Eight-teen years after the original, U2 penned a would-be sequel to the Lennon's God tune appropriately named "God Part 2." The song was off the group's 1988 album Rattle and Hum, a pretentious album exploring and paying homage to many of the bands roots and heroes (especially in America). The album was released just a year after the groups monster masterpiece The Joshua Tree, and album that instantly propelled the group's record sales and critical acclaim to unprecedented heights. While The Joshua Tree was universally loved, many fans and critics were suspicious and critical of Rattle and Hum, feeling the motivation behind the album was self serving rather than a tribute to America's fore running Rock and Roll sounds. Instead of exploring American and Irish musical roots with the intent of crafting their own personal songs like they did on The Joshua Tree, U2 was accused of using their new status as one of the biggest bands in the world to make an album of covers, live tracks, and new inspirations in order to proclaim themselves in league with Rock and Roll legends like the Beatles, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, etc. In hindsight the comparison may not be so blasphemous, but critic accusations aside we're not here to talk about any of this background info (as intriguing as it no doubt is) we're here to focus on God (Part 2 that is).
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While a defiant sequel dealing with some of the same themes, U2's song has strikingly different sound, song structure, and lyrical emphasis. As you can probably tell right off the back, U2's God is not the light piano flowing muse of Lennon's. Instead, U2 take a more bass and drum powered rawk adventure into the yeahs and nays of belief. The sound, while a departure from The Joshua Tree, would become a mainstay on their next album Achtung Baby and pave the way for U2's 90s self reinvention.
Past U2's louder rattle and hum God, Part 2 also differs strikingly from the original in its song structure. While Lennon's tune can be separated into four distinct sections (1.defining god, 2. listing former gods/beliefs, 3. proclaiming his new belief and god(himself), and 4. consoling himself and his dear friends on the emergence of his new reality and the end of their beloved past beatle reality) culminating in a unified message, Bono's song is unified from the get-go and follows a much simpler structure; about the same formula in all seven verses (1. list a conviction/belief, 2. show the hypocrisy, 3. proclaim his own ultimate and overriding conviction). Instead of dispelling his former heroes/gods, Bono's lyrics center mostly around the hypocrisies he sees in the world. While many hold good moral convictions, Bono see's the worlds actions not emulating them.
Alright so those are the bare bone differences between part 1 and 2, but lets forget the original for a minute and break down the sequel a little more closely. Like we did in the previous blog, lets initially skip the non-beliefs and focus on Bono's beliefs because they are far more important. While the song does seem to give us a little glimpse into Bono's life and psyche, the ultimate conviction displayed here is 'love'. Bono trumps all the beliefs and hypocrisies he lists by proclaiming love. A statement very fitting and understandable to anyone who even has an inkling of this Irishman's character; he cares about universal love between all people above any dogmas, creeds, skin tones, nationalities, or borders that might separate them. Lennon wants us to believe in ourselves, Bono wants us to believe in love. (While one could deposit that Bono's message is of a higher order, one could just as easily counter that love may be implied in Lennon's message of believing in ourselves, because how can we believe in love with any real conviction if we don't love and believe in ourselves. This could really spin into some a fun logical debate, but we'll leave just let it be, haha no need to ramble excessively.)
Now you may be asking yourself, where the hell is God in "God Part 2" he's not even mentioned in the song. Well if you know a little about Bono's convictions you know God essentially is love. Yes he is a Christian and most likely does believe in the sky man, but to Bono the utmost importance of his religon is that God is loving and that we all need to be loving as well. So there you go, Lennon has ourselves as God and Bono is promoting God as equating love. Literal Christians are not going to be appreciating of either promotion.
We're pretty much done here, but...I dunno, do you feel like deconstructing the verses for shits and giggles (we'll be doing it a bunch in the next blong entry)? Ok, ok you talked me into it. Here is the lyrics to U2's God Part 2 with Muse-Zach interpretation and commentary. Enjoy.
Don't believe the devil
I don't believe his bunk
But the truth is not the same
Without the lies he made up
Hypocritically saying he doesn't believe in the Devil when he does, and than claims the truth wouldn't be the same without the Devil's lies. With our without depositing a real belief in Satan, he's basically saying the truth is not as clear without the darkness for comparisson. Christian bullshit if you ask me.
Don't believe in excess
Success is to give
Don't believe in riches
But you should see where I live
I...I believe in love
Pretty simple hypocrisy here. Sure Bono has several very nice houses, hear that starving African child?
Don't believe in forced entry
Don't believe in rape
But every time she passes by
Wild thoughts escape
Showing a little bit of his Catholic roots here perhaps, cant help but be reminded of the retarded Jesus saying, "To look on a woman with lust is to commit adultery." BS.
I don't believe in death row
Skid row or the gangs
Don't believe in the Uzi
It just went off in my hand
I...I believe in love
Simple again, people not believing in death or killing go outn and fight wars, join gangs, etc.
Don't believe in cocaine
Got a speed-ball in my head
I could cut and crack you open
Do you hear what I said
Drugs, lots of people that advocate against them us them, and alot of people who use them sometimes will threaten and/or use violence. Lots of musicans know all about this.
Don't believe them when they tell me
There ain't no cure
The rich stay healthy
While the sick stay poor
I...I believe in love
I'll let you handle this one.
Don't believe in Goldman
His type like a curse
Instant karma's going to get him
If I don't get him first
Albert Goldman was a controversial author who wrote two famous books. One largely damming the personality and activities of Elvis, and the other damming the personality and activities of John Lennon. Bono hypocritically dams Goldman in this song, and wonderfully threatens him while referencing a Lennon tune. Lovely.
Don't believe that rock 'n' roll
Can really change the world
As it spins in revolution
It spirals and turns
I...I believe in love
Ummm....little tougher one here..saying he doesn't believe rock'n'roll can change the, but than counters by saying it moves revolutions and so through influence and anthem does change the world. Also a Beatle reference of sorts.
Don't believe in the 60's
The golden age of pop
It glorifies the past
While the future dries up
Says 60s are not the golden age of rock, but than undercuts his statement by saying when the tunes of the future loose their vitality they have to go back to the past for inspiration, as if the past were some golden age. Sounds like what U2 did on The Joshua Tree. BS though, there really is no golden age of music and I'd rather be alive today with our music scene than alive 50 years ago.
Heard a singer on the radio late last night
He says he's gonna kick the darkness
'til it bleeds daylight
References Bruce Cockburn's song "Lovers in a dangerous time". Bruce is Canadian and U2 enjoy his music. Barenaked Ladies, another Canadian Band, covered "Lovers in a dangerous time" and it was their fist top 40 hit.
I feel like I'm falling
Like I'm spinning on a wheel
It always stops beside a name
a presence I can feel
I...I believe in love
Little bit more ambiguity and metaphorical language here. I'll take a stab at it though. Bono is falling through time, his life, and spinning round on the world (the wheel). Through all this God is always with him.
So in conclusion (I know this blog entry is long as hell) Bono on this song sets out to pay homage to Lennon, further his band's sound, show hypocrisies in convictions, and ultimately proclaim love. A tall order to be sure, but this band has always set the bar high for themselves and on this song I really feel they hit the mark. It's certainly not as good as the original (so few sequels are) but it's a worthy song with its own merits.
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