Rank the Tracks: U2's Achtung Baby (1991)

[Honorio]

Achtung, babies, U2 are here...



U2's "Achtung Baby" (1991)

Tracklisting:
01 | Zoo Station
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
03 | One
04 | Until the End of the World
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
06 | So Cruel
07 | The Fly
08 | Mysterious Ways
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
11 | Acrobat
12 | Love Is Blindness

Let's meet Hova next week...

[prosecutorgodot]

This is a pretty good album, but not one of my all-time favorites. Well-written rock songs, but not boundary-pushing, but I guess that's not strange. U2's M.O. is pretty much to make deep/conscious music for the masses. For me, this edges out The Joshua Tree for my favorite U2 album. Also, this is apparently a moment when U2 underwent a reinvention similar to what Paramore did with their latest album, so that's an interesting context.

06 | So Cruel
03 | One
08 | Mysterious Ways
01 | Zoo Station
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
11 | Acrobat
07 | The Fly
12 | Love Is Blindness
04 | Until the End of the World

[bonnielaurel]

08 | Mysterious Ways
03 | One
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
06 | So Cruel
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
01 | Zoo Station
04 | Until the End of the World
11 | Acrobat
12 | Love Is Blindness
07 | The Fly

[Listyguy]

06 | So Cruel
03 | One
08 | Mysterious Ways
01 | Zoo Station
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
11 | Acrobat
07 | The Fly
12 | Love Is Blindness
04 | Until the End of the World

And here I was thinking that I would be the only one with "So Cruel" at the top position! Glad to have some company!

06 | So Cruel
03 | One
08 | Mysterious Ways
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
12 | Love Is Blindness
01 | Zoo Station
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
07 | The Fly
04 | Until the End of the World
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
11 | Acrobat

[prosecutorgodot]

And here I was thinking that I would be the only one with "So Cruel" at the top position! Glad to have some company!

Everything about the song's hook is perfect! Bono's little "hoo-oo-oo" melody gets stuck in my head pretty easily.

[antonius]

08 | Mysterious Ways
03 | One
06 | So Cruel
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
04 | Until the End of the World
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World

gap

07 | The Fly
01 | Zoo Station
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
11 | Acrobat
12 | Love Is Blindness

[ordinaryperson]

"Did I disappoint you, or leave a bad taste in your mouth?"

01 | One
02 | Mysterious Ways
03 | The Fly
04 | Zoo Station
05 | Acrobat
06 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
07 | Until the End of the World
08 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
10 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
11 | So Cruel
12 | Love Is Blindness

[Dexter]

Excellent album

1. One
2. Mysterious Ways
3. Even Better Than the Real Thing
4. Until the End of the World
5. The Fly
6. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
7. Zoo Station
8. So Cruel
9. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
10. Love Is Blindness
11. Acrobat
12. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World

[andyd1010]

03 | One
08 | Mysterious Ways
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
11 | Acrobat
07 | The Fly
06 | So Cruel
12 | Love Is Blindness
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
04 | Until the End of the World
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
01 | Zoo Station

[Honorio]

03 | One
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
07 | The Fly
11 | Acrobat
08 | Mysterious Ways
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
04 | Until the End of the World
01 | Zoo Station
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
06 | So Cruel
12 | Love Is Blindness
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World

[jamieW]

03 | One*
12 | Love Is Blindness*
11 | Acrobat*
08 | Mysterious Ways*
07 | The Fly
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
04 | Until the End of the World
01 | Zoo Station
06 | So Cruel
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing

Personal favorites *
Overall album rating: 7.33

[krendler]

03 | One
06 | So Cruel
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
08 | Mysterious Ways
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
01 | Zoo Station
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
07 | The Fly
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
04 | Until the End of the World
12 | Love Is Blindness
11 | Acrobat

[Honorio]

Results after the first week of voting:
01 | One | 1,4 points
02 | Mysterious Ways | 2,7 points
03 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses | 5,5 points
04 | So Cruel | 5,6 points
05 | Even Better Than the Real Thing | 6,5 points
06 | The Fly | 6,7 points
07 | Zoo Station | 7,2 points
08 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way) | 7,5 points
09 | Until the End of the World | 8,0 points
10 | Acrobat | 8,1 points
11 | Love Is Blindness | 9,2 points
12 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World | 9,6 points

[maverick470]

03 | One
08 | Mysterious Ways
06 | So Cruel
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
01 | Zoo Station
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
04 | Until the End of the World
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
12 | Love Is Blindness
07 | The Fly
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
11 | Acrobat

[bootsy]

02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
03 | One
08 | Mysterious Ways
04 | Until the End of the World
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
06 | So Cruel
01 | Zoo Station
07 | The Fly
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
12 | Love Is Blindness
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
11 | Acrobat

[Bruno]

03 | One
08 | Mysterious Ways
06 | So Cruel
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
07 | The Fly
01 | Zoo Station
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
04 | Until the End of the World
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
11 | Acrobat
12 | Love Is Blindness

[FrankLotion]

1. Mysterious Ways
2. One
3. The Fly
4. So Cruel
5. Even Better Than the Real Thing
6. Zoo Station
7. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
8. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
9. Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World
10. Love is Blindness
11. Until the End of the World
12. Acrobat

You know as acclaimed as this album still is (it’s well into the top 100 on AM), it gets a lot of undeserved scorn these days. I guess U2 in general tends to rub people the wrong way with their unsubtle righteousness but Achtung Baby really was something special. It was far more bitter and clever than the rest of their discography (and their peers) plus it’s hard not to see how influential the album was in the 90’s given how much of popular music in the UK borrowed from them in subsequent years. That would probably contribute to the biggest problem I could field towards these songs, they sound VERY dated to the period. With that said, this whole album is still a total knockout, I hope it keeps its classic status as long as it can!

[mileswide]

04| Until the End of the World
07| The Fly
01| Zoo Station
10| Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
08| Mysterious Ways
03| One
11| Acrobat
02| Even Better Than the Real Thing
12| Love Is Blindness
05| Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
09| Tryin' to Throw Your Arms around the World
06| So Cruel

[ArcadeFire]

01 | One
02 | Mysterious Ways
03 | The Fly
04 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
05 | Zoo Station
06 | Until the End of the World
07 | Love Is Blindness
08 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
09 |Acrobat
10 | So Cruel
11 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
12 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)

[Chris K.]

03 | One
08 | Mysterious Ways
04 | Until the End of the World
05 | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
06 | So Cruel
02 | Even Better Than the Real Thing
12 | Love Is Blindness
11 | Acrobat
01 | Zoo Station
10 | Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
07 | The Fly
09 | Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World

[SJner]

1. One
2. Even better than the real thing
3. Mysterious ways
4. Until the end of the world
5. Who's gonna ride your wild horses
6. Zoo station
7. So cruel
8. The fly
9. Love is blindness
10. Tryin' to throw your arms around the world
11. Acrobat
12. Ultraviolet