For U2, discussing the significance of their music is not that difficult. As much as Bono has acknowledged that many of their songs are flawed, few musicians have ever looked more like conceited rock stars and compared the significance of their songs to a higher power than he has. At first, the band found the song “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” annoying, even as they were transforming into post-ironic rock gods.
Still, when Achtung Baby was being recorded, anything that even slightly resembled U2 would probably be cut. Although the band still possessed the ability to write excellent songs, massive productions frequently overshadowed their work. This was evident when they released songs like “Zoo Station” and “Until the End of the World.”
Despite this, they were still able to recognise a great song when they heard one. For good reason, the ballad “One” has grown to be one of their most well-known anthems, but “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” veers slightly in the middle. The song’s intro includes some of The Edge’s loudest guitars ever recorded. However, the song mostly sounds like the kind of music that The Joshua Tree never included.
Indeed, perhaps a tad bit too much, considering the album in question. Producer Steve Lillywhite recalled how upset the band was with the finished song while working on the original backing track, telling Q, “They hated that song.” I worked on it for a month, and I still don’t think it was fully realised. When the Americans heard it, they were having problems with some of the more industrial parts [of the album], so they said, “That’s your radio song there.” It resembles a covers band performing a U2 song. Perhaps we overexerted ourselves.
However, a band undergoing such a significant transformation occasionally needs to go through such a transition to show their fans that they are still human. No matter how many U2-isms are in the finished version, Bono’s reflection on whether he will remain emotionally stable after this woman dumps him on his ass keeps the song cohesive as a fantastic song.
In fact, given its position on the album, this fits in perfectly. Until now, the entire record has only dealt with the negative aspects of love. On this song, Bono sounds more vulnerable than at any other time, thanks to his genuine performance. Hearing him genuinely cry out in pain and admit he doesn’t have all the answers is strangely comforting. This is the same man who would christen himself as the larger-than-life character of “The Fly.”
It was also probably closer to reality than the general public was willing to acknowledge. Even someone with an ego the size of Bono’s could admit he was afraid of what was coming next. They had conquered the world and were now deep in their creative reinvention. When a band decides to become human right in front of you, no one can really help them. It’s difficult for any artist to win over their fans once they’ve reached the top of the rollercoaster.
