The American Songwriter compiled what he considers to be The Top 20 U2 Songs, but you know these lists, they always cry for clearance. Here are my own essential 20 U2 songs, rated in descending order, which in some combination make their way onto playlists and CDs -- like the one I burned this weekend. Note that in many cases I prefer a live version over the original studio (or put them on equal standing). There's nothing from Zooropa or Pop (the band's nadir period), nor much from the most recent albums. Songs from Boy, War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and All That You Can't Leave Behind reign supreme here.1. Ultraviolet (Studio, 1991, or Live, Sheffield, 2009)
2. Bad (Studio, 1984)
3. Where the Streets Have No Name (Live, Slane Castle, 2001)
4. The Fly (Studio, 1991, or Live, Boston, 2001)
5. Drowning Man (Studio, 1983)
6. Until the End of the World (Studio, 1991)
7. Kite (Live, Slane Castle, 2001)
8. With or Without You (Live, Denver, 1987)
9. Beautiful Day (Live, Slane Castle, 2001)
10. New Year's Day (Studio, 1983)
11. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out of (Live, Slane Castle, 2001)
12. Red Hill Mining Town (Studio, 1987)
13. Out of Control (Live, Slane Castle, 2001)
14. City of Blinding Lights (Studio, 2004)
15. A Sort of Homecoming (Live, London, 1985)
16. Mysterious Ways (Studio, 1991)
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Live, Denver, 1987, or Live, Slane Castle, 2001)
18. Pride (Studio, 1984)
19. Running to Stand Still (Studio, 1987, or Live, Tempe, 1987)
20. All I Want is You (Studio, 1987, or Live, Slane Castle, 2001)
I was quite pleased to see Red Hill Mining Town in The American Songwriter's choices. Along with Drowning Man, Ultraviolet, and A Sort of Homecoming, they are terribly underrated songs, almost never played live, and I don't know why.
A fine list. But I disagree with your dismissal of Zooropa, which also boasts one of their finest: Stay (Faraway, So Close).
ReplyDeleteYou're in good company, but my blood congeals whenever I hear songs like Stay, Numb, and Lemon. I think Zooropa failed where Achtung Baby completely succeeded in "burning down the Joshua Tree" and pushing in new directions.
ReplyDeleteUnless my brain's misfiring I can only see one song from Boy here, so hardly predominating.
ReplyDeleteNitpick over, how can you have ignored the raw energy of their second album entirely.
Generally I prefer the earlier to the later U2, when energy rather than bombast was the key tone
I Will Follow is another great song from Boy, but somehow didn't make this cut. I actually like October even better than Boy -- as an album to listen to in its entirety -- but none of the individual songs stand out for me as top-20 worthy.
ReplyDeleteSo this is for you, Doug: my rating of the albums on whole, irrespective of the merits of individual songs:
1. Achtung Baby (5)
2. The Joshua Tree (5)
3. The Unforgettable Fire (4.5)
4. All That You Can't Leave Behind (4.5)
5. War (4.5)
6. October (4)
7. Boy (4)
8. Rattle and Hum (3.5)
9. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (3)
10. No Line on the Horizon (3)
11.-12. Zooropa & Pop (1)
With regards to your relative dislike for the later periods (by which I assume you mean post-Joshua Tree), I would agree except for Achtung Baby and All That You Can't Leave Behind. The former is still my favorite (every song on it is completely compelling), and is a brilliant inverse to the sound of the Joshua Tree. The latter showed U2 re-attaining greatness after the abysmal Zooropa/Pop period, though the greatness didn't last...
ReplyDeleteLove it that you have Drowning Man and Red Hill Mining Town in your Top 20. Two o m favourites. I would also have Stay in there.
ReplyDeleteI did my own top ten last year, here: http://elizaphanian.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-top-10-u2-songs.html
ReplyDeleteThe overlaps and contrasts are fascinating - which shows up, I imagine, just why U2 are so good.
Interesting list, Sam; our similarities and differences are indeed interesting. And I'm glad to see your lack of enthusiasm for Zooropa!
ReplyDeleteWith regards to I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, that was a strong favorite of mine back in the '80s but for some reason it hasn't aged well. I still like it, but along with Bullet the Blue Sky would probably rate it among the most overrated U2 songs.
Bullet the blue sky is one of the very few that I've never really liked; I can just about "appreciate" it, if you understand me, just not like it. Whereas Still Haven't Found I went off for a long time and hardly ever listened to it, but I've recently gone back to it. Says something about my spiritual journey I guess :)
ReplyDeleteThe "Sweetest Thing" was always among my favourite U2 songs, but that was when it was a Joshua Tree B-side (before it was redone and rereleased).
ReplyDeleteI agree that live versions are sometimes or often better than studio ones with U2.
Thanks for the list
Phil
Loren, any chance that one of the problems with "Still haven't found what I'm looking for" is the grim overuse by enthusiastic Christians as an evangelism starter?
ReplyDeleteI haven't been exposed to evangelical use of the song, though of course there's the gospel version from Rattle and Hum. I'm not sure why it hasn't aged well for me.
ReplyDelete