"Even Better Than the Real Thing" is the second song on U2's 1991 album Achtung Baby. It was released as the album's fourth single on 7 June 1992.
[edit] Writing and recording
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" originated from a chorus guitar riff that The Edge composed in Los Angeles during the Rattle and Hum sessions.[1][2] A demo of the song, called "The Real Thing", was recorded at STS Studios during the same session in which "Desire" was recorded.[3] The band remarked that the song's guitar riff reminded them of The Rolling Stones, but that it sounded "deeply traditional".[1] Consequently, it was shelved until the Achtung Baby recording sessions, when the band took the multitrack recording of the demo to Hansa Studios in Berlin in late 1990.[3] The band made little progress on the demo there, as the Berlin sessions were fraught with conflict and difficulty in completing songs.[3]
The recording sessions, as well as the general mood, improved after the band returned to Dublin in 1991 to record at the "Elsinore" mansion on the Dalkey coastline.[1] The song turned around after The Edge purchased a DigiTech Whammy effects pedal, which created a "double octave sweep" on the guitar riff.[1] The band rediscovered their sense of fun and incorporated that into the writing of the song.[3] Producer Brian Eno originally argued against the song's inclusion on the album when it contained the lyric "There ain't nothing like the real thing", claiming the song had to be "more ironic". After the lyric was revised to "Even better than the real thing", Eno changed his stance and supported the song's inclusion.[4] Lead vocalist Bono explained the song's lyrics, as well as why the title was lengthened to "Even Better Than the Real Thing": "It was reflective of the times [the band] were living in, when people were no longer looking for the truth, [they] were all looking for instant gratification."[1] Richard Branson requested to use the song in advertisements for his "Virgin Cola" to compete with Coca-Cola (who had been using the tagline "the real thing" for years), but the band declined.[3]
[edit] Live performances
The song was performed at every date of the band's Zoo TV and PopMart Tours, and was played sporadically on the Elevation Tour. The song was not played again for 9 years before a remixed version was played as the opening song on the 360 Tour in 2011. Early in the ZooTV tour the song was transposed from its original key of A to D,[citation needed] allowing Bono to sing in falsetto, and was performed in that manner thereafter. With the revamped version performed on the 360 Tour the song was once again performed in A.
[edit] Reception
The song peaked at #12 becoming one of the few U2 singles that failed to reach the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. It made #8 on the Dutch Top 40. A few months after its initial release DJ Paul Oakenfold remix charted better than the original, reaching No. 8. In the United States, the single was a hit on rock radio.[citation needed] It reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and #5 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also reached #27 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and #35 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. In 1997, readers of Mojo named the song the 71st-best track of the 1990s.[5]
The song's music video won an MTV Video Music Award in 1992 for Best Special Effects for its unique 360-degree camera rollover rig, designed and built by Simon Tayler of Artem in London specifically for the video.[6]
[edit] Track listings
| 1. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" |
3:41 |
| 2. |
"Salomé" |
4:32 |
| 1. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" |
3:41 |
| 2. |
"Salomé" |
4:32 |
| 3. |
"Where Did It All Go Wrong?" |
3:57 |
| 4. |
"Lady With the Spinning Head" (Extended Dance remix) |
6:08 |
| 1. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (the Perfecto mix) |
6:41 |
| 2. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Sexy Dub mix) |
7:18 |
| 3. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Apollo 440 Stealth Sonic remix) |
6:42 |
| 4. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (V16 Exit Wound remix) |
3:19 |
| 5. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Apollo 440 vs U2 Instrumental) |
6:27 |
| 1. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (the Perfecto mix) |
6:37 |
| 2. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Trance mix) |
6:47 |
| 3. |
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Sexy Dub mix) |
7:14 |
[edit] Charts
|
Standard version
|
Remix version
| Chart (1992) |
Peak
position |
| Irish Singles Chart[10] |
10 |
| UK Singles Chart[11] |
8 |
|
[edit] Personnel
- Production – Steve Lillywhite with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois
- Engineering – Paul Barrett and Robbie Adams
- Mixing – Steve Lillywhite and Robbie Adams
- Mixing assistance – Sean Leonard
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
