The BEST video I have ever seen of a band in turmoil while recording. Absolutely magical and fascinating. I remember talking to Phil Thornally (later well-known producer), and saying how big U2 would be (in 1984), and him saying, “Really??” I said, yes, they will be. I was right.
Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses once said he considered One to be "one of the greatest songs that has ever been written. I put the song on and just broke down crying."
11:35 that's the magical moment when "One" was taking shape. That's creation. Bono didn't know the words yet. He was singing the syllables he liked in the rythym he wanted. The words came thereafter from different places.
I put it top 5 for sure, probably #2 but I do put Where The Streets Have No Name as #1. One might be their best studio release but the live performances is what vaults Streets to their greatest song ever IMO. Otherwise, ya i agree.
You can sit in the Italian restaurant on Kotherner Street, have a nice meal, stare at the ceiling, and think to yourself that 'One' and David Bowie's 'Heroes' were recorded a few feet above your head at Hansa. Goosebumps.
I had the joy this year of visit Berlin for the first time, and of course, my 3 friends and I just spent some time chilling and talking about music we love in the front door, next to the Bowie multi faceted sign. It was so profound thinking about they (U2, Bowie, Depeche Mode, and others) walking that block and producing such anthems across the years. Felt like a magic moment.
I already hit a reply, but the beauty of this song to me is the simplicity --- the feel, the melody --- don't knock the chord structure. Every Beatles song --- heck, every RnR song is the blues, or a I, IV, V chord structure with a call-back/bridge --- there is so much more going on in this song (every song) and the history of it captured here is fascinating for those of us who like U2 and as musicians to see where these songs sprout their wings. This is a top 5 song for me - very strong emotional attachment during a tough time in life. I get that Bono at times can be seen by some as "insufferable," but he is mellowing in his older age and showing humility. But, man I loved his bravado when I was younger --- full on mullet rebellion!!! --- but also with deep soul and spirit --- I am unabashed fan of these fine Irish men!
My fave U2 album. Incredible to think the band was potentially thinking of calling it quits and this is what they produced. The sum of their parts definitely won out on this record.
Pleasure mate. Don't know what I'd do without great music, especially these days. Not sure if you saw this link I posted in a comment below to a live version here in Sydney many years ago. I reckon it's their best. Turn it up and enjoy. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kt5tCjmIa58.html
it is not a "session' per se... it is part of the ACHTUNG BABY 20th anniversary documentary released in 2011. Here the whole documentary,... the "ONE" part starts at minute 58.00 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7EoQKii-Nr8.html
I wish they went back to this type of thinking. It seems now they just overcook everything, trying to perfect everything. I can't wait for a look back to Zooropa.
There is always conflict in a band. 4 "marriages" trying to stay together, exploring new concepts, new art and it can be a tough go. Glad to see the band made it through these moments and continued on.
When hundreds of thousands of dollars in hardware ( top hardware mind you) meet musicians with good ears for music you get good results. The money spent on this album was massive.
the way they talk about making music is so very different from every single musician I've made music with. We usually talk about chords and rhythms and the arrangement. I don't recall ever hearing someone talk about the spirituality of a song or a sense of momentum that takes you to a different environment. I guess that's why I'm not one of the greatest song writers in human history.
If it's any consolation, I have enough trouble stringing together chords in any fashion that doesn't sound 100% cliched. So, at least you're one of the greater songwriters in history than me.
@@simonhillier I sing/hum an idea first (whether a lyric/bassline/melody/rhythm/riff, etc) before going to keyboard/guitar/DAW because if you're not careful you can lose the essence/soul of the idea before its even begun.....;-)
They tend to nail the music first and then Bono finds vocal Melodies. Once they gel, Bono writes lyrics. Then, they try to make it an actual song. Even if it becomes a song, it may end up a b-side or an outtake. It takes a while for U2 to stitch together a good song with some caveats. For example, “Pride” was mapped out in less than an hour. Bono found the vocal melody after singing over 4 notes Adam was playing. Larry added a drum line and the Edge created an unorthodox series of chords in a relatively high register. Bono wrote the lyrics in 5 minutes. By contrast, “Stand Up Comedy” was worked on sporadically over 16 months. “Walk On” was two different songs initially. One of the producers told U2 to take the verses from one song and the chorus from the other. The lyrics were rewritten and “Walk On” was born.
Having a fantastic song just come to you must be one of the most amazing experiences. You hear a lot of famous songwriters talk about how some of their biggest songs just spilled out. Im in awe. And green with envy haha.
Almost broke up the band! Daniel Lanois was trying to write songs to keep them together "All Down the Days" I think was one mentioned in U2:At The End of the World
En este tiempo U2 habia llegado a una situacion de cero creatividad y las tensiones internas llegaron al limite,la cancion One a decir de Bono les vino del cielo,este video es un poco esa historia,pero lograron salir y seguir,la situacion fue tensa entre los cuatro
As I get older I find these sorts of artist interviews where they talk very vaguely about "going through stuff" very tedious. Sounds like there was some sort of disagreement or argument about how Edge treated his wife and they were all mad about it but they can't come out and say it was something simple like that so they dress things up in mystical mumbo jumbo language that makes the process seem more out of reach for aspiring musicians and artists.
I think One is a really good song...but holy hell, these guys are half a pint of Guinness away from being Spinal Tap at all times. "The verse seemed to offer some kind of eternal, joyful, upful...um, melody". Jesus. It's a song with Am D F G and C, and they're talking like they're Miles Davis reinventing the jazz form or something. So insufferable.
Listing the chords in a song tells us nothing about its quality. Almost all of the greatest pop songs of all-time have pretty straightforward and generic chord changes.
@@alfieconn2692 I agree that listing the chords of a song does not tell you about the song's quality...which is why the way they're highlighting "finding" those very straight forward chords in this clip seems so silly to me. And I don't know about "almost all" the greatest pop songs. If you even just take the Beatles as an example, you're going to find lots of 7s, 9s, diminished etc chords...which are not super complicated...but are a few steps beyond these guys srtumming out first position chords that someone learns in their first couple months of guitar lessons. I don't have an issue with them using those chords...just an issue with them talking like they're finding something spiritually special.
@@bradhart6487 Most of The Beatles most iconic songs have very straightforward chord changes. I love interesting chord changes and strange time signatures but I just don't see it as a sensible way to judge a song. Do the complex chords in prog rock songs of the 70s lead to better or more emotionally and psychologically satisfying songs than the simple chords in Eleanor Rigby?
One is one absolute awful song, I hate it, no I despise it, it's almost as annoying as Mysterious ways. Still a great band and pretty much everything else in their catalogue is fantastic.
@@carpman6495 I know, it's just me, everyone else likes it obviously but I can't stand it. It's too simplistic, has no finesse, and it's just too much. Very unlike them I would say.
Absolutely awful? I get that you could feel its cheesy but thems fighting words 😆. Did something traumatic happen to you while listening to it, to hold on to such venom? Seriously though, what U2 songs do you rate, mate?
@@simonhillier I'm sure am exaggerating but yeah.. I really like most of their stuff, The unforgettable fire, Love comes tumbling, Electrical storm, Drowning man to name a couple of their amazing songs.
@@simonhillier you do know music is subjective right? People either like it or they don't. It's about brain chemicals and what chords some brains react to. It will never change even among tthis hive mind that's happening. Give you an example. When bono said Sweden is too boring and too white it changed what one meant to me. Do ya get it?
