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  1. GAME: Pick 1 song of "innocence" and 1 of "experience" from each album

    Let’s have some fun with the “iNNOCENCE & eXPERIENCE” theme!

    In following of the “Pick one song from each album” game, I wondered if we could toy a little with the idea of innocence and experience as a distinction reflected on the whole of U2's back catalogue.

    Obviously the early albums have much more of an “innocence” character than the later ones. But to my surprise it occurred to me that a song such as “The Ocean” is already pretty “experience,” while “Stand Up Comedy” still has some “innocence” in it. This is, of course, highly subjective and open for discussion (but that’s why it is called a game; not one “to win” but still a game that can be played).
    Innocence vs. experience is a distinction based for the most part on personal feeling but, as with many feelings, feelings can be shared (and this game is an attempt as such). And too: while “innocence” or “experience” can be understood in multiple ways, “innocence” is not necessarily “naïve” and “experience” not necessarily “wise” or “melancholic” (sometimes it is, but not per se, if you know what I mean).

    See if you can “feel” the following list of distinctions and then try to create on of your own, for my list is only as good as yours:

    iNNOCENCE _____________ eXPERIENCE

    I Will Follow _______________ The Ocean
    I Fall Down ________________ Stranger In A Strange Land
    Two Hearts Beat As One______ Surrender
    Promenade________________ Elvis Presley & America
    Mothers Of The D. __________ Exit
    Angel Of Harlem ____________ Heartland
    Mysterious Ways ____________ Acrobat
    Babyface __________________ Some Days Are Better Than Others
    Discothèque ________________ Gone
    Elevation __________________ When I Look At The World
    Fast Cars __________________ One Step Closer
    Stand Up Comedy ____________ Moment Of Surrender
    Miracle (Of Joey R.) __________ Song For Someone


    I Think Achtung Baby is the most balanced in terms of “innocence & experience.” But while it is easy to feel the “innocence” of the early albums, I find it hard to locate the tipping point of where albums become more “experience” than “innocence.” Rattle & Hum? Zooropa? Pop?
  2. Funny, some of your pics are definitely not what I would have picked!

    The Ocean has the lyric "I felt the world could go far if they'd listen to what I said" - that's as juvenile as it gets!

    And Joshua Tree for me innocence-wise is definitely Still Haven't Found.

    My list to come shortly!

  3. Good

    The Ocean has the lyric "I felt the world could go far if they'd listen to what I said" - that's as juvenile as it gets!

    True! But the reflection of that "innocence" thought seem to have made its way into the music in a kind of melancholic fashion. As such it also has that "experience" feel. But I admit that it remains arbitrary, as to perhaps every Boy song...

    And Joshua Tree for me innocence-wise is definitely Still Haven't Found.

    One could, however, also make an argument for "Still Haven't Found" as being an insight gained only after having "experience"... (But like I said, both "innocence" and "experience" can be interpreted in multiple ways.... and I recognize the "feel" of innocence in ISTFWILF... )

    Looking forward to your list!
  4. Good points all around.

    Here's what my list would look like:

    A Day Without Me____________Into The Heart
    Rejoice____________________October
    40________________________Sunday Bloody Sunday
    A Sort of Homecoming________Bad
    I Still Haven't Found__________With or Without You
    Desire_____________________Love Rescue Me
    Mysterious Ways_____________Love is Blindness
    Zooropa____________________The Wanderer
    Mofo______________________Wake Up Dead Man
    Beautiful Day________________When I Look At The World
    Vertigo_____________________City of Blinding Lights
    Fez-Being Born______________Moment of Surrender
    Songs of Innocence___________Songs of Experience

    I have a hard time choosing songs for the latest album because the whole thing is based around innocence and we know we're getting the experience part before long!
  5. Like your list RattleandHum1988! I too recognized SBS as a song of "experience" and Mofo as (still) one of "innocence." Not the obvious choices though...

    Don't you think "Songs of Innocence" contains a lot of irony?
    To me most songs seem quite mature, dealing with the challenge of regaining ones innocence "back" (which is a rather ironic exercise, but not necessarily futile!). At least the whole album doesn't feel that innocent to me, but yet the thought behind it (and naming the album explicitly "SOI") makes it all the more intriguing and honest (which would qualify as a mark of "innocence").
  6. Out of Control______________________________Into the Heart
    I Threw a Brick Through a Window___________October
    40_________________________________________Sunday Bloody Sunday
    Promenade________________________________Bad
    Still Haven't Found__________________________Mothers of the Disappeared
    Desire_____________________________________Heartland
    Even Better Than the Real Thing_____________Acrobat
    Lemon____________________________________Dirty Day
    Discotheque_______________________________Mofo
    Beautiful Day______________________________Kite
    Original of the Species______________________SYCMIOYO
    I'll Go Crazy________________________________Cedars of Lebanon
    Miracle____________________________________Song for Someone

    GREAT idea.
  7. Funny that you guys picked Mofo as a song of innocence…I always thought Mofo was sort of a companion piece to I Will Follow, IWF being the "innocent" piece and Mofo being a more adult perspective.

    I hear IWF as a straightforward, no questions asked song…the music seems to suggest what the lyrics say, that no matter what, she will be followed. It's very driving and direct.

    Mofo is much more chaotic though, perhaps his mother viewed through the lens of an adult…the biggest moment of the song to me is when he sings "Mother, am I still your child" and the chaos builds, and builds - until sudden, at 3:25 Edge cuts through the madness with one wailing note…a bit of clarity in all the noise.
  8. I Will Follow_____________________Another Time, Another Place
    Rejoice___________________________________________October
    "40"_________________________________________Like a Song...
    Promenade___________________________________________Wire
    In God's Country______________________________________Exit
    Angel of Harlem_________________________________God Part II
    Mysterious Ways___________________________________Acrobat
    The First Time______________________________________Lemon
    Miami__________________________________Wake Up Dead Man
    Wild Honey________________________When I Look at the World
    Vertigo____________________________Crumbs From Your Table
    Get On Your Boots_______________________Cedars of Lebanon
    The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)___________________The Troubles

    The hardest ones for me to pick an 'innocence' from were the 90s albums -- Pop has NONE, I think, I just went with Miami because it's not a very 'serious' song -- and, perhaps strangely, HTDAAB. I think The Joshua Tree was the tipping point where experience outweighed innocence.

    Yes, I know that the first word of Wire is 'innocence,' but it isn't a very innocent song, is it?
  9. Interesting idea. Just basing on the lyrics:


    Out Of Control ________________ A Day Without Me / Twilight (?) most of Boy is pure innocence...
    Gloria ______________ Tomorrow
    Drowning Man ______________ Sunday Bloody Sunday
    A Sort Of Homecoming ___________ Wire (even if it starts by saying "innocent", haha)
    In God's Country _____________ Exit
    Hawkmoon 269 ______________ Love Rescue Me / Heartland
    EBTTRT ____________ Love Is Blindness
    The First Time __________ Dirty Day
    Miami (?) most of Pop is experience... ___________ Wake Up Dead Man
    Beautiful Day ____________ Kite
    All Because Of You _________ Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
    Magnificent __________ White As Snow
    Song For Someone ___________ Sleep Like A Baby Tonight
  10. Originally posted by CMIPalaeo:
    The hardest ones for me to pick an 'innocence' from were the 90s albums -- Pop has NONE, I think, I just went with Miami because it's not a very 'serious' song -- and, perhaps strangely, HTDAAB. I think The Joshua Tree was the tipping point where experience outweighed innocence.

    Yes, I know that the first word of Wire is 'innocence,' but it isn't a very innocent song, is it?
    Were you reading my post over my shoulder while I was writing it?
  11. Originally posted by EyesWithPrideB3: [...] Mofo is much more chaotic though, perhaps his mother viewed through the lens of an adult…the biggest moment of the song to me is when he sings "Mother, am I still your child" and the chaos builds, and builds - until sudden, at 3:25 Edge cuts through the madness with one wailing note…a bit of clarity in all the noise.

    Beautifully put! Nice observation that makes me want to listen to song right away!

    Mofo does indeed remind me of IWF (maybe because of the sequence in the Pop tour?) and I guess that is the reason I could think of the song as "innocence." Pop is, however, perhaps the album with the least "innocence" (edit: as most of you already noticed!) For my list I picked "Discothèque" but the "you know you're chewing bubblegum..." is a sort of pretended innocence, which makes it also a bit false...
  12. AT,AP is a great choice. Pure musically one of the most interesting songs that haven't been played live for way too long!