Top Ten Favorite Songs by U2

Associated Content unleashed a "Call for Content" eerily similiar to one they unleashed in August of 2006. Name the top ten songs by...whoever. The big difference - in 2006, each one paid $10. In 2008, $0 - plus pageview bonus. Alas, I whipped this one up real quick but prefer it to any of the 5 I wrote in 2006.

If you feel so inclined to contribute to the Lloyd Zeffler Debt Relief Fund, click on over to Top ten Songs by U2 at Associated Content. Otherwise, just keep reading.

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In September, 2006, Associated Content asked its writers to provide articles on “The Top Ten Songs of _____”. You fill in the blank. I personally published five such articles highlighting Def Leppard, Johnny Cash, the Pixies, Zakk Wylde and U2. A slight bit of subjectivity was needed for those articles, but this time around the question is, what are my personal favorite songs by my personal favorite band?

Subjectivity is dead and I am free to gush like a giddy child, slipping the War cassette tape into my Walkman. U2 is my favorite band for many reasons, but most specifically because it was the first music that every really spoke to me and changed what kind of person I was and what I wanted to be. Sure, I saw Slash from Guns ‘n Roses and knew I wanted to grow my hair down my face and wear a top hat, but U2 means more than my desire to look sexy in leather pants.

I love more than just 10 songs in the U2 catalogue, I can think of albums with more than 10 songs where I love the whole album – but for the purpose of this article, here are my top 10 favorite U2 songs.

All I Want is You (from Rattle & Hum) – This song is fiercely romantic. The Edge has a way of playing guitar parts that sound simple enough, but the effect is incredible. There is a real feeling of time and space in his playing, like you are actually in the room. When the song reaches the big climax with Edge wailing away and Bono howling, you desperately don’t want it to end.

Miss Sarajevo (from Passengers: Original Soundtracks 1) – Gorgeous song with gorgeous lyrics. Pavarotti’s part is heart wrenching, even more so when you find out what the English translation is. U2 recently added the song to a few of their live shows, notably in the U2 3D film. Bono takes center stage and does the famed tenor proud with his own rendition.

New Years Day (from War) – War is U2’s ROCK record. Boot stomping, flag-waving rock and roll. “New Years Day” is the true core of that record, reasonable but still optimistic. The Edge going back and forth between piano is fantastic, leading into one of his best solos. This is also an absolute favorite live.

One (from Achtung Baby) – "One" is overplayed. The version with Mary J. Blige really killed it for me for quite a while. It is also embarrassing to be so personally attached to a song that has become so universally accepted. It is like having a close, personal relationship with “Brown Sugar” by the Rolling Stones. Regardless, the song still tears at me to the point, it’s my favorite song and I can’t listen to it very often.

Slow Dancing (B-side) – Bono originally wrote this song for Willie Nelson to sing. When U2 couldn’t hook up with the country legend, Bono gave it a go – just him and a lonely acoustic guitar. The lyrics, again, are desperate and romantic. When Willie finally came around to sing the song, the band added some additional backing that may have been overkill. Bono’s lonely performance is by far the best.

Stay (Faraway, So Close) (from Zooropa) – Why Zooropa isn’t on every list of the greatest albums of the ‘90s is beyond me. “Stay” is a worthy successor to “One” and may even surpass it on some levels. The perfect mixture of odd and familiar sounds.

The Fly (from Achtung Baby) – The manifesto of Zoo TV. A phone call from hell. This song is much better live, as the band careens into the stratosphere. For my money, the best single song performance on the U2 3D film.

The Wanderer (from Zooropa) – Bono is Bono, but Johnny Cash was born to sing songs like this. The last track on Zooropa is almost gleefully apocalyptic.

I went out there
In search of experience
To taste and touch
And to feel as much
As a man can
Before he repents

Perfect.

Where the Streets Have No Name (from The Joshua Tree) – This is the definitive live U2 song. Everything that is great about this band rolled up into a single four minute explosion of emotion and excitement.

With or Without You (from The Joshua Tree) – This may be as overplayed as “One”, but everything about this song is undeniable. It’s so familiar that it might be difficult to still feel the ache of this song. From the quite pulse of an intro, into the “woooah, oooah, oooah” part, it still raises goose bumps.