Balmy Bono And His Shady Lyrics

As well as music being extremely enjoyable, I’ve always took a keen interest in what people are actually singing about. Whether they are about love, hate, war or good old seedy shag, I’ve always enjoyed lyrics

So, having rather bizarrely got back into U2 in a sort of biggish way lately as I used to be quite into them when I was in school, (and yes, I did have a Bono-style mullet minus the sideys) I have, as you can guess, been questioning the forever young Bono and his rather outrageous lyrics and asked myself one question:

Have U2 made a career out of nonsense?

Now I know all bands that have spanned a good few decades during their careers do go on to develop and ‘experiment’ with their music (unless you are AC/DC of course). It’s their right of course, but in the case of U2 it seems they are either running out of ideas or having a mid-life crisis (no doubt Bono is browsing through a Porsche catalogue as we speak)

Now, as most avid readers of Mol’s Sound Words know, Bono isn’t really my favourite person in the world. This is mainly down to the fact that he still insists on wearing leather kex and his sunglasses in doors even though he is shaking hands with the Pope or other worldly dignitaries (I’ve often wondered if he wears them while he’s having a Michael Knight, but the less said about that the better). But, in the early eighties U2 were without doubt a fine band with their main topic of lyrics obviously about the troubles that surrounded Ireland/Northern Ireland. Very interesting stuff I’m sure we all agree

“And so we're told this is the golden age and gold is the reason for the wars we wage” – New Years Day

“And the battle's just begun, There's many lost, but tell me who has won, the trench is dug within our heart, and mothers, children, brothers, sisters Torn apart” - Sunday Bloody Sunday

Now, if you compare some of the above older lyrics to these examples you can see what I mean when I say the art of writing good lyrics have sadly (in U2’s case) gone by the wayside!!

“The future needs a big kiss, wind blows with a twist” - Get on your Boots

“Scorch the earth, set fire to the sky, and you reach so low, to reach so high – Red Hill Mining Town”

“Car alarm won't let ya back to sleep, You're kept awake dreaming someone else's dream Coffee is cold, but it'll get you through Compromise, that's nothing new to you” - Electrical storm

So, as I said before, have they ran out of ideas is or are they, quite frankly, not arsed any more? I personally think they have become ‘too big’ and instead of taking their time in writing deep and meaningful lyrics like they did in the early days, they have resorted to what can only be described as something you’d expect from a fat and bloated Elvis in his latter Las Vegas days with pathetic offerings such as Sexy Boots and other assorted crap from their last offering! (and yes, I do have thoughts of Bono dying on the bog while he’s strangling a massive fucking brown one!!)

But it’s not all bad!

Which bring me to what I would regard as U2’s finest album – The Joshua Tree. Now don’t get me wrong here, it is, as I have said, a damn fine album.

Musically it really can’t be faulted! Not just because of the more famous hits like Where the Streets Have No Name, With or Without You and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, but more of the songs on the B Side like Red Hill Mining Town, One Tree Hill and Tripped Through Your Wires. They are fantastic songs.

BUT! As the topic of this blog states, the lyrics on The Joshua Tree are utter and total nonsense!! Maybe Bono had spent too much time in The Joshua Tree searching for the soul of Gram Parsons or Jim Morrison while drinking the juice from a few moody cactus trees! Who knows!

What I do know is this: some people you’d expect to write utterly shit lyrics, their usually the pathetic factory-processed pop stars who finish 18^th on X Factor, not the likes of seasoned pro’s like U2

They are capable of much better

So, Bono, see me after school!

And take them stupid FUCKING shades off!!

Mol