I think, a line by line interpretation of Bad could be intresting. That or Running To Stand Still ( I've been watching too many movies about drugs recently. Throw in Wire for good meaure! ) That or All Because Of You.
Bad is a good idea! But personally I have no time now, but I'll have my interpretation tomorrow!
If you twist and turn away
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would
Let it go
Surrender
Dislocate
There's someone who isn't really happy with Bono. The person 'twist and turns away' (his back towards Bono) and cries (tear yourself in two again). But Bono tells him/her that he would do one certain thing if he could. He would let 'it' go, surrender to that person and than he would feel dislocated.
quote:
If I could throw this
Lifeless lifeline to the wind
I guess that this is about his life. He wished he could throw his life into the air and the wind would carry it. He wished that everything in life would be easy and you could just let yourself be carried away (by the wind).
quote:
Leave this heart of clay
See you walk, walk away
Into the night
And through the rain
Into the half-light
And through the flame
He wants to leave his heart of clay. I'm not sure, but I think that he means that it's easy to change his feelings. It's not hard to let him fall in love
The person from the first verse doen't believe him and walks away. Far away; into the dark night, through the wet rain, but also through the half-light (opposite of the dark) and the flames/fire (opposite of the rain). So this person could be anywhere. Maybe in a dark place, maybe in a bright place, maybe in a wet place or in a warm place. Faraway, so close
quote:
If I could through myself
Set your spirit free
I'd lead your heart away
See you break, break away
Into the light
And to the day
If Bono could leave this heart of clay, let his life carry by the wind, he would see the person that dissappeared. The spirit (we're probably talking 'bout a dead person, maybe his mother?) would be set free and it would be break away from the dark/half-light into the light where Bono can see it.
quote:
To let it go
And so to fade away
To let it go
And so fade away
Again, he has to let it go, he has to forget about this dead person and continue living. Leave his heart of clay=his heart is like clay, cause he keeps missing this person, while his own life must continue.
quote:
I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
Wide awake
I'm not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no
I'm not really sure...he isn't dreaming that he can see this dead person?
quote:
True colors fly in blue and black
Bruised silken sky and burning flag
Colours crash, collide in blood shot eyes
That's a tough one. Blue could be the colour of heaven and Black of the hell. The bruised silken sky is heaven and the burning flags are down in the hell. And then the colours crash (heaven vs. hell)....
quote:
This desperation
Dislocation
Separation
Condemnation
Revelation
In temptation
Isolation
Desolation
Let it go
Addiction; he wants this dead person back and he seems to go crazy. This desperation, dislocation, separation; he gets totally lost. He lost control.
quote:
And so fade away
To let it go
And so fade away
To let it go
And so to fade away
The dead person goes back to where it came from; heaven or hell
Is your opinion on the lyrics of Bad still coming Steve? I see you're having very little time, since you're going to write reviews on the entire 3th leg of Elevation...
If not, I would like to continue with my personal fav...Dirty Day
Is your opinion on the lyrics of Bad still coming Steve? I see you're having very little time, since you're going to write reviews on the entire 3th leg of Elevation...
If not, I would like to continue with my personal fav...Dirty Day
If you guys would like that one, of course...
actually, i've really been working on the analysis of bad. it's one of my fav songs, and its a personal + emotional song to me too.
I don't know you
And you don't know the half of it
Bono speaks to a fan. Bono doesn't know the fan and the fan only knows half of what happens with U2. This song is about the changes in the musical style and the new ZooTv tour.
quote:
I had a starring role
I was the bad guy who walked out
They said be careful where you aim
'Cause where you aim you just might hit
You can hold on to something so tight
You've already lost it
The fan blames Bono for the new style, which he hates. Bono was the bad guy who walked out. I'm not sure about the aiming part, but it could be that the fan feels like murdering Bono, but he can't cause he's still a fan (be carefull, cause you might hit). A sort of love-hate relation. He holds on to U2's old albums and hopes for a come-back of that period. But deep in his heart he knows that the old U2 is no more.
quote:
Dragging me down
That's not the way it used to be You can't even remember
What I'm trying to forget
The fan wants to go back in the days. He misses the old U2. 'That's not the way it used to be'. I'm not sure about the underlined part.
quote:
It was a dirty day
Dirty day
The fan doesn't like the changes, they are 'dirty'. 'Day' should be read as years/longer periods. It was a Dirty Day= The new era is horrible.
quote:
You're looking for explanations
I don't even understand
If you need someone to blame
Throw a rock in the air
You'll hit someone guilty
The fan is looking for the reasons why U2 changed their musical style. Explanations that are made which such big fantasy that even Bono doesn't understand them. And then: one of the best lines ever! If you throw a rock straight up in the air, it comes down and it might hit yourself. So Bono's says that it's the fans own fault that U2 has changed their style. They asked for it.
quote:
From father to son
In one life has begun
A work that's never done
Father to son
Music changes all the time, it gets past from father to son and everyone in the line changes it a bit. The work, changing music/making it more beautiful, is never done.
quote:
(And love... it won't last kissin' time)
(And love... it won't last kissin' time)
(And love... it won't last kissin' time)
The love of the fan probably won't last the big changes. He can't stand it, he finds it horrible.
His love for U2 has disappeared by AB and Zooropa.
quote:
Get it right
There's no blood thicker than ink
Hear what I say
Nothing's simple as you think
The fan needs to understand that it isn't as simple as he thinks. U2 can't keep the same style for their entire career. Changes are part of life. The best line ever in a U2 song is in my opinion 'There's no blood thicker than ink'. The reviews of their new music can make them or break them. It's important to change, to keep the fans and the media satisfied.
quote:
Wake up
Some things you can't get around
I'm in you
More so when they put me in the ground
The fan needs to wake up, get it right. He needs to look at reality. U2 is a part of his life. Bono is inside of him, in his heart. And even more if he dies. When their career ends, the fan definitely will learn to appreciate their early 90's work.
quote:
Days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
Those days, days, days run away like horses over the hill (about 20x lol...)
Their career seems to go so fast, if feels like horses running over the hill. (and believe me: that's fast! )
I always put that song in the context of a conversation between father and son.
You can feel a lot of Charles Bukowski references in the lyrics and the music. The dark atmosphere you can also sense in his works, the "days run away like horses over the hills" line, the dedication of the song, the relationship of "Hank" and his father...
I always put that song in the context of a conversation between father and son.
You can feel a lot of Charles Bukowski references in the lyrics and the music. The dark atmosphere you can also sense in his works, the "days run away like horses over the hills" line, the dedication of the song, the relationship of "Hank" and his father...
Thanks for bumping...I was going to make the same comments as yeah made above...I never saw this song the way you did Mark!! I might post a more detailed review of it...
did you know? In August 1989, Adam got arrested and charged with possession of marijauna; he was given a $25,000 fine.
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"We called our album 'Pop' because so we didn't have to call our album 'Rock', because we're so bored with rock."
- Bono, 1997
