Lent Day 27 - U2SDAY Songs of Surrender

I have had the arrival of Songs of Surrender on the calendar since it was announced. Seriously. I actually put it on our family calendar. It’s been four years since U2 put out a new album, and look what has happened since then! I’m not going to say it is U2’s fault that Covid happened and politics in the US went apeshit, but let’s just say that there weren’t any pandemics or insurrections when they were putting out music more regularly. I am completely joking. A big reason they didn’t put out new music WAS the pandemic. But I'm not kidding that I have been excited about this new album. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t all new music. The band “revisited and reimagined” 40 of their already-released songs. But I’m a big fan of bands revisiting their music. Metallica did it with their two S&M albums with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Bon Jovi did it with there This Left Feels Right album. MTV made a franchise out of Unplugged albums by a wide variety of artists. So I was looking forward to this album.

That isn’t to say I wasn’t concerned. I had good reason to be worried. U2 has been a little bit tone-deaf over the last decade when it comes to seeing what the audience wants. I have liked their last few albums, but they are not among their best work. People who don’t already love the band are unlikely to jump on the bandwagon based on the last three albums. They are largely irrelevant when it comes to the song charts. Would this new project be more of an ego trip for Bono and Edge - since they are the primary influencers on the album. Some fans felt like Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen were being left out completely. And how is it going to work retooling some of their biggest hits? Will it be the equivalent of George Lucas fooling around with Star Wars? I’ve listened through the whole offering, and these are the conclusions I have come up with so far. I bet he’s going to do a list. This guy loves lists.

How Much You Like This Album Depends on What Version You Acquire - I’ve mentioned that there are 40 songs on this monster. BUT, that is only if you get the WHOLE offering. Which, if you are buying a physical copy of it, you aren’t getting the whole shebang. If you buy the standard CD, you get 16 songs. If you get the Exclusive Deluxe CD, you get 20 songs. If you get the LP, you get 16 songs. If you get the Exclusive Deluxe LP, you get 20 songs. If you get the Super Exclusive Collector’s Boxset LP or CD, you get all 40 songs. Or you can get the digital album, like I did through Apple Music, and you get all 40 songs. So, if you get one of the 16 song versions, you miss out on over half of the new takes - which sucks! You don’t even get some of the best versions they came up with! The smaller versions relied more on their bigger hits, which are not the best things they created. They way they broke up the album is kind of interesting. There are four albums, each one curated by a different band member. The first album is Edge, second is Larry, third is Adam, fourth is Bono. How would I rank the albums? It will probably surprise you: Larry, Adam, Bono, Edge. Even though Edge’s album has a couple of my absolute top U2 songs on it, I think his is the weakest of all four. Larry’s has more of the less popular tracks on it - which actually helps! I’ll explain what I mean by that in a bit. The basic takeaway is that you need to get the full collection to really judge the whole thing. 

How Much You Like This Album Depends on Why You Like U2 - I’m about to sound like Jeff Foxworthy here for a minute. If you are into U2 because of their high-energy live shows, you may not like this album. If you are into U2 because of their instrumental prowess, you may not like this album. If you are into U2 because of their love of experimenting with new styles, you may not like this album. If you are into U2 because of their huge personas, you, may not like this album. BUT, if you are into U2 because of their incredible lyrics, you will love this album. With the instruments pulled back, the lyrics are the main draw. I love U2’s lyrics, so I love how much they shine. Some songs that I never really gave a chance jump into a higher level of appreciation. Some songs that seemed weaker on the original album gain strength. Also, U2 went and changed the lyrics on quite a few songs - including some of their big hits. (Ballsy) So, clearly, they want people to pay attention to the lyrics. “Walk On” - which is a Song of the Year Grammy winner - was completely redone as a message of support for Ukraine. That doesn’t mean that I don’t miss The Edge’s magical axe work or Adam’s thumping bass or Larry’s heart pounding drum work. I do! Those are part of what U2 is. Those huge personas I mentioned? They aren’t there. This is the work of four older, more thoughtful guys. It is like they shed their performing costumes and showed the fathers and husbands they are inside. They clearly haven’t abandoned the showier act, as evidenced by their Super Bowl commercial and upcoming Vegas residency at MGM Sphere. This album, though, is a fitting end to their more reflective album trilogy. I think this project really shines a spotlight onto the genius poetry of U2’s library. Not a bad thing. 

With 40 Songs, There are Going to Hits and Misses - If you want every song to be a raging success to consider an album a success, then this isn’t a success. I think that’s a ridiculous standard, especially in a music industry now driven by sales of singles instead of complete albums. Are there misses? Yes. The new version of “One” is not great. That song is routinely ranked as the best song by the band - or at least top five. It isn’t a song loaded with tons of instrumentation and production magic, so stripping it down even more damages it. I didn’t love it. The retools of “With or Without You,”“Beautiful Day,” and “Where the Streets Have No Name” are not big winners.  Maybe you’re sensing a bit of a pattern here. U2 has some MASSIVE hits. They are so beloved that messing with them isn’t going to go well. It is like the brain keeps trying to go back to the original, to look for the familiar pattern of a song someone may have heard thousands of times. It was the same thing that affected Metallica’s S&M album. Their biggest hits like “Enter Sandman” and “One”didn’t gain much from the addition of an orchestra. But, if you can look past that, you will find some gems on the U2 offering - from both large and small hits. “Pride (in the Name of Love)” actually is really cool on the new album, brining a new take to a song that has been somewhat overplayed over the years. “Vertigo” has a funky new version with a tremendous cello part by Two Cellos’ Hauser. (He actually pops up on quite a few songs.) “Every Breaking Wave” sounds a lot like the acoustic version that I prefer - and that has mostly replaced the original on the U2 SiriusXM station. I was surprised at how good two big hits - “Stuck in a Moment” and “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” - were in this new format. Both songs have huge emotional backgrounds, which can be felt even more in the new takes. Some lesser songs really shine with a fresh listen. “Out of Control,” “11 O’Clock Tick Tock,” and “Stories for Boys” are not songs that I usually listen to. They are from the earlier albums, and they just aren’t my favorites. The new versions were very nice. The same can be said for “Invisible,” “Get out of Your Own Way,” and “The Little Things That Give You Away” from later albums. One song in particular that I was surprised to enjoy in the new approach was “40.” Yes, the old song that has been played and mangled by a million church praise bands. U2 breathes life into it again, which was nice to hear. 

Will These Versions Replace the Originals in my Heart? - No. Or Yes. Again, it comes down to the individual song. Some of them are good enough to, if not replace the original in your heart, at least live next to it. The acoustic “EveryBreaking Wave” already took over for the original to me. “Get Out of Your Own Way” is REALLY good - I may prefer the new version. For other songs, I love the original too much to just replace it so quickly. But, the new takes of those songs are still excellent. The original “Stuck in a Moment” carries so much weight to it, between it being a tribute to late Michael Hutchence and its arrival so close to 9/11. But the new version is FANTASTIC. I mean, really really good.“Vertigo”  and “Sometimes You Can’t Make It” will never be replaced, but the new versions are similar masterpieces. The added horns on “Red Hill Mining Town” make an already beautiful song into a bigger anthem. So you may not change out your favorite songs from your U2 playlist, but you will probably add at least a dozen new versions in as well. 

The Most Important Question: David, Did You Like It? - Yes. No question. There are enough great offerings to make the album worth it for me. The last three albums prior to this didn’t jump onto me and immediately take root in my heart. It took several listens before Songs of Experience became a classic album to me. With Songs of Surrender, I could already feel some of the songs burrowing into my brain by the the second listen. I’m listening to “Red Hill Mining Town” as I’m typing this, and absolutely LOVE it. I’m not disappointed by the album at all. I would maybe feel differently if I had only gotten 16 songs, but that wasn’t going to happen. I have the deluxe versions of every U2 album. I’ve just started getting that version from the outset. The album would make for an interesting tour, but it doesn’t look like that is the plan for the band. From what I can tell, the MGM Sphere show is going to be centered on Achtung Baby. I’ll let you know; we are already making plans to go to Vegas for it. 

Where Does U2 Go From Here? - No clue. They have all said they aren’t retiring. The residency is not due to age and a distaste of traveling. They signed the deal with MGM Sphere because of the technological advances the venue offered. They also said that the band is not - now or ever - thinking of breaking up. Larry Mullen is taking a break due to health concerns. He is being replaced by some Dutch dude with a really long name for the Vegas shows. (Bram van den Berg) But Larry is not permanently leaving. If I had to make a prediction, I would say they will have a completely new album out in three years. This album feels like it really was a closure to the Songs of… trilogy. They have often had phases in their music. The original albums, the electronic albums, the return to rock albums, the reflective albums. I look forward to see what the next phase will be.