U2, 42 Years Later: Is The Music As Good As It Used To Be?
U2, 42 Years Later: Is The Music As Good As It Used To Be?
By: Jessica Devonshire
U2 is an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1976, while the band was in highschool. The members consist of Bono (Paul Hewson), The Edge (David Evans), Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.
As a little background, I only became obsessed with U2 in the last two months, although I was always aware of them. I grew up walking downstairs at night to see my dad watching U2’s concerts on our television, and my initial judgement was that they must be weirdos. Little seven year old Jessica made this judgement due to Bono’s tendency to dance shirtless on stage in suspenders. (Which I still think is a little bit odd)
In 2014, U2 came out with Songs of Innocence, the prequel to Songs of Experience. These albums were meant to go together, and they have a joint tour named after both. Songs of Experience came out on December 1st, 2017 as U2’s 14th studio album.
- Love Is All We Have Left
As the first song on the album, I expected it to be a bit better. Although Bono commented that the opening line, “Nothing to stop this being the best day ever,” is his favorite out of every song he has ever written, I found it to be a bit lacking. The entirety of the song, it is extremely monotone. Rather than being something you can jam out to, it leaves you with a rather sad feeling about a baby being left on a doorstep. Which may very well have been the intention as it was written.
Overall, the song gets about a two out of five from me. It isn’t the best, but it certainly isn’t Get On Your Boots, arguably the worst song U2 has ever produced.
- Lights of Home
Right away, there is guitar, which is an improvement from Love Is All We Have Left. The song was built around a riff from a band U2 is familiar with, HAIM. It was recorded in 2016. The HAIM sisters also provide backup vocals throughout. The chorus makes it easy to sing along, making it a success at the concerts U2 has performed throughout their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour.
It is definitely one of the more mediocre songs on the album, but it’s a lot better than the first. It earns a three out of five, not too bad, but not the best.
- You’re The Best Thing About Me
First thing they hit you with is a guitar intro by the Edge that almost sounds like In God’s Country. It’s the first single that came off the album, originally from Kygo, who premiered the song at a cloud nine festival. The Edge covers the bridge, and it sounds EXACTLY like Bono. To a scary amount.
Solely due to The Edge’s similarity to Bono, it is a 4. The song would probably be a three, but I am relatively impressed The Edge can sing like that.
- Get Out Of Your Own Way
Bono is no one to stray away from politics and controversy, and so he sings about the points of view within slavery. The song was made as a second collaboration with Kendrick Lamar. The song was also sung live on the BBC and at the 60th Grammys. It was released a month before the title album, Songs of Experience.
At first, I thought the song was a five, but only because it was so catchy. It is more of a four, and the outro spoken by Kendrick Lamar doesn’t really match the tone of the song, and it sounds like they are trying to cover too many topics all at once.
- American Soul
Once again, Kendrick Lamar opens with who in the world is blessed. Lamar also played it at the Grammys, where U2 contributed a full sentence. It was released on Nov. 17th, also before the full album was dropped. It was featured on XXX by Lamar, hence why they were included in the Grammy performance of it.
The song is, no doubt, a five out of five. I would describe it as a banger. The distinct rock sound makes it a jammer. (Disclaimer: This is my favorite song and I am most definitely biased.)
- Summer of Love
Bono compares this one’s melody to the Beach Boys and the Mamas and Papas. It centers around a man who kept a garden going and healthy through national discomfort taking place in Syria. Through bombings and warzones, he kept the garden going. U2 is adamant that it is not a war song, despite being about the effects of one. Eventually, the man keeping the garden healthy was killed, so it is relatively bittersweet. It was produced with samples from Ryan Tedder, the lead singer of One Republic, and has backing vocals from musical powerhouses such as Lady Gaga.
The song is extremely catchy, and it has a very modern sound. Altogether, it is a solid four.
- Red Flag Day
In my opinion, it is the best song of the album, save for The Showman and American Soul. The song also references Syrian conflict and the european immigration crisis caused by it, like Summer of Love. Originally, the song was not going to be on the album, but was added due to it’s similarity in meaning to Summer of Love. It is also meant as an addition to Get Out of Your Own Way. Ryan Tedder does backup vocals in this song too.
Red Flag Day is deserving of a five out of five. In my opinion, the cohesiveness of this song going along with two others in the album connect it similarly to a trilogy, which I enjoy.
- The Showman (Little More Better)
When I first heard the intro, it almost sounded like a country song, which gave me a negative outlook. The song redeemed itself pretty quickly; once the singing starts, it is on par with American Soul. The song is essentially a letter to Bono’s fans about the insecurities those like him face.
Five out of five. It is tied for number one with American Soul, but there would be no competition if Edge didn’t perform so well in American Soul.
- The Little Things That Give You Away
Played on Spotify Singles, The Little Things That Give You Away is about Bono’s accident. In 2014, Bono had a “freak” bike accident, where he broke his arm in five places and fractured his eye socket. The song centers around how he became closer with his family during his recovery.
Very deserving of a four out of five, as it isn’t the best, but it reminds me of an older U2.
- Landlady
When I first heard Landlady, I thought that Bono was singing “You tell me that I have a kid,” and I was very confused. Did Bono have some long lost child who showed up? After some research, that was proven incorrect, and I decided I have bad hearing. The song is really a connection to Every Breaking Wave, from Songs of Innocence, about being pulled away from people throughout life.
A three out of five, as it contains the same meaning as Sweetest Thing from The Joshua Tree, and from Songs of Innocence.
- The Blackout
The song was released on the twenty first of August, 2017, on an actual eclipse. The guitar is spectacular, but it again seems recycled, as it was connected to Bono’s anniversary with his wife. This is also connected to Sweetest Thing and Get Out of Your Own Way.
Due to all this repetition, it is more of a 3 out of 5 because it lacks originality.
- Love Is Bigger Than Anything In It’s Way
Love Is Bigger serves as an ode to self-acceptance. It’s music video was released in late April of 2018. It was remixed several times, and the Beck remix came on through autoplay on Spotify. This specific song and remix is what dragged me back into U2.
I give it a three out of five, as not all the remixes are good, and the regular version feels a bit slow, but it still has a great message.
- 13 (There is a light)
The intro almost sounds like the song played at a funeral, and Bono is nearly talking rather than singing. The piano drifts in very smoothly, and the song is the counterpart of Song For Someone, from Songs of Innocence. The very lyric “this is a song for someone” is included.
I give it a four out of five, as despite being one of the more serious songs, it is the outro of the album and it fits in well.
- Book of your heart
The song is about the knowledge that you need someone’s help to get through life, and whoever that person is, they also need yours.
I didn’t really enjoy this song, as the distortion of Bono’s voice throughout the song doesn’t fit well with the rest of the music. Overall, I think it gets a one out of five solely because it seems super out of place.
In summary, I think U2 is still great. They are aging well, and while their recent albums are no Joshua Tree, or Unforgettable Fire, I think they can only improve.