Larry Lootsteen - Conestogo, Ontario, Canada
There have been a lot of bands touted as 'The Next U2' over the years. Coldplay is one example. And they are a unique brand unto themselves. There will never be another U2, another Beatles, another Elvis. Any band that will be huge will have to stand on their own merits. Otherwise they will just be pretenders to the throne. The Killers are a prime example of falling into the 'glory trap' and failing to stay true. Thankfully the new album appears to show them back on track.
A different story is trying to define 'moments'. One was a moment for U2. A reinvention and a recognition of the talent and the heart of a band. And it seems to define an important moment in history for the band. We don't hear songs like that very often.
I'll be surprised if you haven't heard this song. Muse indicated they felt U2 was an influence on the new album and you can certainly hear it here. And for me at least, the more I listen to the track, the more it binds into me. This doesn't sound like U2 in particular. But there are moments that I cannot help but speak directly to my own U2 experiences. That soaring vocal deep into the song just grabs me. And it doesn't grab me the same way One did back in that time. But it does pose an interesting question.
Is, or could, this song be Muse's One?
Might seem a strange question but let's consider a few things. Achtung Baby came out well into U2's career and after much and astonishingly huge success. Muse has been on that same trajectory for years now.
They had huge success with The Resistance album and it was number one almost everywhere. Much like Joshua Tree. It is too early to tell if The 2nd Law, which is about to be fully released will be as big but there's little reason to doubt it.
Madness is a song that I believe could have staying power. Whether it has the legs to ingrain itself into the cultural psyche the way One did will be known in time. All I know is this song is already burrowing its way into me and I feel like it could do the same to everyone.
The other and potentially most interesting aspect of this song is that it could, like One, be widely interpreted as a love song though it is more a question of trying to understand whether what the couple is feeling is real or just crazy. Can't see this being a wedding song but then you could say the same about One. I would love to see an example of a couple having their first dance called Madness!
One love or our love is madness?