SHADOWS AND TALL TREES -- What I love most about the track is Edge's backup vocals with Bono crooning "Shadows and Tall Trees." I also figure that the song must strike a chord with a lot of people; the speaker's boredom/alienation with the suburban world and the emptiness s/he feels is something I'm sure many can identify with.

A DAY WITHOUT ME -- It's just one of U2's early musical masterpieces. Despite the serious subject matter underlying the lyrics, it's a song you can just rock to.

OCTOBER -- Here, Edge shows that his talent transcends beyond playing with that appendage he calls his guitar. The piano is just incredible here.

FIRE -- It sounds like a song that could've been on Boy, but luckily it was on October to light that album up with its introspective lyrics on the internal conflicts U2 faced in reconciling their Christianity with the rock 'n' roll world.

SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY -- Powerfully political and intensely inspiring, it's too good not to put on this list.

NEW YEAR'S DAY -- Conversely, whereas Sunday Bloody Sunday may seem to some like a slap in the face to confront the violent realities of Ireland's civil unrest, the commentary in New Year's Day on Solidarity in Poland is a much more understated reaction, which, with Edge's keyboards and Bono's incredible voice, still makes for potent pathos.

THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE -- The whispers and moans in the background give it an evocative, ethereal quality. 'The Unforgettable Fire' could be the soundtrack to your dreams.

EXIT -- I absolutely love this song and am still continually amazed every time I hear it at the artistic genius that U2 had in producing it. 'Exit' traces a man's volatile temper as it reaches its violent extremes until, with pistol in hand, his rage suffocates all reason and he finally acts out his anger. What is most incredible about this song is how Edge slashes his guitar and refuses to relent and the way Larry thrashes his drums and Adam pumps his bass both so persistently to convey the man's convulsing passions of fury as they build to the breaking point. After the first crescendo and the music starts to slow down, U2 expertly shows what a vicious cycle violence is as the music accelerates again to its second climax. Still, the song doesn't seem to work so well on stage. (Check the version on the Rattle & Hum movie.) It's also really cool that 'Exit,' arguably the most explosive song on the album, is ironically sandwiched between the two most beautiful ones on it.

WHEN LOVE COMES TO TOWN -- A collaboration with one of the greatest blues boys - what's not to like? I always remember the scene in the movie when B.B. tells him that he's 'mighty young to be writing such heavy lyrics.' The lyrics themselves are pure poetry and every time I read/sing them, I can't help but admire Bono's eloquence.

THE FLY -- There's no denying the sheer magnificence of this song. As Bono articulates his keen sensitivities to the ironies of life, Edge reveals his technological mastery and provides that sweeeeeeet countervocal, with Adam and Larry ripping through those rhythms like nothing I've heard before or since.

ONE -- Although the story behind the songs adds much of the mystique to it, 'One' definitely holds its own in terms of the music. Bono's vocals convey a kind of restrained despair of a character, who's finally empowered against the cause of his/her dejection. The simplicity of the lyrics also allows for its universal adaptability to such themes as divorce and the AIDS cause.

LEMON -- Though there's no disputing the sweet sonic grooves and techno trips of Zooropa, I have to say Lemon's better. It's definitely different but definitely in a good way. I especially love Adam's bass-line, the cymbals, and the juxtaposition of Bono's falsetto drifting and shifting into his wailing voice - the song was originally meant to be a tribute to Prince - with Edge's (underutilized) vocals. I love EVERYTHING about it!!

STUCK IN A MOMENT -- In a particularly poignant tribute to Hutch, Bono makes an emotional plea to his friend to get himself together, with his and Edge's heavy lyrics piercing through to the heart of the matter. And though it's hard to imagine unless you've seen it, the song packs an even more powerful punch when it's performed live as Bono injects that extra intensity to the song. I'm actually pretty partial to the live performance because of Edge's woman...em, I mean, falsetto voice.

THE OCEAN -- All I have to say is that it's so somber that it gets kind of scary.

No comment...I don't know the songs well enough.

RED LIGHT -- Just less remarkable work among more outstanding music. I think it's just because I'm ambivalent about the da-da's at the beginning of the song.

ELVIS PRESLEY AND AMERICA -- It's really nothing against their improv style. It's just that among all the great U2 songs, this could hardly be called one of them in the form that it was released.

With an album like this, how could it be possible to pick a worst song from it?

HAWKMOON 269

EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING -- See...in any case, I have this aversion to liking the more popular stuff and would much rather side with the underdog, but a lot of U2's more popular stuff is too good not to love. In this song's case, it isn't. While the rest of the songs on Achtung have some unique, striking qualities about each of them, it seems to me that U2 could produce much better and has.

DADDY'S GONNA PAY FOR YOUR CRASHED CAR -- Ehh...The lyrics don't do anything for me. Neither does the music, with the exception of Adam's awesome bass-line.

MIAMI -- This song is one of the reasons that Pop is such an underrated album. It is not merely mediocre but utterly intolerable from a band of U2's skill. 'Miami' totally undermines the overall quality of the album, and its weaknesses overshadow much of the strength of 'Gone,' 'Please,' 'Staring at the Sun'.... Geez, even 'Grace' couldn't find goodness in this song.

GRACE -- Some of the messages in this song are modef ones that I can identify with and understand, but I have to ask: Why? (Julie tells me that Edge has been asking that same question when ATYCLB first came out.) I'm just wondering why they didn't just put 'Summer Rain' on or some other great song that I'm sure they had.