53 lines
2.6 KiB
Plaintext
53 lines
2.6 KiB
Plaintext
"This is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles.
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We're stealing it back!" - Bono
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To what extent have U2 been influenced by the Beatles? Certainly U2 do not
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have many songs that sound much like the Beatles. Yet, the influence of
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the Beatles, and more specifically John Lennon, is considerable. It would
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seem that U2 have been more influenced by the Beatles story, or history as
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a group, than they have been by the Beatles music, or sound. Then again,
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what band hasn't been effected by the career of the Beatles? For they
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practically laid out the blueprint on how a successful rock band operates.
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Perhaps when U2 have made some 'Beatlesque' reference, it has been done
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more as an hommage or tipping of the hat, than as the result any direct
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influence. At any rate, here are some of the more subtle, and not so
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subtle references U2 have made to the career of the Beatles, and John
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Lennon as a solo artist.
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* The Beatles filmed themselves playing live on the rooftop of the Apple
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records building, for the film 'Let It Be'.
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# U2 filmed themselves playing live on the rooftop of a Los Angeles liqueur
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store for the video 'Where The Streets Have No Name'.
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* John Lennon posed nude for the cover of his 'Two Virgins' album.
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# Adam Clayton posed nude for the cover of U2's 'Achtung Baby'.
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* On John Lennon's 'Sometime In New York City' album, there is a song
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entitled 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'.
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# On U2's 'War' album there is song entitled 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'.
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* The Beatles' 'A Day In The Life' features the opening line, "I read the
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news today, oh boy".
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# U2's 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' features the opening line, "I can't believe
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the news today".
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* The Beatles promoted the single 'All You Need Is Love' with a worldwide
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television appearence that included the word 'love' translated into
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various languages appearing on posterboards worn by the studio audience.
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# U2 promoted the single 'One' with a video that included the word 'one'
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translated into various languages appearing during the video.
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* John Lennon's 'I'm Losing You' has a chorus that consists of the phrase
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"I'm losing you" being repeated twice.
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# U2's 'Sweetest Thing' has a chorus that consists of the phase "I'm losing
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you" being repeated twice.
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* John Lennon's album 'Plastic Ono Band', features a song he wrote
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entitled 'God'.
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# U2 wrote a sequel to the above song for their 'Rattle And Hum' album,
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entitling it 'God Part II'.
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Last but not least, are the Beatle/Lennon songs that U2 have been known
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to cover in concert: Help!, Rain, Helter Skelter, Norwegian Wood and
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Gimme Some Truth.
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