Lester Who?
I fancy myself something of a music aficionado. Maybe not to the extent of Rob Gordon but certainly, I like to think about/critique/discuss music. Now that I have something of a commute to work, I spend a little more time by myself in the car listening to music of my choice. So yesterday, as I was driving in, I was listening to what I consider one of the great albums of my time, U2's Achtung Baby, released nearly 15 (!!) years ago now.
Now of course, you can click through to allmusic.com's review of the album, and read their insightful commentary, but I want to focus on a particular song, "One". It's been one of my favorite songs since I first heard it (trivia moment: my wife actually considers it "Our Song" which, if you know the song, is a little disturbing). In my mind, it's a near-perfect blend of powerful music and powerful lyrics, especially the following lines:
"Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head?"
I have a tremendous admiration for people who have the ability to express powerful sentiment in simple terms. And it got me to wondering if songwriters (or authors, or playwrights, or any sort of artist) ever sit back, think over their creative output and have moments of, "Damn. That's really, really good." I wonder, if you asked Bono and the boys to name their all-time top 5 songs they've written, what would they be? Or does the artist have enough distance from his or her work to make that sort of judgement? I have enough trouble -- and I don't think I'm alone -- naming a definitive Top 5 U2 song list of my own.
I can guarantee you, though, that "One" would be on it.