From September of 2003 to December of 2004 was perhaps the most boring running period of my life. I mean, it still felt great to get out there, especially when I'd finished a run, and the health/mood benefits stood alone to make it worthwhile, but there are certainly ways to make running far more enjoyable. Running with others is one. And up until the end of my first TNT season in 2003, most of my long runs were with others; either back with the team in the old Capital Crew days, with a friend or two in college, or a large group during the TNT season. These group runs would result in mostly friendly conversation, but occasionally some ego-driven competition. Either way, I'd both run faster and perceive time to pass faster. Good.
But sometimes for various reasons you do need or want to get a solo run in. And once I started bringing the iPod my friends chipped in and bought for me in 2004 along on my runs, the boring factor sharply declined. And I began to wonder what the best "running music" was. Some clear winners: "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen. DUH. "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones. Skip the cliche "Chariots of Fire". But let me geek out on some Final Fantasy themes. Also anything Johnny Cash. "Rhythm as sharp as a train." Then I read an article that claimed 180 beats per minute is the "ideal" tempo for the running cadence and provided a recommended playlist. Fine, but you feel differently at different stages of the run, so putting 180 bpm songs on shuffle wouldn't cut it. So then I wondered if there was such thing as a great album for running. And in 2009, I found out there was! "No Line on the Horizon" by U2. And here track by track is why it's the BEST RUNNING ALBUM EVER.
"No Line on the Horizon"
The concept of "no line on the horizon" is very much in tune with what being in the zone of a good run feels like. And describes a great place to put your focus as you start your run. It's where the end of the ground and the beginning of the sky seem to blur together in the distance, becoming an infinity. Before I try to get all Bob Ross painting or Forrest Gump on you, just imagine stepping outside of a confined office building into the vast outdoors just before a sunset. You feel a bit humbled by the openness and how far you plan on running, and this is a good thing! It encourages you to start slowly and build a rhythm. Enjoy your start!
Musically, I wouldn't ask for anything more than the simple, driving rhythm and simple chord structure to kick off my run. The Edge has an uncanny ability for working as a minimalist and giving you only what you need. And he can do a great deal with just one or two chords.Your first steps of the run are simple, slowly easing in to your pace.
"Magnificent"
But at some point you need to start feeling the run. Or you're just going to get bored after 5 minutes of stepping in line and get ready to say "Great workout, let's cool down and get some ice cream for a reward!" Magnificent takes off musically where No Line left you. It dances around a simple riff for a few seconds then expands into a slightly more complex progression with a nice major to minor chord shift. It's uplifting. And existential, lyrically, just a bit. Lines like "I was born, I was born, to sing to you/ I didn't have a choice but to lift you up/ And sing whatever song you wanted me to" get me thinking "Why did I come out here and run, anyway?" Ultimately the answers is, well it feels right, and I'm doing it, might as well stop asking and keep going.
"Moment of Surender"
This song was highly received critically and was a closing staple of U2 concerts during the 360 tour, in no small part due to the easy audience chant-able "oooh-oooh-ooooooooh-oooh-oooh-oooh" melody. Think an update of the bridge of "Pride (In the Name of Love)". But the song never did it for me, much. And maybe that's okay. Because I start to zone out during this song. Maybe that's what surrendering is, anyway. You're not performing brain surgery here, it's okay to let your focus drift.
"Unknown Caller"
And so I drift for a few moments and zone out. And this song paints the picture of what that is as Bono sings: "I was lost between the midnight and the dawning/ In a place of no consequence or company". A few seconds later I'm told to embrace the simplicity of being alone and away from the hustle in a monotonous chant: "Escape yourself, and gravity / Hear me, cease to speak that I may speak / Shush now". Oh if I only could escape my ever increasing gravity.
Then it's time to turn around on my run and head home. And what more appropriate lyric than "Restart and reboot yourself / You’re free to go". If I've run at a steady pace so far, it's okay to let loose a little and pick up the tempo!
"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
My favorite song of the album. It's the most encouraging. And it has a killer, hook-laden chorus. Not the most complex, but the most instantly accessible song without any apparent hidden layers of meaning. A pop song, in other words. It plays with chords in the key of C, so you hear the same familiar sounds you've heard your whole life and remember from pressing the white keys on a piano. The Coke of sodas if you will. And that's what I need, instant energy, simple sweetness to give me a boost. And Coke just happens to be the drink of choice late in the marathon of an Ironman for elite athletes...
There are actually a few hidden gems within this otherwise early Lennon/McCartneyesque tune. A great lyric to break down a tough ascent : "It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain / As you start out the climb". And apparently Bono had been channeling John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" lyric : "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;" and gave us the lite, rhyming version: "Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven't heard". Just when you thought this was a simple little pick-me-up pop tune!
"Get On Your Boots"
No analysis here. You can figure this one out!
"Stand Up Comedy"
And just when I'm getting tired of the positive ra-ra cheerleading motivation (this is a rare occasion for me, my cheesiness tolerance is very high) and DYING for some anger out of the Edge's guitar and some pulsating rhythm from Adam's bass and Larry's drums comes this funky, Jimmy Page inspired, riff bassed song that harks back to the early U2 albums Boy and October with some mid 90s distortion. My well-wishing positive self-encouragement is being replaced by a more primal, angry rhythm. Get angry, stand up!
And it's okay to get JUST a bit full of yourself here. This is your run. It's okay to own it! "I gotta stand up to ego but my ego’s not really the enemy". If you bore down and eased in to your run, building the pace, this will start to make sense. You will have harnessed your ego.
But sometimes for various reasons you do need or want to get a solo run in. And once I started bringing the iPod my friends chipped in and bought for me in 2004 along on my runs, the boring factor sharply declined. And I began to wonder what the best "running music" was. Some clear winners: "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen. DUH. "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones. Skip the cliche "Chariots of Fire". But let me geek out on some Final Fantasy themes. Also anything Johnny Cash. "Rhythm as sharp as a train." Then I read an article that claimed 180 beats per minute is the "ideal" tempo for the running cadence and provided a recommended playlist. Fine, but you feel differently at different stages of the run, so putting 180 bpm songs on shuffle wouldn't cut it. So then I wondered if there was such thing as a great album for running. And in 2009, I found out there was! "No Line on the Horizon" by U2. And here track by track is why it's the BEST RUNNING ALBUM EVER.
"No Line on the Horizon"
The concept of "no line on the horizon" is very much in tune with what being in the zone of a good run feels like. And describes a great place to put your focus as you start your run. It's where the end of the ground and the beginning of the sky seem to blur together in the distance, becoming an infinity. Before I try to get all Bob Ross painting or Forrest Gump on you, just imagine stepping outside of a confined office building into the vast outdoors just before a sunset. You feel a bit humbled by the openness and how far you plan on running, and this is a good thing! It encourages you to start slowly and build a rhythm. Enjoy your start!
Musically, I wouldn't ask for anything more than the simple, driving rhythm and simple chord structure to kick off my run. The Edge has an uncanny ability for working as a minimalist and giving you only what you need. And he can do a great deal with just one or two chords.Your first steps of the run are simple, slowly easing in to your pace.
"Magnificent"
But at some point you need to start feeling the run. Or you're just going to get bored after 5 minutes of stepping in line and get ready to say "Great workout, let's cool down and get some ice cream for a reward!" Magnificent takes off musically where No Line left you. It dances around a simple riff for a few seconds then expands into a slightly more complex progression with a nice major to minor chord shift. It's uplifting. And existential, lyrically, just a bit. Lines like "I was born, I was born, to sing to you/ I didn't have a choice but to lift you up/ And sing whatever song you wanted me to" get me thinking "Why did I come out here and run, anyway?" Ultimately the answers is, well it feels right, and I'm doing it, might as well stop asking and keep going.
"Moment of Surender"
This song was highly received critically and was a closing staple of U2 concerts during the 360 tour, in no small part due to the easy audience chant-able "oooh-oooh-ooooooooh-oooh-oooh-oooh" melody. Think an update of the bridge of "Pride (In the Name of Love)". But the song never did it for me, much. And maybe that's okay. Because I start to zone out during this song. Maybe that's what surrendering is, anyway. You're not performing brain surgery here, it's okay to let your focus drift.
"Unknown Caller"
And so I drift for a few moments and zone out. And this song paints the picture of what that is as Bono sings: "I was lost between the midnight and the dawning/ In a place of no consequence or company". A few seconds later I'm told to embrace the simplicity of being alone and away from the hustle in a monotonous chant: "Escape yourself, and gravity / Hear me, cease to speak that I may speak / Shush now". Oh if I only could escape my ever increasing gravity.
Then it's time to turn around on my run and head home. And what more appropriate lyric than "Restart and reboot yourself / You’re free to go". If I've run at a steady pace so far, it's okay to let loose a little and pick up the tempo!
"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
My favorite song of the album. It's the most encouraging. And it has a killer, hook-laden chorus. Not the most complex, but the most instantly accessible song without any apparent hidden layers of meaning. A pop song, in other words. It plays with chords in the key of C, so you hear the same familiar sounds you've heard your whole life and remember from pressing the white keys on a piano. The Coke of sodas if you will. And that's what I need, instant energy, simple sweetness to give me a boost. And Coke just happens to be the drink of choice late in the marathon of an Ironman for elite athletes...
There are actually a few hidden gems within this otherwise early Lennon/McCartneyesque tune. A great lyric to break down a tough ascent : "It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain / As you start out the climb". And apparently Bono had been channeling John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" lyric : "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;" and gave us the lite, rhyming version: "Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven't heard". Just when you thought this was a simple little pick-me-up pop tune!
"Get On Your Boots"
No analysis here. You can figure this one out!
"Stand Up Comedy"
And just when I'm getting tired of the positive ra-ra cheerleading motivation (this is a rare occasion for me, my cheesiness tolerance is very high) and DYING for some anger out of the Edge's guitar and some pulsating rhythm from Adam's bass and Larry's drums comes this funky, Jimmy Page inspired, riff bassed song that harks back to the early U2 albums Boy and October with some mid 90s distortion. My well-wishing positive self-encouragement is being replaced by a more primal, angry rhythm. Get angry, stand up!
And it's okay to get JUST a bit full of yourself here. This is your run. It's okay to own it! "I gotta stand up to ego but my ego’s not really the enemy". If you bore down and eased in to your run, building the pace, this will start to make sense. You will have harnessed your ego.
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