making any personnel moves? I can't think of another example remotely close to U2.
According to Google, ZZ Top has U2 beat by a few years.

Granted, they've only released 2 new albums in the past 20 years, the last one in 2012, but technically I guess they're still an active band?

Well, not anymore, since Dusty Hill died last year?
Well, I guess that means their run ended in 2021.....
 
The other thing I was thinking about over the weekend was U2 has retained the same lineup for 46 years (which is really unbelievable when you think about it). Can anyone think of another band that 100% kept the same musicians for the entirety of their recording and performing career without making any personnel moves? I can't think of another example remotely close to U2.
According to Google, ZZ Top has U2 beat by a few years.

Granted, they've only released 2 new albums in the past 20 years, the last one in 2012, but technically I guess they're still an active band?
Sort of. Yes, ZZTop had 50 years with the same lineup. But it wasn't their initial and only lineup. Only Billy Gibbons was in the original band. They tried two other bass players and a different drummer before they settled on the 3 members that were around for 30 years.
 
But I do particularly love these lines, which are gorgeously evocative and which I think are one of the highlights of Bono's vocal in not just this, but any song: "You gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice." The rise and fall between his delivery of these lines when combined with the next section is perfection.
His delivery is perfection, and those lines combined with "you know I took the poison, from the poison stream, then I floated out of here, singing Ah la la la de day," make me feel the emotions of someone shooting heroin into their veins and floating off on a high.
 
I had Beautiful Day at 32.

I only did 25 songs, but extended out it still wouldn't have made my list. I played U2 on Spotify coming back from the Ducks' game in Eugene and listened to Beautiful Day again. I just.....don't care for it. It sounds like something they'd make for a diet soda commercial. Just no edginess to it. Very dull.
 
(22) - 15 -Even Better Than The Real Thing
(22) - 15 -Even Better Than The Real Thing Perfecto Dance Mix


Vulture.com ranking and comment -8/218 - This was Joshua sounding the trumpets at Jericho, a clarion call, that cascading guitar riff that’s U2’s version of “Satisfaction.” It was a breathtaking leap from “Zoo Station” to “Even Better,” like being in a speeding car and realizing it isn’t going to stop any time soon. The tension in the melody is kinetic; it’s like the Edge is waving his hands around a theremin (and it has that otherwordly sound that a theremin does) with an intense, driving rhythm, dynamic and sexual.

Comment - Not a flawless note. This song is perfect for me. I really don’t get the low rankings, but then Again I don’t get everyone elses #2. Vulture nails it. To me this is the highpoint of one of the best albums of all time. I would love to hear criticism of this track, but then again maybe i dont lol. To see Acrobat, So Cruel, Ultraviolet, The Fly....Even Walk On ahead of it.....puke.

Total Points - 1838.50

Rankers - 31
Average Points per rank - 59.31 (Approximately a 14th rank).

Ranks - 17th on average points per ranker

Highest Rank - 1

Lowest Rank - 55

Previous Rank - 22-15

Special Version Requested - (22) - 15 -Even Better Than The Real Thing Perfecto Dance Mix

Ranking Comments - Our second of 9 songs with a #1 ranking. This was ranked at #2 by me, but someone had it higher. I absolutely love the perfecto dance mix, but didnt choose it myself. Great accompanying video clip. This one has 7 top 10 entries it also has 10 rankings between 11 and 20. With 9 entries between 21 and 30, there are only 5 rankings lower, with only one outside a rankers top 40.

Neighbor buddy had some late night karaoke action on Saturday in his garage cantina and the two of us tackled this one. Man, what a fun song to try and sing! I suck so bad at singing, but even so, this one still just gets me giving 110% and forcing all the neighbors to close their windows. Might have heard some dogs howling too....
 
I'm the low ranker at #77 and, in retrospect, I can admit that is a bit too low. However, I think I had (have?) a bit too much overload of Beautiful Day. It's a fabulous, well put together song, but I think I just heard it too much when it first came out (wasn't it used endlessly on the Olympic promos?) and it soured me a just a little.

I could also have Beautiful Day fatigue. Forgot how ubiquitous that song was in when it came out.
 
Looks like I went MIA again and missed a batch of great songs.

Beautiful Day - #29
Mysterious Ways - #21

Fell in my rankings due to over-exposure.


Running to Stand Still - #20

In retrospect, I should have had this higher. It's only fault is that I don't love it as much as that other U2 song about losing someone to addiction.


I Still Haven't Found... - #7

In contrast, I over-rated this one a bit. Probably b/c I love the gospel version on R&H so much.


One Tree Hill - #2

Perfect song. A bunch of y'all above have already covered the why.
 
I ranked this song #27. I originally had it at #22. It could be anywhere in the 20s. One of my roommates in college played this song constantly, and that got old after the 1,000th time, but I think it's a great song. Saying 1,000th makes me lisp.

I too had my fill of this one from overload, but as maybe one of the only FBGs in here with still relatively small kiddos (an assumption for sure, apologies if wrong) I fell back in love with this song over the Xmas break. My wife's family was in town with more little kiddos and we went to see Sing 2 in the theater. First movie I've been to in over 10 years. Didn't really know much about it going into it other than Sing 1 was a popular hit with my kids, so I had no clue that Bono was playing a reclusive former rock star lion. Towards the end, he reluctantly joins the gang for a concert and pairs up with Scarlett Johansson to sing this one and, well, that got me re-hooked! Even better is that my kids played the soundtrack and also really love this song, so it just makes me so happy to have a touchstone song of my favorite band growing up with them so much later in life.

And man, Scarlett can really sing!
 
(7) - 9 - With or Without You

Vulture.com ranking and comment -12/218 - This is the slick side of U2, their ability to write a massive worldwide hit and make it sound like nothing they’d ever done before, yet still sound only like U2. They fool you with that opening: It kind of creeps in on little fog feet, quietly, the Edge playing what Bono called “a beautiful haunting ghost of a guitar sound,” like if you could hear a shimmer. The thing that saves it from being insufferably polished is the back half of the song, where Bono just rips his heart open — ‘round about 3:04 in — and then it all draws together and slinks out, like a black cat at midnight. In concert, it tends to suffer just a bit from being drawn out too long, from Bono wanting to hear the audience sing back to him, but it is also glorious to hear it happen.

Original Comment - After clogging up most of the top 50, after this one we are down to one track left from both Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree and 4 others, two from one album which isn’t either Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. This song is the song that launched them into the stratosphere. It is Just such a beautiful song. ANYONE can get this track, which is why it was so successful. I am curious if the #38 ranking is the result of over exposure.

Total Points - 2529

Rankers - 36

Average Points per rank - 70.25 (Approximately a 11th rank).

Ranks - 8th on average points per ranker

Highest Rank - 2

Lowest Rank - 50

Previous Rank - 7-9

Special Versions Requested - None

Ranking Comments - This one has 10 top 4 votes, but no one put it at #1. Thats a bit weird I would have thought. It has 10 other votes from 6 to 8 and 21 overall top 10 rankings, none at 1, 5 or its actual landing spot 9. It had 5 votes at #3 and 5 votes at #7. The unusual part s that this is the clear number 9 ranked song.More on that in the next post Maybe its iconic status puts it in overplayed territory, but it really is a magnificent and well constructed song.
 
Before I say too much on our #8, our numbers 12, 11, 10 and 9 had significant ranking points between them and the one either side. Our #3 and then our #1 and #2 put clear distance on those around it. Between #8 and #4 there is less than 100 ranking points between all 5. Our #8 could have been #4 and vice versa with very little alteration between lists. The gap between 6 and 4 is astonishingly slim. If one ranker changes their #11 rank and puts it at #24, one ranker out of 40, then a song could be 6th or 4th.
Anyway our #8, its next lol
 
The other thing I was thinking about over the weekend was U2 has retained the same lineup for 46 years (which is really unbelievable when you think about it). Can anyone think of another band that 100% kept the same musicians for the entirety of their recording and performing career without making any personnel moves? I can't think of another example remotely close to U2.
Phish*, but they aren't quite as old as U2.

* - assuming you don't count when they were still in college and not a "serious" band. Once they graduated and made the band their full-time thing, the lineup that still exists today was in place.
 
I ranked this song #27. I originally had it at #22. It could be anywhere in the 20s. One of my roommates in college played this song constantly, and that got old after the 1,000th time, but I think it's a great song. Saying 1,000th makes me lisp.

I too had my fill of this one from overload, but as maybe one of the only FBGs in here with still relatively small kiddos (an assumption for sure, apologies if wrong) I fell back in love with this song over the Xmas break. My wife's family was in town with more little kiddos and we went to see Sing 2 in the theater. First movie I've been to in over 10 years. Didn't really know much about it going into it other than Sing 1 was a popular hit with my kids, so I had no clue that Bono was playing a reclusive former rock star lion. Towards the end, he reluctantly joins the gang for a concert and pairs up with Scarlett Johansson to sing this one and, well, that got me re-hooked! Even better is that my kids played the soundtrack and also really love this song, so it just makes me so happy to have a touchstone song of my favorite band growing up with them so much later in life.

And man, Scarlett can really sing!
I've still got a relatively small one, and saw Sing 2 because of him. The use of I Still... was perfect.
 
With or Without You = 15

The song that put U2 into Elvis/Beatles territory. Everyone knew who they were after TJT came out, and this was the lead single (and first of 2 #1s) that introduced everybody to the phenomenon. The best parts are the haunting opening and the "and you give, and you give, and you give yourself away" parts.
 
Running = 9

Haunting and stunning. It's only this low because it's not one I revisit often, given the subject matter. Despite not being a single, its greatness was recognized immediately when TJT was released. Everybody I knew who was into U2 adored this one.

Bingo with Pip!
I've still got a relatively small one

Sorry...to Mrs. Pip.

With or Without You = 15

The song that put U2 into Elvis/Beatles territory. Everyone knew who they were after TJT came out, and this was the lead single (and first of 2 #1s) that introduced everybody to the phenomenon. The best parts are the haunting opening and the "and you give, and you give, and you give yourself away" parts.

Near bingo with Pip! I had this at #16. I was someone who pooh-poohed the song when it had the high ranking in the first go-'round. It started way down on my list. But it kept moving up and up and up and I had to admit I'd been wrong. Brilliant and near-perfect, and I agree with Pip on the best parts.
 
(7) - 9 - With or Without You
I'm at 6 on With or Without You. I mean, c'mon.

The best part of the song IMO is at the end of the studio version. After Bono sings the last line, the song goes into a fairly extended fade out. But a funny thing happens then. The song gets better! The drums pick up, the Edge continues with his great work, and it gets into a groove. It's tremendous. When I'm listening to the studio version, at the end I'll crank up the volume as much as I can to enjoy this last bit. I think the band picked up on this as well. In live versions, they added another chorus at the end of what was the studio fade out, which gives it a more proper ending in my book. I also enjoyed the live versions where they added "we'll shine like stars in the summer night, we'll shine like stars in the winter light" or similar.

And you give yourself away.
 
I had WOWY at 19. I tend to agree that it's been overplayed, especially these days (when the options of U2 songs that get played on the radio keeps dwindling). IIRC, the live version from the RAH DVD has an extra verse near the end. IMO, it's also a little bit more rocking than the album version.

LINK
 
(3) - 8 - All I Want is You

Vulture.com ranking and comment -9/218 - Once again, U2 end a record with a hymn. It’s a gorgeous, sophisticated melody that would fit on one of the later-era albums; it certainly feels more advanced than anything else on Rattle and Hum. The credit for that goes to none other than Van Dyke Parks, who came in and contributed that haunting string arrangement that elevates the song above anything else on the album. The vocals are full of love and longing, and Edge contributes an achingly wistful guitar line that is the definition of heartbreak. Thematically, a song about love and commitment is the natural conclusion to an album all about wandering and big skies.

Original Comment - Such a beautiful song. Tender, loving. They have success with this formula in future, but still sounds great. One thing always fascinated me about the video. How did the deceased leave this earth?

Total Points - 2614

Rankers - 36

Average Points per rank - 72.61 (Approximately a 5th rank).

Ranks - 10th on average points per ranker

Highest Rank - 1

Lowest Rank - 50

Previous Rank - 3-8

Special Versions Requested - None

Ranking Comments - The biggest fall within the top 10 is surprising. It has 4 #1 rankings, the most outside the top 2 songs. It has 21 top 10 rankings, 4 at #6, 4 at #7 and 3 at #10. It also has another 14 rankings between 11 and 31, with the 50 a clear outlier. Why then is it not higher? It only has 36 rankers, with 4 people excluding it. If this had 38, it probably ranks at #4. It has the 5th hughest average per ranker and that seems a fairer spot, but hey ho its #8 and thats official.
 
Our next one has 3 #1 rankings. We also have 3 different versions nominated.
Believe it or not there are still 2 songs to come which do not have a #1 ranking, but rank in the top 6.
Our #7 only has 9 top 5 rankings, despite three at #1. Less than 20 top 10 rankings as well. Three rankings at 27 don’t help its cause. There is also astonishingly a 75 ranking. It does have 38 rankers, so it lands above the last 2 because of it.
What song is it?
 
Our next one has 3 #1 rankings. We also have 3 different versions nominated.
Believe it or not there are still 2 songs to come which do not have a #1 ranking, but rank in the top 6.
Our #7 only has 9 top 5 rankings, despite three at #1. Less than 20 top 10 rankings as well. Three rankings at 27 don’t help its cause. There is also astonishingly a 75 ranking. It does have 38 rankers, so it lands above the last 2 because of it.
What song is it?
Pride (In the Name of Love)?
 
(3) - 8 - All I Want is You

Ranking Comments - The biggest fall within the top 10 is surprising.

Not for the 3-4 of us who guessed it! ;(

All I Want Is You landed at #7 on my final list but was as high as #2 at times. It's one of the seven songs I consider my "co-#1"s as it could be at that ranking on a given day. ("Gloria" is the only other one that's been presented yet.) If pressed, I might say I consider it U2's most "perfect" song - not a note misplaced, not an unnecessary note, not missing a note.

I love Bono's vocal - soft when it should be soft, strained when it should be strained, emotional without being overwrought. My other favorite bits are the part when the instrumentation first comes in, the build of the instrumentation in the middle, and of course the strings. From five minutes on this truly becomes a masterpiece. The rise and fall, the long notes interplaying with the staccato ones...everything is perfectly placed. I can't think of many other bands that, at the height of popularity, would be so bold as to make the second half of a single entirely instrumental, including a couple of minutes of heavy strings. Spoiler alert: one of those that would rhymes with "Schmeatles."
 
By the way, I know at least simey and Marco and maybe someone else(?) also predicted this as the big fall in the top 10. My reasoning wasn't anything complex but just that when I hear casual U2 fans speak of favorite songs, this one rarely comes up compared to the others left to be posted. #3 in the first go-'round seemed high to me on that purely non-scientific basis, even though personally I could get on board with that ranking.
 
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All I Want = 7

One of my favorite album closers -- it's my highest ranker from RAH -- and one of my favorite uses of strings in popular music. And yet there are six songs I ranked even higher, because they've put out so much incredible material.

With that, everything on my list from 4 through 9 has been revealed. The seven songs that remain are my 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12 and 18.
 
(3) - 8 - All I Want is You

Ranking Comments - The biggest fall within the top 10 is surprising.

Not for the 3-4 of us who guessed it! ;(

All I Want Is You landed at #7 on my final list but was as high as #2 at times. It's one of the seven songs I consider my "co-#1"s as it could be at that ranking on a given day. ("Gloria" is the only other one that's been presented yet.) If pressed, I might say I consider it U2's most "perfect" song - not a note misplaced, not an unnecessary note, not missing a note.

I love Bono's vocal - soft when it should be soft, strained when it should be strained, emotional without being overwrought. My other favorite bits are the part when the instrumentation first comes in, the build of the instrumentation in the middle, and of course the strings. From five minutes on this truly becomes a masterpiece. The rise and fall, the long notes interplaying with the staccato ones...everything is perfectly placed. I can't think of many other bands that, at the height of popularity, would be so bold as to make the second half of a single entirely instrumental, including a couple of minutes of heavy strings. Spoiler alert: one of those that would rhymes with "Schmeatles."
Also at #7!! Tough to dislike this song. Can’t imagine not ranking it but would enjoy hearing from anyone who didn’t.

Great comments from krista. Only thing to add is that this is from a day when people actually listened to albums from start to finish. Ending the album with this song, with pure instrumentation, was a really calm and lovely approach.

Note that Mrs APK ranked it 28 and refuses to offer an explanation other than “you are the one who likes rom-com flicks and sappy love songs.” (“Some people try to fill the world with silly love songs….what’s wrong with that?…..”)
 
By the way, I know at least simey and Marco and maybe someone else(?) also predicted this as the big fall in the top 10. My reasoning wasn't anything complex but just that when I hear casual U2 fans speak of favorite songs, this one rarely comes up compared to the others left to be posted. #3 in the first go-'round seemed high to me on that purely non-scientific basis, even though personally I could get on board with that ranking.
😡😡😡😢😢😢
Does anybody read what I write? ;)
 
By the way, I know at least simey and Marco and maybe someone else(?) also predicted this as the big fall in the top 10. My reasoning wasn't anything complex but just that when I hear casual U2 fans speak of favorite songs, this one rarely comes up compared to the others left to be posted. #3 in the first go-'round seemed high to me on that purely non-scientific basis, even though personally I could get on board with that ranking.
😡😡😡😢😢😢
Does anybody read what I write? ;)

Omg you are "maybe someone else(?)"! Congrats! :lmao:
 
(3) - 8 - All I Want is You
I have All I Want is You at 5. Since JML said it has the 5th highest average per ranker and that was a fairer spot, I'll take that as a bingo. :bowtie:

Several people I know had this as their wedding song.

If you have 10 minutes and are so inclined, and are interested in seeing how this song (and another) impacts many people, take a look at this concert footage from Slane Castle. Bono's dad passed away a couple of days before this show. It's moving. Apologies for the inclusion of an upcoming song:

U2 - All I Want Is You / Where The Streets Have No Name
 
(40) - > 55- Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get out Of

Vulture.com ranking and comment -73/218 - Brian Eno can throw everything into a blender that he wants, but this is still a gospel song at its heart — a tribute to Michael Hutchence, the late INXS singer who was a friend of the band and whose suicide weighed heavily on Bono and Edge particularly. Bono told Rolling Stone, “t’s a row I didn’t have while he was alive.” The last three stanzas of the song are heart-wrenching.
I know it's weird to be talking about this song now that we are into the Top 10 songs, but I was in Ireland when this one came up and wanted to double back and post about it. I consider INXS to be one of my musical children (along with Duran Duran, U2, and R.E.M., and maybe one or two others). When I first started DJing at my high school in 1980, I played all these bands when they were completely off the radar. I remember their first singles, albums, and promos coming into the station and playing them on the air (with a listener base of probably 8 people).

U2 and INXS were on similar paths and trajectories at one point. INXS' first major album release dropped in 1982 (after a couple of Aussie releases). They had two platinum selling albums before their Kick album in 1987 . . . the same year U2 released The Joshua Tree. Kick went on to sell 20 million copies (TJT would pass that much later with U2 having a longer shelf life as a band). There was actually a brief timeframe when INXS was on par, if not more popular globally, than U2 was (pre Achtung Baby).

Oddly enough, INXS was the one band that I was sort of on an island on. I didn't know anyone that liked them, in my 13 years as a DJ, no one else really played them. Listeners didn't call up and clamor for me to play them. I just liked them. I think part of the reason for that is they seemed to have a sound that I would want if I had started a band (all I was missing was talent, songwriting ability, and the ability to play an instrument). I loved their sound. A mix of rock, new wave, alternative, pop, and dance all rolled into one.

Hard to believe it's been 25 years since Michael Hutchence died. It seems like yesterday to me. Somehow, INXS tried to stay together for 15 more years after that before calling it a day 10 years ago. Does anyone remember Rock Star INXS? It's sad to me how things turned out for a band I enjoyed so much. They tried 8 different singers over the years and none of them stuck.

I know, people will be aghast with dread and horror when I say that I probably like INXS better than U2. Don't get me wrong, U2 is far and away a better band, but at times they are too cerebral and have so much back story and causes to some of their songs. Sometimes I just like to hear upbeat music that I can tap my feet to and enjoy being entertained. INXS is one of my go to bands to throw on that perks me up and gets me recalibrated and readjusted. They put me in a good mood, and I have lots of memories involving INXS (even though I didn't have people I knew that were into them). They were always a fortress of solitude band for me . . . I'd listen to them alone on hikes, walks on the beach, working out, doing yardwork, at work, etc. I'd say they have been a guilty pleasure of mine, but I don't feel guilty about it. I listen to Kick more than I listen to TJT. I know people will scream . . . HEATHEN! He's a witch! Burn him!

Hutchence and Bono ended up as drinking buddies and neighbors and in France. SIAMYCGOO is a fitting tribute and memorial to a showman and singer that could get a crowd into a tizzy. Go watch INXS' Live Baby Live DVD in front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium. INXS wasn't a great band, but they were fun.
 
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(3) - 8 - All I Want is You
I have All I Want is You at 5. Since JML said it has the 5th highest average per ranker and that was a fairer spot, I'll take that as a bingo. :bowtie:

Several people I know had this as their wedding song.

If you have 10 minutes and are so inclined, and are interested in seeing how this song (and another) impacts many people, take a look at this concert footage from Slane Castle. Bono's dad passed away a couple of days before this show. It's moving. Apologies for the inclusion of an upcoming song:

U2 - All I Want Is You / Where The Streets Have No Name
I posted a little about this over the summer when I was in Ireland. I ended up at the church in Howth where they had a service for Bono's dad in 2001. I have pictures of me with the church in the background. I knew nothing about the funeral for Bono's father at the time, but I found out later that day when I looked up more info about U2 in the areas we had been to. After the funeral, the band traveled to Slane Castle and performed the next night. Given the circumstances, the fact that they played so soon after is amazing. (The Live at Slane Castle show is from a week later, not the one the day after the funeral.) And then a week or so after the second Slane Castle show, 9/11 happened.
 
I'd say they have been a guilty pleasure of mine, but I don't feel guilty about it. I listen to Kick more than I listen to TJT. I know people will scream . . . HEATHEN! He's a witch! Burn him!
I had the opposite experience as you on INXS. I didn't know anyone who didn't like them. They were a great band, and Michael Hutchence was a fabulous frontman. The thing I'm surprised about in what you wrote, is that INXS would be considered a guilty pleasure.
 
I'd say they have been a guilty pleasure of mine, but I don't feel guilty about it. I listen to Kick more than I listen to TJT. I know people will scream . . . HEATHEN! He's a witch! Burn him!
I had the opposite experience as you on INXS. I didn't know anyone who didn't like them. They were a great band, and Michael Hutchence was a fabulous frontman. The thing I'm surprised about in what you wrote, is that INXS would be considered a guilty pleasure.
Like I said, in whatever time it's been (42 years), I have never met anyone that likes INXS. More people along the way liked Boy George and Culture Club, the Backstreet Boys, Vanilla Ice, country, or rap than INXS. People used to cringe when I said I liked them. And these days, not enough people remember them to have an opinion (to be fair, my current said of people I hang out with are not big music fans or are my 20-something aged kids.) Back in the day, I had my testosterone filled guy friends who thought INXS was for kitties spelled with a P. When I was in college, my radio friends thought INXS was poppy dance kaka. When I was more of a grown adult, music had shifted to boy bands and Shania Twain. I hear INXS once in a while on the radio here (New England), but it's mostly on a pop / dance station. They don't get played on rock stations here (they used to sometimes). They mostly have fallen off the musical map where I live.
 
I had the opposite experience as you on INXS. I didn't know anyone who didn't like them. They were a great band, and Michael Hutchence was a fabulous frontman. The thing I'm surprised about in what you wrote, is that INXS would be considered a guilty pleasure.

My experience was more like yours. Must have been a regional thing. Shabooh Shoobah came out just before I was entering high school and was absolutely huge where I lived (Midwest). I was a DJ on my high-school radio station, and they were definitely in the top 10 artists that I got requests to play. The only two off the top of my head that I remember people wanted to hear more were Madonna and Michael Jackson, though I'm sure I'm forgetting some. "The One Thing" and "Don't Change," followed by "Original Sin" and others were in constant rotation. This was all before the monstrous success of Kick. I associate them strongly with my high school experience.
 
1989 - Texas Stadium

Smithereens (I was the only guy in 65,000 buying a Smithereens shirt)
Ziggy Marly
Iggy Pop
Guns N' Roses
INXS

Hot AF! But Hurricane Gilbert was rolling through the massive state after pulverizing Galveston and Houston. Texas Stadium was not a choice spot for music - sound was terrible. And, the giant hole in the stadium so God could watch his favorite team play didn't serve as a safety net once Gilbert hit. And hit it did, right before GnR took the stage. They were supposed to play for 90 minutes. They lasted 70. Axl threw a hissy fit over the sound, kicked a monitor, apparently showed his junk to security (earning a lifetime ban from Texas Stadium in the process). Duff smashed a bass. It was their final concert of a long tour and they had never played with any of the bands before, including INXS. They hated INXS. They hated everybody. It was pretty tense with the short show, violent weather, disturbed Texans wanting more loud rock. It could have gone really south from there.

But, INXS saved the day with a brilliant performance. Only time I ever saw them live, but they were sensational. Next day, I raced out to Sound Warehouse to buy a cassette tape of Shabooh Shoobah as 15 year old me didn't know they existed before blowing up with Listen Like Thieves. I didn't have cable so MTV was a treat reserved for sleepovers with friends who did have cable and thus, INXS wasn't a band I knew until they were suddenly everywhere. But their live version on "Don't Change" stuck with me for life.

Great band. And now, tonight, when I sit out under my patio with a beer and a joint by myself, it'll be the deep cuts of INXS backing my mode.
 
To further explain the regional differences involving INXS, in all my years DJing, I never got a single request for them (East Coast U.S.). I usually had a featured artist of the day and encouraged listeners to request songs from that band. (I would play about a half hour of that band in a row.) Several times I had INXS as the artist of the day. However, I did get multiple calls to dump them as the artist of the day in favor of other bands. Mind you, I generally was trying to play new / alternative artists, so I didn't get people calling for Madonna or Michael Jackson (people knew I wouldn't play stuff like that).

Another example was the INXS concert I went to in Hartford in 1991. The venue seats 16,500 people with three tiers of seating. There were no fans in the top two sections, and the bottom section was about half full. I'm guessing there were about 3 or 4,000 people. The promoter later said on the radio that they tried to move the gig to a smaller venue, but they couldn't (they were all booked), and then they contemplated cancelling the show altogether. The week leading up to the show, every radio station in town was giving away tickets pretty much hourly. They literally couldn't give tickets away fast enough.

The show itself was great . . . 24 songs. almost all hits. Hutchence looked and acted like Jim Morrison and was drunk, stoned, or both. He was definitively in an altered state. Halfway though, Mike was in full-throttle party mode. Speaking of Madonna, Hutchence went off the rails during What You Need. I couldn't quite understand what he was saying, but leading into the song (and again halfway through), he started blathering about Madonna. It sounded like he had just hooked up with her.

Anyway, Mike went on a rant mid-song in graphic detail about Madonna's cat (and no I don't mean an actual cute and cuddly pet). He started a singalong with the crowd, and we were instructed to shout "Madonna's Cat" at certain points. What do you want? . . . (Madonna's Cat) . . . What do you need? (Madonna's Cat). What's hot, wet, and tight? . . . (Madonna's Cat). It was BIZARRE. Hutchence was trashed . . . but still . . . he offended a huge portion of the (limited) crowd. My date got really peeved and demanded we leave (some folks walked out). I talked her down and said if he was still vulgar the next song, then we definitely would leave. Thankfully, that was the only song where Hutchence went mental. It was a different world then. Of course, that put me in a lose-lose situation, as apparently, I was not offended and outraged enough over the incident. I really liked the band and wanted to watch the entire show. As soon as I didn't get up and leave immediately, my goose was cooked. The rest of the night didn't go particularly well, and there would not be another date.

Weeks later, the band would play in front of 72,000 fans at their famous Wembley Stadium show. But where I lived? Mostly crickets and empty seats. I can't explain it.
 
Anyway, Mike went on a rant mid-song in graphic detail about Madonna's cat (and no I don't mean an actual cute and cuddly pet). He started a singalong with the crowd, and we were instructed to shout "Madonna's Cat" at certain points. What do you want? . . . (Madonna's Cat) . . . What do you need? (Madonna's Cat). What's hot, wet, and tight? . . . (Madonna's Cat). It was BIZARRE. Hutchence was trashed . . . but still . . . he offended a huge portion of the (limited) crowd. My date got really peeved and demanded we leave (some folks walked out). I talked her down and said if he was still vulgar the next song, then we definitely would leave. Thankfully, that was the only song where Hutchence went mental. It was a different world then. Of course, that put me in a lose-lose situation, as apparently, I was not offended and outraged enough over the incident. I really liked the band and wanted to watch the entire show. As soon as I didn't get up and leave immediately, my goose was cooked. The rest of the night didn't go particularly well, and there would not be another date.
I saw INXS back in 1986. Hutchence wasn't crude or anything like that. He sang and danced, and was a great entertainer. He had a lot of sex appeal.

I remember where I was when I found out he died. I was tailgating at an NC State vs ECU football game in Raleigh. Someone said they just heard he died, and everyone was shocked by it. It was sad.
 
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