|
 |
|
|
|
|
"[T]hey failed to see that War was an emotional LP rather than a political one. -- Bono, on Americans' view of the album |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"[T]hey failed to see that War was an emotional LP rather than a political one. -- Bono, on Americans' view of the album |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Like A Song: Zoo Station
@U2,
June 18, 2008
[Ed. note: This is the 21st in a series of personal essays by the @U2 staff about songs and/or albums that have had great meaning or impact in our lives.]
 Listening to "Zoo Station" has always made me feel like there was nothing I couldn't handle. The texture and rhythm of the song can chip away at whatever issue I am carrying with me, or inspire me to let everything go and drive with the windows down and stereo volume up. I've listened to it on trains, in cars, on airplanes, at the gym, while walking the dog, cleaning the apartment, or getting ready for a night out on the town with the girls. I've said, "I'm ready for the laughing gas" under my breath at work when deadlines were imminent and workflow was out of control; and I've listened to it on my headphones before walking into a job interview to keep the nerves at a minimum and energy levels high. It's one of those songs that I can fit into just about any emotion I could have on any given day.I'm ready Ready for the laughing gas I'm ready Ready for what's next Ready to duck Ready to dive Ready to say I'm glad to be alive I'm ready Ready for the push However, there is a deeply sentimental part of me that places a much higher emphasis on the importance of "Zoo Station" and the place it holds in my own personal musical history. When I first heard Achtung Baby, I was a senior in high school and deeply into synth rock. The music I listened to was heavy on mood and atmosphere. The concept of sampling music completely fascinated and hooked me. I was a big fan of complex, multi-layered music. In comparison, rock music wasn't holding my attention as it once did. I felt it needed to be fuller in structure and composition. I also felt a strong connection to bands whose music I could figure out on a keyboard if I had enough time to sit, listen and learn, since I could play the piano. Guitars were elusive instruments to me. Even though I was fully engaged in an electronic world, I always figured that an incredible riff that I couldn't get out of my head would lead me back to rock music, and I fully expected that burden to sit squarely on Edge's shoulders. Ironically, it would be Larry's drumming on "Zoo Station" that would bring me back into the U2 fold, instead of Edge's guitar. Hey baby ... hey baby ... hey baby ... hey baby ... It's alright It's alright Getting music when I was in high school was very different from getting music now. There wasn't a World Wide Web tracking the comings and goings of the band, or leaking songs. Downloading music from a platform was years off, and the smallest device I had to transport music was my cassette player, which was almost the size of a paperback book. I had to beg my parents to let me borrow the car to drive down to Rhino Records or Music Plus to check out the latest and greatest. When Achtung Baby dropped, the most I knew about it was what I had seen on MTV: "The Fly." I enjoyed the song and U2's new look enough to have my interest piqued, and I spent two weeks of my hard-earned allowance money on the cassette so I could play it in the car and on my headphones from the privacy of my room without disturbing anyone. I didn't know what to expect from Achtung Baby, but I was cautiously optimistic about what I would find on the rest of the album. I could hardly wait to listen to the tape when I got back into the car. On the drive home, I popped it into the stereo; however, I thought the system had eaten the cassette. I couldn't hear any music. Frustrated, I turned the volume all the way up to see if I could hear anything. Edge's opening riff caught me off guard and nearly gave me a heart attack from the surprise of it. Before I had a chance to recover and adjust the volume, Larry's drums were booming over the speakers. His processed beats sounded like he was issuing a wake-up call to everyone listening. It didn't sound controlled; it sounded primal and demanding. I was hooked instantly and I listened to "Zoo Station" over and over the entire drive home. The imagery fascinated me and the music entranced me. Time is a train, makes the future the past Leaves you standing in the station Your face pressed up against the glass I would eventually listen to the rest of Achtung Baby and fall in love with every song on the album, but no matter how much I rocked out to "Even Better Than the Real Thing" or was lost in the brilliance of "One" and "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)," I always came back to "Zoo Station." While I couldn't vocalize it at the time, I now believe that the idea of a journey without any particular destination was comforting to me when I was going through a reinvention of my own. I was listening to "Zoo Station" when I was trying to figure out what my future was going to be after high school. Where would the next stop in life be? Where did I want to go? Did I even have a destination in mind? Listening to "Zoo Station" allowed me to trust that no matter what I chose to do, the journey was the most important part of the process, not the destination. The destination could be elastic and subject to change. I'm gonna make it on time ... make it on time ... Zoo Station Just two stops down the line ... Zoo Station Just a stop down the line ... Zoo Station "Zoo Station" for me isn't just about having the perfect song to lift my mood or drive to. It's about rediscovering a band and experiencing music on a whole new level. It's about a band redefining themselves. It's about not being afraid of reinvention. It's about a journey, but a journey without an ending destination. It's about enjoying the ride. And all of that is easily accessed with the press of the play button. © @U2/Tomooka, 2008.
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
