Sunday, November 24, 2013

U2's "Ordinary Love" and their three eras: id, ego and supergo? what's next?

In the context of a  thoughtful response to the new U2 film song ("Ordinary Love"). here's  an excerpt from Andrew Romano. If he's got the   "id, ego and supergo" right, makes me wonder what's next..as they hopefully are moving out of that third era (what's after/beyond superego?).  Also, it would've helped if the writer more extensively talked about this being a soundtrack song... the U2 film songs are not quite in the flow of their album-to-album growth.

Oh, i see the line above, the way Bono illustrates it in the video as yet another example of him deflecting..or reflecting...the 'you' as being towards the audience, and not in the "obvious" way he meant it (upper case "You"  as in God/Jesus).  "With or Without You, "Oh, you look so beautiful..." etc.

Finally, do see Beth's response to the song/video here. As usual, great catch is to what may be going on.

 

Romano:

Here’s my theory. The early part of the band’s career, from Boy (1980) through Rattle and Hum (1988) was its Id Period—an era defined by big, flamboyant, irrational emotions like desire and faith and outrage (and their sonic equivalents).
The middle part of the band’s career, from Achtung Baby (1991) through Pop (1997), was its Ego Period, when U2 established an ironic distance from their earlier emotionalism—when they “attempt[ed] to mediate between id and reality,” as the great rock critic Sigmund Freud once put it.

The most recent part of U2’s career, meanwhile, which began in 2000 with the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind, has been its Superego Period. To me, much of U2’s recent output sounds like a band trying to act appropriately. A band that knows how it’s supposed to sound and is attempting to sound like that. A band that is imposing concepts onto its music. A band that is calculating. Overthinking. And losing some sort of spark in the process.

Which brings us to “Ordinary Love.”  full article
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Note below: the song's already been covered.  That ought to be good for the band's ego..uh,
superego?   or..

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