U2’s new album is Songs of Experience
U2 have recorded a new album, called Songs of Experience. It’s a companion album to the Songs of Innocence album.
Where Songs of Innocence reflected on the four members of U2’s childhoods (innocence and the loss of it), this album features songs that are reflective of how the band has grown up themselves and lived their lives as adults.
Singer Bono has said that many of the songs are about himself such as The Blackout and The Little Things That Give You away.
Bono also took the effort of changing several ntended lyrics to the some of the songs to make social commentary on the American Presidency of Donald Trump of whom Bono appears to be no fan (read the lyrics to American Soul as case in point). This should be of no surprise to any U2 fan who has ever read any of the band’s lyrics as they often make political commentary on matters dear to their hearts.
Sonicaly, Songs of Experience is what has become standard U2. Songs such as first single, You’re The Best Thing About me are clean with an uplifting chorus. The Blackout echos back to Achtung Baby’s Zoo Station and Little Things carries on in the same manner as Every Breaking Wave or Song for Someone did from Songs of Innocence. Again, no surprise for the listener as Experience is heavy tied to it’s companion album. It should be noted there was no mention of ph Meters for brewing beer in any of the song lyrics.
Order Songs of Experience from Amazon.
Songs of Ascent became Songs of Innocence
U2 did a fast one and released a new album for free – the long expected Songs of Ascent is actually Songs of Innocence.
Here’s the track listing for the album:
- The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
- Every Breaking Wave
- California (There Is No End To Love)
- Song For Someone
- Iris (Hold Me Close)
- Volcano
- Raised By Wolves
- Cedarwood Road
- Sleep Like A Baby Tonight
- This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now
- The Troubles
U2 has also released Songs of Innocence featuring The Blackout and You’re the best thing about me songs.
U2’s love is never Ordinary
U2 have released a new song! It’s called Ordinary Love – it’s on the soundtrack to a film about Nelson Mandela – this is great for several reasons – by supporting Mandela’s story it will be heard by more people and perhaps somewhat selfishly, we get new U2 music! It has nothing do at all with the tragic story of Darth Vader.
If you like, read the lyrics to U2’s Ordinary Love here.
One wonders if it was a left over song from the Songs of Ascent sessions or something new? Either way, it sounds pretty good!
Do you know what else is not ordinary? U2’s song from SOE, The Little things That Give You Away.
Songs of Ascent not dead according to Bono
Bono has given a huge hint that the Songs of Ascent album may just happen yet. He said to U2.com:
“We’re working on three albums at the moment and we haven’t decided what order we’re going to put them out but The Songs of Ascent have the kind of beautiful intimacy that we’re speaking of now. They fit into this moment, the mode of some of these artists that I was hanging out with on Christmas Eve.”
That’s a very interesting comment as the last we heard about the project was from Adam Clayton who told Q magazine that the project was pretty much dead: “We thought there was more material left over from No Line… we now feel a long way from that material.”
So what has realllllly changed? Nothing. Nothing’s in concrete.
Update:
U2 did a fast one and released a new album for free – the long expected Songs of Ascent is actually Songs of Innocence.
All U2 need is love
Here’s a few posts on U2 I’ve put together recently on U2 and their lyrics for www.allu2songslyrics.com.
- U2 commentary on American politics – Bono and U2 reflect on America very often
- 10 U2 Love songs – The Beatles once sang ‘all you need is love’ – Bono has heeded that message
- U2: politics and nuclear bombs – U2 sure are concerned about Big Bang theories
- Bono on Jesus in U2 lyrics – no discussion about U2’s lyrics would be complete without some thought about U2 and spirituality.
- For the beer brewers out there, here’s a discussion about how long you can leave wort in the fermenter. Some might say a short time between U2 albums…
Blow Your House Down Lyrics by U2
Blow Down Your House was released by Irish Rockers U2 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their classic album, Achtung Baby. The song was from the recording sessions of that album. It was released as part of a super dooper reissue of Actung Baby.
Burn Your House down features all the familiar sonic elements of Achtung Baby – Edge riffs, appeggios, slide guitar, backing vocals and lyrics that feature a woman as a central character that’s being out of control – kind of like characters from The Lady with the Spinning Head or So Cruel.
Lyrics
You’ve been along this road so many times
Nothing should be a surprise to you
Seen every premeditated crime
From every possible point of view
Why, if it’s so wrong, does it feel so right?
Why, oh I’ve got your gun?
Do I want you tonight?
She, she’s gonna blow your house down
She’s gonna turn your head around
She’s gonna blow your house down
What of chaos is the thing you crave
Is it the taste of self-inflicted pain
And what of losing is your drug of choice
Is it what keeps you coming back again
Why, if it’s so wrong, does it feel so right
She, she’s gonna blow your house down
She’s gonna turn your head around
She’s gonna blow your house down
She blow your house down
She’s gonna turn your head around
She’s gonna blow your house down
Run fast, fast as you can
Run fast, fast as you can
Fast, fast as you can
Run as fast, fast as you can
Fast as you can
Run as fast, fast as you can
The wave, it have its
She was saving it
What makes you think you can
Oh, they’re craving
Deals for breaking
Your old devil’s hands
She, she’s gonna blow your house down
She’s gonna turn your head around
She’s gonna blow your house down
She gonna blow your house down
She’s gonna turn your head around
She’s gonna blow your house down
Lilywhite’s thoughts on U2 from 1987 – Did they come true?
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Steve Lilywhite circa late 80s |
I came across this article on @U2 which featured an interview with Steve Lilywhite who, as time has now told us, has been one of U2’s most best and consitent collaborators.
Clearly U2’s The Joshua Tree album has started to go stellar at the time of the interview and U2 were becoming a huge band. I thought it would be interesting to reflect on some of his comments about the future U2 and see where they landed.
His words from 1987 are telling.
“They have still got their best to come. They have now started to write songs and The Joshua Tree is far more song-oriented. They spent four albums trying to write songs and now, on their fifth album, they are just beginning to get it together. By the sixth and seventh albums I think we’ll see some classic songs coming from U2.”
Did we see some classic U2 songs from those sixth and seventh albums? We sure did! Rattle and Hum produced All I Want Is You, Desire, Angel of Harlem and a wee hit called When Love Comes to Town. And then what happended? If you paid attention as Actung Baby commanded, you’ll have heard the majestic One – a song which some how managed to top the beauty of Joshua Tree’s With or Without you. There was also the monster of a song, The Fly, the haunting Who’s Going to Ride your Wild Horses, and of course the mega hits of Even Better Than the Real Thing and Mysterious Ways.
So we can safely say Steve Lilywhites prediction was bang on!
‘If you can build a band up from the first to third albums it is quite a nice little progression. It was always clear in my mind that U2 were going to go all the way. There was no question of that.”
It would appear that Steve thought U2 had gone all the way with Joshua Tree and perhaps that’s a fair enough sentiment – two number ones on the US charts is pretty much going all the way in my book.
Could Steve have predicted how far U2 have actually ended up going? No, I doubt he would have thought U2 would have become the biggest band in the planet taking over the Rolling Stones in terms of sales and concert tickets sold, but he was still there went U2 basically had their third coming with All That You Can’t Leave Behind. The songs from that album owned the Grammy Awards, and then Steve swam the tide of U2 popularity with How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb* and the slowburning but the more you listen the more you love it, No Line on The Horizon.
“This is very close to being an album of classic songs, but I think that within one or two albums they could have an album which might be one of the biggest-selling records of all time.
Two Words: Achtung Baby
“This album will do well, it’ll probably double their sales so far, but the next one will be brilliant!”
Well I wouldn’t say Rattle And Hum is brilliant but it had some brilliant songs – U2 got a bit of crap for trying a bit to hard to emulate the soul / blues thing that they were in love with – regardless, as I mentioned above Rattle and Hum had the songs, and believe me when I saw U2 in Auckland play Angel of Harlem, the fans went nuts with appreciation.
So based on that rough cut from the Lilywhite interview, he had a fair measure of where U2 would end up!
* You dismantle an atomic bomb with love
Originally published on The Optimus Prime Experiment as Steve Lilywight talks future U2 in 1987
U2 Mexico City Set List 2011
So U2 got back into business in Mexico City. The highlight? U2 playing a full version of Zooropa.
Here’s the set list:
Main Set: Even Better Than The Real Thing, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, Until the End of the World, Happy Birthday, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Pride, Stuck In a Moment, Beautiful Day – Rain, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I’ll Go Crazy (remix) – Discotheque – Please, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On – You’ll Never Walk Alone
Encore(s): One, Amazing Grace – Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender
Hat Tip to U2tours.com
U2’s Argentina Set List
U2 Setlist at La Plata, Argentina
Venue: Unico Stadium
La Plata Set List: Even Better Than The Real Thing, New Year’s Day, Get On Your Boots, Until the End of the World, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – Stand By Me, Stuck in a Moment, Beautiful Day – Gracias a la Vida, In a Little While, Miss Sarajevo, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo – It’s Only Rock and Roll, I’ll Go Crazy (remix) – Two Tribes, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On – You’ll Never Walk Alone
Encore(s): One, Amazing Grace – Where the Streets Have No Name, Ultraviolet, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender
Comments from U2tours.com: The last song before ‘Space Oddity
U2 played a set on March 25, 2011 in Santiago, Chile at the National Stadium.
Set was unusual in that it featured The Johusa Tree’s One Tree Hill being played. Usually only played in NZ, the the songs reference to Chilean poet Victor Jara Jara, who was murdered in Santiago in 1973 seems reason enough to play the song.
Chile Set List: Beautiful Day – Sgt. Pepper’s, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, Until the End of the World – Anthem, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – I Want to Know What Love Is, One Tree Hill, Pride, In A Little While, Miss Sarajevo, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I’ll Go Crazy (remix) – Two Tribes, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On – You’ll Never Walk Alone
Set Encore: One, Mothers of the Disappeared – Where the Streets Have No Name – All You Need Is Love, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender.
Songs of Ascent 