Friday, September 25, 2009
Music U2: 40
Posted by Greg Akers on Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 10:55 AM
To celebrate, I believe a list is called for. Top 40 U2 songs. Go:
1. New Year’s Day (War)
2. Zooropa (Zooropa)
3. The Fly (Achtung Baby)
4. The Electric Co. (Boy)
5. Mofo (Pop)
6. All I Want is You (Rattle and Hum)
7. Until the End of the World (Achtung Baby)
8. Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
9. Dirty Day (Zooropa)
10. City of Blinding Light (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
11. Do You Feel Loved (Pop)
12. Stay (Faraway, So Close!) (Zooropa)
13. Acrobat (Achtung Baby)
14. The Unforgettable Fire (The Unforgettable Fire)
15. No Line on the Horizon (No Line on the Horizon)
16. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) (Achtung Baby)
17. Zoo Station (Achtung Baby)
18. A Sort of Homecoming (The Unforgettable Fire)
19. Gone (Pop)
20. Wire (The Unforgettable Fire)
21. Seconds (War)
22. Out of Control (Boy)
23. Miss Sarajevo (Best of 1990-2000)
24. Surrender (War)
25. FEZ-Being Born (No Line on the Horizon)
26. Breathe (No Line on the Horizon)
27. Magnificent (No Line on the Horizon)
28. Staring at the Sun (Pop)
29. Red Hill Mining Town (The Joshua Tree)
30. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (Best of 1990-2000)
31. Kite (All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
32. Drowning Man (War)
33. Last Night on Earth (Pop)
34. Please (Pop)
35. Miami (Pop)
36. Running to Stand Still (The Joshua Tree)
37. Rejoice (October)
38. If You Wear That Velvet Dress (Pop)
39. I Fall Down (October)
40. A Day Without Me (Boy)
* The rules: The list is designed to be democratic. The only songs eligible are those from their 12 studio albums (Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, Achtung Baby, Zooropa, Pop, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, No Line on the Horizon) and 2 Best Of compilations (1980-1990 and 1990-2000). Soundtrack songs (unless appearing in the aforementioned) are ineligible, as are B-sides, remixes, side-project material (no Passengers songs are eligible except “Miss Sarajevo,” since it was on a Best Of), and live versions.
Comments (19)
Showing 1-19 of 19
U2 is just beaten out by Radiohead for the title of most overrated rock band of my lifetime.
No "One" (the only truly essential U2 song, even if I might like the Mary J. Blige post-Katrina version better) = no credibility
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You're crazy on so many fronts. I left off "One," "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Pride," "With or Without You," et al. because I like all of those songs a lot in theory, but I find that I've heard them all so much I can't really bring myself to care about them anymore.
And Radiohead = overrated = no credibility. I will have to accelerate my plans for releasing my Radiohead list.
Is this in order? Your #2 song is "Zooropa"? No "Bad" at all in Top 40? Are you sure this isn't the top 40 u2 songs you could think of off the top of your head? Did you purposefully leave out 'With or Without You' and 'Where the Streets Have No Name' to stir up controversy on a no-news Friday?
So at the end of this post, Greg lists all of these 'rules', which is his criteria of what songs are considered/not considered for his list. It's such a long a confusing string of restrictions, it makes me think he created it to ward off criticism of his choices. Greg adds even more ridiculous criteria in the comments after someone else challenges him:
Quote: "I left off 'One,' 'Where the Streets Have No Name,' 'Pride,' 'With or Without You,' et al. because I like all of those songs a lot in theory, but I find that I've heard them all so much I can't really bring myself to care about them anymore."
So this list is a now a list of 'Top 40 U2 songs that are only from their 12 studio albums/Best of compilations, but no B-sides, remixes, side projects (with an exception!), live versions, NOR SONGS THAT THE AUTHOR LIKES 'IN THEORY' BUT HEARD THEM TOO MANY TIMES.
No offense to Memphis Flyer, U2, or Greg Akers, but this is absurd. I bet if he made a list of best PG-13 movies, he'd add in more ludicrous criteria like 'but they can't be movies based on comic books' or something silly like that. Come on - if you're going to do a 'best of' list, come up with a topic and do the list. Instead it looks like you make the list and then made up a topic that fits it.
I understand the over playing/listening of certain songs can leave a bad taste in ones mouth, but why did you listen that many times. Plain and simple, "Pride" and "40" should be on the list. They are both well conceived and heart felt and rightly deserve a place on "your" list.
An explanation of why some popular songs weren't on my list is not a restriction that they weren't eligible. They were eligible, and I love "A Day Without Me" better than "Pride" and that's all there is to it. And I won't take blame for the gross overplaying of radio-friendly "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" from my youth. (I agree about the awesomeness of "40" — it just missed the cut at #43.)
As for the rules that were in place, I suppose I could've said that every U2 song/remix/B-side ever was eligible. But would this list be more interesting because it had "Lady With a Spinning Head," "Discotheque (DM Deep Extended Club Mix)," and "Discotheque (Howie B, Hairy B Mix)" on it? All three of those would be on my all-inclusive Top 40 U2 songs, but lists are about making choices, including the establishing criteria. I consider these 40 a layman's list that are widely available to anybody anywhere, not some geek fanboy recitation of favored esoterica. Which I'm completely capable of, but nobody wants to rubberneck that crime scene.
Why you so suck Greg Akers? Why you so suck?
There are only 3 songs on my U2 Top 40. There's clearly something wrong with my heart, soul, brain, or (seat of consciousness of your choosing).
Conversely, my U2 list would be all overplayed hits because I only think of them as a decent pop band and don't care about all of their boring, overwrought and/or self-indulgent album cuts!
1. One
2. New Year's Day
3. Beautiful Day
4. With or Without You
5. um...
I do agree that "Pride" is overrated.
Ah, I see now. Those songs didn't make the Top 40 list because you liked other songs better and that's all there is to it. Thanks for clarifying.
I can't wait to see how tomorrow's Top 40 U2 songs list by Greg Akers changes, should he hear Magnificent on 98.1 twice today and it be ruined in his ears forever.
I need to clarify something, too. You know how in my above comment I said, "No offense to Memphis Flyer, U2, or Greg Akers"? Well, to clarify, I really do mean offense to Memphis Flyer, U2, and Greg Akers!
One doesn't do much for me.
New Year's Day is my #1 though
Then Sunday Bloody Sunday (yes, I confess it)
Then, I dunno, maybe "I Will Follow?"
I don't like anything about Joshua Tree and kinda stopped caring after that. No hipster posing but that's when it hit me that the Edge plays the same song over & over again.
I'm particularly discouraged by Greg's reviews of the Brady Bunch movies. If he knew anything about Florence Henderson he'd know that Shelly Long NAILED IT!
Uh, "Even Better Than The Real Thing" from "Achtung Baby" isn't on this clusterf*** list? WTF? That was some of the most delectable psychedelia to come down the pike since The Records' "Crashes" album back in the early 80's. You damn punks. Get outta my yard, all of yaz.
In his rules, Greg said I could include songs from the two "Best of..." compilations. Good. U2 was smart and tweaked some of their songs from their ho-hum 1997 Pop album and placed the improved versions on the Best of 1990-2000 compilation, hoping people would forget about the crappy Pop originals. The results were extremely satisfying, and I did forget about the crappy Pop versions! A song like Gone would not have made my top 40 list if it had stayed as it was on Pop. But U2 retooled the song and smacked it on their "Best Of" album. Therefore, it shows up on my list. Thanks Greg!
1. Bad (The Unforgettable Fire)
2. All I Want is You (Rattle and Hum)
3. With or Without You (The Joshua Tree)
4. Mysterious Ways (Achtung Baby)
5. Gone (Best of 1990-2000.... NOT the original from the album, Pop)
6. Magnificent (No Line on the Horizon)
7. Kite (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
8. Out of Control (Boy)
9. Unknown Caller (No Line on the Horizon)
10. Wire (The Unforgettable Fire)
11. Pride (The Unforgettable Fire)
12. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (Best of 1990-2000)
13. Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own (No Line on the Horizon)
14. Even Better than the Real Thing (Achtung Baby)
15. Please (Best of 1990-2000.... NOT the original from the album, Pop)
16. Acrobat (Achtung Baby)
17. Where the Streets Have No Name (The Joshua Tree)
18. A Sort of Homecoming (The Unforgettable Fire)
19. No Line on the Horizon (No Line on the Horizon)
20. The Electric Co. (Boy)
21. The Unforgettable Fire (The Unforgettable Fire)
22. Gloria (October)
23. Mofo (Pop... yes, the original from Pop)
24. Zooropa (Zooropa)
25. Grace (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
26. If You Wear that Velvet Dress (Pop... yes, the original from Pop)
27. So Cruel (Achtung Baby)
28. Sweetest Thing (Best of 1980-1990)
29. I Fall Down (October)
30. Surrender (War)
31. City of Blinding Lights (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
32. A Day Without Me (Boy)
33. In God's Country (The Joshua Tree)
34. Beautiful Day (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
35. The First Time (Zooropa)
36. The Fly (Achtung Baby)
37. Electrical Storm (Best of 1990-2000)
38. Crumbs From Your Table (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
39. Shadows and Tall Trees (Boy)
40. Desire (Rattle and Hum)
Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. Pam, you answered the call and, just like in the great Kirsten Dunst/Eliza Dushku cheerleading movie, you brunged it good.
That said, what exactly have brought here? Won't quibble right now about the songs you do like and those you left off, but I will say: WTF with this Pop business? That you call the band's most honest record "ho-hum" is pitiable. That you prefer that band's wrongheaded retooling of already-good songs is outrageous. I suppose you were equally pleased that Steven Spielberg put walkie-talkies in the cops' hands in his ridiculous E.T. tweak and that Greedo shot first in the Star Wars special edition.
Pam got it right! If Steven Spielberg had originally put walkie-talkies in the movie, but then went back and put in guns, THAT's what Pam just did with your list. Except Greg is no Steven Spielberg - there were too many movies in Greg's childhood for him to become a Steven Spielberg.
Greg,
Let me get this straight. You have exactly one friend in this thread, Pam, and you choose to mock her and compare her list to a couple of lame add on sceens in two over hyped movies? Not a very good use of the Force, young Jedi Wannabe.
I have spent countless hours trying to finish my U-2 top 40 list and I think I finally have it. Of course, I followed all of your "so called rules", which ended up changing the top 10 around a little but here goes for YOUR viewing pleasure.
1-40 in this order:
I thought for fun and to encourage a spirited debate I would include my top 40 Justin Timberlake songs. I chose to include anything he has recorded just to make it a open season on his career. So here goes:
1-40 in this order:
WOW! Amazing but true. Neither one has ever recorded anything noteworthy and they BOTH suck equally! I think that sums up how much respect I have for Bono, Edge, the rest of the boys in the band who have no cool names, Justin and Greg their biggest fan!
Interesting list. A little heavy on Zooropa and Pop, but good stuff. Did you really leave Bad off intentionally? Pleased to see the inclusion of Out of Control - my favorite. I'd like to see your Radiohead list. Herrington is crazy with his Radiohead/U2 hate, but Robert Christgau doesn't like them, so Chris apparently can't either. :-). Keep up the good work. Kid A = best cd of decade and In Rainbows would be in my top 10 too.
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