“Outdid them all”: The song Bono thought would live on forever
Every artist is trying to create something that means something bigger than themselves. Anyone can try to capture the spirit of their times for a few quick seconds when they chase trends, but the mark of any good art is to have something that will still reverberate out into the world decades after it was first released. And while Bono does have a few classics under his belt that have endured over time in U2, his search for the perfect song has led him to some classic artists throughout the years.
Then again, Bono is one of the few musicians who may have claimed his iconic status a bit too early. There was no denying that U2 was going to be one of the biggest bands of the 1980s before the decade was even over, but seeing him make sequels to John Lennon songs and hang out with artists like BB King felt like he was asking the world for permission to be a rock and roll god.
But the reason why U2 are still looked at fondly today is partly because of Achtung Baby. Everyone knew them as one of the biggest stadium rock acts in the world, and yet here they were, making an album that not only played against stereotypes but also openly mocked the idea of pompous stadium rockstars. Someone like Bono shouldn’t be able to get away with that, but with one listen to ‘The Fly’, it suddenly made it okay for artists to mock the absurdity of it all.
And while grunge came in to make the rest of the rock and roll world look like phonies, there was still room for some artists to challenge what it meant to be a pop star. There were bound to be people who took their work too seriously or tried to give their fans the bare minimum, but when listening to Lady Gaga, everyone knew they were dealing with everything they could have wanted in a pop star.
Outside of having massive hooks on records like The Fame, a lot of her best tunes were about celebrating the aspects of society that no one wants to talk about. A lot of her image may have been trying to provoke the straight media that wanted nothing to do with people walking around in meat dresses, but listening back to a song like ‘Born This Way,’ Bono knew what she was doing was absolutely necessary for music at large.
Even though there have been songs of inclusion throughout pop history, Bono felt that Gaga’s hit would never be displaced in rock and roll history, saying, “On first hearing this, I knew, like everyone, how clear the concept was and that the chorus would be one of those. It was on the second listen that I realised the lyrical power of the set-up with lines like ‘God makes no mistakes’. Gaga, you outdid them all with this one. This song will be sung forever.”
But the beauty of that line comes from the fact that it is a celebration of independence and also a slight jab at straight media. Since everyone afraid of change usually wants to stomp out anyone who doesn’t fit into the norms of society, be they sexual orientation or lifestyle choices, having a higher power on their side helps remind everyone that there’s no pride that comes with judging someone based on their life choices.
Even if Bono has been considered one of the biggest sellouts in the industry, only a fool would say that this song didn’t have some power behind it. Gaga may not have appealed to everyone at the time, but the strides she took with this song alone were the reason why the genre-playing field has opened up today.
