Since U2′s new rocker “Get On Your Boots” hit the airwaves this morning, blogs, tweets, e-mails and Facebook status updates have been lit up like a switchboard with speculation about what the song sounds like—or rather who.
Here are the songs I’ve heard tossed around as sound-alikes:
“Wild Wild West” (The Escape Club)
“Pump It Up” (Elvis Costello)
“When The Levee Breaks” (Led Zeppelin)
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” (Billy Joel)
“Ball of Confusion” (The Temptations)
“Dream Police” (Cheap Trick)
And folks have also just mentioned artists in comparison with no specific song reference:
Queen
The Beatles
Electric Light Orchestra
Nirvana (I’m guessing this is because of Bono’s intentional voice crackle near the end—Kurt used to do that at the end of some of their songs too)
I can see the merit in (almost) all of those references, but I still can’t put my finger on another similar song that’s on the tip of my tongue (and currently driving me bonkers). Any guesses?
Please use the comments field to add your own suggestions and celebrate the beginning phases of this new album, which from the sound of this song maybe should’ve been called Achtung Teenager.
Last 4 posts by Tassoula
- U2 Music in The Lady - April 5th, 2012
- Videos of Comfort on This Day of Remembrance - September 11th, 2011
- Be in the Know About the Seattle Show - May 28th, 2011
- Pop Culture Throws Wrench in U2 Diet - April 17th, 2011
I’ve heard Bicycle Race by Queen for the verses and I can hear it a bit. The sound in general reminds me of Kid A-era Radiohead… some of the drumming reminds me of Phil Selway from RH too.
don’t forget the peter, bjorn and john drumming at the beginning and midway through…
The “let me in the sound, let me the sound” section (2:29) sound very, very similar to U2′s own cover of The Beatles’ “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” from the Last Night On Earth single.
The first part of the song lyrically reminds me of Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan.
The bass line for the song sounds like one of the songs from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (So They Say).
The Damned - I Feel Alright
Pretenders - Popstar
The Buzzcocks - pretty much the entire Different Kind Of Tension album
and the opening drum fill from Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales of San Francisco
Elvis Costello should sue. I mean, I know they’re friends and all, but that really really sounds like “Pump it Up” in there.
Another classic punk track with the fuzz guitar is Suspect Device by Stiff Little Fingers
I’ve got a weird one to add to the list: “This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I am not sure if it really fits but I kept switching between the two today when humming it today.
I think parts of GOYB sound a lot like their own Fast Cars.
Is it me or is there a little bit of Low Rider in there, too?
Ryan W. Woodland, I have heard more stories about you than you care to know. Seriously. I fail to believe that you exist. Seeing you on this website, my daily haunt, shakes me to my very core. That being said, I think Get On Your Boots sounds a lot like something Muse would write. It’s awesome!
cynthia,
I told the @U2 staff “Fast cars on crack” earlier this evening.
Good ear!
Reminds me some of the Beatles - Baby You Can Drive My Car
What about muse? I do hear it mostly in the chorus
all the songs that are similar to the verses of get your boots on come from one source :
Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
(it’s very annoying)
But the Chorus of Get your boots on is fantastic:)
@keir: he should be flattered, not sue. I put “Boots” and “Pump It Up” next to each other in a playlist. “Pump It Up” is not as fast or as layered. It’s a nod, but not plagerism.
I’d suggest adding Spybreak! by Propellerhead — listen to the opening drum and guitar riffs, and then late in the song there’s a “let me in the sound” bridge moment.
everyone is acting like the fast vocal is a direct rip off of elvis costello/Dylan/insert here. This style of vocal goes back much further, past Chuck Berry. It’s been around since the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, so I very sincerely doubt they were listening to The Escape Club and thinking, shit, let’s do that.
The Kid A comparisons are weird. Just because it’s electronic does not equal Kid A. This has a bit more in common with MGMT as that article on the AtU2 newspage speaks about. This is big, tinged with electronics, and really excitable.
The only “new” thing about this song is that all these disperate elements - blues riffs, high speed vocals, jungle/philly drum ‘n’ bass beats, beach boys harmonies, eastern guitar, IDM sound effects, etc. - are right next to each other, cutting back and forth at high speed. It’s one of the few U2 songs I’ve listened to in a while that didn’t slip right into the U2 cannon as soon as I finished it. It clearly fits there, but it’s not slipping right in yet. Which is awesome.
Lyrically it’s nothing like Kid A, I agree. I dunno MGMT so can’t comment on that. There’s just the mood that it gives which reminds me of Kid A, that’s all. It actually reminds me of a song on the bonus disc of RH’s In Ranbows, a song called Bangers & Mash. Just the manic drums… it’s a lot bigger sounding than Radiohead though.
For whatever reason, if I had to use only U2 songs as a reference, I’d say that it’s what would result from a love child including the threesome of Fast Cars, Vertigo and The Fly. I think it actually sounds closer to Zanax & Wine (earlier/more electric version of Fast Cars) than the final version that appeared as the bonus track on HTDAAB.
My brother and I decided that it sounds like Vertigo and Discotheque had a secret love child
I hear some:
Madonna “Beautiful Stranger” notes
Ocean’s 11, 12 , 13 movie twangy guitar and organ riffs
Queen
Zepelin drums from “Where the Levy breaks”
Scraping of Edge guitar strings like in Vertigo
Basically it is a mess…pardon me…”tectured”. Sad…….
And for God’s sakes…how many times does Bono need to repeat the last verse “Let me in the sound….Blah blah.
Ralph:
I agree with all of your comparisons. I even agree that it’s all over the place, which I’ve read from other people online that may be the intention of the band-to take away the comfort of having a solid song structure that we’re so used to in today’s music.
As for the repetitiveness towards the end, I can see your point, but just picture that going on live! A sort of primal call-and-return with the audience. Just conjecture, but maybe that was U2′s intention as well, to have a song that can get in your face with its focus toward the audience. Remember, live is where they live!
Elmo said: “It sounds like Vertigo and Discotheque had a secret love child.” That’s what I was thinking too! I’m definitely hearing echoes of the Pop album, but I’m also hearing Elevation, Vertigo and Fast Cars. It’s going to be really fun live!
I don’t know what to compare it to, but I LOVE IT!!!!
And the “Let me in the sound” part is AWESOME!!!!!
SORRY GUYS ! CRAP SONG ..
I HAVE BEEN A MASSIVE U2 FAN FOR MANY YEARS,BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT I AM EXTREMLY DISAPOINTED.THIS SINGLE IS JUST A FAST VERSION OF VERTIGO.BONO!! WHAT IS UP WITH THE FAST VOCALS …CHEESY !!!.WHAT EVER HAPPEND TO SOARING MELODIES??? AND WHATS UP WITH THE WORD BEAUTIFUL IT SEEMS LIKE HE USES THAT WORD ON EVERY CHORUS IN THE LAST TWO RECORDS. IS U2 OUT OF IDEAS ? I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE END OF VERTIGO WAS SO CHESSY.YOU KNOW THE YEA,YEA,YEA,YEA’S AT THE END.WHEN I HEARD THE SIMILAR YEA ,YEA,YEA’S AT THE END OF GET ON YOUR BOOTS IT MADE ME CRINGE ,AND I REALIZED THEN THAT U2 WILL NEVER EVER RECAPTURE THE MAGIC OF ACTUNG BABY .GET ON YOUR BOOTS SOUND LIKE THE SONG IS CUT AND PASTED TOGETHER..SO OVER PRODUCED. I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS FROM LANIOS AND ENO,AND U2.
IT SOUNDS LIKE STEVE LILLYWHITE HAD HIS WAY THIS TUNE.SO IN CONLUSION I THINK BONO FAST VOCALS AND CHORUS ARE LAME. EDGES GUITAR IS LAME AND THE RIFF SOUNDS LIKE VERTIGO.I LOVE U2. WHEN I HEAR THEM WRITE I GREAT SONG I WILL SAY HOW GREAT IT IS ,BUT WHEN THEY WRITE A CRAP SONG I DO NOT HESITATE TO SAY IT WAS CRAP. GET ON YOUR BOOTS =CRAP!
It’s way overproduced. it sounds bipolar in the transitions from the verses to the chorus. it doesn’t have a melody or a flow, and the lyrics are not poignant or even fun. it sounds like all these songs less because it’s a copy and more because it’s so basic- not a usual complex U2 tune.
but hell, I still kind of like it. I still tap my feet when it comes on the radio. I’m gradually learning how to sing along so soon I’ll be belting it out like it’s the next Streets. My friends don’t call me obsessed for nothing.
Hey Harold, before you type again, just hit the ‘Caps Lock’ key one time. You seem like a crazy person when you type in all caps.
Thanks.
P.S. Not every song needs to have “soaring” melodies. U2 did something different by making a song incredibly dissimilar to the song structure we know here in the West. The point for the first single, as Alexe alluded to above, is to get people’s feet tapping-the lyrics are not supposed to be the deepest thing ever, either. This song, in my opinion, was meant to be played live, and when it is, it will take off. This was most likely one of those “safe” songs for the radio…to get people noticing that U2 is coming out with a new record. I’m sure the rest of the album has some of what you’re looking for…
ANDY,
I ALWAYS WRITE IN CAPS. I AM AM NOT YELLING OR SCREAMING AT ANYONE IN ANYWAY. THIS IS MY JUST MY PASSIONATE OPINION.
OK FIRST OF ALL ,NORTH,WEST, EAST, THE SONG IS NOT “DISSIMILAR” . THIS IS THE SAME STRUCTURE AS VERTIGO AND MANY OTHER SONGS FROM DIFFERENT ARTIST. ANDY, WHY DO YOU THINK EVERYBODY IS COMPARING THIS SONG TO SO MANY OTHER SONGS FORM DIFFRENT ARTIST.LOOK AT THE TITLE “WHAT DOES BOOTS REMIND YOU OF? ” WHEN HAS A U2 SONG EVER BEEN COMPARED TO ANYNBODY ELSES.???? NEVER UNTIL NOW .
THIS IS THE STRUCURE I HEAR …. LAME GUITAR RIFF OPENING + FAST VERSES + CHESSY CHORUS +LAME GUITAR MINI SOLO+ CHESSY CHORUS AGIAN +MORE FAST VERSES+ CHORUS+ AND FINALLY YEA, YEA YEA’S AT THE END. THIS IS NOT A NEW SOUND LIKE U2 WERE PROMISING. IAM NOT SAYING THE LYRICS HAVE TO BE “DEEP”. BUT,U2 HAVE BEEN CLAIMING THERE SOUND FOR THIS ALBUM IS LIKE NOTHING THEY HAVE DONE BEFORE.GET ON YOUR BOOTS FELL WAY SHORT OF THAT.IT IS A SAFE SONG FOR THE RADIO AND FOR THE CASUAL LISTENER AND FAN .AS A DIE HARD U2 FAN I WAS NOT IMPRESSED WITH THIS SINGLE.YEA, MAYBE THE REST OF THE ALBUM IS GREAT,AND I KNOW U2 CANT PLEASE EVERBODY.I ALSO KNOW THAT THEY CAN DO WAY BETTER THAN GET ON YOUR BOOTS.
Okay, opinion taken. But about the caps thing. Your intentions may be true, but on the internet, it simply comes across as you yelling at everyone. Just letting you know…
I agree with a lot of the comparisons here. I also think it is somewhat reminiscent of the Stones’ “She’s So Cold”
Harold,
Seriously, heed Andy’s advice. When I see all caps, I can’t help but read the text as if a husky newscaster lady was yelling it in a monotone voice. It’s rude, and it’s just plain lazy, not to mention it takes away from your thoughts. The message your getting across, if typed out without the all caps, isn’t bad. But the way you typed it takes all credibility away from anything you’ve said.
Massive Attack anyone?? Great track.
Also, I’d like to say, I love this track. It’s simultaneously pure U2 and a pretty cool departure from their norm. I think U2 fans have gotten so used to their linear song structure that they’ve forgotten there are different ways to write a song. I think U2 fans have also forgotten in this last decade that U2 is going to write what they want to, that the fans are entitled to nothing, and that experimentation isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea. If you want U2 to break away from their stalwart ATYCLB, HTDAAB type albums, this is what you’re going to get. I would take 1000 more songs just like this if U2 would just take back One Step Closer to Knowing and Crumbs From Your Table.
The bass line and drum tie this song together. I love the soaring chorus with the Muse like harmonies. The drum breakdown at the end is awesome, and it should happen more often. I love that the chorus and bridge have slightly different feels than the rest of the song. It isn’t disjointed, they’re just different enough to keep you from getting bored with the song. Seriously, the moment I fell in love with the song was when the first, “you don’t know how beautiful you are” was sung. That was a pure U2 moment.
My only gripe with this song is that, as always, humble Edge mixed his guitar solo way too low. I don’t think I heard it until the 3rd or 4th time through. I think this song goes from a 7 to a 10 if that guitar solo is brought to the top of the mix.
I also think everyone is getting on Bono’s case about the lyrics way too quickly. Since when was the last time you could analyze a set of U2 lyrics in 24 hours. It wasn’t until 3 months after Vertigo came out that I realized how significant his lyrics were. (They draw heavily from some of the poetry of Pablo Neruda, specifically his version of the story of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur.)
GOYB is, I believe, a battle cry of sorts for America and for women throughout the world. The timing of the release, the day before the inauguration of the president, is significant. The idea is to inspire. Read the lyrics. Listen to the song as if it were being sung to the USA directly. It speaks to a country that is hopeful, but doesn’t know what to do and feels ugly on the world scene. The message. You are beautiful and all you have to do is get on your boots. (Work hard, rebuild your image.)
Then you can take the song a slightly different way, and you have a very empowering song for women in backwards nations. The idea here is that sexiness is empowering. Women in developing nations can be the driving force behind change, reform and advancement.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what GOYB’s video reveals about the song. I’m hopeful it won’t just be a performance piece, although the first single’s videos generally seem to go that direction.
ok no more caps.
Jonathan, amen brotha! Thank you for putting into words what I was feeling when listening to this song. I guess I just couldn’t get my thoughts in order enough, which was making me slightly angry because I wanted to show people (specifically those who didn’t like the song for whatever reason) why it’s not just a throwaway track with no meaning or musical direction at all.
Jonathan, I agree with you on the Edge mix. I always listen to him first, and I could barely hear the solo the first time through. As for the lyrics, I like your analysis, but I think just a little more precision could have been in order. Some of Bono’s rhymes can be just plain lame.
Also, I was listening to GOYB this a.m. and had to jump away just when “let me in the sound” came on. It occurred to me that a radio station that wanted to clip the song might cut it off just after the second “I don’t want to talk about wars between nations” Now to some fans, that might be a travesty, but try listening to the song without that final section. It seemed more contained — for commercial air play, anyway.
I don’t actually care who it sounds like. It just sounds great to me.
to me it sounds like fast cars and then also seconds on the “let me hear the sound” part. I am really excited for the new album!
Iam a huge U2 fan,however; I am going agree with Harold.Get on your boots is a cheesy tune! what a let down .
I second that.
Jonathan,
Glad you said something positive about the lyrics. I think there is a lot more there then people are giving credit for.
Jonathan and Andy —I totally agree with what you said about GOYB.
And Jonathan—EXCELLENT description of the feeling the song inspires.
One of the many, many, many reasons I have been a massive U2 fan for almost 20 years (I’m 30 now-I had good taste in music from a young age, hehe) is because of how they keep reinventing themselves and their sound. I can think of no other band who has so many different sounds and has taken such risks.
I’m convinced this is going to be my favorite album yet.
get on your boots….even the title doesnt sound like a u2 song,it sounds more like a country song…anyway,I hope that moment of surrender will be like streets, a classic,according to people that already heared is a MASTERPIECE.
Maybe bono was under too much pressure to make the greatest album of u2,and failed this time,or maybe they just picked the wrong first single,because usually theres only 2 or 3 very very good songs in any artist album,the rest is just to fill the disc,will see this coming months.
It would be good without the lyrics. Hows long has it been since we heard a U2 instrumental?
Like many of you I was unsure and a little disappointed during the first listen of GOYB … but how many of us felt that way when ‘The Fly’ first appeared … and now none of us can live without AB. That album changed my life on so many levels.
Each time a new U2 album comes out, I hold out hope for another life changing experience … no different this time.
Truth be told, the lyrics ARE weak and feel a little obvious somehow, but I’m really digging the music bed! As a musician myself I can appreciate all the little subtleties and studio magic that give depth to the track - guitar tone, hand drums, the ‘whisper-to-a-scream’ treatment, the Moroccan chord changes in the bridge … and THAT turns my crank enough to get past the lyrics!
Perhaps once we hear GOYB in context on the album, it’ll make more sense. After 20 plus years of fandom, I’m not willing to jump ship just yet.
It always cracks me up when people say things like Truth be told . . . as if your word is the final one.
Oh, yes, now I get it . . . if Mark says the lyrics are weak, well then, they are.
Truth be told, Mark, Bono has written much weaker lyrics in his day than this song.
Case in point: “The air is heavy, heavy as a truck.”
End of complaining about lyrics, because ANYTHING is better than that.
Miami from Pop and Xanax and Wine from 2004
The song you seek is Body Snatchers by Radiohead (In Rainbows EP) - at least for the driving guitar/bass hook that kicks the song off. My 20 year old son pointed it out to me when I played it for him in an attempt to impress him. He loves the song in spite of the Radiohead lift and he usually loves to hate U2. The other influences I immediately heard (and have been repeated by many) is Beatles “Baby You Can Drive My Car” (beep-beep-beep-yeah!) and Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” verses. In many ways this song reminds me of the ill-fated launch of Pop which was also a heavily Beatles influenced affair. I hated Pop when it first came out but over the long haul it has proven to be one of my favs. If U2 sheds some old-time fans that want to hear nothing more than a Greatest Hits tour then I say good riddance. It seems to me that U2′s last two outings definitely gave the old faithful what they wanted so they’ve earned the right IMO to mess about if they want.
In addition to several of the songs mentioned in the original posting (especially Elvis Costello and The Escape Club), I also hear the following tracks being mocked in the new U2 single, “Boots”:
David Bowie’s “Blue Jean”
Eddie Cochran’s “C’Mon Everybody”
It’s my hope that the forthcoming video, as initially described by The Edge as being about women fixing the current political issues facing the world, puts the song in to a better and proper context -because right now, the song sucks!
What’s more, as a paying U2.com member, I cannot understand why U2.com members are not the FIRST to have access to new material, including the single AND the forthcoming video!
My biased opinion: All of the above refererences give a nod to “Ball of Confusion” by the temptin’ Temptations. Enjoy the song for what it is.