Introduction
Since before I was born, my dad has gone to considerable measures to instill a love for U2’s music in me. If you’re my age, you probably haven’t heard of them, as I have tried and failed for years to connect with my fellow peers over their brilliant lyrics and unique melodies. Perhaps U2 was recently brought to your attention through the movie Sing 2, released in 2021, or you’re familiar with some of their greatest hits, such as “With Or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” That said, I would like to jump ahead about thirty years from those songs and show you one of my favorites from their newest album: “The Little Things That Give You Away.”
Lyrics
Bono, U2’s lead singer, claims that he ended up writing this song to himself, though it is spoken in the second person. “In all of these advice type songs, you are of course preaching what you need to hear. In that sense, they’re all written to the singer.” Like many other U2 songs, Bono haunts his listeners with discreet lyrics, as if he is making sure that the meaning behind each line is not so easily interpreted by the audience.
“The night gave you a song
A light had been turned on
You walked out in the world like you belonged there
As easy as a breeze
Each hard was yours to please
Is it only me who sees there’s something wrong there?”
The song begins with the above verse, accompanied by slow, relaxing instrumentals and a beautiful bass line. There is a pre-chorus, a chorus, a second verse, and another chorus. The song then changes to an extremely long bridge, and ends without returning to any of the previous verses or chorus. It is almost as if the bridge is a whole other song, though it matches the other half of the song quite well.
“Sometimes
I can’t believe my existence
I see myself on a distance
I can’t get back inside”
Since I haven’t yet discussed how this song pertains to me, I would like to hone in on the above lyrics. There are often times I feel extremely detached from myself without explicable reason, and Bono’s words describe it well. I find it both haunting and comforting.
Range
“The Little Things That Give You Away” is sung with a higher range, therefore giving emphasis to words that hold both high and low notes. One of the lowest notes in the song is sung in the pre-chorus: “I can see you, you need to see me.” Its quiet melody is sad and almost heartbreaking to listen to. The highest note in the song is the “you” in the first line of the chorus, highlighting the entire line (which is also the title of the song).
Chords
The song is not written in a minor key, but does bounce between two different minors, especially in the verses. The minor chords deepen the sadness in Bono’s voice and in his words, telling the audience to listen closely. The chorus consists of more major chords than minor chords, not asking to be heard because the verse probably grabbed the listener’s attention already. The bridge is also accompanied by mostly major chords, contributing to its strength and hopeful spirit.
Rhythm & Dynamics
Rhythm is one of the most important elements to the emotion presented in this song. As was mentioned before, it begins slow and relaxed, with a dramatic drop in instrumentals for the first chorus to accentuate Bono’s voice. For the second chorus, the rhythm picks up and fills the words with more sound and a new pattern. It drops again for the beginning of the bridge, and slowly builds, faster and louder, until about four minutes into the song where it lands on a strong moment and almost drowns out the vocals.
Harmonic Texture
Harmonic texture seems to fit nicely with the previous elements, because when rhythm and dynamics increase in this song, it seems that the quality of the harmonic texture increases with it. The more noise, the more patterns, the more harmony there is to fill the song and make it complete. The electric guitar provides an echo and haze that matches the vocals and the feeling they are trying to convey to the listener. Even the drums that fill the bridge contribute to the ethereal texture of the song as a whole.
Conclusion
I don’t often love a song in its entirety, as there’s usually something I would add or take away or extend, but this might just be a perfect song.
Sources
Kot, Greg. “U2 | Members, Songs, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Feb. 2023, www.britannica.com/topic/U2.
