The Thursday Canon: U2

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

It's nearly Easter! As most of our poptimists will be supping fine beverages at the Union Tavern tomorrow, the Good Friday Canon has been shifted forward to Maundy Thursday Canon. And who better to feature than everyone's favourite Cafflick* boys, U2. What a rubbish name for a band! It hasn't stopped Bono and the boys being really rather successful though, 39 hits = 13 ticks for you lot to dish out...

*NB This may be untrue but whatevs I needed a tenuous link.

[Poll #960806]

Elvis: (link)
=1. Blue Suede Shoes
=1. Hound Dog
=1. Jailhouse Rock
=1. Suspicious Minds
=5. All Shook Up
=5. Heartbreak Hotel
=5. Return To Sender
8. In The Ghetto
9. Viva Las Vegas
10. Love Me Tender

Comments

I Will Follow

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

= the pick of the non-hits obv

I could only find 10 things to tick here.

[zenith.livejournal.com]

I really can't tell anymore to what extent my loss of interest in U2 had to do with discovering much better music instead, and to what extent it was prompted by Bono being SUCH AN ENORMOUS WANKER IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO LIKE HIS BAND THAT MUCH.

And he's an enormous wanker in such a specifically off-putting way, too, in ways that affect one's ability to enjoy his band's music. There are loads of artists who I think are probably or certainly wankers whose music I can enjoy, but the smug hypocrisy and hapless try-hard uncoolness of Bono is just... pop anti-viagra.

It's a pity 'Bad' isn't on this list.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Lead singer being sweeping and pompous = small price to pay for lovely sweeping pompous music. Actually doing more serious quantifiable good than more or less anyone at his fame level is a nice bonus.

Bad

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

yes wonderful

Bonio

[the-roofdog.livejournal.com]

Owns the largest collection of hatchbacks in Europe.

[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

For a while back in 1991 Achtung Baby was my very favouritest album (I'd probably still like it if I could find my cassette copy!)

I was SHOCKED as there was a picture in the artwork of one of U2 (the drummer I think) with his W1LLY OUT!

[zenith.livejournal.com]

It was the bass player - the only one who has never been 1 Christian.

Alternative lyrics to 'Vertigo'

[zenith.livejournal.com]

Hello, hello
I am the man called Bonio
This my friend he's called The Edge you know

Re: Alternative lyrics to 'Vertigo'

[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

This has just made me splurt tea out of my nose!

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

sorry, i could only tick 4. if that's ruined the stats i will untick them

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Can I have your spares?

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

i haf ticked none as a PROTEST.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

'Lemon' had a (good) video and some (not bad) remixes (inc the Oakenfold mix that turned into Grace's 'Skin On Skin') but was never a single - odd.

Other U2 songs I like:

I Will Follow
Sunday Bloody Sunday (cor, i know the feeling boys!)
Bullet The Blue Sky (live Zoo TV version at least)
Numb
Daddy's Gonna Pay... (just for the intro and drums)
Mofo!/Pop Muzik (Live @ Popmart)

i can't really defend any of them very well tho

Blimmin' Sunday

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm surprised this wasn't a single. A 'live favourite', perhaps?

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Does no one else like Electrical Storm? I'll be buggered.

George Bush doing 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6805063692754011230). (just in case anyone hasn't seen it)

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

That's a work of genius, thank you.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Was Bad not a hit?

Bonio is prize fool, and nearly everything post Joshua Tree is pretty painful, but I've gradually come back round to thinking that they definitely had *something* in the beginning.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

As a testament to What Is Wrong With The Youth Of Today, me and one of my friends spent three hours getting trashed on Kronenberg shandies in a pub when we woz about fifteen and seventeen respectively playing 'The Elevation Game,' which goes like this-
Player one: My boyfriend's horribly clingy and chick-flick and I'm a bit of an emotionless libido, this leads to much frus-stra-tion
Player two: But if you broke up with him you'd just end up in a state of des-per-a-tion.
Player one: Oh I don't know, I'd probably just go and put my hands all over that handsome male over there but that would probably be mol-est-a-tion
ETC., ETC., ETC., OH GOD MY WASTED YOUTH.

See also

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I'm 1x MOLE
Digging in 1x HOLE
Climbing up a POLE
Many fish is called a SHOAL
Born at Christmas? You're called NOEL

etc

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

U2 = crucial in my theory of the overwhelming importance of perceived sense of humour in music-liking: if you think they're po-faced rockists, then nothing will apparently change your mind on this, if you think they're larking about in a manner that Biggest Bands in the World should do (take note, Coldplay), then everything partcularly Rattle and Hum is revealed as comic genius.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

not convinced.

it's not so much the po-facedness, as the try-hardness...

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I taped 'Hold Me Thrill Me etc etc' off the radio and took it into Music lesson on the last day of term when we were allowed to bring in 'something from home' to listen to. The only people who had bothered were me and the metaller boys, who seemed quite impressed that I, 1xswotty girl liked 'rock music'. This was 199-bloody-5! And I think the stolen radio version in question had a clip of Jim Carrey doing The Riddler over the beginning. Oh dear.

riddle me this, riddle me that, who's afraid of the big black bat

[the-roofdog.livejournal.com]

o dear, I own it on 1x CD single.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

I always thought "Numb" and "Lemon" were singles. "Discotheque" is horrid, but I ticked the other four singles off the maligned but quite decent Pop album. Last tick was "Elevation" for me.

Surprised "With Or Without You" and "AlL I Want Is You" aren't doing a bit better, even if you hate U2, those two are pretty good.

With Or Without You

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I blame the Ross & Rachel factor. RUINED IT FOR EVER.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

I can only assume that the foax who've ticked Pride but not Unforgettable Fire haven't heard the latter, what with it being abt 1000x better and that.

The Forgettable Fire, etc.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Never understimate the importance of putting the title in the chorus. Or in this instance, having a chorus.

OT: Attn Mr Ewing

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Now 66 is available in shops! Now poll next week?

Re: OT: Attn Mr Ewing

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Did we have 65? poptimists's profile only goes to 64.

ALL RUB! ALL OF THEM!

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

It's a three way tussle between Moz, Bowie and Bono has to who has the worst voice in popular music. I hate it I hate it I hate it.

Re: ALL RUB! ALL OF THEM!

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

you are a strange man matthew.

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

The US canon would have no additional songs, but would leave out many/most of the ones listed above...mostly the bad ones. This canon is better than I would have thought it would be. I hate Bono just like anybody else, and they are unbearably pretentious, and it's hard to listen to them for long stretches at a time, but they have several nice singles.

Missing track

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Even Better Than The Real thing (Remix) which was a bigger hit than the original, one month later (and is listed separately on everyhit). And would have been one of the only tracks I could have bared to tick.

Re: Missing track

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

My bad. I normally take off remixes and re-releases as a matter of course if there is already a track by that name listed.