U2, One - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

#u2
I fully enjoyed this piece of music which even brought back memories and painted a clear, vivid picture in my mind. And this is exactly what great music is capable of doing!
Here’s the link to the original song by U2:
• U2 - One (Official Mus...
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by U2
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[@andystevenson8383]

Did anyone else feel super proud of Bono when she says 'nice voice'! 😊

[@brettscott8288]

Almost a repetition❤

[@txiliku]

Nice voice, from the Heart. Yes 💙

[@bryanm1225]

One might even say “Bono Vox”. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bono#Early_life

[@sandersson2813]

Bono crashed his bike because he was turning around to see if the sun actually did shine out of his arse.

[@alessandrorigobello7551]

yes. if she hadn't said it i would have destroyed all my u2 records. i was only waiting for her opinion on bono's voice...😂😂😂😂

[@rubbersole79]

Bought my first U2 CD when my first son was born. Now he's 30. What a ride. What a damn ride.

[@cwocky]

Yep it's been a ride 35 yr's for me 2 moments come to mind tho Seeing them Live 29/09/1989 Syd Ent Cent. "INCREDIBLE". Life changing 1st time seeing "the Fly" on arvo music tv Oh and hearing Zooropa for the 1st time

[@Greenlion781]

The guitarist from this band is really a wizard at creating parts that aren't necessarily showy, but profoundly musical.

[@mightyV444]

Totally! 😀👍 The Edge's one of my favourites, along with Lifeson, EVH, Easton and Summers 😊

[@timaustin77x]

You always know when it’s The Edge playing. You can’t say that for many guitarists.

[@TWBK]

​​@@yellowharley1 The Edge is the king of simple but efficient riffs. Are there loads of technically more proficient guitarists who would be able to reproduce his sounds? Yes. But would they come up with those sounds in the first place? Probably not.

[@bighenry6633]

​@@yellowharley1 A lot of people say that Edge isn't a technically brilliant guitarist, that he uses simple pedal effects that so many other can copy very well. Probably true (since so many are saying it there will be some truth to it), but no-one else comes up with these sounds in the first place. Sounds and effects that are perfect for the music they are placed in. A lot of critics claim that to be a good guitarist you have to shred at ridiculous speeds, but that's not true. There are some that are masters of the gaps between the notes, such as Gilmour or Knopfler, some are masters of bending notes (Gilmour, again), and some are masters of creating effects and sounds, such as Edge.

[@yellowharley1]

@@TWBK Ive been a drummer for 45 years. If I auditioned him he would have lasted two minutes. Ive played with hundreds of players over the years. He has zero creativity and plays 32nd notes through most songs/.

[@brianstolt3141]

As a huge U2 fan, I watched this with a smile on my face. She managed to put into words some of the things I feel from this song. And with every pause in her speech delivery, she continued with something extremely profound. Awesome review!

[@tpmcneill910]

Agreed! Like when she said ‘it just wraps around you’. Yup!!

[@antoineboileau4194]

💯! She gets it.

[@donnawest-newman956]

Massive U2 fan also. I love how she has put into words the feelings I have when I listen to it. Axel Rose is right about this song.

[@anthonypritchett7848]

A lot of times I skip through the intro to a reaction video to get right to the reaction, but not with this lady. I find value in every word she says.

[@jefferytheis4157]

Yes! So unique. We can listen to 20 different reactors basically say "oh wow", then with Amy, get all this insight and info and appreciation.

[@ratm7431]

With One, you always have this feeling, that the song was always out there, somewhere, and U2 just found it by accident. Such a perfect song.

[@JPS1Dec]

U2 is the greatest of all time. No group like them and never will be. New Years Day, The Unforgettable Fire, Until the End of the World, October, Into the Heart, With or Without You, One, Exit, One Tree Hill….. and on and on……

[@GrayBuchanan-wq9sg]

I respect your opinion but I could say my favorite band is the greatest of all time, also could legit say no group like them, nor ever will be and could even list the same number of songs by them, and also not have named all their best ones.

[@johnobrien1528]

Wrong. But your passion is admirable

[@JPS1Dec]

@@GrayBuchanan-wq9sg you could say yours is the best. Absolutely correct.

[@JPS1Dec]

@@johnobrien1528 cheers mate

[@johnobrien1528]

@@JPS1Dec peace, mate!

[@apistol61]

i have never been a huge U2 fan,,, but i know a great composition when i hear it and this song struck me as a masterpiece the first time i heard it way back in 91. this tune conveys powerful emotions at the same time as it starts from a simple mello rhythm. the arrangement and structure of it are flawless, truly a great piece of music!

[@cahillgreg]

Chubba

[@chaddubois8164]

U2 and The Police were definitely some of the best to come out of the 1980s.

[@sebastianwild7895]

I have listened to this very song 10,000 times in my life over the last 30+ years. And still, i am moved as if it was released yesterday. It starts with fragility, desperation, so few notes, pure intimacy. Over the song, it builds up to end on a hope of forgiveness and a crying call to unite. How could you ever come up with those lines. So intense , that stunning song, and a true musical fellow to keep at heart for the next 30+ years.

[@TheSpanishInquisition87]

This song is lyrically sophisticated. Yes, it can be interpreted as another love song, but it is also a theological reflection. Bono's voice is amazing.

[@captainprototype187]

It should be the world's anthem. Or did somebody already say that.......

[@TheSpanishInquisition87]

@@captainprototype187 I would pick, "One Love" by Bob Marley as the Earth''s anthem, but I like the way you're thinking!

[@krmche8101]

@@captainprototype187 actually it is. Samuel Paty'd death made it a national anthem in france, kind of.

[@coleensalzer491]

It's not a love song. It's a break-up song

[@jomymuttathil]

“We are one, but we are not the same”. Bono and Ali are one but different people who will see things differently. “We get to carry each other”. It is not a breakup song, it is a working through the rough patches song.

[@martinmcdonald4207]

Thank you for introducing me to this great song. I must have been living in a bubble for the past 40 years or so!

[@diamonddave4745]

Achtung Baby is an excellent album

[@johnobrien1528]

U2 has two voices, you’re amazingly profound. Edge sings with his guitar, it’s an extension of his voice.

[@justcallmesando]

Exactly

[@wilmascholte7607]

Seeing this song live and everyone in a tens of thousand large audience feeling -as one- just gives a person so much hope for humanity.

[@duffelbag1127]

Bono’s voice and the lyrics are the stand outs in the song. The music may not be “complex“ but it perfectly fits the timbre/mood in Bono’s voice.

[@mpmlopes]

Speaking of Guns N' Roses, November Rain is exactly the kind of song that fits this channel like a glove.

[@elevenseven-yq4vu]

November Rain, Estranged, Coma, Riad n' the Bedouines. These are the Guns n' Roses songs that come to mind.

[@TriptoCo]

Guns and Roses are nothing short of garbage. Saw them twice in concert years ago, a mess of singing. Axl CANNOT sing live. Terrible at best.

[@iamdew]

Not right now, please do the reaction in November 😁 in the rain

[@ratm7431]

U2's One, lyrically i think its superior than November rain

[@TheCdacdacdacda]

Civil War would be my choice

[@kdmathesen]

I feel as if the music beautifully and tragically portrays the flow of many a long relationship. We can just go along, be carried by it, with all of the deep emotion (often negative) accumulating underneath that we barely notice. The pain and human suffering in Bono’s voice and in the lyrics is so present. This song, like many others in U2’s collection, is *felt* as much as heard.

[@dporper6390]

Her never hearing a U2 until now is almost as humorous as her never hearing a Beatles song. But her first listen provides a better insight than I could muster after my hearing it hundreds of times over 25 years.

[@sandbridgekid4121]

I learned more from your "outsider" critique and analysis of pop music, which you've never heard before, than from experts with decades of experience in the genre(s).

[@sandbridgekid4121]

Recommended: Led Zepplin, Kashmir, Pink Floyd, Goodbye, Blue Sky videos.

[@sandbridgekid4121]

Traffic, Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys, and any ELO and Beatles.

[@ze6464]

1991 was a great year for rock music - Metallica - Guns - REM - Pearl Jam - Van Halen - U2- Red Hot - Michel Jackson- Genesis ... and so one

[@scabthecat]

How did you miss Nevermind?

[@ze6464]

@@scabthecat inexcusable

[@lonkylaine]

also Nirvana, Soundgarden, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream to name a few.

[@jamesnichols7693]

Peter Gabriel enters the discussion.

[@lonkylaine]

1991 was probably the best year in rock, beating even 1967. Achtung Baby to me is kind like a Sargent Peppers of the era. Grand production, brought to the surface some ideas from the "underground" (KMFDM, Madchester scene, etc.), getting better with time, etc.

[@vaughnnewman8903]

I grew up with this band and was fortunate enough to have seen them in concert a handful of times from age 15 up until now at age 51. They are a remarkable band, amongst many other reasons, having the ability to weave their passions and emotions into the music. Many of their songs are anthemic but all of them are amazing.

[@Io-Io-Io]

As always: not all of them

[@seelenwinter6662]

u2...why does u2 keep me thinking of the south park episode when bono was born as sht and has been sht his entire life....south park is actually always right..

[@vaughnnewman8903]

@@Io-Io-Io Thanks for taking my post so literally. (That was sarcasm, btw).

[@vaughnnewman8903]

@@seelenwinter6662 If you hate him so much, why waste your time posting here? What a sad and pathetic life you must lead.

[@Io-Io-Io]

@@vaughnnewman8903 Details matter

[@steveblog1]

When recording Achtung Baby at Hansa Studios in Berlin, U2 described One as having “arrived” in the room. Criticality, it arrived at a time where U2 were seriously considering their future, as in whether or not they had one. That’s part of what makes the sing so special to both the band, and the fans. It kept a fractured band from breaking, while simultaneously energising them to create a masterpiece of an album. Beautiful song choice.

[@romanrodriguez5100]

Bono is a wonderful singer. He has a great voice. I think that’s an underrated thing about the Band that no one talks about. Same thing happens with Edge backing vocals

[@thekidcomn5938]

At this point, I’d almost say Edge is better.

[@Laneta41]

@@thekidcomn5938 The Edge tiene una voz bonita, pero incomparable con la voz de Bono, Bono tiene una voz única en este planeta.

[@thekidcomn5938]

@@Laneta41 , he sounded pretty good last Friday.

[@alisonh7229]

So happy you listened to a song by U2! And I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It might bear a second listen because the power of the song comes through the beautiful lyrics and the emotion in Bono's voice. One of my favourites, so thank you. I would absolutely love it if you listened to more of U2 - perhaps The Joshua Tree album. Probably the most perfect album I know - you can't listen to just one song but each one is essential to the whole.

[@sephlar]

U2 is a band that shaped much of me as a teen and 20 something. This song is part of one of those rare albums in which no track is a stinker. You listen to it from beginning to end. Achtung Baby was a masterpiece. It is interesting that are looking at this song, because U2 are close to celebrating this album and the ZooTV tour that followed with a residency in Las Vegas in probably one of the most amazing modern music venues every created, The Sphere. This song song will surely be one of my centerpieces in that show.

[@bcwgobuffs1]

I agree, no track is a stinker... Mysterious Ways is as close to "skip" as it gets for me... just kinda over it.

[@dougoc]

The song is like a big hug from the universe

[@ncoide]

You have a unique perspective, I love your analysis! Such a good job. Thank you!!

[@UndrwearBomber]

"That guitar that just came in" is known as Edge. Every U2 song has at least one guitar riff that when you hear it, you immediately know it's U2. Like knowing the sound of a singers voice, we also know that one-of-a-kind sound of Edge on guitar.

[@juliehughes1258]

@Neil Jessen I totally agree. It's the same with Johnny Marr's unique guitar style. "That's the Smiths" or "That's a Johnny Marr song."

[@alessandrorigobello7551]

she is completely false and musically her comments are really poor. bye

[@AndTheRoadGoesEverOn]

ONE has a beautiful melody & forward-flowing energy, as you picked up on, but it is *mostly lauded for its sophisticated lyrics & message* - which give it its anthemic quality. There are other U2 hits that are more musically complex & have an even greater build from a barely-there start-and where the music is the star of the show. Here the focus is mainly on Bono’s expressive singing & lyrics. Would love to see you react to other U2 songs.

[@olly115]

Sophisticated lyrics??? 😐 Listen again with an open mind

[@rebecalinares5393]

U2´s "One" is the greatest song ever written. How on earth can be only 36 on RS 500 Greatest Songs list? No other song in my life impacted me as much as "One" in 1992. It was the most brutal piece of music i had ever heard. Just stunning. U2´s "One" will never be topped.

[@makeyourfaith]

yet she presumably hasn't heard of U2. Living under a rock? I'll bet Bono has heard of Vivaldi, Bach, and countless other classical artists from Baroque, Rococo, Renaissance, and other periods. This smells of faux drama.

[@rebecalinares5393]

@@makeyourfaith This lady is all technical professorial, classical musical analytics, no emotion whatsoever. She doesnt feel it.

[@darylgabindotcom]

God Only Knows came first 👊

[@88wildcat]

There is no such thing as the greatest song ever written. There is only the greatest song you have ever heard. No one has ever listened to every song ever written. There could be 5,000 songs greater than this out there. You just haven't heard them.

[@rebecalinares5393]

@@88wildcat You havent heard this one. Saw the video but didnt heard the song. Go and listen to your current digital platform so called "artists" of today, the regeetoners and that kind of todays crap. You dont know a F about real music.

[@Emburbujada]

You found my favourite band! This song has become a hymn because the lyrics gained new meaning with time. U2 has an amazing catalog with very different styles and so creative. You should listen to them more eventually =)

[@jacobkan6034]

I couldn't imagine that musician like her never heard U2 . Unbelievable!!!!!

[@troypakura272]

She has been living under a rock for the past 30 odd years 😂😊

[@gavtalk958]

@@troypakura272 Precisely my thought! Perhaps she grew up Amish 😄

[@kasroa]

It's funny that this one has elicited way more of these types of reactions than many of her other videos. And it surprises me because U2 would definitely be one the least surprising of all the bands she's never heard before. They exist in a fairly narrow valley in pop music, something I don't think their fans realise. I love some of their songs, their early ones, but I also recognise that they have a kind of marmite quality. You can see that by the incredulity and shock of their fans in these comments.

[@randomletter-5i4]

Yes it seems so odd..but I think those in classical are just not into popular music, also she was too young during that era...just my guess. In my 50s it does seem incredible tho...these songs were everywhere...radio and MTV also a factor that has gone.

[@LeeKennison]

An excellent analysis Amy! I am happy you have now heard another major and influential rock group (sometimes labeled as alternative rock). They were particularly big in the 80s and 90s, but their popularity continues to this day. Still filling stadiums on their tours a few years ago. They are the 2nd highest grossing concert band after the Stones. I have been a fan of several of their albums and songs over the years.

[@tomscully7489]

It's the lyrics and melody that really make this song great IMO.

[@kulh1962]

This lady really knows her stuff. U2s instruments are indeed down tuned to match Bonos voice. Im so happy she liked this absolute beauty of a track

[@trentrez6643]

The Edge knows how to create atmosphere in music like no one else in rock music

[@tootspogsforever5590]

FACTS!!!

[@Io-Io-Io]

Timeless, great song. I remember very well when it came out

[@mdhensel750]

I appreciate the gentle and caring tone of Amy's comments. I also appreciate the honesty. The reason is that in a way I get to hear the songs again for the first time.

[@aaroneousmonk3]

Her feeling out the music itself is full and insightful, but maybe where she misses the boat a bit in this “stream” is the profundity of the lyrics. I think this happens because she is so focussed in on what is happening musically, but the two (lyrics and music) are greater than the sum of their parts. I especially felt this when he was singing “Have you come here to play Jesus, to the lepers in your head?” and she is talking over it and does not return to it or even comment on that particular verse. The deep emotion woven in the two is what makes this song so amazing.

[@Cornerboy73]

I really did enjoy this, I've never seen an analysis that looked at that song from this structural angle. Very interesting, thank you!

[@indiraconnolly2889]

‘You gave me nothing now it’s all I got.’ Some of the most powerful lyrics I’ve ever heard.

[@SpockBR]

I can't live, with or without you.

[@SpockBR]

You give It all but I want more.

[@SpockBR]

Have you come here to play Jesus To the lepers in your head?

[@SpockBR]

You ask me to enter, but then you make me crawl

[@michaelmullins6396]

@@SpockBR This is the most powerful part to me because they change the key. that along with those lyrics. Wow…just wow

[@larryfontenot9018]

When Bono first begins singing, her comment was "nice voice". Bono's stage name is a short form of his gang nickname from his childhood, which was Bono Vox of O'Connell Street. The other gang members just called him Bono to shorten it and it stuck to the point that his family calls him that too. The gang member who gave him the nickname got it from Bonavox, the name of a hearing aid company in Dublin. The company took their name from the Latin phrase vox bona, which means good voice. His birth name is Paul David Hewson. So I had to laugh when she immediately said what his stage name might translate to in English.

[@LV481]

I thought exactly the same!

[@donnawest-newman956]

How lovely watching a first reaction to my most favourite song that I never want to end. I nearly cry every time I hear it.

[@mauriciomijares7286]

Great selection Vlad! I couldn't believe that U2 was not included in 80' music. But I'm glad you picked it up for Amy. Great reaction as always, and the best of the video was at the end when Vlad mentioned One by Metallica. I can't wait to see that!

[@Zundfolge]

And then after listening to One by Metallica, she should hunt down Chris Cornell singing Metallica's One to the tune of U2's One. It's just absolutely brilliant.

[@kovie9162]

Literally not possible to understand 80's rock without artists like U2, The Cure, REM, Prince, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, The B52's, Dire Straits and Madonna. One doesn't have to like each of these and other popular artists of that decade to understand their important roles in it.

[@marcgirard7551]

With how much this lady is enjoying this song, I guarantee she’d love So Cruel from the same record as well.

[@thomasjensen3214]

I agree! A little Masterpiece!

[@silgen]

This is rapidly becoming one of my favourite channels on youtube. It's fascinating to hear you bring your vast knowledge of music and an open mind to bear on some of my favourite songs. You've given me insights I could never have acquired otherwise and enhanced my enjoyment of music. In my opinion we could do with more female artists, though, here's a few suggestions: Kate Bush - Moments of Pleasure. Kate reminiscing on the friends she's lost over the years and one she was losing, her mother who was dying at the time the song was written. All set to Michael Kamen's wonderful orchestration. Fairport Convention - Who Knows Where The Time Goes? Sandy Denny wrote this song at 19, and this melancholy masterpiece features Sandy's crystal-clear soprano and Richard Thompson's wonderfully understated guitar accompaniment. Bjork - All Is Full Of Love. Bjork's singing starts off quietly with her charming breathy Icelandic inflections before suddenly exploding into her full power. Ella Fitzgerald - Strange Fruit. Heartbreaking classic. Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind. Another classic built on the power of Etta's voice. Anyway, whatever you bring to us I'll look forward to it. Your students are very lucky to have such an inspirational teacher as you.

[@OrangeAni]

What a great list. I would add Tori Amos as well 😊 Especially, Winter (even though it's only a piano piece)

[@MattSaettler]

I would add Loreena McKennit. Especially because of the.. unique.. instrumentation her pieces use.

[@KitsyX]

I’m not sure if all of these would count as rock, which I think is the main focus of the channel… That said, maybe they could fit and they’d probably still be worth checking out regardless… I certainly wouldn’t complain if she looked at those.

[@silgen]

@@KitsyX You have a point with Ella and Etta, but Kate Bush and Bjork - Art Rock/Prog Rock, Sandy Denny - Folk Rock/Electric Folk. There have been other non-rock songs on this channel.

[@elevenseven-yq4vu]

I would like to recommend: "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez, "River" by Joni Mitchell, "Distant Fingers" by Patti Smith Group, "Violin" by Kate Bush, "In the Beginning, There Was Rhythm" by The Slits, "Barracuda" by Heart, "Emergency" by Girlschool, "Finished With the Dogs" by Holy Moses, "Catwoman" by Shakespears Sister, "Violently Happy" by Björk, "Space Dog" by Tori Amos, "Frozen" by Madonna, "To Bring You My Love" by P. J. Harvey, "Coin-Operated Boy" by The Dresden Dolls, "Dinosaur Egg" by Scout Niblett, "Filthy/Gorgeous" by Scissor Sisters, "Nobody Knows" by Dark Dark Dark, "The Unholy" by Rose Kemp, "Snow-Hen of Austerlitz" by Rasputina, "Standing In the Way of Control" by Gossip.

[@fredvelez7703]

I so enjoyed watching your reaction and the insight and thoughts you had as the song played. You as a classical musician, we (us non musicians) put a lot of stock in your opinion, the opinion of someone who knows music, music theory and has studied music before 1950! U2 has been part of my life for 40 years, I watch a lot of reaction videos about U2 songs (this song at least 15 times) and yours stands out amongst the rest! It's insightful, deep, enjoyable, more of an intellectual challenge you give the viewer and that's refreshing!

[@marcosjunior9421]

Fantastic description of the song ONE! How little by little, it involves us, filling our mind and body in full! And when we realize it, we are already wrapped in energy and an emotion that overflows!! Wonderful journey of sensations and emotions!

[@WindmillChef]

It was just yesterday when I commented on Amy's video regarding a completely unrelated song that Bono once said that U2 was a band before any of its members could play an instrument, I quoted Bono in regards to my premised question whether modern successful music acts have to be very skilled at making (complex) music. Amy likes the way that this song has been crafted and Amy, rest assured, when U2 hits the studios, a band that generates in access of $500 Million in revenues per year, really really big gun music producers are there to help craft the project and "One" is by a very long shot not one of the band's biggest hits. I heard, and I don't know if it is correct, that a couple who are very close to Bono's wife was having difficulties and contemplating divorce, and Bono's wife asked him if he could write a song about the value of staying together, a song for their close friends. Amy, as you are learning about the electric guitar and what can be done with it through electronic amendments, Edge (U2's guitarist) is a guitar player who spends at least as much time and effort on the electronic altering behind the guitar as he does playing the instrument, he is not by far one that takes it to the most extreme levels but he likes to fiddle around with it. I like what Vlad and you had to say about this song, many regard it as a U2 "sell out" song, strings in a U2 song and all, my opinion is different, I have always liked this song and I find that Bono, a man who doesn't believe much in divorce, perfectly expresses with his voice the acks and pains...and losses that are involved in divorces. Great song, great video, Thank you.

[@thinc2272]

Wow - the explanation of using the streams merging on by one is illuminating thank you. Your insights helps us enjoy this song even more!

[@phineasmcsneed2169]

Amy reminds me of music and art teachers I had in school, in the late 70's and early 80's. To think what we took for granted back then...

[@peebeedee6757]

Amy, so pleased to see that you now play a song through and then dissect it on a replay. So much easier on the ears for those who have heard these somgs countless times, growing up with them. I havn't tuned in for months, put off by the cutting in on your earlier reactions, but now returning.

[@mattesrocket]

"One" had an extreme impact to my youth, and yes, sometimes this song brings tears to my eyes, immediately. It was a tragic time, when "One" came out...

[@andreimansan]

Great band! So many different guitar sounds, and all fit perfectly and serve well the songs. Please react more to U2 :)

[@suzycreamchez123]

Amy, your reactionary insights and descriptions are always so thoughtful and intelligent. You never fail to add some new nuance in music I've been listening to for years. I so enjoy you. Thank you.

[@justcallmesando]

Every thing you just said makes so much sense along with the meaning or essence of the song. I am a big big U2 fan. They're the most important band of my life and to hear you say how not a single thing screams for attention in the song makes me think that that`s why they became so big then. Recently their new music just tries too hard and that´s precisely what is not working for me anymore but I will always love their amazing songs from a time when everything just flowed from and for them.

[@toddstevens13]

We are like the frog in the pot where the temperature rises little by little. But unlike dying we are transformed emotionally and flow with the increased adding on of different parts until the crescendo grabs you by the throat.

[@dav2145]

I was beginning to wonder how long it would be until U2 came on to Amy's radar. This is a deep musical well to go down, with the bands music evolving over the decades but also retaining certain characteristics. May I suggest The Unforgettable Fire, All I Want Is You, Mysterious Ways, An Cat Dubh, Drowning Man, Heartland, Love Comes Tumbling, Zooropa, and the Pavarotti collaboration Miss Sarajevo. I love your channel, I find your perspectives and insights as a classically trained musician without much previous exposure to rock music to be refreshing and unexpected. It is a double edged sword, I hope you dont't lose that uniqueness from overexposure, but at the same time growth and change is inevitable, and there is just so much great rock 'n roll to enjoy!

[@lowellhuesers5366]

I think it's great that you've been to Itasca State Park in Minnesota and experienced the joy and wonder of walking across The Mississippi, as I have. And to use that memory to deepen and enhance the meaning of this song is priceless.

[@MikeInMD1961]

Thanks for giving me different insights to a song I've heard a hundred times. Great reactions and review. You have a new subscriber!

[@chriseckert613]

I listened again. Absolutely loved this. "Nothing Extra, Nothing missing". That is the essence of U2. There are two videos on KZbin concerning the edge demonstrating his guitar rig. Let The Edge demonstrate echo, delay and some other effects, and Amy will have the basic U2 sound down. After that, much like the Beatles, U2 explored many different musical styles, especially when they made it to the top of the profession and decided to "chop down the Joshua Tree". Finally, of course there is that prevailing theme found throughout U2's songs. I won't be a spoiler. Amy will pick up on that as well with a few more song selections along the way, or she will find it in her research. The hint: U2 came of age in an era when the motto was "sex, drugs and rock and roll". Against that backdrop, what message might be the most subversive?

[@dieteroberkofler4342]

I love the way how you verbalize the feelings that the music evokes. An almost poetic quality of describing something that I never feld can be described in words.

[@ericnathanguel]

My favorite song of all time. I have such a deep, visceral connection to this song. Thank you for sharing this!

[@dangl650]

I love the live version when they include the “Hear them coming........” lyrics...... makes it even more epic. Live at Slane Castle 2001 is perfect.

[@theblondebomber]

Do you hear us coming lord? Do you hear us call? You hear me knocking Knocking at your door? Hear me coming me lord? D’you hear him call? Hear him scratching? Since you make me crawl…

[@mysticedge4]

@@theblondebomber it’s actually… Do you hear me coming lord? Hear me call? Hear me knocking, knocking at your door? Hear me coming love, hear me call? See me scratching. Wont you make me crawl.

[@andrew6978]

One of the best songs ever written, simple as that really.

[@ruipereira2180]

Amy, the more I watch your "First Listens", the more amazing your reactions are becoming. How can a classical musician convey these deep insights, to music I have listened to since the end of the 60's????? I guess, music is music!

[@mikes9305]

Yes, music is music. Most of the genre distinctions that so many persons currently focus on will be forgotten within a century. What matters is the quality and effectiveness of the music, rather than how it's been temporarily classified and marketed.

[@thomasfioriglio]

This was really special. This song has special meaning to me and I loved your insight.

[@richpeltier9519]

Band is awesome, but credit must also be given to the producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Their work in creating much of the soundscape accompanying instruments was a turning point in the art of recording music. Eno's direction as a producer, drew some of the best performances, from the best artists to record music in the modern age. I prefer Child in Time myself and yet consider myself a U2 fan. Just a bigger fan of Deep Purple. I've seen both bands perform live and they are among the best in their respective fields. 🤘🧙‍♂️🤘 Rich the Ancient Metal Beast PS, yes.. please do Metallica's song One! They also have a brand new album out that is being very well received.

[@zaphods2ndhead193]

BTW, there are countless rock songs with Pachelbel's Cannon chord progression. Hook by Blues Travelers is just one of MANY and it would also be a great song for you to react.

[@mightyV444]

Off-topic, but: Great username! 😄👍

[@rccc5806]

Lovely commentary, it really adds to the piece listened to. Very fine and well defined observations. I am nor a classical fan or a U2 fan but I enjoyed this video a lot.

[@jasondanio6259]

I’ve heard this song at least hundreds of times and it still gives me chills about 2/3 of the way in, until the end.

[@lp4755]

The Edge's guitar lines are so unique and ethereal.

[@mightyV444]

Very interesting all the accolades this song has been getting! I used to be a *MASSIVE* U2 fan throughout the 80's and up to 'Achtung Baby', the album 'One' is on, but I gotta say that to me personally, it's always been one of their more 'meh' kind of songs. However, it is a great example of a song progressing in a 'wedge' shape, and that's how *most* great songs had been written. And in any case: Great reaction and analysis! 😊👍

[@ObamaFromKenya]

@The Mighty V mighty, what do you think of U2’s work from 1993-2033?

[@michaelmendez9381]

Wow I've loved this song since its release in 91 and your explanation is the best I've ever heard. Thanks a bunch I appreciate it. You have a nice voice as well by the way.😃

[@Tintunabulation]

I got carried along by your tempered but evocative musings and your idiosyncratic quirky movements wrestling to find or shape the meaning you sense are inherent in the music, . Beautiful.

[@CoolCoyote]

u2s best song is actually 'Red hill Mining Town'

[@Johnny_Socko]

MAN do I wish more people would react to this one. I consider it to be one of the greatest rock vocal performances in history.

[@CoolCoyote]

@@Johnny_Socko yeah except their official video, which detracts from the song

[@yenlard6683]

Bono could never sing it live because it would trash his vocals.

[@Johnny_Socko]

@@CoolCoyote Not really, it was sort of a given since U2 was notorious for having terrible videos. But I always recommend that people seek out the audio versions, even when the video is good.

[@CoolCoyote]

@@Johnny_Socko ugh not to a person who hasnt known rock videos, since i have made a few utube videos i know that sometimes visual can help with the song, so i disagree, but yes a u2 video not good, streets have no name is ok, but once again its too obvious.

[@hasinurrahman4952]

U2 is simply the best rock band of the last 40 years and the biggest live band of the last 35 years.

[@wimbledondoctor]

this helped me see this beautiful song form a different prospective, thank you for sharing

[@stevewesley3841]

It was a pleasure to see you enjoying a song so much, thank you.

[@frankpentangeli7945]

In my view, Achtung Baby (which incorporates this song) is by far U2's greatest album. Every song is beautiful and kicks ass ... and I'm not even a big U2 fan.

[@apextroll]

I would say Joshua Tree, but to each their own.

[@g.e.5723]

Agreed Frank.

[@TheMainChain]

Yes. U2 were approaching the zenith of their powers on Achtung

[@northwards2218]

I’d go earlier with Unforgettable Fire. A Sort of a Homecoming and Bad are unbelievable live. Joshua Tree with In God’s Country and Where the Streets Have No Name are super strong, too. All the best to you

[@azeiras]

Couldn't more agree

[@olemo7806]

Brian Eno took all those great songs and made them magical - he's the master behind their best albums.

[@cafepuschkin3955]

...he even sneaked his name into the title of this track!

[@birdonawi]

Also Daniel Lanois. Larru Mullen Jr spoke wonderfully of him concerning this particular album

[@olemo7806]

@@birdonawi That is right - Eno and Lanois

[@voidzone]

Lanois had an even bigger influence I recon. Peter Gabriel's "So" album around the same time, produced by him, is just as atmospheric. Pretty funny my top 3 songs being U2's Bad, Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" and The Killers' "Heart of a Girl" all had him as the producer.

[@rafaelortegaesp]

I think you're not right. Eno went to visit the band just from time to time because, as himself said, if he gets too much involved, he would be no helpful at all. He was a key when they got some blind alleys and he appeared with his "Eno cards" In fact, as Flood (the engineer) said in "from the sky down", One was a boring song to Brian Eno: "It bores me to tears". Bryan Eno was one of the masters of ZooTV. He was the one that create that video concept of using video for something different as "getting small people with micros as big people with micros". All this idea of saturating video and sound, the band dissapearing but being present, what is in fact the concept of ZooTV has the hand and brain of Eno behind it.

[@stephenlouwbiokineticist4127]

This is a phenomenal reaction! Thank you.

[@gustavomontiel1939]

I love how you describe music and how it makes you feel.

[@fromchomleystreet]

I actually think you’d find much more to your liking in U2’s early work from the 80s. Songs like “the unforgettable fire”, “a sort of homecoming”, “new year’s day” and “Gloria”

[@ThePrincepiggy]

Two Hearts Beat as One, 40, and 11 O’clock Tick Tock as well

[@Nightrelic]

Don’t forget An Cat Dubh

[@TheLaidOffFounder]

As much as i like reaction videos... there is something to be said for listening to a song through once... before stop and starting it.

[@chriswhamilton]

It would be taken down for copyright infringement that way.

[@msully]

My favourite song.... And you have exposed layers and observations I never noticed before. Thank you & greetings from Dublin, Ireland

[@hilo6755]

Love your content 😊

[@mightyV444]

9:19 - "Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip..." - Amy's totally singing '10.15 Saturday Night' by The Cure there! 😄

[@peterhughes8699]

Ok so Amy is now discovering some real high quality rock music she's likely to like :)

[@rockof.1793]

This is so wholesome. Thanks, Amy.

[@jasonremy1627]

A simply beautiful song.

[@seanwoodburn2616]

I really enjoy your reactions. Your observations on subjects such as the relationship between voice and guitar, for example, are golden. I think that your audience might actually be ok with slightly deeper explanations of harmonic analysis. Not full blown Schenkerian of course, but it is fun to see how the part writing rules still apply and how often we see Sonata Allegro form in well crafted pop and rock music. Like you, I am classically trained... but I grew up loving Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and later ( I am old), U2. My classical training came much later, so I suspect that our respective experiences are inverse. I think that you would really enjoy experiencing production first hand. There is so much about it that you clearly understand but from an unusual perspective as far as Rock or Pop music are concerned. Are you familiar with Rick Beato? An accomplished producer turned KZbinr who is very well versed in common practice. I think you would enjoy his content. Cheers!

[@gooddude640]

Great reaction! Definitely very fun and intelligent at the same time! Very much appreciated, thank you.

[@OTTERMANN2]

This song is like climbing a ladder with no end ,keeps building up and up,btw,what a great analysis.

[@ocayul]

Finally, a true classic from the early 90s. Production values really are great, with headphones it's a absolute another experiencie than without. The guitar at the end probably it's rhytmically programmed by The Edge, who works a lot with the sound of his guitar. A lot of creativity there from a guitar's point of view, even if its not techinacally virtuoso, his sound and engineering it's proper of a master in his craft.

[@koreyarmstrong456]

Props to Flood

[@lazarimarcelo]

Great content!!

[@DonnyPotoi]

Wow , the Mississippi River analogy is brilliant!! This made me pick up my guitar again after so long..Thank you!

[@cjonesufc]

There’s a video out there of Chris Cornell from Soundgarden covering this song live, solo, and on an acoustic guitar in which the guitar part and melodies are kept intact, but in which he substitutes the lyrics from “One” by Metallica. The sound quality isn’t great, but it actually works really well.

[@michaelmullins6396]

The Mary J Blige cover is next level.

[@seanowens1006]

I find it hard to believe that a professional musician has never heard this song before, even by accident

[@jomymuttathil]

Seriously. You would have to be living under a rock.

[@drink4711]

I second that. If she knows Pavarotti, which she acknowledges, how can she have missed out on his collaboration with U2 when it happened? Perhaps she knows very little about Pavarotti as well?

[@cillboon]

Agreed. Someone's taking the p**s with this one or maybe that's the whole point and we're the suckers. We're one but we're not the same. Those words seem to take on a whole new meaning.

[@willrothfuss8470]

Or anything by U2, which she says she hasn't heard.

[@Al.S.]

She probably didn't have time to listen to music, Ye ta ta, ta ta ta, ta 🎶

[@Motzmann-hg7no]

"Achtung Baby" a Masterpiece! My favorite U2 Album. But my favorite U2-Song is "All I Want Is You".