What Makes This Song Great? Ep.102 U2 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
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- Опубліковано 25 кві 2021
- In this episode of What Makes This Song Great? I break down "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" from U2's iconic Joshua Tree album. The song was the second #1 single from Joshua Tree and is one of the greatest rock songs of all-time.
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"If you want your music to sound human- you actually have to have it played by humans!"....Rick Beato 2021
And 2020, and 2019, and 2018... and then some ;-)
That just tells me the computers aren't very sophisticated yet. A computer doesn't have to feel to understand subtle imperfections in the timing can make things more emotive. The real problem is there's no incentive for such sophistication in the age of garbage like WAP selling.
love the what makes this song great videos. You should make one on a Temple of the Dog song, specifically Say Hello To Heaven.
Another reason why I love you Rick. You make sense.
Unlike the piano intro Rick used to use for his “everything music” videos.
Glad we don’t have to listen to that anymore!
Honestly Rick do not worry about going a little deeper on a certain aspect. Most of these videos could stand to be a little longer, your passion is what makes *these videos* great!
Absolutely. Give us more drums, more of every detail.
Agreed. This has been one of my favourites so far.
On point! Longer videos!
On point. Longer videos.
concurrence
The thing I have always appreciated about U2 is they are a complete band. Each member brings an important sound to each song and it is why they have been together for so long. They truly love to create with each other.
Very well said. I completely agree.
Yes...& unlike some high profile bands each member of U2 gets an equal cut of royalties & profits whether they wrote a song or not. That's why there's no rift. Sadly certain members of The Smiths, The Beatles & Police had giant egos as well as talent, where only the song writers got royalties...or were seen as higher than their drummer & sometimes bass player.
To me that was most visible on the album "War". You had songs where Adam Clayton was more prominent - "Two Hearts Beat As One" - others where you could not escape the drumming of Larry Mullen Jr. (Surrender, Sunday Bloody Sunday). Ditto for the other 2 members.
Edge, to me, is a master of playing the song as opposed to playing the instrument. He may not be to most technical or flashy player, but he always gives the song exactly what it needs
He's a masterclass in being a guitar minimalist.
@@sdalt001 he really is
And yet there is the solo on Bullet the Blue Sky on the Zoo TV concert from Sydney. Very intricate, very not-Edge, but he's brilliant at it. I used have a girlfriend who thought he was pretty basic. I gave her a listen to that. She changed her mind.
I’m starting to feel that way about Larry Mullen, Jr., too… Some very oblique connection to the style of Keith moon. If Keith Moon could keep time.
@johnnyxmusic LOL...Musical quote of the year:
"If Keith Moon could keep time."
This is the most important music channel on UA-cam .
he is so educational. BRILLIANT!
Absolutely right!
Absolutely
one of*
He needs to be exempt from all of the copyright bots.
The Larry Mullen Jr. sidebar was well deserved. The guy doesn’t get enough credit for giving so many U2 songs their signature sound. The contributions of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois can’t be ignored either. They sculpted all those parts into the symphony that this song truly is.
I’m a vocalist and I didn’t even get that until Rick pointed it out and holy crap, the groove is in the pocket so hard you could fit an entire pool table in there.
@@dirfrops I’m listening to the whole album in my new Ultimate Ears in-ears and I’d forgotten just how buttoned down this band was/is. Eight ball in the corner pocket, for dammed sure.
@@dirfrops Adam Clayton holds down the fort too. No fuss, no showing off, just grooving along.
@Sean Vedell - I agree! Laz' may not be the most technically skilled drummer, but he's got a knack for coming up with interesting and unusual rhythms 🙂 He was once saying he wished he'd played something different and "better" on 'New Year's Day', but I'm glad he didn't; He plays the exact right part, as usual 🙂
Agreed. To me Larry's approach feel ancestral or tribal in a way. Very soulful and hypnotic, yet still impactful in a rock'n'roll way. I guess you could say that about the whole sound of the band too, especially on this album. Like a feeling from an old time but with a new sound palette. I definitely give Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois fair credit for that too. I am a big fan of Steve Lilywhite, but it's definitely worth listening to his alternate mixes. Perfectly good technically, but not the atmosphere of the final album version at all. It was even missing the central guitar part that defines this song for me. But that's the fascinating part, to hear what it was missing. There are a lot of half baked songs these days because people aren't patient enough to work the songs until they find the magic.
It’s amazing just how good Joshua Tree still sounds today. Absolutely timeless, in an era of dated sounding records.
I thought The Unforgettable Fire was in the same class, aurally, as it would be with Eno and Lanois at the controls.
Completely off topic, but if you want to go back further, The Colour Of Spring by Talk Talk is one of the most unbelievably well-mixed and mastered albums you will ever hear. Lots of 80s records are so dated, but not that one (or actually it is, but in the best possible way).
@@michaelanderson2881 Holy heck, yes! I discovered The Colour of Spring in January 2021. It was *the* discovery of 2021 for me, and I spent the next 11 months searching for records with a similar aesthetic, production value, or some other less tangible quality. David Sylvian and Kate Bush had some well produced records at around the same time. Tears For Fears had a similar aesthetic to Talk Talk, but I think that the production of their records hasn't stood the test of time. I'd love to see a "What Makes This Song Great Episode 1**... the band is Talk Talk... the song is..." Ideally it could be Living In Another World- there's so much to unpick in that song. I'd love to know how the bass line in the second section interacts with the chords from a music theory standpoint. And about the chord change from the second section to the chorus.
I'd pick Life's What You Make It, since I think it was also used in a Budweiser commercial.
Agreed
That's exactly true! I will even go further: the last two (not very good, to say the least) records (not including the most recent total useless 're-imagening' album) of them already sounds dated. And they are from 2014 and '17! Not so with TJS. It's a timeless masterpiece.
U2 is the prime example of what chemistry can do, and how it makes a band, or not. NONE of these guys could even play their instruments for the first while. But what their vision was, kept them together, and ultimately, proved transformational.
In college I was always "meh" toward U2. Then one summer I was working in Yellowstone National Park, and some of us were driving over to Red Lodge, Montana. No radio reception of any kind out there, and someone dug the Joshua Tree out of a backpack so we threw it on. Driving up over the Beartooth Highway, which feels like the roof of the world, with this song and "Where The Streets Have No Name".....I finally GOT U2. It was a conversion experience of sorts.
No one can deny the power of that intro.
The Gospel influence is definitely the conversion part of it, yes it does driving a much better experience, I'm smiling thinking of all the day trips with my girlfriend now wife.
I didn't like them 'til I heard U2 warming up for their gig in my local stadium. I was in a park across from it and I heard 'that' organ start up. Then I heard Bono singing it just like the record. And it was SO LOUD, even from a good half-kilometer away! After hearing it how it was meant to be heard, I was officially converted. I was humming it the whole rest of the day.
Hello from Billings 😁😂
Streets is amazing when you listen to it in a really echoing location like a big hall or a mountain top. Rick would have fun breaking it down.
Finally someone gives proper credit to Larry Mullen Jr. One of rock's most underrated drummers. Great episode, sir.
Technically he's probably the best musician in the band.
@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 Yeah. I love Adam's bass, but I agree with you
@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623i best you but that is open for discussion
Not true he does get proper credit, on the last U2 video Rick did! 😄
Also he is the reason there even is a band. He was the one looking for others to start one
Watching this gives insight to how good U2 realy is ..melodys from another world ,dreamstate ..all from a few chords ...a band made in heaven .
One of the many reasons U2’s music is so great IS the simplicity. It’s designed to engage the “common man” because each song is a story about human existence. The tunes and melodies are simple and the words are easy to hear so we can sing along and connect with them. The band might be mega stars and millionaires now, but they were always musicians of and FOR the people.
They may have started like that, but Bono turned into a complete arse somewhere along the way.
I loved your comment!!!
Yes…and in general, I never understood why some people think a song has to have a million chords and weird notes to be considered great. The greatness of a song is how it sounds, feelings it elicits, how many times you want to hear it….
I have no idea what he's talking about half the time, but watching how enthusiastic he is about these songs makes me appreciate every little part more.
Ditto!!
Hahaha! Agreed! I love the music equally as much, I just never knew there were names for what I was hearing! Rick’s passion for the art is contagious.
That’s me too. I know just enough to appreciate that what he’s saying explains the composition, but do I GET it? Naaah.
Seriously pick dimpling?
If you don’t care about the messages in U2s lyrics , then the songs are meaningless. They become no different than most of the music today , in other words , commercially viable but no meaning . I love the music in U2s songs but with those commentaries on society along with their creativity and technical skills and innovation the complete package is greater than the sum of their parts , which is to say they are the amazingly great .
"You actually have to have it played by humans and not corrected"
HELL YES!!!
Can’t believe Bono sang this a half step HIGHER than what we hear in the recording…what a voice.
I have my doubts about this...how do we know they weren't just playing the tape back faster speed by accident in that doc? In the 80s shows I've listened to the band plays this song a half step lower than it appears on the record. Is this theory supported elsewhere?
@@IntangibleBeatzthere's a video on YT with Daniel lanois playing it.
Nice tone. And yeah, don’t see how anybody can slag Edge’s playing. In a world full of “look how fast I can play” guitarists, Edge CRAFTS music.
When people get mad it’s cause he did it and they didn’t
I'm pretty a-musical, but I am reminded of the general idea that what may seem simple is usually actually harder than it looks.
I've read loads of comments saying "don't slag The Edge off" but I've not actually seen anyone slagging him.
He's not so much in the hendrixian rock mode. Play guitar like a synth kinda. There's a clip from the movie "it might get loud" where he plays a riff with and without effects. The "dry" version of the riff legitimately sounds grating, annoying and horrible. With effects it sounds spacious and beautiful. He writes parts that only sound good with loads of delay, reverb, chorus and other FXs but can sound terrible only clean or only distorted. It may sound like I'm slagging on him but I'm not. I really love some of his playing but he really does play with a totally different skill set and Intention then the usual rock guy. This is why he gets hate I think.
How dare The Edge make music that people actually want to listen to
Rick, that fact about the Herdim pick is probably the nerdiest and most fascinating thing I've learned on UA-cam.
Same. It blew my mind when Rick demonstrated it. I have always wondered how Edge got that trademark chime sound in his guitar notes. It was that simple all this time, and I never knew it.
That pick looks killer. No more drops. I'm going to look for some.....
Edge's guitar tech spoke about it when he did a rig rundown.
yeah as a non-musician, that kind of little detail is fascinating. Without it, ok its a great lick. But that textured pick and suddenly its like you are in a completely different room.
I found out by playing their song ‘bad’ and I accidentally had the pic the wrong way round (don’t ask me how) and I did it the way edge did it, and all the colours bled into one. I was like wow this is great
There is a reason you have over 2 and a quarter million subscribers Rick, the world is full of people who appreciate great music. The way you break it down is priceless, and I appreciate every single moment you spend on these songs. Thank you, and please don't give the length of your WMTSG breakdowns a second thought, we are all fine with it!
Yes yes yes
Yes, I love that he goes deep. Time has never been an issue with these at all.
His love of music is infectious. I’m not a musician so much of what he says is over my head, but these are still so entertaining
@@bostonphotographer20 I envy his musical knowledge. I’m grateful that I have what little understanding I have, due to having grown up in an era when kids were encouraged to learn how to play a musical instrument. (The violin in my case, and the titles of some of the pieces I learned would now be considered terribly politically incorrect!)
U2 is a perfect example a true band… they are greater than the sum of their parts.
Let’s not forget Brian Eno’s contributions to Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree’s as a recording engineer. Arguably their best albums!
Back in 2002 I was 23 and I worked with a 53 year old Guatemalan guy who I was friendly with. He was a huge Beatles fan and music in general. He played piano. Anyway one day I mentioned U2 and he had no idea what I was talking about. Somehow, this band had completely escaped him his entire life. As a young American kid I couldn't believe it. I told him I would bring in my Joshua Tree CD the next day for him to borrow. He had a great stereo system at home. The next day I asked if he had a chance to listen to it and he said he listened to the entire album and loved it. I remember he removed his glasses and began shaking his head and saying something about how well the instruments were all played and recorded. I just knew it as a huge pop culture album, but he really was a musician and appreciated how well it was crafted. I had hoped he would like them but he seemed to like them way more than I expected.
Thanks for sharing, beautiful
I was one of the only kids in my school in the Midwest (US) listening to this back when it came out. In fact, I was surprised when U2 made the cover of Time magazine, because I didn't realize the album was so popular. It was like a hidden gem for me. So, I guess the point being that a lot of people didn't appreciate it back then. I'm glad you were able to turn your co-worker on to it.
@@ragayomama I was a teenager in Chicago when Joshua Tree came out. At the time music fandom among white kids was definitely very split and U2 were very much coming out of the post-punk strain. The other big one was metal. There were other groups of youth fandom, of course, such as white kids listening to rap (just becoming a thing) or house music (really big in Chicago then), but those were the two main camps. (I'm leaving aside black or Hispanic kids---music was really segregated then.)
This was when bands like Guns 'n Roses and Metallica were on their way up and other pop metal bands like Motley Crue were in their heyday. The way we talked about it then was "punkers" versus "dirtheads", although there were clearly camps there, too, because there were "punkers" who were into what was at the time called college or alternative rock and metal fans were into more obscure underground artists, not pop metal---GnR and Metallica came out of the underground but this was before they were mainstream.
Great songwriters...all with parts to play.
Awesome story!!
One of the greatest albums of all time.
A masterpiece from start to finish.
Red Hill mining town,one tree hill,exit,streets.
All absolute masterpieces.
Every song 10/10.
I totally second that!
I'm so glad that Joshua Tree celebration tour happened and there are so many good versions of Red Hill Mining Town these days!
One of the few albums from that era that I still listen to front to back.
@@augustearth back when albums were albums, you put them on the turntable & listened right through on both sides whilst admiring the album cover artwork. Joshua Tree is art.
@@rafaelspechts It’s such a shame that there was never a live version of Red Hill Mining Town in U2’s prime. What I would’ve paid to hear that.
The edge is the anti-guitar hero. Every note he's every played was for his band.
True
Dare we say the Ringo of guitarists?
Exactly. Shred for show, play for doe.
Absolutly true!
It's easy to agree
U2 is one of the few artists that people will still be listening to in 200 years
good prediction
Amen!
True, you can add Queen and Bowie to that list, all Live Aid artists.
But _not_ Paul Simon. At least according to some guy in another of Rick's videos I watched earlier.
😂😂😂
That bit about the scratchiness of the pick has officially blown my mind.
I'm getting that pick right now !
Totally...playing this song, I'd just try and approximate it with gain or something. JFC the magic of a plectrum! lol
if you're a hardcore u2 fan, you know this particular detail. It really is as genius as it is silly.
I've been studying and playing Edge's stuff since the 90s, and prior to the interwebz I had no idea about the Herdim pick. I finally learned of them and bought some, and it suddenly I had Edge's guitar in my living room. Stupid little pick finally solved a longtime mystery!
The dimpled pick is my main takeaway from this video.
The Joshua Tree album sounded like the future in 1987 and still sounds like the future in 2021. It's absolutely timeless.
This album is like a soundscape of the 80s and 90s for me. Beautiful album start to finish
That's a great way to describe how it felt in 1987. It did sound like the future!
A pop rock LP by a post-punk band doing a gospel song. Who does that? U2.
Yeah, it kind of stands alone, it was always in its own class. It’s own thing compared to contemporary’s music.
Over at the Herdim Picks factory: "Hey Jim, why did our sales just go through the roof last night?"
I’m no musician Rick but I could listen to your videos all day….how you explain all the great music of our generation. I’m 59 too. You are an ally in our quest to make sense of all the great music culture we lived through. Amazing. You have fantastic presence to camera.
"Is that too much drumming? - No." Great call.
Agree 100%! That drummer was amazingly talented and I could have listened for a few minutes more. Many times in R&R, drummers are taken for granted and are thought more as beat keepers than artists.
Could have done with a bit more cowbell...
In funk the drummer sets the mood for the rest of the band to grow on.
Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton don't get enough credit. Adam's bass can be so funky at times and they're always locked in. I love listening to the rhythm section of U2 songs.
Totally agree!
One of my favorite rhythm sections of all time. Like McCartney and Starkey.
I would disagree they’re very competent musicians but nobody would put them on the greatest list-but that’s perfectly OK for this band. They’ve got so much going on lyrically and the guitar drives the band rhythmically that they are ideal for this band. Can you imagine Chuck Rainey playing bass in U2? or buddy guy playing drums? lol. It would just sound chaotic
Clatyon is who made me want to take up bass guitar. I always loved his parts even listening to them as a kid.
@@MVTX Even today - his grooves are completely killer. "Red Flag Day" kicks!!!
Larry Mullen Jr 's playing on Alice Cooper's Paranormal album gave me an entirely different appreciation of how great a drummer he his. How many drummers have played for Alice Cooper and Emmylou Harris? Probably only one.
Saw them for the first time in 1987, my friends and I still go to see them on every tour. They are one of those few bands that are better live than in the studio.
I swear Streets gets better every time they play it!
Four guys from Ireland take a bus trip across America and somehow absorb gospel and blues and synthesize it into a musical sound of the desert southwest. Amazing.
("It's a musical journey..." as Larry Mullen Jr would say.)
"If you want your music to have humanity...you actually have to have it played by humans!" Hell yes, Rick!!!
YESSSSSSS !
think ed sheeran
It always amazed me that a drum machine is even a thing in a production studio. You wouldn't consider a guitar machine, ffs! ...ironic, considering that any person involved in creating any form of art for a living is continually reminded through life that art's not a "real" job. Sorry, but a drum machine track is not really drum track. I listen to recordings of musicians playing, so an artist called "the drummer" should be playing the drums - with sticks (and have a job). It's the whole frigging point, and you can easily tell the difference. The other artists in the studio shouldn't allow the drum machine crap to happen.
@@stephenlawn159 Even in just the three days, this comment demands far more likes than merely mine..??
Yes! Human hands on sticks.
The Joshua Tree is the album that really made me fall in love with music. Back in the early 90's I had my dad's copy of the record and I would listen to it over and over again in my bedroom. I'm not sure how normal it is for a child under 10 to be completely hypnotised by music, but to this day it is still one of my favourite albums and childhood memories.
Every single thing you said-is absolutely identical to what happened with me, and this album. Literally every single thing lol. It’s crazy.
I had to look at your username a couple times because I figured I must have wrote that comment.
In the early 90s, when I was less than 10, my dad had the album (and a cassette), and I would borrow his CD, play it in my room constantly, and be “hypnotized”/feel euphoria-when I would listen to it…
And, it’s the album that really got me into music, U2/especially Sunday Bloody Sunday is what got me into the drums, Joshua Tree is what got me into Singing, and “Bad” is what made me want to be an “Artist”.
Then, I started listening to Achtung Baby and that blew my mind, and made me realize how much you could do with Music; Kind of like the impact that Sgt. Pepper/Revolver had on musicians from that era.
Agree, though for me it was the Achtung Baby album I had to copy from my brother's cassette - I would spent the entire time between the speakers immersed in these strange sounds. Only later, possibly due to higher fidelity of the CD, would I discover all the different layers in there music - and yes, for example the maracas in Even better than the real thing...
This was a pivotal album for me. I was in Phoenix, experiencing the whole "desert Southwest" vibe when this album came out. I was first in line at a local record store to buy the CD and I must have played it a bajillion times since then. This song specifically just makes my heart glow.
I'm living in Phoenix now, i.e., experiencing the whole southwest vibe, and all. That record is definitely an awesome fit as a backing soundscape as I drive through the Sonoran Desert. I totally got your image there- 👍
I was raised on this album, liked it as a kid, hated it as a teen and love it as grown man. Thanks for this.
Very humbling. Joshua Tree didn’t leave my dads tape deck for many many years. I never got it, until I got it, and now that I understand it I can also feel it.
Music is a beautiful thing.
Wish anyone still reading something positive to happen today.
I wish you the same!
I had a good BM
Thanks for the beautiful comment! UA-cam could be like that!
Ahh, tape decks. Great days!
@@funnylookingfoetus thank you!
True story: Lying in a hospital bed, shattered pelvis, three broken bones in my spine and the morphine not cutting it - and it was this band's music, played at high volume through my compact disc player earphones, that took my pain away. I've loved them ever since!
Gush reheat k what am inspiring story
Amazing story. I hope you have fully recovered. God bless.
The power of great music. Still have a close relationship with this album also. Helped me through some tough times also...
How the hell did that happen!?! Hope you recovered, I went through the windshield of a car after being hit on my mountain bike, I know pain too! :D
Hey there brother in pain, I feel ya and I use music the same way. Dealing with a failed fusion surgery, and U2 as well as other compelling bands can pull me out of myself. And having something to focus on like these videos helps keep my brain and heart functioning even through the meds. I hope you have recovered well and fully and I thank you for sharing your story.
When people says that a song is poor because it has three chords, you have to show ISHFWILG. Melodies, arrangement, performance: perfection everywhere.
I'm glad that Rick appreciates Larry Mullen's drumming, he is a very creative, unique drummer. 💖 U2, 💖80's💖💖💖💖💖💖
This video seems timely as Daniel's brother Bob just died unexpectedly last week. A huge loss for our local music community, as I'm sure a personal one for Daniel. Daniel Lanois got his musical start here in my city of Hamilton Ontario, Canada(40 miles south west of Toronto). It was his older brother Bob who started with Daniel, recording locals musicians and bands in their mothers basement, eventually buying an old house and setting it up as a well renowned studio locally and nationally called Grant Ave (still in use today as a studio by a friend who bought it from them). In the liner notes for Joshua Tree, Bob gets a shout out from Bono. Bob still lived here in Hamilton and had another studio and artist's studio setup(Bob was also an amazing photographer and visual artist; Daniel produced Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball album features Bob's pictures of her) for locals to rent in an industrial part of town. I was lucky to have met and speak with him a few years back and we had a common acquaintance that knew how much of a fan I was of his and Daniel's music and production work.
I thought I was alone thinking that Larry mullen was an amazing drummer. The guy comes up with the coolest, most original and unexpected beats.
I think many people have forgotten that there were college kids writing term papers on The Edge's guitar playing. THAT is how huge his play was and still is.
Something amazing (to me anyway) happened to me today. I was in my car listening to some of my favorite songs from my Amazon playlists. I realized as I was listening to Stevie Wonder’s “I Don’t Know Why I Love You” I was trying to hear different instruments in the music. I almost had to stop the car! From this day forward this will be forever known as “the Rick Beato effect.” I’m a 67 year old grandmother who has become obsessed with your videos and what you’re trying to teach us. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I’m enjoying your videos so much even though I don’t understand most of what you’re talking about! 💕
Very nice story, love it. :-D And I love Ricks' videos.
Love this reply!!!
Criminally underrated comment 👍♥️👍
I can confirm this effect! So cool to hear something you didn't notice before following Rick.
I feel you...really, i finish all interviews, reviews of the songs, if that is the right word...i dont understand most what he is saying, but im learning...if that make sense..
Rick's face when he hears that drum part is sheer joy.
i smiled every time he went 'OH!' haha
The Joshua Tree’s Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, With Or Without You, Bullet The Blue Sky & Running To Stand Still may very well be the strongest ‘Side One’ of any rock album ever made. Unbelievable.
Totally agree.
I completely agree. I’d put Side A of Songs in the Key of Life up against anything, but this is top 5 for me.
Absolutely.
However....it's a pretty uneven side 2
I completely agree. I got to see them in Kansas City in September of 2017 on their Joshua Tree anniversary. It was an amazing evening!
I recently wrote in another comments section how bland the 80’s were….. I take it back and remember this what art
Whatever you think about The Edge's Guitar playing there's no denying that he had his own unique style of playing and it has become incredibly influential. There are so many bands today who have riffs inspired by the edge. So many songs sound like it could be a U2 song and The Edge was the first one to do it. I have also heard from friends who have seen him live that he is an incredible guitar player.
The Edge is a sound technician. Many artists forget it's ok to have rests in your composition. The race to the most notes is not the only measure of greatness.
He definitely does have a unique style. And yes, it is so worth it. Seeing him live with the rest of the band, the music alone may change your life, but seeing it in person feels so transformative.
I think U2 needs to be in context. They are my age, which helps me understand them. They entered in in a very cynical age, naming their band after a fear (the missile). Although they were not political per se, they were from a war-torn country. You can hear in Larry's drums in "Seconds" from the War album an eerie mimic of the Orangemen war drums. Edge's playing as a colorist is very Celtic and has that sadness in joy space in the music that is very much Ireland, and trails into the frontier countries settled by displaced Irish. But here, in the middle of Disco, came this band who had SOMETHING to say, they were angry and righteous and sad and meaningful when everyone just wanted to forget their problems with booze and coke. They came in from the back side of grief and rage into some kind of ecstasy. When I saw Bono on that boat in their first video, he was in a conversation with God, and you could see the light of it in his face. It was so radically different from anything. And counter to that there was the Edge, with his space and his minor strange weird wailing, almost like a sound from the fairy world. They were like a crack in the world of young people with this blasting light coming out of it. So terribly terribly SERIOUS. I later had to stop listening to them, when they got so polarized and their music suffered, but I still burst into tears when I hear "Gloria" or that intro at Red Rocks "so many cry so many cry so many cry..." Oh man, when that was live, he spoke our souls for us, for we had grown up in a dying world and U2 was a refusal of all of that. I still go wild when I hear An Cat Dubh. I love that guitar.
Beautifully said. Thank you!
Whilst I agree with the sentiment of a lot of your comment, there are a few things that are just factually incorrect. Firstly, they got the band's name from the U-2 spy plane, not a missile. The name was also a play on "you too", seen as being an audience inclusive name for the band.
It's very much incorrect to say that U2 were from a war torn country. They're from Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland. "The troubles" happened almost exclusively in Northern Ireland (a different country), which spilled over into mainland Britain, occasionally, and only one time, of note, spilled over into the Republic, with the Dublin and Monaghan bombings (which the band visited on a later song called Raised By Wolves). Growing up in The Republic of Ireland (as I did), you wouldn't have known about "the troubles", if you didn't see them on the news, unless your family was involved with the IRA, or you lived near people who had settled south of the border, after being displaced from Northern Ireland by the troubles. Syria is a war torn country. Pretty much everyone there is affected in some way by the war there. Ireland, south of the border, could in no way be described as war torn, when the band were growing up and when they formed, or throughout their career.
The band fromed against a punk rock background, not a disco one. Punk was very much the music that made people pick up instruments in Ireland, in the late 70s. They've made no secret of the fact that they listened to bands like The Ramones, and The Clash. If you hear early U2 live performances, before The Edge got his hands on a Memory Man Echo Unit, they were very much leaning towards punk rock in their playing.
And as for them not being political - that is the most egregious statement of your whole comment. They very much *were* and *are* a political band. I mean, you even mentioned Seconds, which is very much political, referencing the cold war, name checking former Soviet countries "USSR, DDR...". Their first top 10 hit, New Year's Day, is about the Solidarity movement in Poland. Sunday Bloody Sunday is about an infamous atrocity committed during the troubles in Northern Ireland, Pride and MLK are about Martin Luther King, Bullet The Blue Sky is a stab at America, for their involvement in El Salvador in the 80s, Mothers Of The Disappeared is about political prisoners "disappearing" in El Salvador. I mean, the list goes on!
@@declanfitzpatrick8268 Hi Declan. Yes I know it was a plane, I misspoke. But I meant that they came in a time of dicso, for I know that their friends and relations were involved in Punk. I was in Britain during the 70's and was profiled everywhere I went. Whenever they came to the US, they were dismayed by people wanting to involve themselves in the politics. Of course they were political, but not in the way that Americans wanted them to be. I know way, way, way too much about the Troubles. I know about King John and his Barons, through Red Hugh and Grainne O'Malley and my own great uncle, a Tyrone man, was one of the leaders of the Irish Catholic cause in the States. It's hard to talk about U2 without talking Ireland and North Ireland. And, you, too, are of a Norman family gone native. We are all part of it, and I, for one, am very very proud of my relatives there going so long without violence. And proud of U2 for trying to draw attention through art to problems around the world. I, myself, prefer to listen to Edge's color in the old songs and Bono's ability to capture Celtic niceties in his lyrics. After my stint in the UK, I was very cured of politics. I would still love to visit my relations in Tyrone, but too expensive. However, having said all this, lovely to meet you Declan! I appreciate how much you know!
@@anieth Nice to meet you too! But I definitely have to correct you on one thing. Fitzpatrick is *not* a Norman name. I've had this argument with so many teachers in school, who tried to tell me otherwise. It's the one "Fitz" name that was anglicised from an Irish name - Mac Giolla Phádraig. The Mac Giolla Phádraigs were rulers of the kingdom of Osraige (Ossory) in medieval times, a region which is now part of modern Counties Kilkenny and Laois. I'm a Celt, not a Norman :)
@@declanfitzpatrick8268 Ah, I apologize! Yes, "son of Patrick" but Patrick is Gaelic. I can see why your teachers would give you a hard time!
Rick is totally correct...Bono is a genius lyric writer and a phenomenal singer. The band as whole makes unique and epic music.
yeah I agree. It's crazy that a lot of people in Ireland speak badly of him. Jealousy I guess
@@moogleguitar I think it’s just funny to pick on Bono now most Irish people enjoy U2
Bono Vox
Very few songs can bring tears to my eyes with almost every listen, but this one does. It's legitimately a miraculous piece of music.
'One' does the same thing to me. Maybe U2 should go down as the most successful gospel band of all time.
Promenade does it for me!!🤣
The simple bass lines are the glue that make most U2 songs shine.
Those U2 albums from the early 80s and 90s redefined music for me. Completely expanded my taste from the usual hard rock music to the alternative/Rock style of U2. Each band member is so integral to the sound that eventually they create. The Edge in the documentary about how they came up with Running to Stand Still
G&R's Appetite for Destruction and R.E.M.'s Document also came out in 87. What a year!
Don't forget Midnight Oil's 'Diesel & Dust.'
George Michael's "Faith", Prince's "Sign o' the Times", Michael Jackson's "Bad", and so on, and so forth... It was an amazing year. Damn, we even got rickrolled!
the smiths : strangeways , new order : substance, replacements : pleased to meet me, teh cure : kiss me x3, depeche mode : music for the masses, INXS : kick, the cult : electric, 10,000 maniacs : in my tribe, echo & the bunny men : self titled, sisters of mercy : floodland, love and rockets : earth sun moon, PIL : happy?, dukes of stratsophear : psonic psunspot, firehose : if'n
1987 was the year that music happened.
AND .... Bruce's Tunnel of Love. Another class record
@@m1k3g3tz It was the year music said "OK hair metal, we're done with you!"
I hope Mr. Beato will do an entire series investigating what makes U2’s songs great. There are so many timeless titles.
Seriously. He could do another 100 episodes just on their stuff. He hasn't even touched Achtung Baby yet, which is an even better album to take a deep dive into the bits of.
Totally agree
yeah i could conservatively think of about 30 songs that would deserve a good beato deep dive
That transition at the start of Streets needs the Rick treatment!
@@voodooturbo Hell yeah, Until The End Of The World is a phenomenal track.
As a child of the 80s, I'm in my mid 50s now, and this stuff still brings a tear to my eyes.
Man alive, the fact that this song was recorded a half step HIGHER blows my mind as a vocalist. Whenever I play this song at parties I usually put it a half step DOWN. Bono just never ceases to impress me with his singing.
RIck is SOOO good at THIS. So good at trying to preserve ART in music and musicians for the sake of ART and music. The world needs many things, that's not really up for debate, and one of the paths to betterment for us all is passion in ART IMHO. So, for his role in that - we're all very lucky. At least, I feel I am. Thanks Rick et al.
Couldn't agree more!
Indeed.
Absolutely
Well said!!
I've seen every WMTSG, and this may be his masterpiece of analysis. Simply incredible breakdown.
This entire album was incredible. There are simply no misses on it and remains one of the greatest. Very rare for an entire album to be damn near perfect.
Lauryn Hill.. But U2 has many albums of that stature.
They had no preference about how the tracks should be in terms of order. So Kirstie McCall gave them each a score and they go from high to low!
Agreed. Any Elliott Smith album as well
@@ThorsteinKlingenberg Even their others had minor hiccups...but JT is in a league all by its own
Oh man, this is pure gold. as a hobby guitarist i've tried to copy U2s guitar sound for ages, i never knew about the pick stuff!
That was pretty amazing. I’m not a musician but I have wondered how he achieved that "chime-y" sound.
The live version on Rattle and Hum with the church choir always gets to me every time I hear it. Nearly brings me to tears. Love this song so much.
I think you can measure what an outstanding drummer Larry is by the fact that you can recognize most U2 songs only by its drum part. Each one is distinctively unique.
Great take. That string of records from War to Achtung have great songs, great vocals, excellent texture and production, a really tight rhythm section - all of this before you even get to Edge sonics or the videos. There is an adolescent or transcendent feeling of bigness that is rarely hits so hard. Lanois!
It took me a long time to realize how good of a drummer Larry is.
Yeah he has riffs on the drum that make the songs powerful and memorable taking the place of guitar riffs other bands use
"An internet treasure." Every video you produce Rick adds validity to this statement. "What Makes This Song Great." represents what the internet can be at its best. Please don't stop - there are so many more great songs for us music enthusiasts to discover with your help.
Cool avatar
One of the Greatest Albums in the History of Music, surely deserves every track discussed in this fine detail
This is one of those melodies that is so perfect that it sounds like it has existed forever.
Larry Mullen Jr started playing drums in a marching band which certainly led to his style.
Rick check out the intro "Where the streets have no name" for the time signature changes when it goes into the tune. To this day Larry counts the 6/4 intro. I worked in Windmill Lane studios where they recorded and mixed this, great times. I will add four of the nicest people you will meet in this industry to this day.
Thanks for that story. Great to hear. And yeah, a video from Rick on U2’s WTSHNN and/or signature time changes would be a good one.
Hard to believe U2 were still in their twenties then. Harder to believe they are in their sixties now. Timeless.
Great reading Bono's Surrender and being able to do deep dives with you and CLASSIC ALBUMS on the song structures. What an amazing time we live in!
Thank you for calling "Rattle & Hum" a piece of art. I have long thought it was one of U2's most underrated albums, and probably their best. I go back to it over and over again through the years and it just hasn't failed me wherever I have been in life. Most people dismiss it... don't even mention it sadly... so it's great to hear you list it as one of their greats.
The studio stuff from that album is fantastic imho, particularly the powerful "Hawkmoon," "God, pt. II." and "Love Rescue Me." And I always thought if someone didn't like "Desire" and "All I Want is You" then they just don't like rock 'n roll. The live stuff ain't too shabby either, particularly the covers. I do not consider it their best, not by a long shot, but I agree that it is a much, much better album than people recollect.
It's a great album. You know, they don't. What more is there to say?
When I was growing up in Ireland in the 80s, EVERYONE was a U2 fan. I tried not to be, just to be different, but by this record I had become a fan despite myself (and for a large part due to my older brother's record collection). The Joshua Tree (as well as TUF and Achtung Baby) is now one of my top ten today...to have Rick dissect and "fanboy" all over this song just made my week😁☺️
It took us Yanks a little while to catch on.
Achtung Baby was ground breaking, bold & brave. The older I get the more sentimental I am becoming about music from my youth. Amazing albums and songs.
Finally....someone is talking about the greatness of Larry Mullen Jr as a song writer's drummer.....such an underrated drummer....
I agree, guy is really underrated, almost forgotten
I think some of coloring around Mullen Jr. was added by Henry Rollins, who years ago bitterly criticized U2's rhythm section. I think Rollins critique was misplaced and made him sound envious. I wonder if Rick Beato has ever seen the Rollin's interview and would care to comment on it.
Sunday Bloody Sunday and Bullet the Blue Sky are bloody fantastic
@@coffeedudeguy Agree. I think The Joshua Tree is a brilliant album, as are a number of other U2 records.
his drumming got a lot more fluent and syncopated from "the unforgettable fire" and onwards. just listen to the difference between "sunday bloody sunday" and "a sort of homecoming". he's a one of a kind
The edge inspired me to play guitar. The repeats, the soundscapes, the drone-notes. I listen to the song a million times. But never linked the quality of the song to the drum and bass parts. Very well and enthousiast explained in this video. Big 👍 here! I think I didn’t found what I I ve been looking for so far. I put the record on listen again till I find it😉!
A Master Class in less than a half hour. Classics withstand the test of time, and U2's heavenly song and Rick Beato's breakdown of it will still be heavily accessed 100 years from now.
EVERY TIME YOU RELEASE ONE OF THESE MY DAY IS BETTER- 😊
A song that is seemingly so simple reminding budding songwriters that it doesn't have to be super complex to be a masterpiece; it just has to make you FEEL something. Working those dissonances into the guitar parts, thundering kick drum fills to push the track along, vocals straightforward enough to sing along to... that's how you touch people in their hearts.
Touch people in their hearts...a fine goal that U2 achieved quite well.
Writing a tune that just about everyone on the planet can relate to his or her own life didn't hurt either. U2 gets a lot of flack for writing such general songs (like who doesn't experience spiritual longing at some point?) On the other hand, who doesn't experience spiritual longing at some point? So why not do it in an anthemic way? You don't have to be as specific as Leonard Cohen to explore the topic. Either can be a good approach.
I'm a fan of Adam Clayton's bass. Never trying to go all Ham on the Axe.
The Studio Version of BAD is phenomenal as far as I'm concerned. He totally owns that song without being presumptuous.
Thank you for the comment, Adam.
This song feels like it pulls the cry that is in my soul that I can not express.
Good words!
I don't have any particular story associated w/ this song. No "my dad listened to this all the time before he passed", or "I did a cover w/ my church choir". All I can say is that when I listen to this song, I feel an overwhelming sense of peace. All of my worries and problems disappear, and everything is all right. The emotional impact is profound. This song and The Joshua Tree is a masterpiece.
Whatever else you want to say about U2, this record is phenomenal. It sounds like America somehow.
Yes, this is by far, my favorite U2 album.
@@MIKERUPTION All that you can't leave behind is my favorite U2 album. Joshua Tree has some great songs on it though
@@BigElectricBull1981 Beautiful Day off of that album is a great song!
The original tittle for the Joshua Tree was The two Americas
@@axsal8607 Was it really? I didn't know that. Thanks for the bit of trivia!
Agreed! Bullet the Blue Sky is without a doubt one of the greatest Guitar anthems ever
Wow that half-step down on the vocal really changes the psychoacoustic of Bono's voice. Gives so much more grit and underlying strength.
You know I still can't believe we just get these videos and knowledge for free. This series might be my favourite thing to watch.
Over the last several years there has been this snarkiness pointed towards U2, a desire to minimize them, I think because of the romantic sweep of there sound. I think people view some of the elegance especially in Bono's vocal aesthetic as arrogance. U2 are unique and important, everyone in this band are monsters of their craft, their art, They make ART.
I think that their is a sincerity and sentimentality in the lyrics that today comes off as a bit corny.
Ain't the music. It's the leftist political shite he spews. Elite millionaires telling people how to be better people whilst doing the opposite
over the last several years? It's been that way for 30 years. Haters gonna hate.
Fortunately, the tide will again change and the clanging voices such as some replies herein will drift away forgotten and the great achievements of this band will remain as strong and accessible as ever.
@@tomiasthexder7673 Its nothing to do with his rhetoric being left or right. Im on the left and think he's a sanctimonious self-important patronising twat. Politics doesn't come into it.
Rick’s excitement every time Mullen plays the bass drum fill is precious.
I didn't know that Bono never layered his vocals. Thats VERY impressive. Amazing actually. Until now unheard of :)
U2 the most overhated band of all-time. Fuckin incredible in their prime. The edge/Lanois combo was unstoppable.
Agreed
But that’s the price of success. If you have millions that love you, it’s fair to say there are millions that hate or at the least think you’re ordinary. It’s just a sign of hit great they are ✌🏻🙏🏻
It’s mainly because of Bono’s pretentious preachy personality that they get so much hate. He is annoying but the band as a whole are just amazing
@@guitarreilly that’s such a lazy attitude about Bono. He does the work and he highlights issues he works with. They’re a political band. I prefer people just say “I hate Bono”.
@@touringband i dont hate him though but i can understand why he gets flack. Also he wears sunglasses indoors 😎
I was 20 in 87’ ... the Joshua tree tour was the only time I stayed in line overnight for good tickets in philly at a video tape store that sold tickets ... My buddies and I wore the tape out trying to learn the music. I think it was life changing for me at that point in time 🇨🇮
I was at the show with you. JFK Stadium. Opening act was Little Steven, aka Silvio from The Sopranos. Sadly, my #1 memory from the show is they only played for about 90 minutes. 80,000 people in the stadium and they couldn't play 2 hours?? I went home angry and never saw them again.
Great story! Did ya end with good seat?
Well, we've got the Côte d'Ivoire Flag and the Italian Flag in this thread, So I guess I'll just stick the Irish Flag in the mix as well :) 🇮🇪
Been listening to U2 since a friends older brother played us the new single he'd just bought; "11 O'Clock Tick Tock", back in 1980 ...41 years gone in the blink of an eye
Regards from Donegal, Ireland.
I saw U2 the same year in Las Vegas UNLV. . turns out a photographer from Time magazine was there that night also. . .one of the best musical experiences I have ever had, and the interesting thing about it was they had VERY little stage show - they just came out and basically played. . .that's all they needed to do.
Did the same in Chicago.
Great band! Never understood why people bash them. I'll bet they've never seen them live. I've seen them MANY times in concert. Fantastic
One of the best live! I always feel a band, singer, rapper, etc... are only worth their weight if they are good live. Albums can be polish a turd. I always leave a U2 concert loving my least favorite song on an album.
People love to hate
Still my favorite U2 song. I read The Edge said “there are only so many chords available so they shouldn’t be wasted”. This song has it all. Lyrics, vocals, guitar, bass and drums all freaking awesome. Immediately takes me back to summer vacation at the beach in ‘87. We were stuck in traffic and the wife & kids were all napping, worn out from the beach. This came on the radio and it was like I was all alone listening and signing along.
Larry Mullen Jr. is a beast on the drums, and proof that you don't have to shred on your instrument to be considered one of the greats.
Larry is the Ringo of his day. Because of their lack of flash, everyone thinks what they do is rudimentary when it is really just subtle and full of nuance. Much the same as Ringo, remove or replace any of these signature parts and the songs we have grown to love would simply not sound, or feel the same.
Ringo is the exact comparison i was thinking of too.
As a former DJ, when mixing in a U2 song with a song with quantized drums or a drum machine, it locked up perfectly once I got the tempos matched. Larry is a human metronome. Very little deviation.
I totally agree. Ringo was brilliant too.
For me, the subdued drum performance is what makes this song.
As a kid of the 70’s who heard the Beatles on the radio multiple times a day, it wasn’t until my 30’s that I started to listen to them afresh. I was amazed at how amazed I could be with music so seemingly familiar. And Ringo’s playing-which as a teen seemed “weak” compared to Peart, Bonham, McBrain-made me head slap myself in an aha moment of finally recognizing his melodic style that was so creative and unique. Larry Mullen’s is similar in approach yet unique to his own voice. Creative drum patterns and lines truly throw songs into extra dimensions.
Literally the best 8 note guitar solo ever. The sus4 - major 3rd - sus 4 - major 3rd interval melodic part is perfect for the song.
U2 were untouchable from the mid 80s until the mid 90s. Listening to their records go from post punk to alternative rock is mesmerising. And this is coming from somebody who dismissed the band for many years. Despite the drop off in quality the band has faced from 2000 onwards and all the jokes about Bono etc, you really cannot deny their first 20 years of being a band is incredible.
Spot on.
Albums are still excellent and they are still a jaw droppingly great live band - so not too much of a drop off really.
You should listen to Moment of Surrender or The Unknown Caller from NLOTH
I think you would love this
Having grown up in southern California, this song feels like the chilly high desert from a convertible. I can FEEL this song. It's beautiful.
That's the power of music and nostalgia, it really is amazing
There are few things I miss about California. It sadly isn't FOR Californians anymore. BUT, the desert gets in your marrow, the rocks and hills, the Spring Bloom... the arid Winter cold, the enveloping Summer heat. The immaculate silence.
You said it the memories by the beaches, in S. CAL
Totally!
I also imagine songs driving a car.
It's personal and intimate
I love watching these videos because of how intensely passionate Rick is about great music, and how he showcases things which the layman would otherwise miss. I learn so much watching these videos
I've listened to this song for more than 3 decades and I never really noticed the subtle drum kick stuff Larry Mullen Jr is doing. Thanks, Rick.
Wow. Love the detail, miss the care (talent) that 99.9% of todays artists never have.
The vocal harmonies at the end, where Bono actually cuts out, and it's just Edge and a few other voices: that part blows my mind every time. For the singer to step OUT, and the music to get "broader," is RARE.
yeah, I love that outro and also the outro in With or Without You. I wish they had extended those, or at least has an extended version of the songs.
well said dan
@@ragayomama The restraint The Edge displays at the end of "With or Without You" is haunting and perfectly calculated by the master himself. Just brilliant in his decision to fade out with what he is playing there.
Larry Mullen Jr is one of the great drummers. Thanks for pointing out all the interesting kick drum work he's doing here.
The Vertigo tour: Larry did the outro after each other band member stopped playing one at a time, with 40... I’m sure they did it before, but for a guy to hold a full arena’s attention with just a drum kit like that, for as long as he wanted... a real artist. 🥁
Your analysis of Adam's bass playing was the backbone of this video. I really appreciated your insight, Rick. Keep up the great work!
Dear Rick thank you for giving The Edge and U2 credit that they own. Personally I got to brag a little. I shared the stage with Bono and The Edge at the Pavarotti and Friends concert in Modena, Italy 1995. Gave Bono words for his song as well. Met the kind soul of Daniel Lanois and share the stage with Brian Eno.
If you didn’t exist Rick, we would need to invent you. You are the World Music Teacher. What a talented man you are with capacity to understand and love at the same time
@Nanad, I need to know more of your story!
I need more too!!!
Hard to believe that the members of U2 were all 24 or 25 years old when they started recording this in January 1986. The lyrics, music, and production of the whole album sound much more mature than that.
it really does
I think they were in their 30's at this point, but not sure. I vaguely remember that. In the Rattle and Hum movie BB King asks Bono how old he is. I think he says 33.
BB King said he was 62 years old in rattle and hum. He said bono was mighty young to be writing such heavy lyrics. He never asked u2 how old they were. When the Joshua tree was being recorded they were only mid 20s.
You can really hear that with some other artists, too. The lyrics are really mature for someone so young. I don't know if they were just able to channel that and weren't in their lives or whether they grew due to the lives they were leading (probably some of both).
@@ragayomama Googled it and they were in their mid-20's.