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U2 — When Love Comes To Town
Album: Rattle & Hum
Avg rating:
6.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 592









Released: 1988
Length: 4:03
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I was a sailor, I was lost at sea
I was under the waves
Before love rescued me
I was a fighter, I could turn on a thread
Now I stand accused of the things I've said

Love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

I used to make love under a red sunset
I was making promises I was soon to forget
She was pale as the lace of her wedding gown
But I left her standing before love came to town

I ran into a juke joint when I heard a guitar scream
The notes were turning blue, I was dazing in a dream
As the music played I saw my life turn around
That was the day before love came to town

When love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

When love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

I was there when they crucified my Lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
I threw the dice when they pierced his side
But I've seen love conquer the great divide

When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town
Comments (102)add comment
The whole is less than the sum of the parts.
colt4x5 wrote:
It was very generous of BB to let U2 sit in on this one. 

shellbella wrote:
BB tears this up...  {#Clap}

WonderLizard wrote:
I was about to post the same thing. Amazing, raw vocal, "Take this, kid..."
 
U2 are fans of B.B. King and wrote this song for him:

Go Behind U2 and B.B. King's Incredible Collaboration in New Doc Clip

U2 rarely played this live thereafter but B.B. kept it in his set list for years. Nice.
{#Bananajam}BB, the voice, the legend, will always entertain.
waouh, I would never have said that this is U2 so different from what we usually here... and, I actually like it, this song is a good surprise ! 
 shellbella wrote:
BB tears this up...  {#Clap}

 
I was about to post the same thing. Amazing, raw vocal, "Take this, kid..."
Not my least favorite U2 song, but it does make me appreciate PSD.
BB tears this up...  {#Clap}
Clearly on U2s best songs ever.
 dragon1952 wrote:
Ummm....I believe they alternated guitar.





 

{#Whisper}Pretty sure that was The Edge alternating, not Bono and that information has absolutely nothing to do with my opinion that BB King should not have sung on this song.
 rlr511 wrote:
AGREE
 
sirdroseph wrote:

I am not a BB King fan, he should've played the guitar which is fine and let Bono do all the vocals, would've been better IMO.

 

Ummm....I believe they alternated guitar.

 


the only u2 song I would give more than a 6 for

sorry... even The King and Lucille can't stop me from punching the PSD.  Play on Dr. Didg.  and thanks RP for the PSD.
 colt4x5 wrote:
It was very generous of BB to let U2 sit in on this one.
 
 
He does own this song...Even the sisters singing backup are way in the back.
 LizK wrote:
   {#Bananajam}  Lucille                Love it!
 

Indeed...  this synergy between Bono and BB is marvelous...  we be dancing...

 
   {#Bananajam}  Lucille                Love it!
LMAO That Bonehead got more neck than a herd of Giraffe I bet BB was laughing all the way to the Bank but there again if BB is a religious man he could not turn up the chance to play with the saviour of mankind.
It was very generous of BB to let U2 sit in on this one.
 
Ahhh. This hits the spot.

The blues had a son, and they called it rock'n'roll.
nice musical break from the usual U2/Edge "Chunka Chunka" format
 PopKombo wrote:
BB King sings circles around Bono
 
I doubt that's news to Bono.
BB King sings circles around Bono
Hmmm.....I usually dislike this song, but today I'm really rocking to it. I think I'm re-listening to the lyrics and finding a new meaning in them.
 Sasha2001 wrote:
Even Bono hates this album.
 
That counts as a testimonial in my books. This is pure blues rock, doesn't sound at all like U2, and that's fine by me. 7 from the rockin' Nottingham jury.

"... but I did what I did before Love came to town."  You said it, big man.
Even Bono hates this album.
Turn it up NOW!!!
Works for me!!!
AGREE
 
sirdroseph wrote:

I am not a BB King fan, he should've played the guitar which is fine and let Bono do all the vocals, would've been better IMO.


 


I am not a BB King fan, he should've played the guitar which is fine and let Bono do all the vocals, would've been better IMO.


we ALL stand accused of the things we've said...
Great duet by these two guys. Guitars and BB’s vocals are super.
 jmsmy wrote:
A good U2 song - but BB King's vocals are AMAZING
 
Mmm Hmmm! BB totally makes this song!!!
I thought this was on the "Lost Boys" soundtrack, and I love it.  Memphis and Dublin mashup with ladies singing backup!

{edit: It's not on the Lost Boys soundtrack.  Sources: imdb and Wikipedia.}
 FlatCat wrote:
'zactly. Painful to listen to. They're both WAY better than that on their own.
 
Agreed. This song bugs the crap out of me.
A good U2 song - but BB King's vocals are AMAZING
 sdn wrote:
I'm not enjoying the bellowing.
  'zactly. Painful to listen to. They're both WAY better than that on their own.

B-burger-King lays it out real nice on his electric guitar, great big slabs of luurrve 
 Cynaera wrote:
I really hope this was an impromptu, unrehearsed session. BB didn't need accompaniment for this, but his voice seems fuller as a result of this collaboration, so maybe the added injection of younger was like flame to gasoline. Whatever the case, this just rocked me. BB King and his Lucille. Two forces of nature, combined.

{#Yes} What she said!

This entire album just simply rocks! {#Dancingbanana_2}
I really hope this was an impromptu, unrehearsed session. BB didn't need accompaniment for this, but his voice seems fuller as a result of this collaboration, so maybe the added injection of younger was like flame to gasoline. Whatever the case, this just rocked me. BB King and his Lucille. Two forces of nature, combined.
I'll be downloadin' this one tonight!

{#Dancingbanana}
ripping good performance. relax, some of you. it's just music, bono doesn't have to be god and this doesn't have to be 'real blues' though i thank this tune for sparking a love of blues in me, all good music leads to more
 apd wrote:
(quietly) "Can the Edge play rhythm for me? I can't play rhythm... I got stupid fingers..."
(Bono, stunned) "uh... sure... he can play... uh...."
"Yeah... I got stupid fingers..."
(cut to BB ripping a solo.)
 
{#Lol}

You can only bear it once. Down-rating it. Ho-Hum. {#Stop}
 rcurrier wrote:
Note to whiney Irish aspiring bluesmen:
Don't sing with BB King. All it does is show how ill-suited your voice is to the blues.
You might get away with it if you just sing it by yourself, but the direct comparison is just way too damning.
 
See also: Sting vs. Pavarotti

(quietly) "Can the Edge play rhythm for me? I can't play rhythm... I got stupid fingers..."
(Bono, stunned) "uh... sure... he can play... uh...."
"Yeah... I got stupid fingers..."
(cut to BB ripping a solo.)
 ruthless wrote:


Bono & BB; fun combination on this one!
 

Spoken like a true Memphis boy! Being from NYC, and points east, I perhaps have a more sophisticated palate....this duet, fucking GROWL's!!!!!! turn it UP! {#Guitarist}
 sdn wrote:
I'm not enjoying the bellowing.
 
Sorry, that was me, some physically challenged kids, some veterans, and some nuns had come close to trespassing on my lawn and I had to give them a good dressing down. They won't do that again!
Sing the blues Bono, yehe!!

 tiggers wrote:


Yes it's done to show how utterly dreadful that Little Feat track really is. This is far from U2's best work yet infinitely better than that Little Feat tosh.

 

what he said, just totally invert it!{#Flamed}{#Beat}{#Nyah}
Zoe24 wrote:
Followed Little Feat today...Hum.
Yes it's done to show how utterly dreadful that Little Feat track really is. This is far from U2's best work yet infinitely better than that Little Feat tosh.
sutcliff wrote:
today too. The game is afoot...
Followed Little Feat today...Hum.
Ah, the incontrovertible truth that Bono must be a SadoMasochist - evident from his pleasure in being whupped off stage by a true bluesman, and then inflicting the results on us.
must be friday am on RP, no "pretty music"
You rule BB!
Köles_Tamás wrote:
Interesting. Today it followed Little Feat again.
today too. The game is afoot...
denbear wrote:
Just didn't do it for me, following Little Feat. I can see the connection, but the cultural distance is too far.
Interesting. Today it followed Little Feat again.
bono vs. zz top
I'm not enjoying the bellowing.
This doesn't belongs on my RP. mute.
Little Feat followed by this: yep, now you're definitely channeling my parent's tape deck no problem, I'm just wanting to try to contact my flighty mother now and I'm getting pangs for her spinach dip
1wolfy wrote:
Get Down Song !!
Bono & BB; fun combination on this one!
Get Down Song !!

Just didn't do it for me, following Little Feat. I can see the connection, but the cultural distance is too far.
Pez wrote:
rgj, it's a fair critique. Maybe it just bugs me that U2 have always had a wonderful, unique style of their own (not that they have to stick to it), but then they decide to adopt the blues, grab BB for credibility, then try to outdo it for the masses. Bono's got a fine voice, but it felt like they were just trying to establish themselves as bluesmen because they felt like it and could get away with it, being at the peak of their popularity. If we're talking about rock acts who do that, the Stones have done it better for so many years, and have made it their own.
agree, very self-indulgent (think this is about where bono started to get a big head)
10. Oh yes, its a 10.
the 2 sides of the moon....I think this was the worst blues song ever for a "pro" blues lover.... and an interesting song for any young boy/girl ho liked mainstream music (or at least the band) and has the possibility to discover something "diffe rent"
u2? whatever - This makes me wanna hear Spirit's rendition of "walking the dog"
The thing U2 did wrong was get too popular by being enjoyed by too many people, thereby ruling out the chilly embrace of the illuminatti. How many kids heard BB King because of Bono? Who would you rather hear on the radio or at the Superbowl? Nickelback?
I love U2. I hate this song.
pilgrim wrote:
one of my fondest concert-going memories was catching U2 on this tour, specifically in Fort Worth with BB King opening up. They performed this during the encore...snippets of which made the film. I was transfixed the entire night, and still feel the electricity when i catch the film. damn goosebumps, can't have anythig nice
i would have liked to have been there with you. i saw bb king the new year's eve and he did his version. most excellent.
I don't want to hear anything from Rattle and Hum. This was the album where U2 "Jumped the Shark." Way overplayed and over rated. Somehow, U2 became relevant again after that, and this is something that I will always be amazed at. But, when this live album came out, U2 became way over exposed.
When Love comes to town
I used to think this was a decent song. But following after You Can't Always Get What You Want, it seems just...bland.
rjb4 wrote:
Worst U2 Song Ever (said in Comic Book Guy voice)
exactly
pilgrim wrote:
one of my fondest concert-going memories " ..." I was transfixed the entire night, and still feel the electricity when i catch the film." "damn goosebumps" oh yeah. My bro and I caught U2 in Calgary 3-1/2 years ago for EYCLB - transfixed, electric, and goosebumps are still words I have for this group, their sound and their words. We're all of us just trying to get it right some of the time! Keep on trying, Bono and boys, and all of us.
rcurrier wrote:
Note to whiney Irish aspiring bluesmen: Don't sing with BB King. All it does is show how ill-suited your voice is to the blues. You might get away with it if you just sing it by yourself, but the direct comparison is just way too damning.
Not a big fan of The Commitments I take it?
Worst U2 Song Ever (said in Comic Book Guy voice)
Is there a way to filter out Tux's comments on Radiohead and U2? :roll:
rcurrier wrote:
Note to whiney Irish aspiring bluesmen: Don't sing with BB King. All it does is show how ill-suited your voice is to the blues. You might get away with it if you just sing it by yourself, but the direct comparison is just way too damning.
LOL! That is great.
Seeing this movie in a theater was better than any U2 concert I had been to. Great tune.
My bro just finished installing a wonderful home theatre with kick ass sound. Rattle and Hum was the maiden voyage of that ship, and man, was it awesome. If you haven't seen that DVD lately, revisit. Geniuses at the top of their game.. and in black and white, no less.
Not the most annoying noise they made, but still the best place for it is the shredder.
Damn, I was going to say something deep and intelligent, but I don't think I can be more intelligent on this glass of bordeaux at home than I was when I posted the last from work (on tea or coffee, I imagine).... Suffice it to say, U2 had a style that was semi-original, and then evolved to "let's take on the blues because we're really famous and can be self indulgent!" I'm sorry; they're not a blues band. If you're going to be British/Irish and do the blues, you might as well just listen to the Stones (sorry, Joe dear... good thing you're asleep now) or Clapton, both of whom do a fine job.... This track still irritates me, though I'm still a U2 fan generally. Back to the bordeaux.
upinya wrote:
I hate to be broad and generalizing, but someday someone will explain to me why I'm supposed to think that BB King has talent. A nice voice, sure, but it seems to me his guitar playing is a flat-out joke. Flame on.
2 points: 1. You aren't being "broad and generalizing," rather, your critique is specific with regards to BB. Now, if you were criticizing all blues legends from Mississippi, or even all blues legends from the greater Indianola area of Mississippi, then there would be, perhaps, some concern that you were being overly broad with your critique. 2. You can set a metronome to BB King's guitar playing- he's just that good.
one of my fondest concert-going memories was catching U2 on this tour, specifically in Fort Worth with BB King opening up. They performed this during the encore...snippets of which made the film. I was transfixed the entire night, and still feel the electricity when i catch the film. damn goosebumps, can't have anythig nice
drH wrote:
why should anybody bother to explain it to you? do you own homework, slacker.
I always defend this album as it seems to be one of the more maligned in their catalogue. Not sure why--the influences already noted in other posts are well employed by many tracks. Even "God Part 2" is fairly interesting to me, if a bit smug. The documentary film detailing this album and tour is another matter, but not bad either. This track smokes, regardless of how inferior Bono may sound compared to B.B. (admittedly so).
upinya wrote:
I hate to be broad and generalizing, but someday someone will explain to me why I'm supposed to think that BB King has talent. A nice voice, sure, but it seems to me his guitar playing is a flat-out joke. Flame on.
why should anybody bother to explain it to you? do you own homework, slacker.
This should be named "Bono gets a singing lesson from THE MAN".
Note to whiney Irish aspiring bluesmen: Don't sing with BB King. All it does is show how ill-suited your voice is to the blues. You might get away with it if you just sing it by yourself, but the direct comparison is just way too damning.
hideglue wrote:
" I dont play no chords"-B.B. KING
"Those are some heavy lyrics for such a young man" -BB King
I hate to be broad and generalizing, but someday someone will explain to me why I'm supposed to think that BB King has talent. A nice voice, sure, but it seems to me his guitar playing is a flat-out joke. Flame on.
Pez wrote:
rgj, it's a fair critique. Maybe it just bugs me that U2 have always had a wonderful, unique style of their own (not that they have to stick to it), but then they decide to adopt the blues, grab BB for credibility, then try to outdo it for the masses. Bono's got a fine voice, but it felt like they were just trying to establish themselves as bluesmen because they felt like it and could get away with it, being at the peak of their popularity. If we're talking about rock acts who do that, the Stones have done it better for so many years, and have made it their own.
Excellent points, and I think you're right to an extent. I do think, however, that Rattle and Hum is meant to represent their embrace of America, which gets figured partly as an embrace of the American music that gave birth to the kind of rock and roll that made their music, and their success, possible--including (or especially) blues, of course, as well as gospel. But some of that did (or does) seem like a bit of a cagey maneuver, and snagging BB for this cut was as much evidence of that as it was an homage both to him and to their own "arrival." Thanks for your thoughtful reply!
I really dig this song... maybe not typical U2, but a really fun song nonetheless; --d
rgj, it's a fair critique. Maybe it just bugs me that U2 have always had a wonderful, unique style of their own (not that they have to stick to it), but then they decide to adopt the blues, grab BB for credibility, then try to outdo it for the masses. Bono's got a fine voice, but it felt like they were just trying to establish themselves as bluesmen because they felt like it and could get away with it, being at the peak of their popularity. If we're talking about rock acts who do that, the Stones have done it better for so many years, and have made it their own.
Pez wrote:
I was a longtime U2 fan until they hit this phase. On the surface, it would be a fine tune, but it just strikes me as very self-indulgent, even though BB classes it up. I think Bono should've just handed over the mike, so to speak.
I enjoy the song myself, though not nearly as much as others in their catalogue. But I do wonder how it is that "self-indulgence" has come to be a criticism of a pop or rock song, to the extent that I wonder just what sort of indulgence is alleged to be happening, and if it is, who else a performer is obliged to indulge? Just an honest question about the terminology of critique.
One of the fascinating things about U2 is their reverence for indiginous American musical forms like the blues, gospel, jazz, etc. It was so great seeing the Edge jamming with BB King on "Rattle and Hum".
I was a longtime U2 fan until they hit this phase. On the surface, it would be a fine tune, but it just strikes me as very self-indulgent, even though BB classes it up. I think Bono should've just handed over the mike, so to speak.
" I dont play no chords"-B.B. KING