Only to be with you
Oh, Bono. What happened?
Bono released their new single, Get On Your Boots last Tuesday. I saw the headline on Yahoo!, and immediately went into a sugar high. I mean, I love U2*. I love U2 so much, I am willing to sell my first-born child** for tickets to one of their concerts. I'd sell my first-born child for not front-row seats, too. I'm talking balcony seats. I woke up extra-early on November 22, 2004, so I could go to Bull Moose and pick up How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb on its release date before I went to school.
I remember listening to U2 on the radio growing up. Of course, by "growing up" I meant The Joshua Tree, or at least the singles that they played on the radio. Dad liked U2, but didn't love them - his love band was The Beatles, and still is to this day. And, come on - The Joshua Tree was their introspective work, with not a lot of decksanddrums (although there was rockandroll - "Bullet the Blue Sky", for example). And Dad - he liked it rocking.
The first song where I really sat up and said, "Hey, U2's kind of awesome" was "Beautiful Day." Mom hated that song, because there was too much electronica for her tastes. Keep in mind, my mother has asked for Michael Buble's cds for Christmas. I refuse to buy her his crap (sorry, I don't mean offense - his voice is too smarmy for my tastes, and frankly, if I want to listen to Frank Sinatra-esque standards, that's what Frank Sinatra is for).
And then - "Elevation." Oh, "Elevation." The opening riff was just rough enough to satisfy - it starts off a little quiet, with just an Edge to it. Then Bono comes in with his "yeah, yeah", and BOOM - the Edge kicks it to 11, and we're off and running. Bono sounds so ... seductive - his voice wasn't what it was back in the 80s, but it's good, and everything's mixed well, and while the lyrics are slightly on the esoteric side ("I and I in the sky"?), the song makes its own kind of sense, and it rocks.
"Vertigo." Oh, man, "Vertigo" ... 3 minutes and 15 seconds of pure AWESOME. Just the right tempo, the Edge is kicking it OLD SCHOOL, and yeah, Bono doesn't really make a lot of sense and there's Spanish but the bass is thumping and oh man this is taking me back to Fall 2004's finals week, when all I wanted to do to celebrate the end of that horrible semester was blast "Vertigo" at full blast and go speeding along hairpin turns. Really, it was "Vertigo"'s fault that my B-plan is to chuck everything and move to Hollywood to be a stunt driver.
Anyway. Needless to say, I was very excited that U2 was releasing their first completely new album in four and a half years, and their new single... I was tingling with antici....... pation.
Imagine my disappointment. Because the single? Sucks.
So let's dissect this single. The first thirteen seconds KICK IT. It's like the opening of "Vertigo" - "Elevation" begins quieter. And really, in light of the past few singles where Bono faux-raps a string of nouns and nonsequitor phrases (again, "Vertigo"; "Numb"), the verses aren't deviating that much from the normal U2 stuff. What really throws me off is the title and the use of the phrase "Sexy boots / Get on your boots, yeah" - if you take the three and a half minutes to listen to the single, firstly, God bless you, because I can't believe I've listened to it all the way through at least twice now, and secondly, you'll see what I mean. The first bridge ("You don't know how beautiful / you are") - Bono doesn't quite get that first note, causing an unhappy dissonance (as opposed to the happy dissonances of Wilco, or even in the opening riffs of "Gone"). Then there's the weird Bridge #2, where Bono shouts - quite literally - about letting him into the sound, and it sounds horrible and WHAT WERE YOU THINKING.
Of course, the lyricist hasn't been admitted yet, but I know Bono had a hand in it. I think U2 has finally become a victim of over-producing and, honestly, letting their preachiness get in the way of their music. I mean, the lyrics to this song: here, in case you missed them in the song: You free me from the dark dream / candy floss ice cream / all our kids are screaming / but the ghosts aren't real
He's just not making sense. Well. Less sense than Bono usually makes.
This is the first cd that U2 will be putting out that I'm not exactly excited about. They haven't previewed any of the other forthcoming tracks, so I'm crossing my fingers that this is the 'Crap Track' - the "Kite", or the "Running to Stand Still". I mean, every band has their Crap Track - just look at "Yellow Submarine," Dad! That song sucks!
Come on, Bono - I expect more from you.
*
On MLK Day, before President Obama's (hee! I still love that!) inauguration, U2 was performing a concert or Bono was talking about something. Anyway, they were showing U2 on Headline News in the break room. I walk over to get a better view of the TV, and happen to stand next to Uncle Jean.
Me: Aw right! I love U2!
Uncle Jean: [Thinking he's funny] I love you too!
Me: THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID. [hee.]
**
I was walking through the Camp/Travel department on Saturday and have the following conversation with Diane Day:
Me: Hi.
Diane: Hi. Oh! Now, when are you having your baby?
A record stops somewhere. A window shatters.
Me: Excuse me!?
Diane: Are you going to have a baby?
Me: .... A world of NO.
She either got me confused with a) Leslie, who just had a 7 lb. 10 oz. bundle of joy; b) Erikka, the Women's Asst. Manager who's slightly taller than me and is about nine months preggers; c) Christine, Jason's wife who's about two weeks from her delivery date (but doesn't work at here); or d) Melissa the Assistant Manager for Camping, who just announced she's four months along. I mean, I guess it's natural to assume that, as I'm pretty much the only other woman in leadership who is a) straight and b) of birthing age that I'd be next, but dudes, I haven't been on a date in, like, three years. And Alan Rickman hasn't appeared in my bedroom charging me with a holy quest to stop a couple of angels from entering a church in New Jersey, so I know I'm not pregnant by immaculate means.
Bono released their new single, Get On Your Boots last Tuesday. I saw the headline on Yahoo!, and immediately went into a sugar high. I mean, I love U2*. I love U2 so much, I am willing to sell my first-born child** for tickets to one of their concerts. I'd sell my first-born child for not front-row seats, too. I'm talking balcony seats. I woke up extra-early on November 22, 2004, so I could go to Bull Moose and pick up How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb on its release date before I went to school.
I remember listening to U2 on the radio growing up. Of course, by "growing up" I meant The Joshua Tree, or at least the singles that they played on the radio. Dad liked U2, but didn't love them - his love band was The Beatles, and still is to this day. And, come on - The Joshua Tree was their introspective work, with not a lot of decksanddrums (although there was rockandroll - "Bullet the Blue Sky", for example). And Dad - he liked it rocking.
The first song where I really sat up and said, "Hey, U2's kind of awesome" was "Beautiful Day." Mom hated that song, because there was too much electronica for her tastes. Keep in mind, my mother has asked for Michael Buble's cds for Christmas. I refuse to buy her his crap (sorry, I don't mean offense - his voice is too smarmy for my tastes, and frankly, if I want to listen to Frank Sinatra-esque standards, that's what Frank Sinatra is for).
And then - "Elevation." Oh, "Elevation." The opening riff was just rough enough to satisfy - it starts off a little quiet, with just an Edge to it. Then Bono comes in with his "yeah, yeah", and BOOM - the Edge kicks it to 11, and we're off and running. Bono sounds so ... seductive - his voice wasn't what it was back in the 80s, but it's good, and everything's mixed well, and while the lyrics are slightly on the esoteric side ("I and I in the sky"?), the song makes its own kind of sense, and it rocks.
"Vertigo." Oh, man, "Vertigo" ... 3 minutes and 15 seconds of pure AWESOME. Just the right tempo, the Edge is kicking it OLD SCHOOL, and yeah, Bono doesn't really make a lot of sense and there's Spanish but the bass is thumping and oh man this is taking me back to Fall 2004's finals week, when all I wanted to do to celebrate the end of that horrible semester was blast "Vertigo" at full blast and go speeding along hairpin turns. Really, it was "Vertigo"'s fault that my B-plan is to chuck everything and move to Hollywood to be a stunt driver.
Anyway. Needless to say, I was very excited that U2 was releasing their first completely new album in four and a half years, and their new single... I was tingling with antici....... pation.
Imagine my disappointment. Because the single? Sucks.
So let's dissect this single. The first thirteen seconds KICK IT. It's like the opening of "Vertigo" - "Elevation" begins quieter. And really, in light of the past few singles where Bono faux-raps a string of nouns and nonsequitor phrases (again, "Vertigo"; "Numb"), the verses aren't deviating that much from the normal U2 stuff. What really throws me off is the title and the use of the phrase "Sexy boots / Get on your boots, yeah" - if you take the three and a half minutes to listen to the single, firstly, God bless you, because I can't believe I've listened to it all the way through at least twice now, and secondly, you'll see what I mean. The first bridge ("You don't know how beautiful / you are") - Bono doesn't quite get that first note, causing an unhappy dissonance (as opposed to the happy dissonances of Wilco, or even in the opening riffs of "Gone"). Then there's the weird Bridge #2, where Bono shouts - quite literally - about letting him into the sound, and it sounds horrible and WHAT WERE YOU THINKING.
Of course, the lyricist hasn't been admitted yet, but I know Bono had a hand in it. I think U2 has finally become a victim of over-producing and, honestly, letting their preachiness get in the way of their music. I mean, the lyrics to this song: here, in case you missed them in the song: You free me from the dark dream / candy floss ice cream / all our kids are screaming / but the ghosts aren't real
He's just not making sense. Well. Less sense than Bono usually makes.
This is the first cd that U2 will be putting out that I'm not exactly excited about. They haven't previewed any of the other forthcoming tracks, so I'm crossing my fingers that this is the 'Crap Track' - the "Kite", or the "Running to Stand Still". I mean, every band has their Crap Track - just look at "Yellow Submarine," Dad! That song sucks!
Come on, Bono - I expect more from you.
*
On MLK Day, before President Obama's (hee! I still love that!) inauguration, U2 was performing a concert or Bono was talking about something. Anyway, they were showing U2 on Headline News in the break room. I walk over to get a better view of the TV, and happen to stand next to Uncle Jean.
Me: Aw right! I love U2!
Uncle Jean: [Thinking he's funny] I love you too!
Me: THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID. [hee.]
**
I was walking through the Camp/Travel department on Saturday and have the following conversation with Diane Day:
Me: Hi.
Diane: Hi. Oh! Now, when are you having your baby?
A record stops somewhere. A window shatters.
Me: Excuse me!?
Diane: Are you going to have a baby?
Me: .... A world of NO.
She either got me confused with a) Leslie, who just had a 7 lb. 10 oz. bundle of joy; b) Erikka, the Women's Asst. Manager who's slightly taller than me and is about nine months preggers; c) Christine, Jason's wife who's about two weeks from her delivery date (but doesn't work at here); or d) Melissa the Assistant Manager for Camping, who just announced she's four months along. I mean, I guess it's natural to assume that, as I'm pretty much the only other woman in leadership who is a) straight and b) of birthing age that I'd be next, but dudes, I haven't been on a date in, like, three years. And Alan Rickman hasn't appeared in my bedroom charging me with a holy quest to stop a couple of angels from entering a church in New Jersey, so I know I'm not pregnant by immaculate means.