U2 “ALL THAT YOU CAN’T LEAVE BEHIND” | Positivity and Introspection

 

 For a long time, I was resistant to listen to U2. Maybe because the age I was when they were presented to me and what I was listening to at that time. I thought it was too “motionless”. I’m glad maturity hit me, and I could appreciate, in its full essence, the band and, as consequence, one of the best and most positive albums from the 2000s.

            Contextualising, the band had released in ‘POP’ in 1997, a not so catchy album which many consider a “departure” from their roots, since they were using some experimentalism in their sound, and didn’t make anything “notable” since the ‘Joshua Tree’ era (1987). Particularly, from the three albums released between ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’, which I want to talk about today, and ‘The Joshua Tree’, only the ‘POP’ doesn’t please me, and I think that both ‘Achtung Baby’ (1991) and ‘Zooropa’ (1993) have got relevant songs, but I understand when the media points as “notable”, since their sound are different.

            With the millennium passage, there were some concerning about the Y2K (the Millennium Bug) and even if we were ready for future’s evolution once the imagination and stories about future even put flying cars. Well, nor the Millennium Bug or flying cars happened, at least not until the moment of this text haha, but U2, with the album ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’, tried to bring some positivity message that invites us to be better beings, how to appreciate the small details in life, and how to empathise with each other.

            You take excerpts like:   

“After the flood all the colours came out, it was a beautiful day”
(Beautiful Day)

“And if the night runs over, and if the day won't last, and if your way should falter along the stony pass, it's just a moment. This time will pass.”
(Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of)

“Grace makes beauty out of ugly things”
(Grace)

            But we also have songs talking about what we should worry about, which situations deserve our attention, the promised peace on Earth, and how to bear in front of it all.

“I'm sick of all of this hanging around. Sick of sorrow. Sick of pain. Sick of hearing again and again that there's gonna be Peace on Earth.”
(Peace on Earth)

“When you look at the world, what is it that you see?”
(When I Look At The World)

            From all the songs, the five which delight me the most as they are played in sequence, are:

• Beautiful Day
• Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
• Walk On
• Peace On Earth
• Grace

The album is charming and makes you reflect on what to admire and what to change.

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   And until our next text, keep on building your memories.

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Listen to the full album on:

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com.br/albums/B073JQNMTV
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/216487
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7a5U0GPoAvT3gvEY66FRuN?si=CO98Hht2QSum06VvqI9pdA
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k42_UsooiR2YdJr436syBEft-s95iDGps
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k42_UsooiR2YdJr436syBEft-s95iDGps

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References:

https://www.u2.com/music/album/4013

STEVEN WILSON "PERSONAL SHOPPER" | A Sick Consumerism

 

Foto de Andrea Piacquadio no Pexels

“Buy now, buy now, have a better life.
Close out transactions without remorse.”

            There are conventional artists and there is Steven Wilson. This fine dude is into everything that is related to music, being as producer or active participant. Although his career started in the 80s, the media highlight throws us back to the 90s with his former band, Porcupine Tree which, even though the fans keep on insisting in their return, we don’t have any signal of this happening anytime soon. There were some re-issues of older albums in 2020, however the last with new songs was in 2009. By the way, from this album there is a reflection about the song “Time Flies” here in the blog (in Portuguese).

            By 2008 Steven Wilson released his first solo album, Insurgents, trying to stray a little from Porcupine Tree’s purpose, nevertheless, since Porcupine Tree’s creative mind was Steven himself, the compositions were remarkably similar to his former band in the beginning. This didn’t stop him from evolving and it’s clearer in each album released from that moment and on. The apex of his evolution and composition is with the song “PERSONAL SHOPPER”, first released as a single last year. In this very same song, we even have Elton John’s participation in an excerpt! Just like many songs he’s composed, as “Fear of a Blank Planet” (this one also has a reflection here in the blog), there is always some acid criticism. “PERSONAL SHOPPER” was no exception.   

“Buy now, buy now, have a better life.
Close out transactions without remorse.”

            I wouldn’t believe if someone told me that they don’t like to buy some treat for themselves. It’s so good gifting yourself with something that you really want: a mobile phone, a new car, a speaker box, headphones, automate coffee machine… it’s normal to “massage the ego”, but the problem happens when this becomes rampant.

            It becomes even worse when the responsible for marketing knows about this need keeps on pushing ads that nurture the desire of buying more and more, promising a better life if we acquire this certain product. And many of easy manipulation, believing in these fake promises, spend their lives, literally, buying these products.

            Even though I’m an Android user, I really like the Apple system, but I question myself if it’s really needed to spend, according to Brazilian prices, approximately €1570/U$1870 in a recent release model that doesn’t even have a charger in the box. There are, though, some advantages in components, but mine, inferior, which I paid less than €308/U$374, execute the very functionalities and efficiently. The video I made for this text, for example, was recorded with it. This only shows me that, yes, there is possibility in possessing good-quality items without investing a lot of money. It’s all about knowing the difference between necessity and luxury.

“Buy the s**t you never knew you lacked.
Buy the update to compete.”

            I really like this song’s video clip because it shows how people get sick in desiring to buy more and more. Many times, silly and useless things however, the compulsion makes these people lose their lives.

            Losing their lives can be figurative or even real. In this need of conquering something, only for a social status, people get in debts with loan-sharks who, many times, physically punish their borrowers; or banks with high interest taxes, not permitting you to do something different. Everything in life must be balanced.

“Just keep on spending, never compromise. Rack up more debt and fill that hole.”

            I’m not here to condemn the acquisition of anything. It’s only a call to attention for a different perspective in which there is a way to have comfort without spending a lot of money. There isn’t necessity in spending much money in something because it’s beautiful, “branded”, and that will give you social status. This is unrestrained consumption and waste.

            Know how to waste your money wisely, fulfilling your needs and permitting, certainly, from time to time, a luxury thing to “massage your ego”. But don’t let it turn into compulsion and, because of this, your life perishes away.

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Remember to watch this text's video on YouTube. Although spoken in Portuguese, there are English subtitles! I also had some help in translating this song to Portuguese with the help of my two reviewers, Eber and Vini.

Do you want your suggestion showing up here? Leave a comment here, in the video or go to the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. Do you want to keep on receiving reflections like this one? Follow the Telegram page and also subscribe to the YouTube channel.

And, until our next text, keep on building your memories.

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Lyrics: https://genius.com/Steven-wilson-personal-shopper-lyrics

Listen to this song on:

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com.br/albums/B0865MQJSL?trackAsin=B0865L23LM
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/br/track/1217596292
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3DnsGubynjnIFshrAeyhk8?si=AX4AmCjtTbeVGgqoCZ8vNQ
YouTube (vídeo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX22dFMSNcg
YouTube (áudio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rl6Dy430eo
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=5rl6Dy430eo

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