10. Rise Up (The Joshua Tree Remastered B-Side) – I love the rhythm and beat of this song. Plus it’s Christian subterfuge rock! Okay. Okay. I’m an atheist but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate songs with g(G)od references. As long as it’s not pushing evangelism down my throat, I can dig it.
9. Elvis and America (The Unforgettable Fire) – The album’s pretty good. And there are obvious favorites that I could’ve mentioned like Bad, A Sort of Homecoming, and Pride but this is the song that defines that album for me. Atmospheric. Hypnotic. Everything you wanted in a song about loss.
8. Walk On (All That You Can’t Leave Behind) – While the song is Bono’s love letter to Aung San Suu Kyi, I find that on a personal level I can relate to this song very much. This is all I think about for periods of time—to be able to leave everything behind except those that you absolutely can’t. I dream about walking away from… well, life, the universe and everything.
7. Out of Control (Boy) – A pretty old song but relatively new to me. I like the vitality and the hunger for life that it brings.
6. Acrobat (Achtung Baby) – I like the rage of the melody and the vulnerability of the lyrics. When I was younger, I imagined bodies falling from the sky whenever I listen to Acrobat. It’s a plummet-to-your-death song.
6. If God Will Send His Angels (Pop) – One of the few songs in this techno-infused album that I can listen to again and again. Another straightforward song that’s almost a prayer. I go nuts for stuff like this.
5. I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (No Line on the Horizon) – This is currently my anthem. I listen to this whenever I start taking myself too seriously. Why can’t we act like idiots sometimes?
4. Elevation (All That You Can’t Leave Behind) – This song is just pure fun. I like singing along to it out loud even though I can’t sing for shit. There are songs that, well, elevate the spirit. For me, this is one of them.
3. Miracle Drug (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) – I love the entire album. Yahweh, Sometimes You Can’t Make it on your Own, City of Blinding Lights… it’s almost impossible to pick just one song from How to… However, this song touches me in ways no other song can. As egotistical as this may sound, I dedicate this song to myself. I’m special and so are you.
2. Without or Without You (The Joshua Tree) – The album is wall-to-wall greatness but this is the song that defined one of U2’s so-called masterpieces. Popular, yes, but also a valid expression of conflicted emotions for someone who you can’t live with or without.
1. Heartland (Rattle and Hum) – While the song mostly describes an atmosphere and a state of place, it’s also a song about a particular state of mind. But that’s not why I love it though. For all the obvious and not-so-obvious reasons, I carry this song with me always. I associate it with the pain of losing someone you never had to begin with. She feels like water in my hand…
Well we are so close that even the DVD player has been placed on hold. Everything is set, we are still looking for a couple of reporters. Tickets purchased, all set. Bring on the summers best tour.
