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But for a while there, it almost didnt.
And then, one day, Lanois suggested to the Edge that he combine two separate guitar parts.
*The ground rules: This list consists of officially released U2 songs only.
Passengers is excluded except for Miss Sarajevo and Your Blue Room.
(It is fun to sing the chorus of Psycho Killer to it, though.)
He even drags poor Kendrick Lamar into this mess.
It would be super-great if we could just forget this song exists.
Always
Another non-LP B-side the fans continually rally for.
This is quite possibly the most overrated track in the entire U2 repertoire.
I get it; its the jam that the Beautiful Day riff originated from.
It is otherwise flat and featureless, and nowhere near adjacent to its final form.
Its a bedroom demo, a napkin sketch at best.
Swallow
They needed a B-side for Fire.
It was done in a mad panic, the Edge notes.
It was a case of two hours to go, lets do it.
It sounds like that.
Reasonable beat, but stupid lyrics and inane title.
Its a skin they slide into with comfort and skill.
Musically it does that, but then Bono just decides to be as vague as possible lyrically.
For good measure, he makes up the wordrefu-Jesus, which was completely unnecessary and, frankly, lazy.
It is a terrible way to end an album.
The Refugee,War
They sound like some third-rate New Wave band trying to be relevant.
Flower Child,Unreleased & Rare
An acoustic, Beatles-esque leftover fromAll That You Cant Leave Behind.
Its a fine song and a polite gesture.
Perfectly acceptable as a B-side.
Native Son,Unreleased & Rare
Proto-Vertigo, with different lyrics about jailed Native American activist Leonard Peltier.
It didnt change the room temperature.
If they werent the next big thing they were going to try their hardest to sound like it.
Fake it till you make it.
Which it is, except that the beach is in the south of France, where U2 maintain houses.
He was irked that people assumed the song was about California since he mentions Aleppo by name once.
Is That All?,October
Scarlet, the track that precedes Is That All?
The lyrics are so empty theyre not even worth discussing.
Its certainly atmospheric, and an interesting waypost on the upcoming journey to Death Valley.
Adam also sings lead vocals, such as they are.
It would not have fit anywhere on the record, but its at least a complete thought.
The loss of Bonos father is all overHTDAAB, and here specifically.
Bono was talking to Noel Gallagher, who asked if Bob Hewson believed in God.
Bono said, I dont think he knows.
Noel responded, Well, hes one step closer to knowing now.
Bono: Im going to write that song.
Part of the set in the early (1979-80) years of the band.
you’re free to just imagine this coming together under the chandeliers in Hansa Studios Meistersaal.
Not strong enough to make the album.
The Playboy Mansion,Pop
The original lyric was much more emotional.
I am not sure the best version ended up on the album, Bono said.
Pepperouttake, wait until you see the video.
Mercy,Wide Awake in Europe
Probably the most popular outtake among the U2 fan base.
Its difficult to comprehend the rabid reaction to this particular track, except for its relative rarity.
This is no time not to be alive is a line that will grip you around the heart.
Rejoice,October
192.
Babyface,Zooropa
An ode to the many supermodels who began keeping company with U2 in the 90s.
Its a sweet little love song.
Thematically, the story is just trying too hard to fit into his intention.
That chorus, though, will have you dancing in the living room.
Its easier to forgive this song as part of the experience of listening to the album in order.
But the title gives the track airs it does not possess.
A jazzman could understand that piece, Bono toldRolling Stonein 1987.
No, a jazzman would ask how the hell they thought this should go on the record.
It could be overwrought, but it isnt.
For U2, its a gentle touch.
The lyrics are literally the Introduction to William BlakesSongs of Experience.
(That might be why.)
Or maybe Bono had already expressed the same thoughts elsewhere.
So its surprising that what U2 delivered for this film in particular was a bland, uninspiring soundscape.
The landlady is Ali; the landlady is the divine feminine; the landlady is God.
It ended up as the B-side to The Fly, a good home for it.
There are also some uncharacteristic 60s-influenced harmonies.
Its almost a little too self-deprecating: Singers cry about everything.
YES, WE KNOW.
(No one can write a good song about the Clash, to be fair.)
Definitely one of their best songs of the last 20 years.
Its an interesting sonic experiment with Lykke Li on guest vocals, but oddly dispassionate.
But it wasnt one of my favorites.
Yoshino Blossom,The Unforgettable Fire(2009 deluxe edition)
Another demo that didnt make the album.
Eno was not pleased.
Tell them theyre being stupid cunts, he joked to a journalist after playing him the song.
Smile,Unreleased & Rare
The Edge described Smile as one of those songs that just arrived too late.
Its definitely not finished in this state, but it probably should be.
There are elements of love and faith, and the music is compelling.
Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)
Bouncy, joyous, full of vim and vigor.
It is definitely an antidote to the A-side, New Years Day.
Secrets can make you sick, Bono writes in the liner notes.
The melody here is controlled but unsettling, with a guitar solo that sounds like an SOS.
But Id still rather have the broke-down version, because thats where the interesting things happen.
Its not a terrible song, but its not a great one either.
Points for trying to do something different with it.
This is what this song will do to you.
It is a full-scale European-football-stadium-size anthem, and it will echo in your head for days.
But theres a reasonable amount of self-deprecation in the lyrics Do you live here or is this a vacation?
and the melody is more upbeat than youd expect for this subject matter.
Its a good transition after Bad, but otherwise sounds more like a demo than a finished track.
We were shite, Bono said.
Theres a lot about Tomorrow thats unnecessarily overwrought; Bono described the lyrics as unconscious rambling.
The lead instruments are uilleann pipes the Irish version of bagpipes and some very low-on-the-register bass rumblings.
The Fool,Early Demos
From U2s second demo session in 1978.
If God Will Send His Angels,Pop
Wait, was this supposed to be a dance record?
If we could sing and play like Prince, that would have been Top 10, Bono said.
Except that the lyrics are overwrought, even for Bono.
The Edge blames the chorus: It is a nice tune, but the chorus doesnt connect.
Crumbs From Your Table is a fairly angry song about that experience.
It is, lets just say, oddly prescient.
It walks a line betweenZooropaandPop, but is polished, sharp, and evocative.
Seconds,War
Lead vocals and excellent guitar work from the Edge are the highlights here.
It allegedly almost made the record but was rejected because it didnt fit, which is definitely true.
Scarlet,October
If this mostly instrumental track reminds you of 40 onWar, youre not imagining things.
It would have been a perfect ending to the record … except it wasnt.
Fire,October
Fire got U2 their first U.K. chart success, but its hard to understand how.
It sounds like U2 trying too hard to to do U2-punch in things in a U2-punch in song.
Bono himself later said, Fire was not a good song.
It falls apart a little with the bridge because it takes you out of the giant rumbling noise.
Still, very fun.
At that point we needed a hit.
A Celebration wasnt one of those, the Edge said.
The video is the very definition of 80s video-making, with every possible cliche present and accounted for.
(Nice red pants, Bono.)
Hes also drawn to using the sea as metaphor, which works here.
The choruses are bright and impassioned.
Song for Someone,Songs of Innocence
Another song for the young Alison Stewart, aka Ali Hewson.
Bonos voice starts out quietly, but quickly becomes impassioned at the chorus.
It feels like youve walked into the middle of a conversation.
There needs to be some grit and space, or U2 is not interesting.
Mostly forgettable, though.
The fans who care will figure it out, and it wont matter to the fans that dont.
The Edges chromatic chords are just lovely.
But lyrically, California is all over the place.
The instrumentation is almost too bland; you could barely hear the guitar and bass.
The vibe is decent but it doesnt go much further than that.
[It] was a great thought that never really became a great song, the Edge said.
Bonos vocals are achingly bleak, and the Edge comes in with that delicate yet assertive piano line.
He hadnt played piano since he was a child.
Its a series of images narrated against a low-key, ambient background.
And the Edge does so with aplomb.
The Ocean is a little blip, 1 minute and 35 seconds of atmosphere.
Both the lyrics and the energy of Bonos vocals carry this balloon of emotion to the end.
An Cat Dubh,Boy
113.
Between the horses of love and lust / We are trampled underfoot, Bono sings.
The question, then, is whether you get up from the ground or surrender.
Slow Dancing, B-side to Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
single
U2 wrote this for Willie Nelson and sent it off.
They recorded a lovely version with him on lead vocals and released it on another single later.
The cool detachment of the early verses open up to an impassioned pleading.
Its impressionistic, futuristic, fun.
Larry Mullen called this track an incomplete idea.
The video is fantastic.
Last Night on Earth,Pop
Its a song you want to like.
(Sound familiar?)
It was a good tune, the Edge said.
But is it up there with New Years Day or Sunday Bloody Sunday?
Obviously not, or we would still be playing it live.
The Edge actually quit U2 at that time, but didnt tell anyone except Bono.
The whole thing shimmers with gold.
Xanax and Wine met the criteria, but didnt quite come together.
(This is not a bad thing.)
It wanted to be a lounge classic, Bono said.
He finally got his wish when he recorded it with Jools Holland in 2007.
Yes, Holland is a skilled bandleader, but the vocals are Bono in full torch-singer mode.
Twilight,Boy
96.
But they never heard back from Frank, so Bono recorded it himself.
(The sound is magnificent, Bono said of the space in 2006.
If Phil Spector was going to lie in state, it would be here.)
It is an astonishing composition.
The soft melody would have fit intoThe Unforgettable Fire.
Alas, it did not make the cut forAll That You Cant Leave Behind.
As a pop song, its well-constructed, and did admirable duty as the records second single.
He even works in a Van Morrison reference, to boot.
Red Hill Mining Town is one of those moments.
You cant return to where youve never left.
Its wistful and innocent, earnest and heartfelt.
The breathless, conversational style is matched by an equally urgent melody behind it.
Theres an element of paranoia with a touch of euphoria.
Edge has said that he tried going back to the song, but could never get back inside.
Bono pulled together a lyric and rerecorded the vocal.
Its only ever been performed once, at a charity gig in 2007.
Anywhere else, it would have made sense, but at the top it was just too precious.
Its not accidental that a record inspired by America would end up being a fantastic road-trip record.
Time this one right and youll think youre flying.
Its not serious, but it is interesting.
There are good lines, there are great images its really just a rock-and-roll song.
There is blame and pleading and confessions and insistence and obsession and regret.
and the instrumentation and vocals definitely evoke the fragility of love falling apart.
Otherwise it fits beautifully into theSongs of Innocence and Experiencecycle.
It soars and zooms and creates amood.
Bono toldRolling Stone, [I]ts a row I didnt have while he was alive.
The last three stanzas of the song are heart-wrenching.
Extend that further to the first verse: I was born to be with you.
Bono could be talking about a lover or he could be talking about the audience or both.
Extra credit to Steve Wickhams violin and Edges almost Spanish-guitar flourishes toward the end of the song.
MLK,The Unforgettable Fire
Like 40 onWar, U2 closed this record with another hymn-cum-lullaby.
It has a groove; it genuinely swings; it feels organic and fun.
Look, I gotta go, the Fly says.
Im running outta change.
It is evocative and memorable.
Iris (Hold Me Close),Songs of Innocence
64.
It is sweet and wistful and sounds like how it feels to drive your car on a forgotten interstate.
Discotheque,Pop
Is this Where the Streets Have No Name or New Years Day?
Your Blue Room,PassengersOriginal Soundtracks I
Gorgeously twisted, its a mix of Space Oddity andBlue Velvet.
But it clearly didnt fit the vibe the band was going for.
So he calls Bob and goes to his house in Malibu, where he sings the song to Dylan.
Its the flip side, really, of Hawkmoon 269, the dressed-up-for-church version.
Its not a bad song by any means, but there were stronger contenders that ended up as B-sides.
You cant put a co-write with Bob Dylan on a B-side.
Maybe someone should have paid attention to the lyrics.
On record, its interesting rhythmically, but feels lugubrious and stiff.
Its the story of punk rock.
I THREW A BRICK!
I THREW A BRICK!
It is U2 inviting you to get on that train with them and run away.
Zoo Station is astonishing, jaw-dropping, and ecstatic.
When Love Comes to Town,Rattle and Hum
B.
The presence of this song that U2 would dare to want to collaborate with B. upset so much of the Establishment.
But it sure seems like everyone involved in the song was having a good ol time here.
But when you invoke the muses, there is sometimes a cost.
This sly, incisive scorcher shouldve found its place onPop.
The Wanderer,Zooropa
Its like Johnny Cash showed up at theStar Warscantina as himself.
Adams bass sounds like the music in a bad video game.
Like many of Bonos song ideas, this is another one that came in a dream.
After the show, guess who arrived backstage unannounced?
Everyones here with me tonight / Everyone but you is heartbreaking.
Unknown Caller,No Line on the Horizon
You hear the sounds of birds, recorded in Morocco?
Are they a conscience, is it a crank, or is it God?
Bono wrote in the albums liner notes.
The Scripture is Call unto me and I will answer you.
You have to wonder what this could have been had they tried to take it up a notch.
The prodigal son returns home, but its not a happy ending.
Its a quiet but intense song.
It is a conversation between Jesus and Judas.
Ultimately, forgiveness triumphs.
It sounds disjointed, but it works together, and is perfect for the movie.
It almost doesnt fit on the album.
Mofo,Pop
T-Bone Burnett has said that all rock and roll is about Daaaddy!
The insanity is, sometimes, astounding.
And then theres the lead singer, who turns this into a hymn of adoration to women.
Bono said, It is U2 at our funkiest.
Cant sing but Ive got soul / The goal is / ELEVATION truth in advertising.
Nothing changes on New Years Day, is followed by, I will be with you again.
Theres also a subconscious nod to Lech Walesa, at the time still imprisoned.
It earns its name.
Its not surprising that it endured in the set list even as late as 2015.
Its like a knife sticking out of the center of your chest.
Bono thought about sending it to Nina Simone, and he should have.
That would have been unbelievable.
Spanish Eyes
Spanish Eyes is primal, foolish, and eternal.
But the pivotal element of this song is in Bonos heartrending vocals in the last minute and a half.
Walk On,All That You Cant Leave Behind
Walk On is one of U2s grand statements.
Acrobat,Achtung Baby
If you thought things were going to lighten up, think again.
It never became a live favorite, Edge said in 2006.
Maybe because I dont think that is what people come to U2 for.
After that, Pavarotti got in touch with the band, wanting to record a song together.
Sarajevo was also the city that U2 had made satellite contact with during Zoo TV.
All of this is wrapped inside this elegant duet between Bono and Luciano Pavarotti.
when this is a shape they hadnt previously created, exactly.
But its also tempting and lazy to dismiss the biggest hit.
They wrote an enormous, slick anthem that exploded because people connected to it.
The opening chords feel like walking through New York when the snow has just started to fall.
It is a moment full of optimism and hope.
OUTSIDE, ITS AMERICA, the lyrics cry, while the Edge lights his fretboard on fire.
Hawkmoon 269 is six minutes of a fiery inferno.
Bono howls and Edge lights his guitar strings afire like a fuse leading to dynamite.
And this is likely one of Larry Mullen Jr.s finest performances.
He manages to guide the tension and the intensity with insane precision.
U2 have rarely played Hawkmoon 269 live.
Its an early version of City of Blinding Lights, in a way.
It is also, impossibly, a Memphis song.
There are few endorsements stronger than that.
that opened the album would be mirrored here at the end.
But you cant write about 40 without talking about its place in the live show.
It was is still a piece of U2 magic that is hard to explain adequately.
It closes a show gently, with civility and unity.
What matters is the end, even though we know how these stories end.
The point here is to stand in witness, but not in judgment.
The lyrics here find the beauty and the pain in the human condition, and deny neither.
Its still a blues, though: stunning, atmospheric, and heartbreakingly tragic.
Its a dark and disturbed song that cant just be shoved into a new context.
It is about surrender, return, and acceptance.
Gloria,October
Never have so few taken on so many at one time.
You dont write a song named Gloria unless you have an innate sense of the power of your band.
Maybe they didnt know when they were putting the track together, but live?
All I Want Is You,Rattle and Hum
Once again, U2 end a record with a hymn.
7, Out of Control,Boy
6.
One,Achtung Baby
One is an enormous emotional chameleon of a song.
One contains bone-deep sadness, dark melancholy, and immense regret.
Get to is the key, Edge said, Got to would be too obvious and platitudinous.
Get to suggests it is our privilege to carry one another.
His voice is full of deep heartache, and fairly reverberates with pain and regret.
Sunday Bloody Sunday,War
Folk song.
Live, of course, this song took on a life of its own throughout the years.
I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For,The Joshua Tree
Its a gospel song, period.
Not kind of a gospel song, or inspired by a gospel song, but an honest-to-goodness gospel song.
It is inspirational and uplifting and heartbreaking and just plain gorgeous.
If you have never seen it, it is one of the wonders of that otherworldly day of music.
Even for people who were already fans of the band, it was a remarkable moment.
Nothing was really quite the same again because now everyone knew who Bono was, McGuinness said in 2006.
There is some kind of perverse justice that Bad was that particular catalyst.
Streets is you at your best, wearing church clothes and standing up straight.
It is possibility, it is aspiration, it is joy incarnate.
This article also incorrectly listed Treasure (What Ever Happened to Pete the Chop?)
as the B-side to A Celebration.
The A-side was actually New Years Day.
Additionally, an earlier version of listed The Joshua Tree as U2s fourth album; its actually their fifth.
