Customer Reviews

Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Instead of writing a paragraph, I'll give you my insight on the 3 songs offered on this version of the Stuck in a Moment single.

1. Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of: This is the same version from All That You Can't Leave Behind. It still reminds me of a Rattle & Hum type U2 gospel song. For trivial purposes, it's been said that this song is about Michael Hutchence, the late lead singer of INXS. He happened to be a really good friend of U2.

2. Beautiful Day (Live from Farmclub.com): I'd imagine this was U2's first attempt at performing Beautiful Day live infront of an eager audience... and they passed with flying colours! Edge starts off the song giving you a taste of his signature chiming guitar notes. Bono sings the lyrics with ease and confidence... almost like he's completely aware that the song will be recorded for future listening. The live version isn't much different than the original recording, other than a few ad lib vocals at the end. All in all, this is a great version of Beautiful Day and it gives me that nice, warm, fuzzy feeling. ;)

3. New York (Live from Farmclub.com) - This is the highlight of the single. The intro beats are speckled with Edge's distinct chiming guitar, and Bono sings the lyrics like he's reading poetry. The song sounds very repetitive for the first 2 minutes, but then it cuts into some energetic guitar and vocals. I swear, Bono is singing like he did back in 1982 with his random "a-hoooo"'s. Even if you listen carefully to Edge's guitar, you'll notice how similar it sounds to his guitar on Under A Blood Red Sky. At certain points (especially during Edge's solo), I got chills down my spine. It totally brought U2 back to their early era style-wise. I never thought I'd hear this style of rawness again from U2. It's a pleasant suprise!

The single itself, "Stuck in a Moment", is a tribute (?) of sorts to Michael Hutchense, who committed suicide. The song is infectious, but is also the most striking example of U2's change in lyrical style on 'All That You Can't Leave Behind'. Namely, there's a lack of poetic sense here which seems deliberate. Nonetheless, the last 1 minute of the song is one of the better U2 moments.

The b-sides are live performances of "Beautiful Day" and "New York" at the small Farm Club venue. (You can hear the individual claps and whoops from the audience.) "Beautiful Day" is a good version in the sense that the guitars are a bit more distorted and the ending is played out a bit longer - adding a bit more anthemic qualities to this already anthemic track. There are better live versions of "New York" out there, but the primary differences here from the studio version (which was also, purportedly, done in only two or three takes) is Bono's more straightforward singing of the refrain and the guitar drenched ending. A live version of "Elevation" would have been better since that track is done quite a bit different live.

I remember reading that U2 was not going to release any single CDs in the US for All That You Can't Leave Behind. That's really a shame. There were no less than 4 POP singles, and they all featured much-welcomed remixes, B-sides, and live material. Take this single, for instance. It's fantastic. This is the better edition of the 2 versions put out (the other one in a standard-size jewel case, I believe) because of the quality of the live tracks. Beautiful Day is a great track live, period. And New York was a real surprise--it converted very well to the stage format. Overall, I have very pleased, even having to pay a little bit more for the import. (But it's always been that way if you want certain tracks.) I wish the US singles market was more open and we had more maxi-singles, especially for new U2 material. Are they afraid they won't sell? Highly recommended!

This is a slower but very nice song the best one of those on ''All that you can't leave behind''. I first heard this song on U2'S greatest hits 1990-2000 and it captivated me right away. It has become my favorite U2 song after ''Gone''. Although, I called this song slow above it is not very slow in comparison to many U2 songs. The main reason I like the song is not, however the music-it is the lyrics. The meaning behind the song is connected with Michael Hutchence of INXS's 1997 suicide. He was a friend of Bono's. Thus the song is about suicide and how, when people kill themselves, they're ''stuck in a moment they can't get out of''. That is certainly true, but I do not really think of that being the subject matter when I hear it. To me, it is about how, sometimes, you get into the pit of never getting out of a bad situation that happened to you. The circumstances of it just replay themselves in your head.This meaning of course, also, ties in with the suicide theme.The song's subject matter is certainly sad but also hopeful in a way-''This time will pass''.
Of course, it won't if you don't let it. It is very interesting how a song can mean different things to different people. Anyway, if this is the only U2 song you ever hear-you will still love the group!

This CD Contains the regular LP version of Stuck in A Moment, a live track of Beautiful Day, and a live track of New York. Although these live tracks are not mind blowing, they are well recorded and well performed. I love these song, and their new album, but this CD is definately just a luxury for a couple of live tracks. Grab the album first, this is only a moderate value.

U2 gets better and better......luv them, luv their music and luv them in concert even more. They always put on a good show.

Does anybody know where the acoustic version of "Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" is available?

They seem to have wanted a universal anthem and a disposable pop song. Short verses, memorable chorus, and a guitar line in the Where The Streets Have No Name and One lineage. If Backstreet Boys released this, one would call it nice and move on. Since it's U2, one searches for hidden meaning, but this is instant gratification, too lightweight for anthem status.

This sits uneasily between the two, too deep in its examination of wanting to get out of a non-relationship, but not deep enough to be the generational anthem it so clearly craves.

The extras on Disc One are Big Girls Are Best, a competent bit of b-side material and a thumping remix of Beautiful Day. Disc Two boasts overexcited live versions of Beautiful Day and New York, from last November's farmclub.com gig. A live Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of would have been nice.