GEN
Active topics
U2 - Heartland
 Album:
Rattle and Hum (1988)
  1. Post your love for this beauty of song here.


    I think it's one of their best 80's songs:
    -some amazing intro (great Edge delay, just the right amount of it),
    -some amazing musical crescendo (Larry builds up a wall of drums that hit you everytime),
    -some amazing vocals by Bono (both low and high notes, and the final falsetto is incredible),
    -some amazing lyrics (so evocative and iconic)...

    The other day I posted in the Listening Now tiopic something like "Heartland... Best song on Rattle And Hum? Tied with All I Want Is You methinks..." and we discussed if it was better or not; you can discuss it here too if you want to.


    PS. And this is the right topic to hate the band for not playing this song, too. If a cover band can do an almost-perfect version, why the hell can't U2???
  2. Super song. Shame they never had a go at it.


  3. I fully agree! It's an amazing piece of work.

    By the way, wasn't this song really a 'leftover' from the Joshua Tree sessions?
    I think It would fit in perfectly on the "restored" version of the Joshua Tree. (there is even a topic about that restored version here somewhere..... JT+ bsides).

    I would love them to play it live, but I'm sure they don't remeber anything of it.
  4. A great song? Definitely.

    One of the best U2 songs ever recorded? Yes.

  5. there are not enough words to describe this amazing song. one of their best ever. the atomsphere of this song is amazing.
  6. It's good, but i prefer Hawkmoon 269


  7. I'm with you on this one, all the way. If we had to pick between hearing either of these songs only one time and never hearing the other one EVER in a live setting, I would be Hawkmoon hands down.
  8. If only R&H hadn't included the live songs and only the new ones, removing Love Rescue Me at the same time as well as Van Diemen's Land, it would have been a great stopgap album between The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Just a damn great album that should be recognised more, for whatever reason it just isn't.
  9. Originally posted by drewhiggins:If only R&H hadn't included the live songs and only the new ones, removing Love Rescue Me at the same time as well as Van Diemen's Land, it would have been a great stopgap album between The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Just a damn great album that should be recognised more, for whatever reason it just isn't.




  10. Not nearly as good as the other tracks is what I meant. VDL and LRM are nowhere near as good as even something like When Love Comes To Town. Having developed a love for American roots and blues music (and R&B too) I feel that would be a great song to play live, even now.

    If it is there then it's there. Imagine an album with only the following:

    God Part II
    Angel Of Harlem
    When Love Comes To Town
    Heartland
    Hawkmoon 269
    Desire
    All I Want Is You

    A short album by all means at about 32 minutes but that would be an incredible album.
  11. Originally posted by drewhiggins:[..]

    Not nearly as good as the other tracks is what I meant. VDL and LRM are nowhere near as good as even something like When Love Comes To Town. Having developed a love for American roots and blues music (and R&B too) I feel that would be a great song to play live, even now.


    Well I'd agree that its' not the same style, but I really loved Edge stepping up to the mic on the LoveTown tour and getting to play this one- I wouldn't mind him getting 4 minutes of the 360 Show to get up and do VDL, really. I'd probably like that more than hearing Heartland.

    I'm not here to bash it- I just really don't think its' a live song by any means.
  12. Originally posted by EyesWithPrideB3:[..]

    Well I'd agree that its' not the same style, but I really loved Edge stepping up to the mic on the LoveTown tour and getting to play this one- I wouldn't mind him getting 4 minutes of the 360 Show to get up and do VDL, really. I'd probably like that more than hearing Heartland.

    I'm not here to bash it- I just really don't think its' a live song by any means.


    We should rename this one to Heartland / R&H (discussion topic). Anyway...

    It would have probably gone better in place of Trip Through Your Wires - for me though JT is just unchangeable as the rock epic it is. VDL is much too European sounding (why it was on R&H then is anyone's guess), whereas TTYW happens to have the harmonica and the screams - and then I start thinking of early Aerosmith, which there certainly nothing wrong with that. VDL, it sounds familiar in another group's style but I just can't think of who.

    If Edge is gonna get up there and have a sing, Numb would be a better fit. When the 'drawn-down' guitar notes hit, the lights could just be thrown down on him and then be cut out. Heartland couldn't really be a live song, it's just too slow and ballad-y, whereas All I Want Is You would work much better because it has those incredible vocal notes and that incredible guitar solo.