Customer Reviews

Into the Heart: The Stories behind Every U2 Song

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's a scene familiar to any aficianado of musical bio-pics: at some point, one of the characters in the film will say something that incorporates a song title or a bit of the lyrics of the artist in question, as a kind of wink to the audience (examples: the "stu sutcliffe" character in BACKBEAT telling his doctor he's been working "eight days a week," Benny's music teacher in THE BENNY GOODMAN STORY crying out "don't be that way!", etc.). There are two responses to this sort of winking-- 1) You think it's hokey and squirm in your seat or 2) You think it's cute and feel pleasure at getting the joke. If you fall into category two, you will probably enjoy INTO THE HEART, which is full of such passages (Bono is said to be "ready for what's next," the band is "even better than the real thing," etc.). If, like me, you fall into the first category, you'll probably see the book as a missed opportunity. This is a wonderful idea for a book, and it starts off promisingly, with an introduction full of amusing anecdotes and thoughtful contextualization (you have to respect a writer who sees connections between the band's music and the work of paul auster, for instance). But as Stokes moves from album to album, song to song, a sense of disappointment slowly descends-- he seems caught between seeing the tunes as mere pop ephemera (there's a constant resistance to interpretation) and wanting to place the band in a tradition of great irish artists (wilde is one touchstone mentioned). Fine, U2 *does* embody such seeming contradictions ("right in the middle of a contradiction, that's the place to be," Bono quotes Sam Shepard at one point), but Stokes, unlike his subjects, is unable to make these paradoxes work for him, and the result is a schizo volume that, for all of its author's obvious knowledge of and love for the music, feels like a cheap fanzine. The most useful passages are on POP, an album whose genesis has not received enough attention, and ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND, as stokes traces out U2's turning back to earlier sounds and impulses after the glorious decadence of the 90s. For anyone interested in U2 -- the songs, the image, the tours and their wider cultural and social meaning-- between BOY and PASSENGERS, Bill Flanagan's U2 at the end of the world is a far funnier, better written, more searching volume (one which Stokes borrows from quite a bit, actually).

I'm a big U2 fan, and I just got this book. It's mostly good, but the author focusus alot on how each song was produced rather than the meanings behind the songs (not to say there wasnt some of that in there). Also, the interpretations of some songs were questionable at best (Grace is about the celebration of womanhood??? Where the streets have no name could be about Bono's personal hell???WTF??). The author seemed to regard U2's Christian influences and inspirations with little regard, bordering on contempt. Alot of the captions on the photos screamed cheese.

Into The Heart is an impressive look into the stories behind each and every U2 song from Boy to Pop. Writer Niall Stokes gets right down to brass tacks and relates the band's own accounts about such classics as "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Bad", "With Or Without You", "One" and all the rest. The book gives a chronological account of all their recording sessions and includes b-sides, unreleased tracks, movie songs and songs that were released on albums like Sun City. The book is has a nice large size and is loaded with great pictures. Any fan of U2 should have this book in their collection.

Into the Heart tells so much more of the band U2 than the meaning of their songs. It explains much of the band's life, how they dealt with many problems, and how a lot of the songs reflect this. I also love the layout of the book; easy to find what you're looking for. I highly recommend this book for any U2 fan.

I have loved the band U2 for about 20 years, but I found this book to be very disappointing. The author seems to think his audience already has a great deal of background information about the band, so he doesn't bother to explain many things. He strings adjectives together in order to express his admiration for the music, and so the meaning is lost. The worst thing the author does is add "funny" little captions to all the photos, but the problem is that they are not funny at all, just stupid. The book seems disjointed to me, like the author wrote at different times in different moods, never in the same voice throughout. Even though I was eager for the information, I found the book difficult to read because I kept getting distracted by the inconsistencies in the writing, by the silliness and triteness, and by the typos. Obviously, much work was put into the research, but the writing is unprofessional.

This was a really interesting book. As a longtime U2 fan who always makes a point to carefully read and listen to the lyrics of their songs it was great to read about the creation process and the meanings. The book is incredibly thorough and as near as I can tell includes every song they ever put on an album. I will admit that the book does take a little of the 'magic' out of the music as you read about the complex process of recording and producing the songs but in exchange it does seem to enhance the experience of hearing the music. As I read this I found myself constantly pulling out the cds to listen again to the songs discussed. I would recommend it it any other U2 fan who appreciates lyrics.

Simply the best U2 book you can find these days. If you're really into their music,their lyrics - this book is for you. It features exclusive interviews with the band and friends about each song, some great pictures and really fascinating stories. The only problem with it is the musical analysis. While the lyrical analysis is very deep, the musical is very dissatisfying. But generally, this is the best U2 book you can ever find.

Niall Stokes has written one of the definitive books on U2 (along with Bill Flanagan's "U2 At the End of the World") with this massive, song-by-song exegesis of the U2 canon. Maybe not for the casual fan, "Into the Heart" is a must-own for the hardcore U2 fanatic. Stokes devotes at least a page to every song on every U2 album, and the writing isn't press-releasy fan worship, but a loving and critical analysis joined with commentary from the band members and such U2 cohorts as Brian Eno, Flood and Daniel Lanois (the fifth, sixth and seventh members of the band, by all accounts).

For the most part, the book is insightful, informative and was no doubt exhaustively researched. It is beautifully designed and packed with never-before-seen photos of the band. Not only are all the albums dissected, but there's plenty of material covering the B-sides and "extra-curricular activities" of the band members. Fascinating stuff.

Of course, U2 songs aren't terribly easy to pin down, and to my mind it's impossible to say definitively what "Bad" is all about, or "Wire," or "Promenade," or "With Or Without You." Mystery is a huge part of the music's allure, and while I appreciate Stokes' examination of Bono's sometimes incomprehensible lyrics, the mystery and magic of the band's music remains -- blessedly -- intact.

This book is a very entertaining read provided that you're approaching a fanatical level of U2-ness. It's wonderful in that nearly all of their songs are written about -- from the beginnings to All That You Can't Leave Behind -- another reviewer said it's only for songs before Zooropa, but this is most definitely not true. Furthermore, it has shorter narratives on many of their B-side tracks as well.

That being said, the actual writing could be better -- it seems that Mr. Stokes had unprecendented access to Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam and while his interviewing must have been extensive, his writing style leaves much to be desired. He leaves things purposely vague and his attempts at sounding profound actually confuse and make things more opaque than they need be; U2 are excellent song-writers but the meanings behind their songs are much simpler than Mr. Stokes wants to let on -- his writing would benefit tremendously from increased lucidity. Nonetheless, the book makes for entertaining reading and allows for new insight into one of the greatest rock bands ever. . .

This a great item. The reason it is, is that it's not only about U2 but it shows the evolution of a band from obscurity to best in the world. Its a great inspiration for musicians. The photos are great and it comments on all the songs from I will follow to Big girls are the best (B-Side). Its also objective and honest if songs were'nt great. I highly recommend this book. Good job Niall (and, Oh Yeah, U2!)