all because of you
this post is along the lines of what depth I find in U2 and yet didn't get to in my book. all because of you, which is my favorite song on U2's new release, how to dismantle an atomic bomb, only gets a name-check in my book. but it is a rich song, it rocks and i really think of it as a hymn, with a wonderful play on words if you have ears to hear it.
reviewer jeffrey overstreet got it just right here, with one major caveat--he misses the I AM references in John's Gospel--and a couple quibbles intermixed below.
"ALL BECAUSE OF YOU
One of the album's highest highlights, "All Because of You" may be the most confidently performed rock single of U2's career. It has the careening guitar motif of "Even Better Than The Real Thing," and messes it up a bit with some raw Rolling Stones energy [actually, at the concert under the brooklyn bridge, bono shouts 'love song to the who', but similar point--cs]. And here comes Bono's first song of adoration to God, one of several tracks that distinguish this as the band's most blatantly religious album since October [actually, i'd rather say 'praise-oriented', because pop was certainly blatantly religious, but full of lament, irony, prophecy, and doubt--cs].
This is the song in which the Prodigal Son seems to embrace his father at last. He gives credit for anything good in his life to the one who blessed him with life. And in my favorite lyrical trick on the album, (no, not the way Bono rhymes "voice" with "tortoise"), Bono refers to God by the name the Almighty gave himself ... "I AM." It's easy to miss that, but reading the lyrics, you'll see how each verse builds to this chorus:
"All because of you
All because of you
All because of you
I am."
In one sense, he's saying "Because of you, I (Bono) yam what I yam."
In another, he's saying, "Because of you, God (I AM.)"
Take off your shoes, folks. He's on holy ground."
posted by christian scharen @ 9:48 AM
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3 Comments:
Thanks, Chris.
But I should note, I went out of my way to point out the "I AM" reference... right there in the passage you quoted. I may not have credited it to John's gospel, but that's what I was referring to... God's tendency to identify himself as "I AM."
Hey, Jeffery,
You are awesome and I really respect your stance vis a vis the arts and faith. I had to put up some of my own thoughts in relation to yours, and don't mean them so much as a critique of you, but adding on a layer of thinking about the song, its layers, etc.
By the way, did you see the HTDAAB deluxe edition book that had the hand-written lyrics in it? I think they even doodled about the take off your shoes part.
Peace,
Chris
I did see that. It was cool, and yet very strange. They're a creative bunch. And now I hear Bono's taking piano lessons! I fear the day that a U2 concert begins with Bono at a grand piano...
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