There's only one "One"

A few weeks ago, my (way cool) sis Lizzie sent me the link on YouTube to the new (well, new to me) "One" vide with U2 and Mary J. Blige. I like it ... kind of. There's been a lot of talk (...about this next song ... Maybe, maybe too much talk ...) on the mailing lists between people who like this version and people who just can't stand it. I'm stuck somewhere in the middle. Of course, Mary isn't going to just do a copy of the song -- you expect her to add her own "flavor" to it. And I like (mostly) what she's done with it. But ... it just seems at times like she won't stop singing. Part of what makes the song so powerful is how "clean" it is. (I hope this makes sense.) At the end, when you're supposed to hear the guitar and how Edge plays it so beautifully, Mary completely sings over it, and I think it loses a lot because of it. So, that's my brief analysis of the new version of the greatest song in the world. And without any further ado, I bring you U2 and Mary J. Blige with "One"...

U2 and Mary J Blige - One


Just for fun, I thought I'd bring back some memories with this (incredibly cool) version of "One" done by REM and U2. Back in the good ol' days, when there was a Democrat in the White House ... *sigh* ...

REM & U2 - One


However, let's end this post by reminding ourselves what "One" is meant to sound like. Below is the band playing the greatest song ever at Live8.

Do you hear us coming, Lord
Do you hear us call
You me knocking, knocking at your door
You hear me calling
You hear him call
You hear him scratching
Did you make him crawl

U2 @ Live8 - One


God, I love this song!

Update:The link to the Mary J. Blige/U2 video has been fixed. ~Kat (10 Sept 2006)