“How dare you”: The songwriters Bono was jealous of
Music should never feel like a competition between everyone on the charts. The public might pit certain artists against each other, but sometimes it’s better to learn from everyone else at the top of the hit parade rather than trying to beat them at their own game at every opportunity. But while a band like U2 have reached a level of rock-god status that’s nearly unheard of, Bono admitted that there were some artists with a track record that’s hardly fair for every other aspiring songwriter to measure up to.
Then again, it’s hard to think someone in U2 would complain about not having that many hit songs. Whether it’s through some divine providence or his way with words, Bono has managed to capture the spirit of rock and roll in nearly everything he puts out, whether that was him getting on his soapbox during the War era or deliberately going against the grain in the 1990s when working on Achtung Baby.
But even when listening to the biggest names in music, Bono knew there had to be limits on how far he could go. No one was expecting him to put up the same all-star numbers as The Beatles, and despite how many iconic albums they have in their back catalogue, the Irish legends aren’t exactly going to be occupying the same space that Led Zeppelin used to have in their prime, either.
Bono may have been a punk in many respects before he reached the big time, but he never forgot the power of a good pop song along the way. He was always willing to make a tune that could put a dent in his tough exterior, and while it could have been ridiculed at the time, it took a lot of courage for him to make songs as ‘Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’ at a time when grunge was slowly becoming the biggest thing in the world.
Even by the metric of great pop-rock songs, though, the Bee Gees were always in a class by themselves. There are still going to be those who don’t know any better who see them as simply the band that made disco one of the biggest genres of all time, but when listening to some of their older material like ‘Massachusetts’, there’s a certain quality to their voices that made them sound like the perfect complement to The Beatles’ early sound.
And while Bono could try his best to make another version of ‘With Or Without You’, he was openly jealous of the fact that the Gibb brothers could have songs like ‘Immortality’ with Celine Dion under their belts, saying, “I know songwriting or any art form is not supposed to be empirical, but it’s just not true… some songs are better than others. And this is one of them. And so is ‘Massachusetts’, and so is ‘Tragedy’… I mean really, how dare you.”
But every one of those melodies has a way of seeping into U2’s music as well. Bono never claimed to openly copy from his idols all that often, but listening to how the melodies move on some of their later records, it was clear that he was taking the template of songs like ‘To Love Somebody’ and giving them a different sheen when The Edge adding his trademark delayed guitars behind them.
Then again, it’s easy to understand why Bono would be slightly upset about what Barry Gibb could do with music. Anyone could try their best to make the perfect melody that could break someone’s heart, but when you have an artist who’s practically written the rulebook on what that sound is supposed to be, what’s the point in trying?
