Almost everyone I know hates U2 in their present form, yet holds onto some sentimental scrap, whether it be nostalgia from some junior high dance or an episode of Friends... or both. As someone who intended his wedding song to be "All I Want Is You" for many years, I am no different. The fact of the matter is their most popular songs are legitimately their worst and I offer no evidence to back up that statement, as I'm confident the three and half readers of this blog already agree.

So, in the interest of creating cheap content, I offer my two favourite U2 songs, accompanied by dubious reasoning why:

1) U2 - Red Hill Mining Town

See, I romanticize this song because, as far as I know, U2 has never performed it live. Bono never felt he could hit the notes. It was intended to be a single, and there is even a video floating around Youtube, yet neither were released as such. It just sits there on the shelf, and rusts within U2's canon; a non-transferrable relic from their alternative 80s routes.

When I was in India (you know, the only interesting place/life I have ever been/had) I took a jeep up into the Himalayas, just shy of the Chinese border and stayed in a small village in a valley. During daylight hours, there was not an adult in town, only children playing cricket in the streets, and Tibetan refugees making crafts in warehouses, for sale in the big cities down south. I asked my guide where all the adults were, and he explained that they walked several kilometers over the hills before sunrise to tend to their crops or their herds or whatever every morning, and did not return until after sunset.

So, most pop songs are about love, somehow. This song seems to be about labour, for love. And it reminds me of all that. I guess it doesn't work the same for you unless you have the same visual or emotional connections. Which is the inherent flaw with these music blogs, so why do we even bother?

2) U2 - Stay (Faraway, So Close!)

This song is a little more 21st century, perhaps, with the metaphysical angst and all. I am struck with it more because it's a damn good song, rather than a mainstream cultural anthem or radio staple. The guitar line is rudimentary, but the atmospherics beneath lend credence. The lyrics are grandiose, but relatable to anyone who has transformed a lonely night into an aimless walk through city streets, where all it takes to clear your mind is blinking neon and water-damaged Chinese menues in windowsills. I know the song is inspired by some movie I haven't seen, but I don't care about that.

Anyone who reads this has a U2 song they enjoy, whether it be a guilty pleasure or a personal anthem ("vampire or victim? depends on who's around...") I figure this will be the one and only post on this blog that everyone can relate to somehow. So... comment about it? Tell me? (did the wind sweep you off your feet? did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day? with the best soy latte you ever had. and me?)

After that we don't ever have to talk about U2, or office-radio rock ever again.

Buy U2: (they NEED it!)

The Joshua Tree

Zooropa

-kam

Sugar - A Good Idea

Bob Mould's homage (or parody? - I'm never quite sure anymore) to the Pixies. Of note is that I once lifted the phrase "Thick With Temptation" for the title of a high school writing assignment. My teacher loved it, and it helped contribute to my solid 77% graduating average. I suspect nowadays I would have been suspended for plagiarism, due to the internet.

Ahh, the passage of time.

Bob Mould ended up writing for World Championship Wrestling, which either tarnishes his alt legacy, or makes him ironically hipper (I'm never quite sure anymore, nor if 'hipper' is a viable word). Professional wrestling, unfortunately, is not immune from the same trends as the rest of the corporate world; WCW was absorbed by the WWF some years ago, creating a monopoly. Bob Mould lost his job, but yet sustains a prolific solo career in music (ie- the theme for The Daily Show). Even if no one really talks about it in the blogosphere... which automatically makes it somewhat more interesting. But then again, I'm seventy-six in internet years, and don't have a facebook, so what do I know? Gather around while I tell you the tale of Compuserve's hourly rates.

Bottom line is it's as solid a pop song as any The Pixies ever wrote (if a touch less eventful).

And, uhh, (they make me do this) buy Sugar's "Copper Blue" if you can...

-kam

Oh, man. People. People have issues. I'm not the only one.

I don't want this blog to die. Not yet.

Sinead O'Connor - The Last Day Of Our Acquaintaince

Sinead is like the chlamydia of '90s alt; itchy and unforgettable. Something to talk about unabashedly when you're brave, years later at parties. I first became familiar with this song during the denouement of Bret Easton Ellis' "Glamorama". That's a good book, when you can handle it.

But regardless of that context, it's a song you could dedicate on all-night radio to half a dozen people who've since been left behind. Because as these early twenty-something years accumulate, nothing much is accomplished but goodbyes, when even still acquaintances are now just a facebook search away...

-kam, i guess

Buy Sinead O'Connor's "So Far...: Best Of" And go ahead and search out anything after. It's pope-rippingly eclectic!