U2's Creative Process
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U2’S CREATIVE PROCESS: SKETCHING IN SOUND K. Paul Harris A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Music Chapel Hill 2006 Approved by : Advisor: John Covach Reader: Allen Anderson Reader: David Garcia Reader: Jocelyn Neal Reader: Severine Neff © 2006 K. Paul Harris ALL RIGHTS RES ERVED ii ABSTRACT K. PAUL HARRIS: U2’s Creative Process: Sketching in Sound (Under the direction of John Covach) The music of Irish rock band, U2, evinces a compositional process developed by musicians of exceptional inexperience who underwent an equally exceptional insular development, to become one of the most critically acclaimed rock bands of all time. This dissertation uses a variety of resources —principally demos of mature songs from U2’s seventh studio album, Achtung Baby (1991), recordings of earl y performances surrounding the recording of their debut album, Boy (1980), and video documentary sources chronicling the recording of songs from The Unforgettable Fire (1984) and The Joshua Tree (1987) —as a comparative basis for an assessment of U2’s signa ture musical style, their aesthetic of song, and their use of the recording studio in the realization and development of that aesthetic. U2 arose from the post -punk milieu of the late 1970s, that took its lead from the slightly older punks, (the Sex Pisto ls and t he Clash ), to forge a style distinct from mainstream pop. The members of U2 had widely divergent musical tastes and abilities (some bordering on no ability at all) which compelled them to begin writing their own music from the outset, typically th rough interminable rehearsal —a form of live sketching. This musical naiveté was expressed through highly idiomatic instrumental ensemble styles and aesthetics of song. Their conception of song form was broad, accommodating standard forms, but also unusua l binary forms where ostensibly iii standard verse/chorus songs mutated into substantially new or modified material around a song’s midpoint, with no, or limited, return of earlier material. They freely combined discrete realizations of simple harmonic patte rns, in essence combining multiple versions of basic material within a single song, often as sections which conventionally should contrast one another. These early acquired habits served them well as their musical sophistication grew. The initial live sk etching process, the products of which were committed to vinyl with Steve Lillywhite producing, gradually moved more into the recording studio which became, under the direction of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, U2’s primary creative venue, and the situs for their multiple stylistic reinvention iv To the memory of Justin Lord Coleman (1976 -2003) U2 enthusiast v AC KNOWLEDGE MENTS Acknowledgements often read as though the author had just completed the quest for the Holy Grail, enduring unspeakable hards hip , deprivation, degradation, and inconvenience. While leafing through those of some of my predecessors, I often rolled my eyes and thought “For God’s sake, get a grip.” However, having now walked in their shoes, I am somewhat more sympathetic. An unde rtaking like this requires major infrastructure, which in my case is known as the “Long Suffering Bank of Mom,” Kathleen F. C. Harris. The University of Calgary and the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill also provided generous financial support over many years. Catherine Sidwell deserves a knighthood for putting up with all this nonsense, for driving Bill the Cat across the continent three times, and for virtual abandonment to “the Cause” —although she did get to live in a warm climate for a few year s, and acquired a Maine Coon in the process. Bill and Julie Coleman of Chapel Hill provided a singular, frantic sanctuary for the final two years of residency and a base camp for subsequent visits ; their contribution (including the aforementioned Maine Co on) can not be underestimated. My dissertation committee has been important in shaping the project, particularly my supervisor John Covach, who let me take this where I wanted, and my Acting Chair, Jocelyn Neal, with her analytic eagle -eye. Allen Anderso n and David Garcia provided exceptionally U2 -savvy insights into the project, while Severine Neff was invariably positive and practical. Anne MacNeil, Sarah Weiss, and John Nadas deserve special vi recognition for their moral support, good food, free Manx c ats, and sage advice. Similarly, the staff at the UNC Mus ic Library —Diane, Eva, Liza, Phil, and a legion of “deskies ,”—always took unnecessarily good care of me. Graduate School, like combat, or imprisonment, forges strong friendships, and special mention must be made of the few survivors from my year. Comrade -in -arms Michelle Oswell (Hockey Michelle), with whom I pressed on through unutterable adversity by sheer force of intoxication ( apologies to T.C. Boyle), and Seth Coluzzi, Renaissance Man and formatti ng genius. Thanks also to Michelle Cronquist (Non - Hockey Michelle), Kristin, Lester, Tim, Elizabeth, Jonatha n, John B., “Furniture” Michelle C., A ndy, Peter, Ginny, Ethan, and Kevin . Finding someone nearer your own age to play with is desirable, so speci al thanks to Kathleen Nawyn for continued commiseration through times both dark (the Calgary Flames’ game seven defeat in 2003, and anything to do with the Washington Capitals) and light (her midnight traipsing through the Coleman’s vast rat snake infested back yard to watch the end of the Western Division games). In Calgary, my students have been invaluable in shaping ideas, correcting details, and occasionally providing bootlegs. Mark Studzinski, Ashleigh Delaye, Alex Kurth, and Sara Hollands were espec ially helpful. The University of Calgary Department of Music has generously provided a forum for me to develop courses in popular music —and, as implied above, one learns much through teaching. Kudos to Megan Mitchell. Keltie Ross , of U of C MacKimmie Li brary’s Document Delivery department , provided stellar inter -library loan expertise , tracking down very obscure trade magazines —surprisingly often from her own personal stash. vii Last but not least, I acknowledge my mentor and frien d Victor Coelho —truly a sch olar and gentleman —and Brita Hiemarck , for their support and inspiration over the many years. Too many. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF FIGURES ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... xiii TABLE OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ................................ ................................ .............. xv INTRODUCTION ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 1 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 2 Analytic Methodology ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 3 CHAPTER ONE: U2 in the 80s and 90s ................................ ................................ ............ 6 U2: Reputation and Reception ................................ ................................ ........................ 6 Rock Music in the 80s ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 16 Punk Rock ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 17 New Wave and Post -Punk ................................ ................................ ........................ 19 Influences on U2 ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 20 CHAPTER TWO: Rock Music and the Aesthetics of Composition ................................ 30 The Value of Pop ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 30 Early Popular Music Aesthetics ................................ ................................ ................ 30 Adorno and pop ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 31 Conte mporary Rock Aesthetics ................................ ................................ ................ 37 An Aesthetic of the Sensuous ................................ ................................ ............... 46 U2’s Compositional Procedure ................................ ................................ ..................... 51 Analytic Conventions ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 57 ix Notation ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 58 Rock Harmony ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 59 Form in Rock Music ................................ ................................ ................................ 60 Normative song components ................................ ................................ ................. 62 Typical Song forms ................................ ................................ ............................... 66 Atypical Song Forms ................................ ................................ ............................ 68 CHAPTER THREE: Achtung Baby (1991) ...............................