Line #72 Music/PopAlbum


1	[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/u2_pop_cover.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:315:''You can reach, but you can't grab it''\
3	''You can hold it, control it; no, you can't bag it'']]
4
5	->''Weather 'round here chopping and changing''\
6	''Surgery in the air''\
7	''Print shirts and southern accents''\
8	''Cigars and big hair''\
9	''We got the wheels, petrol's cheap''\
10	''We only went there for a week''\
11	''Got the sun, got the sand''\
12	''Got the batteries in the handycam...''
13	-->--'''"Miami"'''
14
15	'''''Pop''''' is the ninth studio album recorded by the Irish rock band Music/{{U2}}. It was released through Island Records on 3 March 1997.
16
17	In the aftermath of ''Music/{{Zooropa}}'', the members of U2 did some side projects. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen were involved in the the soundtrack for the 1996 film adaptation of ''[[Film/MissionImpossible1996 Mission: Impossible]]''. They also offered "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me", a song off the cutting-room floor from the previous album, for the soundtrack to ''Film/BatmanForever''.
18
19	When they returned to the recording studio for a new album in 1995, they took some of the other excerpts not included for ''Zooropa''. But complications would arise in 1996. Mullen's availability was limited due to family obligations and back surgery. One of the producers, Nellee Hooper, had to step away due to obligations connected to the soundtrack for 1996's ''Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet''.
20
21	Things got worse as their manager booked up the supporting tour, [=PopMart=], before the album was done. It was set to begin in April 1997, but the band struggled to complete the songs for the album. A hoped-for Christmas 1996 release was shelved.
22
23	While reviews were okay, more negativity was forming. Neil Strauss of ''The New York Times'' claimed they had lost their inspiration. Perry Gettelman of ''The Orlando Sentinel'' called out their lack of "zest for experimentation" which normally flavors electronic music.
24
25	Retrospectively, multiple sources, including Allmusic and ''Spin'' magazine, refer to ''Pop'' as U2's nadir period. Though in counterpoint, Sal Cinquemani of ''Slant'' said in 2003 that ''Pop'' was "better (and deeper) than anything on" their next album, ''Music/AllThatYouCantLeaveBehind'', and complained that "the reason why ''Pop'' wasn't a bigger hit in the U.S. is a mystery".
26
27	The album debuted at #1 in the United States and the United Kingdom, but tapered off quicker than ''Zooropa'' did, only earning a single Platinum in both.
28
29	''Pop'' was supported by six singles: "Discothèque", "Staring at the Sun", "Last Night on Earth", "Please", "Mofo", and "If God Will Send His Angels". While they performed better in general in the British Isles, with "Discothèque" going #1 in both the UK and Ireland, only the first two were hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Discothèque" peaking at #10.
30
31	Following the [=PopMart=] Tour, which was mired in technical difficulties and was treated by the band as more of a self-parody, even U2 began to despise the work. U2 has since re-recorded many of the songs; Bono would later claim that the album wasn't even finished when it was released. They wouldn't use the songs from the album while touring again until 2018, after its remaster.
32
33	!!Tracklist:
34	# "Discothèque" (5:19)
35	# "Do You Feel Loved" (5:07)
36	# "Mofo" (5:49)
37	# "If God Will Send His Angels" (5:22)
38	# "Staring at the Sun" (4:36)
39	# "Last Night on Earth" (4:45)
40	# "Gone" (4:26)
41	# "Miami" (4:52)
42	# "The Playboy Mansion" (4:40)
43	# "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" (5:15)
44	# "Please" (5:02)
45	# "Wake Up Dead Man" (4:52)
46	# "Holy Joe" (Guilty Mix) (Bonus track only released in Japan) (5:08)
47
48	!!Personnel:
49	* Bono – lead vocals, additional guitar
50	* The Edge – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
51	* Adam Clayton – bass guitar
52	* Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion, programming
53
54	!!"Lookin' in the places where no tropes grow:"
55	* AlternativeDance: Prominent in the album, especially in the first three tracks with later songs blending this with their traditional sound and industrial elements.
56	* TheCameo: Creator/WilliamSBurroughs in the video for "Last Night on Earth", which became his last filmed performance as he died only a month after the video was filmed. The video itself ends with a closeup of his eyes.
57	* CarefulWithThatAxe: Bono actually does this right at the payoff of "Miami", screaming "''MIIAMIIII''" twice.
58	* CrapsackWorld: The "fucked-up world" in 'Wake Up Dead Man". The bridge expands on this by describing the chaotic sounds of said world the protagonist is in.
59	* DarkerAndEdgier: Moreso than ''Music/AchtungBaby'' and ''Music/{{Zooropa}}''.
60	* {{Determinator}}: The BrokenRecord one-line chorus of "Gone".
61	* DownerEnding: "Wake Up Dead Man" is easily their bleakest closer to date, where the protagonist sees the world in shambles and pleads desperately for Jesus to wake up.
62	* {{Escapism}}: "Staring at the Sun" uses the topic alluded on the title as a metaphor for trying to get away from the horrible things that happen on the real world.
63	* FaceOnTheCover: The cover has the close up of the band members' faces arranged in different colors and a four figure grid.
64	* IntercourseWithYou: "If You Wear That Velvet Dress"
65	* LocationSong: "Miami", as the song is based on the band's experiences in the city while taking a break from the album's recording sessions.
66	* MoodWhiplash: The heavy {{techno}}-rock "Mofo" is later followed up by the mellower, more traditional U2-sounding "If God Will Send His Angels".
67	* OneWordTitle: "Mofo", "Gone", "Miami" and "Please". Also the album name. ''Pop''.
68	* PerishingAltRockVoice: ''Pop'' is pretty notable for featuring Bono's most restrained vocal performances. Even the most powerful vocals that he's very known for are much more limited in the album.
69	* PrecisionFStrike: "Wake Up Dead Man" has the only known F-word used in their discography.
70	* ProtestSong: "Please" is about UsefulNotes/TheTroubles, painting a clear picture of the war that was dominating the streets at the time, and pleading for politicians to stop fueling the flames and actually do something about it.
71	* RearrangeTheSong: Owing to the rushed state of the album, a lot of the songs were performed live differently from their studio counterpart. Some of those versions ended up in their ''The Best of 1990-2000'' and a rerecorded version of "Please" was released as a promotional single for the album.
72	* ReligionRantSong: The lyrics in "Please" can be interpreted as how much political leaders twist their own vision towards God and how they can negatively impact the people they were meant to protect.
73	* RockStarSong: "Gone", which according to Bono in the ''U2 by U2'' biography, is a portrait of a young rock star cutting himself free from responsibilities and just enjoying the ride.
74	* {{Scatting}}: Present a few times in "Miami".
75	* ShoutOut: The line "Stuck together with God's glue" was lifted from the title of the album by the Irish rock band Something Happens.

Context Music / PopAlbum