Get On Your Boots - General discussions

U2's new single 'Get On Your Boots' has shot straight to No.1 in the Irish airplay charts.

The single – the first from the band's hugely anticipated No Line On The Horizon album – has already been greeted with widespread critical acclaim, significantly raising expectations for what is destined to be one of the year's big records. Originally titled 'Sexy Boots' the track is a thoroughly contemporary, intense electro grunge exercise, with Adam Clayton's powerful bass to the fore, which mixes hip hop influences with shades of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and The Beatles.

"We came up with 'Sexy Boots', and everyone got very excited by the idea and we pursued it, but in the end we just thought it was a bit limiting, and so we took it in another direction. That's the way it often happens with U2," Edge told Hot Press. Edge also waxed lyrical about the video for the single, made by French director Alex Courtes, who was also responsible for the video for 'City Of Blinding Lights'. "It's based around the idea that men have fucked things up so badly, politically, economically and socially that it's really time we handed things over to women. We had our doubts when we saw a rough cut – but the finished video is brilliant. He's really nailed it."

Officially due for release as a digital download on February 15, the track was made available on iTunes on the same day as Dave Fanning gave it its worldwide premiere on the Colm and Jim Jim Show on 2fm.

"'Get On Your Boots' is a great opening salvo from what is a brilliant album," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes commented. "No Line On The Horizon is a huge record, full of big songs, powerful riffs and superb musicianship. It's more musically diverse that any U2 album since Rattle And Hum, mixing hard rock, psychedelia, pop, electronica, dance, folk, country, spiritual music and orchestral shadings in what is a fantastically heady brew. It will certainly challenge U2 fans, but my guess is that they'll ultimately be inspired. It's going to be a massive record. I can't wait to hear the songs live."

The single has also won the approval of radio in the UK, where it is currently at No.6 on the airplay charts. No Line On The Horizon is released on February 27 in Ireland and March 3 in the US.

It's based around the idea that men have fucked things up so badly, politically, economically and socially that it's really time we handed things over to women.

Originally posted by yeah:[..]

Originally posted by nowiamthemaster:[..]

Yeah, they were; but that's comparing apples to oranges imo (or appels to oranjes as the Smashing Pumpkins would say).

The Fly was different to peoples' ears back in '91 because they didn't know what to expect from U2 at that stage - from R&H to AB was a huge sonic shift after all; but, as U2 fans, we've since all digested the hearty meals of AB, Zooropa, Passengers, Pop and the return-to-basics of the last two albums; so, at this point in time, we're actually looking forward to hearing something new & inventive from U2.

In fact we're all expecting it given all the hype we've been hearing a la: "reinventing rock n' roll" & "sonic evolution" etc - none of which I remember hearing at the time with regard to AB. That was more of a: here we are / judge-the-music kind-of approach.

Regardless, as a song, the Fly still had a definable structure with a guitar solo & cool processed vocals, whereas the vocals in GOYB lack power & meaning, at least IMO, plus we've no solo, just a cool drum-based bridge.

This topic might make a good poll perhaps: which of the Fly or GOYB represents the greater sonic shift while still being a good / great song?? Fly wins hands-down for me every time.

As I said before, one great riff does not a great song make; so bring on the album and let us all judge GOYB in its proper context!!

Originally posted by TheLedge:[..]

Have to agree. Must be the first time I've ever been disappointed with a U2 lead-off single (and I've loved and bought every single one of those since New Year's Day). I've given it time and plenty of repeated listens, but it just lacks flow, focus, weight, certainty....

As a huge fan of stuff like The Fly, Numb, heck even Discotheque to a degree, I'm all for them chucking us a curveball, but that's not what this single is in my opinion: all I'm hearing in the curveball department is a couple of pointless abrupt jumps from the intro to the first verse then the chorus to the midsection. This sounds like a mundane, down-the-line rocker with those two abrupt jumps chucked in to try and disguise the track as something else.

As someone who usually finds a good six or seven songs on their albums better than the lead-off singles, I'm still positive the album will be mostly great, but I struggle to see what part this single will play in any greatness the album could posess other than it just serving as a tempo-lifter to kick off the album's second half. Hope I'm proved wrong and all becomes clear when the album comes out.

Originally posted by djrlewis:Zane Lowe is back off holiday (Radio 1) and virtually the first thing he does is play the new single.

He LOVES it!

And says the record could go down as one of their finest. Says it's very rhythm driven, Adam all over it.

Originally posted by MWSAH:[..]

Man, I go and find a proper DJ-job somewhere...looks like all DJ's have heard the album by now.

"It's based around the idea that men have fucked things up so badly, politically, economically and socially that it's really time we handed things over to women. We had our doubts when we saw a rough cut – but the finished video is brilliant. He's really nailed it."

"No Line On The Horizon is a huge record, full of big songs, powerful riffs and superb musicianship. It's more musically diverse that any U2 album since Rattle And Hum, mixing hard rock, psychedelia, pop, electronica, dance, folk, country, spiritual music and orchestral shadings in what is a fantastically heady brew. It will certainly challenge U2 fans, but my guess is that they'll ultimately be inspired. It's going to be a massive record. I can't wait to hear the songs live."

folk, country

Originally posted by MWSAH:I was playing Zooropa yesterday and one of my brothers came into the room (the one who doesn't really listen to U2) and asked: 'Is that from their new record?'. 'No, it's Zooropa, a somewhat experimental album released as a spin-off to Achtung Baby in 1993', I replied.

Wonder what he said next...'It's the same piece of shit as Get On Your Boots'. To me, it was funny to hear from a non-U2 fan that the first single reminds people to Zooropa.

Originally posted by thefly07:[..]

I actually like the song even more after reading that, and it makes more sense now..although that's kind of obvious when you think about it