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"I've nothing against synths, contrary to popular belief -- it's the machines who play the machines that worry me." -- Bono |
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"I've nothing against synths, contrary to popular belief -- it's the machines who play the machines that worry me." -- Bono |
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U2 Fans Weigh In On 'Vertigo'
@U2,
September 23, 2004
With U2's new single, "Vertigo," spreading like wildfire across the Internet and international radio today, we invited a group of fans both inside and outside the @U2 staff to review the song on the first day of listening. These first impressions are often the most pure and unfiltered, a gut reaction to something in the song that moves us. As the following opinions show, some were moved by the sound, some by the words, and some not as much as others.
Scott Perretta, @U2 contributor In a word, awesome. Best single since "The Fly." It's extreme, straight ahead, punk rock, with elements of the Who and Ramones immediately popping out -- even some "yeah, yeah, yeahs" at the end. It's like a mix of all eras of U2. You've got the basic "four guys in a room rockin' out" approach from All That You Can't Leave Behind, but with the muscle and power of Achtung Baby, and whole bunch of the atmospherics from Boy/October/War -- particularly in the bridge with old-school Edge harmonics (which really reminded me of "Surrender" at this point). It will be a great driving song -- watch your speed! Beth Maynard, Co-editor, Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog The infectious the-Ramones-meet-the-Waitresses-on-acid vibe has certainly gone a long way towards explaining what "punk rock made on Venus" meant, and I can't believe advance reviewers called this song "epic." Instantly likeable, yes; cheerfully steamrolling everything in its path, yes. Epic? No way. Have U2 ever produced a sound as confidently quirky as that verse, which still has me looking over my shoulder expecting to glimpse the B-52's girls shimmying in their miniskirts and beehive hairdos? As for the chorus and the bridge, those feature a more recognizable recipe: alternately mammoth then chiming guitar, Larry Mullen's propulsive energy, an astounding Adam Clayton bassline, and Bono sounding fresh as he delivers yet another text full of that classic ambiguous "Y/you." Lyrically, though the poetry is by no means profound or crafted, any theologically-minded hearer will observe that we're on familiar territory. We've been stopping here since "Surrender," though perhaps the closest spiritual analog is "Discotheque." (It's not a big step from "You want heaven in your heart, but you'll take what you can get if it's all that you can find" to "though your soul it can't be bought, your mind can wander.") U2 are still moths to the flame of self-abandonment -- almost ready, when the lights go down, to give it all up to a steamy swirl of energy that's "everything I wish I didn't know -- except." "But." In U2 there always is one, and no wonder, when an eerily untrustworthy voice gestures to the revelry and proposes "All of this can be yours; just give me what I want and no one gets hurt." Goodness, I believe that's one of MacPhisto's relatives wandering through, fresh from Matthew 4:8-9. And then the truer surrender snaps into place: "Your love is teaching me how to kneel." The way they get to their knees this time leaves me less emotionally persuaded than I might be, and I could do with fewer reused phrases from other songs along the way. But gosh, 15 "yeahs" later, I'm no longer in any mood to argue. All in all, "Vertigo" delights me. Seriously: The boys know that they can't dance? I'm not so sure. Khoa Tran, @U2 News This might be blasphemous to some, but I'm not entirely crazy about "Vertigo." I really, really, really tried to love it, but only ended up liking it somewhat. There's definitely a sense of energy and fun here, but it fails to connect. I've heard people liken it to Boy and October, but I find it hard to agree. The songs of Boy and October were recorded when the band could not afford a heck of a lot of time or money to make an entire record. The sense of raw energy and urgency in the songs were at least in part (and most likely a large part) due to the urgency and raw energy of being a band of 19-20 year olds who had only two weeks in which to make an album, and whose lead singer had just managed to lose all of his lyrics. In contrast, "Vertigo" sounds like a band of seasoned veterans sounding raw and energetic, but sounding like they took their time to carefully make the song sound raw and energetic. It sounds good, don't get me wrong, but it falls a bit short of being inspiring. The early U2 didn't decide to be a punk band so much as they decided to pick up some instruments and do whatever they could. "Vertigo" sounds somewhat like the band is going back to try to recapture a certain feeling. Of course, it's never quite the same the second time around. John Daly, Ireland Oh, Dear God! First impression, after I lifted my jaw off the floor, was the sheer speed of the song. Think "The Fly" crossed with "Mofo" and you might be a quarter way there. Instantly catchy, with a Spanish intro, driving guitar and a throbbing baseline. Kinda sounds like a mashup of nearly every genre of rock and roll from the last 30 years melded with classic U2 bits and pieces. Turn it up, Captain!!! Yeah Yeah Yeah!!! Kevin Byrne, @U2 News Sure, I could tell you the Edge's vibrant guitar solo reverberates and rings like a sun-dappled siren, and naturally, I could praise Bono's goosebump-inducing voice, which still soars like a keening hawk. I could say Adam Clayton's baselines have the sinewy gallop of a thoroughbred at Saratoga, that Larry Mullen Jr.'s drum licks maintain that crisp, whiplash, militant kick, and that, yes, the track is both lyrically engimatic and dogmatic (naturally), a combination of slippery sex and soaring spirit. But all of that would be old news effluvia compared to the actual aural essence of captured feelings and moments swirling inside this song, which are (to me) the following: The outfling of a body in sky-dive. The head-spinning bounce at the bottom of the bungee cord. The wind-in-your-face roar of a roller coaster on all its peaks and bellydrops. The gotta-dodge-'em highway rumble of a biker gang. The swerving, curving, roaring surf ride inside a monster pipeline on California's Gold Coast. The windy howl of the crowd during a winning run out of Yankee Stadium or the dazing blow of a sucker punch from Muhammad Ali in his prime. THAT is "Vertigo" -- a dizzying widescreen audio ride that captures all the best kickstarts and punk hearts to ever rock 'n' roll, including U2 in their youth...and it literally blows everything they've done before this moment away. Tassoula E. Kokkoris, U.S. U2's "Vertigo" takes listeners on a journey through temptation, submission and finally -- redemption. The lights go down signals the descent into sin, then the narrator is led into temptation, gaining exhilaration from the thrill: The jungle is your head, can't rule your heart/I'm feeling so much stronger than before. Finally, the chorus shows an admission of guilt: I'm at a place called Vertigo/It's everything I wish I didn't know. The second verse follows the subject further down the path of regret, claiming The night is full of holes only to eventually arrive at the obligatory Jesus reference, this time about an enticing girl with a cross necklace on. After reaffirming the feelings with a repeat of the chorus and allowing for a short Edge guitar solo, the bridge emerges, sounding dangerously like the break from "I Will Follow," not letting us forget this is signature U2 sound. What follows could be the most controversial line in the song -- All of this can be yours/Just give me what I want/and no one gets hurt. The symbolism points to rape, but considering the way Bono likes to change voices between first person and everyone else, one has to wonder if the speaker of this line is the Jesus-wearing serpent-girl who's pushed him over the line. The final verse delivers a dose of redemption, proclaiming Your love is teaching me how to kneel asking for forgiveness or thanking her for giving him the strength to resist temptation. Whatever the intent, it's a clever, biblical punk song that should spark a healthy revival of good old rock and roll. Arienh O'Connor, @U2 News It's here. I mean, IT'S HERE! "Vertigo." Finally. Do I feel vertiginous? Well, no. I feel like it's the day after Christmas, and I got some nice presents, but nothing that took my breath away. I know I should be grateful, but I feel sort of let down, and though I can't quite put my finger on what exactly was missing from the holiday, I know something was. "Vertigo" has a great beginning. Solid guitar, great bass, Bono's voice sounds good. Musically, it has a lot of power, but to me, the song does not sustain the energy promised by the intro. Lyrically, it starts off with a flip of the middle finger to people expecting poetry; by the end, it's begging for legitimacy and awash in cliché. Girl with crimson nails has Jesus 'round her neck; your love is teaching me how to kneel, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Please. Actually, "Please" would sound really good right now. I think I'll go listen to Pop for a while. The reviews from the rest of my family: "It's no 'Beautiful Day'." "It's a good song, but not the best song ever Bono's written." (Caroline, age 10) "It's bouncy." (Kate, age 7) "Bono can't count in Spanish very well. Can we listen to the mole song ("Elevation," of course) instead?" (Sarah, age 5) © @U2, 2004.
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