U2 : "Elvis Presley and America"

[IanEye]

This thread takes a look/listen to the U2 song: "Elvis Presley and America".

Feel free to give your own interpretations/deconstructions of the song.

A friend of mine in college referred to this song as "the most REM of U2 songs". i believe he was observing the fact that the lyrics are rather obtuse.

Here is one attempt at transcribing the lyrics:

Black flash over my own love
Tell me of my eyes
Black flash come though my own life
Telling these things
And I believe them
And I believe in you

White flash sees the sky
And it turns its side from you
She won't turn my back
And I know you turn so blue
And you know
And your sky is feeling blue
And your heart
So cold when I'm with you
And you feel
Like no one told you to
And your time is your side
And your time with me
Ah, don't talk to me
Ah, don't talk to me
Don't talk to me

You know
Like no one told you how
But you know
Though the king that howls has howled
But you feel like sentimental
But you don't care
If I just share it in your heart
(heart...)

Hopelessly
So hopelessly
I'm breaking through for you and me
And you don't
Though no one told you to
And you found out
Where you were going, where to
You're through with me
But I know that you will be back
For more

You know
And though no one told you so
And you know, blue sky
Like a harder shade of blue
And you walk
When you want
To let go
Me, I'm the outside, tell me fade away
Drop me down but don't break me
In your sleep

In your sleep, inside
It's in your heart and mine
Whole sea is dark
It's in your heart and mine

Sweetly, those will come
Loving is on your side walking through
So let me in your heart
Your beat is like something...

They...
Run...
See say you're sad and reach by
So say you're sad above beside
Oh stay you're sad over midnight
So stay sad above we said

You know I don't
No one told you how
(and you don't)
(and you wipe sweat off your white brow)
And you care
And no one told you tried
And your heart
Is left out from the side

And the rain beats down
And the shame goes down
And this rain keeps on coming down
And this sky
Tonight...

You know "S" "O" "N" "G", why
You're going go join to God
You know "S" "O" "N" "G", why
Give away some him no lie
Give away some my de day no

You know
And though no one told you sky
And you feel
Like you pretend you can
You say go, you live
Go live outside of me
Don't you leave
Don't leave out part of me
Then can feel
Like I feel before
Like I hurt now
And I see the floor
If you pick me up
Bits and pieces on this floor

http://www.macphisto.net/u2lyrics/Elvis_Presley_And_America.html

i also found a guitar tab:

http://www.u2star.com/blogged_images/tabs/unforgettable/Elvis_tab.htm

in terms of it being stipe like, i must admit that this song sits well on a mixtape with REMs' "Sitting Still"

U2:
And you feel
Like no one told you to
And your time is on your side
And your time with me
Ah, don't talk to me
Ah, don't talk to me
Don't talk to me
....
You say go, you live
Go live outside of me
Don't you leave
Don't leave out part of me


REM:
You can gather when I talk, talk until we're blue
You could get away from me. Get away from me.
......
Setting trap for the big kill, waste o' time, sitting still

i have had discussions about this song where it is interpeted as a sort of "As i Lay Dying" in the Kings' head, similar to "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" where Elvis is given a chance to spend a last moment with his daughter Lisa Marie.

"Then i can feel
Like eye feel before
Like i hurt now
And eye see the floor
If you pick me up
Bits and pieces on this floor......"

[streeb]

You can gather when I talk, talk until we're blue
You could get away from me. Get away from me.
......
Setting trap for the big kill, waste o' time, sitting still

Always wondered what that line was, thanks IanEye.

I find it hard to listen to U2, but I'm checking out "Elvis Presley and America"

[chlamor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryUGBzd1ozQ

[Joe Hillshoist]

I really liked this song, 23 years ago.

It just sounded so atmospheric, and interesting, I know there is other stuff like that, but it seemed like eno and lanois managed to capture something about... a landscape when they worked with u2.

I dunno, I don't mind some u2.

as for the lyrics, i've got a blind castrated stag.

[IanEye]

chlamor, thanks for the link. It is interesting to see the song with the Clooney_Solaris images – they sync up in terms of a certain yearning I guess. I am not in any position to give a harsh critique of a music video montage, because I am guilty of making really corny ones as well.

When Anna Nicole Smith died and there was wall to wall coverage of the event on CNN, I made a ANS montage to the Cinderella song “Don’t Know What You’ve Got” that was shamefully terrifying in its manipulativeness of what some people had invested emotionally (and secretionally) into this buxom Icon. But that is another thread I guess.

- - -

streeb, I can’t vouch for the authenticity of that line, but if it fits for you, rock on.

I once heard a tale about mr stipe that may be apocraphal , but the gist of it is that after studying the techniques of mick jagger, mr stipe went into the studio and put his clearly written lyrics right at the lower level of human hearing in the mix and then asked people what they thought the lyrics were. He would write down any mishearings that struck his fancy, fashioning another set of lyrics, which he would record onto another track. Then, and this is the killer, he would lay down a final track that was a glossolalia laden sythesis of the two coherent lyrics, with this third track often being the keeper.
A sort of "Burroughs Vs. Jabberwocky" approach.

- - -

Joe wrote: “as for the lyrics, i've got a blind castrated stag.”

Joe, did you mean that that is your impression of Bono’s vocals (his “vox”)?

Again, according to lore, Eno used an old technique in the studio where he slowed down the tape and had Bono sing to that molasses beat and then they just sped it back up to its original tempo. Of course if this were true, Bono would have a prounounced “Alvin and the Chipmunks” thing going on in his vocal register, unless, Bono sang in his lowest “basso profundo” range while listen to the slowed down tape, at which point he would sound a lot like … Elvis/Impersonator.


E -
Im standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you wont come back to me
Then make them bring the curtain down

B -
They say you're sad and reach down
So say you're sad above and beside
Don’t say you're sad / no more be sad
So say you’re sad above we said

E –
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?

B –
And you care
And no one told you tried
And your heart
Is left out from the side

And the rain beats down
And the shame goes down
And this rain keeps on coming down
And this sky
Tonight...

E –
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?


In any case, this would explain why his voice breaks at different registers than it normally does.

I also think that the opening lines refer to black flesh, not black flash – which fits better with white brow.


- - -

but then again, maybe this is all just so much projection......

http://munkybunny.deviantart.com/art/Projection-44267751

[Joe Hillshoist]

Blind castrated stag = no fucken idea (no fucking eye deer)

I didn't mind u2 till the mid 90s.

Bono is a tosser for sure, but hes a great front man for a band. I've actually seen them on a few different tours back in the day and they were pretty good.

Tho you may be reading too much into the song.