I remember the first time I heard Actung Baby. I was falling asleep and the dull thud came drifting through the wall from my brother's stereo next door. Who's gonna ride your wild horses (henceforth called Wild horses) was the song that won me over. U2 played it when I saw them in Croke Park and reminded me how much I loved it.
On the album it starts with wildly distorted guitar playing simple chords and as Bono sings to his lover "You're dangerous, 'cause you're honest". The song is inspired by The Edge's divorce. It has the dirty, gritty sound, the discordant nature and the feel of an argument. He realises that she can't be tamed, "you don't know what you want", that honesty has gone, "would you lie to me?" It has probably the most soaring chorus on Actung Baby, one that will stick in your head for days. It is an underrated song, perhaps a problem of being another song on an album choc-full of greats.
4 comments:
Truly one of the greatest songs. And one of the rarest played. We were very lucky men. Do you remember what life was like last year, having all that to look forward to?
"Wild Horses" is a gem, as is all of "Achtung." Why don't we ever hear anything more than "One" from that album? Amazing songs, all of them.
Good point! Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around The World is probably my favourite song off the album.
"I took an open-topped Beetle throw the eye of the needle"
Genius!
That should be "through" not "throw".
I've just had a very filling Sunday lunch.
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