U2's Songs of Innocence....Five Year Later

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by americanscientist, Sep 9, 2019.

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  1. davebush

    davebush New Test Leper

    Location:
    Fonthill, ON
    Listening to “Zooropa” for the first time in ages. Love how they somehow made a record that sounds futuristic, but also warm and human - if that makes any sense.
     
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  2. Ghost of Ziggy

    Ghost of Ziggy Forum Resident

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    Hell
    I agree, and most importantly the song writing was good back then.
     
  3. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    I gave Songs of Innocence a fresh listen recently and I still like it quite a bit. A few songs don't quite hit the mark, but Iris, Song for Someone and The Troubles are all still some of the best songs they've done in the 21st century. And I definitely like the studio version of Every Breaking Wave more than the more laid back live version they did. I liked the live version, but the studio version I just preferred. Good album.
     
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  4. twicks

    twicks Forum Resident

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    Detroit
    You wrote that "Beautiful Day" was only a hit because it was by U2...yet singles from the band's previous album were relative flops.
     
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  5. twicks

    twicks Forum Resident

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    Detroit
    I always liked the second to last song I will refer to only as "Soldier, Soldier." :)
     
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  6. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    Ah yes, This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now...I like that one quite a bit. Very nice vocal harmonies.
     
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  7. Partyslammer

    Partyslammer Lord Of The New Church

    Sonically, that's mostly due to Eno and Flood (and on other albums Lanois') involvement. Any of the U2 albums you have Eno with one or both of the other two involved there's a warmth and naturalness to the overall sound that you don't find on the albums produced by guys like Steve Lillywhite, Iovine, etc. The only exception to this rule is *some* songs on No Line On The Horizon which frankly sound harsh, especially Bono's vox.
     
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  8. DrZhivago

    DrZhivago Hedonist

    Location:
    Brisbane Australia
    Too high expectations of U2. You cannot stay the biggest band in the world forever. You cannot take all your audience with you with each new album. Sometimes you move on, sometimes your audiences move on. Its hard to stay relevant to mainstream audiences for long. Particularly in this day and age.
    U2 reached its zenit with Joshua Tree in U.S and in Europe with Achtung B. Deflationary stage was inevitable, and U2 slowly deflated to where are they now. The core will continue to glow dimly and densely, as long as they continue to put out new music and keep their faithful around. We'll keep having threads like this. Which is good. I always give 'em a chance to see if I'd like their new material. It's easy these days with streaming and all.
    They stopped being relevant for me around the ATYCLB /Atomic bomb. There is still some great material on Horizon, and Innocence/Experience. Innocence probably being their weakest.

    Regards
     
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  9. Odysseus

    Odysseus Forum Resident

    Location:
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    Ok
     
  10. twicks

    twicks Forum Resident

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    Detroit
    I will admit under oath that "You're The Best Thing About Me" was a pretty good song and probably a better "radio single" than anything on Songs Of Innocence.
     
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  11. Diamond Star Halo

    Diamond Star Halo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Hyperbole much?
     
  12. Odysseus

    Odysseus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    No, I stand by and completely believe that "Beautiful Day" is a pedestrian song and only got the exposure that it did because it was released by a big named act.

    I also think that with the exception of a few, very good songs that All That You Can't Leave Behind is largely an unremarkable album.
     
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  13. Ghost of Ziggy

    Ghost of Ziggy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hell
    I agree, it’s a boring lyric too, so it’s a beautiful day? Jeez. Cheese. Let’s not forget the highlight of the track was composed by A-Ha. The single was just a seriously desperate attempt to appeal to the masses after the maligned response to Pop.
     
  14. hollywoodswag

    hollywoodswag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central Florida
    I actually think Beautiful Day's only problem was that it, like pretty much anything that hits top 40 radio, got overplayed to death. Having revisited it from time to time, I've grown far fonder of it than I ever was before. I also don't think it's nearly as cheesy as some might think, but rather misinterpreted. It's a song about joy in the face of adversity, not just a let's-be-happy-and-everything-is-fantastic song.
     
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  15. Ghost of Ziggy

    Ghost of Ziggy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hell
    People only thought it was great after the twin towers got smashed.
     
  16. hollywoodswag

    hollywoodswag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central Florida
    It won the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in February of 2001. It peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January of 2001. All of that was well before 9/11.
     
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  17. Ghost of Ziggy

    Ghost of Ziggy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hell
    Tell me then genius, what was the competition, Britney Spears & NSYNC? You deny it didn’t take off because of 9/11?
     
  18. Orthogonian Blues

    Orthogonian Blues A man with a fork in a world full of soup.

    Location:
    London, UK
    The way people reacted to this release, you'd think that U2 had sent a virus to everyone's iPhone.

    It's not that bad, is it?
     
  19. Popmartijn

    Popmartijn Senior Member

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Indeed. It was already a big hit before September 2001. I consider it another classic song by them. And though it might have been overplayed, I still enjoy the song when I hear it.
     
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  20. Diamond Star Halo

    Diamond Star Halo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Again, 9/11 happened one year after the release of Beautiful Day. That means it charted and won awards months before 9/11.

    That means it didn’t “take off” due to 9/11.
     
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  21. Ghost of Ziggy

    Ghost of Ziggy Forum Resident

    Location:
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    No, actually it won the public “adoration” after U2 cashed in on 9/11, effectively restarting their career .You know, remember Bono with his little American flag jacket? Big difference. People were downloading rather than buying music in the year 2001.
     
  22. Popmartijn

    Popmartijn Senior Member

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    With regard to Songs Of Innocence, it is a very good album, though certainly not one of their best. The one song I consider a classic on that album is Every Breaking Wave. Though there are many very good tracks on the album as well. The only weaker spots might be The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) and Song For Someone for me.
     
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  23. Popmartijn

    Popmartijn Senior Member

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Now you're starting to being silly. What restart of their career did U2 have after 9/11, when they did not tour in 2002-2005 (and the fall dates for 2001 were announced before 9/11)? And how did they cash in on that tragedy? You know, Bono had that jacket way before 9/11
     
  24. Diamond Star Halo

    Diamond Star Halo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Are you confusing Beautiful Day with Walk On? The latter song was released as a single after 9/11 and did quite well...

    Otherwise, your personal timeline/memories don’t jive with the facts.
     
  25. Ghost of Ziggy

    Ghost of Ziggy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hell
    I was there. And saw him do it live, very fake. He started getting talked about in Hello magazine, exactly the reaction he wanted. Let’s not forget him hanging out with George W. As if Pop never happened.
     
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