Saturday, October 01, 2005

Kite

Rock band U2 has always intrigued me. They are allways there in list of Tops. Top annual earners, popularity, even guitar world’s most important people blah blah..... What is wired about them is that they are not your traditional blues based rock. Hell, there is hardly ever a showcase shining long guitar solo which make gives rock and rollers most of their guitar gods!!

"So what makes U2 great!". I asked this question to Oliver, the most vocal U2 fan I have ever met. He said for one they are great because they managed to stick together for more than 25 years. I’m sure he had told me more but the conversation got washed in Beer and come to think of it, its more than 5 years since we had this talk.

Personally I have never been a U2 fanatic but you'd always find U2 songs in my play lists. Over the years I managed to come out of Joshua Tree fixation and got more of their music. One reason I love them is same as most of other people in world: BONO, The way he writes and sings the songs, there is simply nobody else like him.

Aah the songs.....Which brings me to the question what’s your #1 U2 song?

For me for a long time it was With or without you. Then it was One from Actung Baby. Really awesome song. If you disagree then just sing along with it and you will see my point.

..And then The Kite flew in, and blew me along with.Here's how the song goes ..
from the Album: All That You Can Leave Behind

Kite
Something
Is about to give
I can feel it coming
I think I know what it is

I'm not afraid to die
I'm not afraid to live
And when I'm flat on my back
I hope to feel like I did

And hardness
It sets in
You need some protection
The thinner the skin

I want you to know
That you don't need me anymore
I want you to know
You don't need anyone
Or anything at all

Who's to say where the wind will take you
Who's to say what it is will break you
I don't know
Which way the wind will blow

Who's to know when the time has come around
Don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye

It's somewhere
I can taste the salty sea
There's a kite blowing out of control on the breeze
I wonder what's gonna happen to you
You wonder what has happened to me
I'm a man
I'm not a child
A man who sees
The shadow behind your eyes

Who's to say where the wind will take you
Who's to say what it is will break you
I don't know
Where the wind will blow
Who's to know when the time has come around
I don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye

Did I waste it
Not so much I couldn't taste it
Life should be fragrant
Rooftop to the basement
The last of the rocks stars
When hip-hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea
What was the big idea

It’s unfair for me to try writing anything about this soaring giant. I will rather quote what others are saying (Taken from www.songfacts.com)

The Edge considers this his favorite song on the album. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Bono also mentioned that "Kite" was his favorite song on the CD. He also referenced the death of Michael Hutchence, former singer for INXS while discussing the song.

On the the Elevation tour of 2001, Bono said this was "about saying goodbye to somebody you don't want to say goodbye to."

On their performance at Slane Castle in 2001, a few days after his fathers dead, Bono dedicated "Kite" to him... And in the line "I know that this is not goodbye...", he was crying. I'm sure everyone had a lump in his throat at this time.

Paul in alt.music.u2 calls it greatest U2 song ever, I can’t agree with more. Here is what he has to say:

Well, my soft cell has never been so affected by a song before (And perhapsI said the same thing with the Fly back in 92:), but nonetheless.It's raining in Tucson today, that drizzly non-stop Seattle kind of rain,not that normal Tucson monsoon stormy kind of rain, "Rain without Anxiety":) Took Kite out for a spin, and all I can say is between the rain, the citylights, the memories of all I can't leave behind, I cried tonight listeningto that song for the first time in a year.
This song once again reminds me of that evocative journey that I used to betaken on with U2, and all I can say to the guys is thanks.You have started to turn a year of my life haunted by sickness, death andpain, and made me believe it all wasn't so bad in the end.
Kite is magic, there is no doubt an enchantment was imbued on this song.
It is Glorious! I cannot think of a better word in my vocabulary to describe it.

So true!!!
Recently I came across this nice video for the song and I just had to add it to the post.. kewl