To me this is one of their best songs, sung with so much emotion and the lyrics are beautiful, straight out of the bible.

This is my favourite u2 song

you should listen to their latest: "the tears of things".

For me it's a masterpiece. Pure and simple. Check out Rick Beato's breakdown of it in his "What makes this song great" series on here. I put it in my top 5 U2 songs, alongside Bad, With or Without You, Running to Stand Still and Stay (Faraway, So Close). Purely personal opinion, of course, and that's why we love music. But for me the reason I love this song is precisely because I can just let it wash over me and transport me to another place. Same with Bad. Perhaps it's because you have such a good ear that you can't help but analyse it and therefore find the oddities within it unsettling. I don't have that problem, so I can just listen to it and get lost in the atmosphere of it, the soul, the yearning and the poetry. Just try switching off your analytical side and float away on it 👍

Simple but magnificent and great. U2 ❤

next you should try Bad of the unforgettable fire

This is one of their best, easily top 5 or even 3 for me by them.

The Edge reminds me of a punk Steve Howe. Early U2 had lots of harmonics and slide guitar playing. Listen to Surrender from War. Amazing.

This song makes my top 10 U2 songs  of all time it's a timeless classic for me it's got a  Celtic feel to it have loved this song for years and would love to have seen them play it live

Joe...you have to see Zoo TV - Tour from Sidney. All the magic lies on that what comes to U2.

To the question of "what do you want out of a song?" ... For me, far above everything else, it's emotional intelligence. What I mean by that is that the primary focus/priority of the song is NOT ANYTHING TECHNICAL, but it's a clear direction and attention/focus to the emotions conjured within a song. EVERY single note should support that. Every sound. This includes the overall vibe as well as the emotions along the way IF they should change or evolve. The manner in which something is vocalized, the emphasis on certain words or phrases, the tone of the guitar, the pacing, all should know what emotion is being evoked.
If is a song is technically complex, and interesting in terms of skill or arrangement, I dont care IF there is no emotional intelligence put into it. Otherwise it's just noodling around, Like an action scene shot perfectly but without stakes or driving the character/plot forward.
Even a 2 minute rager has emotional intelligence if they nail the emotions. The pacing, intensity, phrasing etc should all support this - is it more fun, is it more dark or angry. Everything should know what it is.
A pretty song should be more specific in what it is goin afterwards, than than merelysounding pretty, hitting every note perfectly.

Thanks for the great reaction Joe.  I figured the "ominous" tone and tension of the song would appeal to you.  Too bad for you it doesn't make your playlist, now it has no chance to grow on you.  It's OK to be wrong sometimes.......😀  "What do you want from a song?" you ask.  I want it to get my attention and keep it.  Keep up the good work.

Early U2 was a completely different beast to the post Joshua tree. Fire track. One of their finest moments.

Essa canção é uma obra prima do U2!! E você tirar sua impressão sobre essa canção assim parando e tentando achar os acordes e melodias pode tirar de você o quão poderosa e incrivelmente é essa canção! Ouça sem interrupção, feche os olhos e simplesmente desfrute de uma obra prima!

Emotion!! I want emotion….Bono’s vocals in this song are right on the edge (no pun)….I mean drowning man is the name of the song. I love this song & have loved it since the War album came out 40+ years ago. I get chills every time!! War is an amazing album! And FFS listen to Joshua Tree!!! 😮 I really enjoy your reactions!!! Thank you! 😊

U2 are,who for the first 20 years of their career at least, a band who were trying to find their sound and willing to take risks. None of their albums sound similar. Thats one of the reasons they've survived so long. Drowning Man is an experiment in sound for them and a learning curve. If you have an ear for experimental music and risk taking listen to the U2 catalogue 1980 to 2000. If you want vanilla listen to their 2000 catalogue onwards to today.

This song is from the War album. There are days where I'd tell you that War is their best album. Skip it at your own risk!! The Joshua Tree, or course, is a great place to start, too.

They’re almost always tuned a half step down

Pride (In the Name of Love) is my favorite U2 song. The subject. The music. The performance. To me it's THE most emotional U2 song.

I think it’s a 4/6 time signature. A unique & beautiful song. Some OT biblically inspired lyrics in there. The track gets better with each listen.

I heard that the band members wrote it for their base player Adam, who was beginning to struggle w/ self-doubt & alcohol then. That they’d written it like a platonic love letter to him (who they’d been friends with since high school) that they would always stand by him—although that story could be just a rumor.  Love your U2 reactions. ❤️