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Zoo Station (song)

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This article is about an opening track of an album. For other uses, see Zoo Station (disambiguation).
"Zoo Station"
Song

"Zoo Station" is a song by rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, which was a musical reinvention for them. As the opening track, "Zoo Station" gives the listener an introduction to the band's new sound. The song features industrial-influenced percussion and several layers of distorted guitars and vocals, along with lyrics suggesting new intents and anticipations. The song's introduction, which features an "explosion" of percussion and the song's hook, a descending glissando played on guitar, was meant to make the listener think the album was mistakenly not U2's latest record or that their music player was broken.

Musically, "Zoo Station" originated from another song that the group were working on for Achtung Baby. The song's lyrics were inspired by a story that lead vocalist Bono heard about Berlin from World War II, when overnight bombing damaged the zoo and allowed animals to escape and wander around the city's rubble. Bono was also inspired by the city's Berlin Zoologischer Garten railway station and used it as a metaphor for a reuniting Germany. During the Zoo TV Tour, "Zoo Station" opened every concert except for one. The song received positive reviews from critics, many of whom analysed the song as a representation of the band's reinvention.

Writing and recording

After troublesome recording sessions at Hansa Studios in Berlin in late 1990, U2 returned to Dublin in 1991 for the second phase of the recording sessions for Achtung Baby.[1] One song, later released as the B-side "Lady With the Spinning Head", proved troublesome, but it inspired portions of three separate songs, "Zoo Station" being one of them, and "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" and "The Fly" the other two.[1] The band ultimately decided to take "Zoo Station" in a more industrial direction than "Lady With the Spinning Head".[1]

Berlin Zoologischer Garten, colloquially called Bahnhof Zoo ("Zoo Station") in Germany, partially inspired the song's lyrics.

"Zoo Station" came together near the end of the recording sessions when producer Flood was mixing the song and introduced heavy distortion to the drums.[1] The song's direction was largely influenced by the production team of Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Flood.[1] Lead vocalist Bono had been disappointed with his vocal performances in early recording sessions for the album and told the production team, "Let's just try something that's gonna put me in a completely different place".[2] After they distorted his voice to make it sound as if it were coming from a megaphone, Bono was inspired to sing in a persona, as the effect gave his vocals a different "emotional feel".[2]

The song's lyrics were originally inspired by a story that Bono heard of Berlin during World War II, in which animals escaped the city's zoo after it was damaged in overnight bombing. Rhinoceri, pelicans and flamingoes wandered around the next morning while people were sifting through the rubble.[1] Bono was also influenced when he learned of a subway station in Berlin colloquially known as "Zoo Station", since it stopped at the zoo.[1] He compared the song to the actual subway station, saying "it was written as an opening track, the beasts breaking out of their cages."[1] Bono took further inspiration from the subway station representing Europe at a crossroads, as people of many different walks of life had descended upon a reunified Berlin after the Berlin Wall was opened in 1989.[2] Coincidentally, the station has been on the U2 line of the Berlin metro since 1993; however, at the time the song was recorded, this part of the Berlin metro was served by the U1 line.[3]

Composition

As the first track on an album that was a major reinvention for the band, "Zoo Station" gives listeners an introduction to the U2's new sound. The song features several different layers of distorted guitar and vocals, as well as industrial-influenced percussion. Irish rock journalist Bill Graham cites David Bowie's album, Low, as a major influence on "Zoo Station", which he called a "new brand of glam rock" with "Spartan rhythms and sudden flurries of melody".[4]

"The opening of 'Zoo Station' makes a powerful statement: in its deliberate use of 'industrial' sounds that remind us not at all of conventional instruments, in the foregrounding of technology at the beginning of the song - indeed, in making this the opening statement of the album - there can be no mistake that U2 has embraced sound resources new to them. But the fact that it is a deliberately hesitant gesture puts it clearly in the realm of satire. Perhaps it satirizes the technology itself, or U2's new embracing of technology."

Susan Fast, describing "Zoo Station"'s introduction in her essay on U2[5]

The song is played in a 4/4 time signature, but only one element of the song's distinctive introduction, a marimba-like texture, is played in regular time.[5] This sound, which has been compared to that of a clock ticking, was achieved by picking the guitar's D string behind the bridge and the stopbar. On the second half of the third beat, the song's signature guitar riff, a distorted, rapidly-strummed descending glissando, enters.[5] The glissando descends past the octave it begins in by a major second before returning to it.[5] After the second time it is played, an "explosion" of percussion is heard, playing on beat four of every second measure on two occasions.[5] This percussion sound, played by Flood, enters early the third time, being played on beat two.[5][6] The drums then enter, before stopping and starting again. Much like the song's guitar sounds, the drums' timbre is noticeably different from previous U2 songs as it exhibits a "cold, processed sound, something like beating on a tin can".[7] Amidst layers of various guitar sounds, the bass enters, the part played in the introduction and verses consisting of repeating G and A notes, mimicking the ascending portion of the guitar riff after the glissando overshoots the octave.[5] After the bass begins, the song's regular groove is established.[5]

Guitarist The Edge says "Danny [Lanois] provided an incredibly mad intro which sounds like a keyboard, but is in fact guitar on which I'm creating strange textures."[1] Of the song's introduction, bassist Adam Clayton says, "When people put on the record, we wanted their first reaction to be either 'this record is broken' or 'this can't be the new U2 record, there's been a mistake.' So there is quite a dramatic extended intro where you just don't know what you are listening to."[1] Author Albin Zak, in his book The Poetics of Rock, says of the introduction, "Before any words are sung, the sounds alone alert the listener that the band has moved into new expressive territory."[7]

After the introduction, the song follows a conventional verse-chorus form.[5] During the verses, Bono sings primarily in a medium-to-low range and his vocals are treated with heavy processing, which takes out the bottom of the sound and "emasculate[s]" his voice.[5] The processing also introduces a wavering quality to his vocals.[5] The guitar glissando continues to be played during the verses.[5] During the chorus, the bassline becomes more dynamic, playing descending quarter notes of G-F♯-D-C-D-C-A-G-A, and the guitar part features a more melodic hook.[5] Bono's vocals also become more dynamic in the chorus, featuring layers of both "open-throated" singing and monotone lyric recitation, as well as both processed and unprocessed vocals.[5]

Many of the lyrics suggest new anticipations and appetites ("I'm ready for what's next"), as well as a willingness to throw caution to the wind and take risks ("I'm ready for the laughing gas"... "I'm ready to let go of the steering wheel").[5] Some of the lyrics, particularly those in the bridge before the final chorus, use the eponymous subway station as a metaphor for time: "Time is a train" / "Makes the future the past" / "Leaves you standing in the station" / "Your face pressed up against the glass". Bono cites the enjoyment of his first child born in 1989 as a major influence on Achtung Baby, as was his wife's second pregnancy during the album's 1991 recording. Bono says babies influenced the lines within "Zoo Station", "I'm ready, to say I'm glad to be alive" / "I'm ready, I'm ready for the push..."[8]

Reception

Upon the release of Achtung Baby, "Zoo Station" received praise from many critics. Steve Morse of The Boston Globe called the song one on which "sonic assaults are teamed with dreamily processed vocals that recall Beatles psychedelia".[9] BBC Music enjoyed "The Edge's guitar squall and electronics" creating a "dense sound [that] is irresistible", noting that "Zoo Station" was one track where the strategy "creates moods rather than hummable tunes".[10] The New York Times stated that the song "announces a change, starting with a metallic clank, a buzzing guitar slide and a repeated electronic crunch -- nothing ethereal". They also noted that Bono's voice was "electronically masked and the band's old style traded for a pushy bassline and a percussive stomp, although U2 can't resist some sweeter interludes".[11] Rolling Stone praised The Edge, comparing his style of guitar playing on the song as if he uses "a rhythm instrument, repeating a dark, buzzing phrase that drives the beat while his more lyrical playing on the chorus enhances the melody".[12] The Chicago Tribune commented that the "rude awakening" that the song provides on the album as the opening track could only compare with Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" from Rust Never Sleeps.[13] The Orlando Sentinel gave a favourable review of the song, calling it "blistering" and praising the low mixing of Bono's vocals, "giving ample importance to the Edge's new versatility" on guitar.[14]

"Zoo Station" was not released as a single, yet became a radio success in the United States. On the North American Billboard charts, it reached the top spot on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number-ten on the Hot 100 chart.[15]

Appearances in other media

An instrumental alternate version of "Zoo Station", titled "Bottoms (Watashitachi No Ookina Yume)" was included on U2 and Brian Eno's experimental soundtrack album Original Soundtracks 1 as a bonus track for the UK and Japanese promotional releases.[16] "Zoo Station" was featured in the 2002 film About a Boy.[17]

Live performances

On the Zoo TV Tour, "Zoo Station" opened every concert except for one show. Bono appeared onstage silhouetted against a giant screen of blue and white video noise. The imagery used during performances was created by blending video noise with stop motion animation sequences of the band members "filmed" on a photocopier. The Edge described the visual imagery displayed for the song in the context of Zoo TV's "sensory overload" that was intended as a commentary on mass media:[18][19] "'Zoo Station' is four minutes of a television that's not tuned in to any station, but giving you interference and shash and almost a TV picture."[20]

"Zoo Station" was not played during the PopMart and Elevation Tours, but returned to the group's setlists on the Vertigo Tour. The song was most often performed during the first encore, along with other Achtung Baby/Zoo TV-era songs, as part of a mini-Zoo TV set.

Live appearances of the song appear on the video releases Zoo TV: Live from Sydney and Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago.[21][22] A live version of "Zoo Station" from the Vertigo Tour also appears as a B-side on the maxi single for "Window in the Skies."

Personnel

  • Production – Daniel Lanois
  • Engineering – Flood
  • Assistant engineering – Shannon Strong and Robbie Adams
  • Mixing – Shannon Strong
  • Additional guitar – Daniel Lanois

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McCormick, Neil, ed. (2006). U2 by U2. HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 224–5, 232. ISBN 0-00-719668-7.
  2. ^ a b c Stokes, Niall (2005). U2: Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every Song. Thunder Mouth's Press. ISBN 1560257652.
  3. ^ Berliner Untergrundbahn: Linienchronik. Markus Schomacker, February 2008. Retrieved on 17 May 2009.
  4. ^ Graham, Bill (2004). U2: The Complete Guide to their Music. London: Omnibus Press. pp. 43–47. ISBN 0-7119-9886-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Everett, Walter (1999). "Music, Contexts, and Meaning in U2". Expression in Pop-Rock Music: A Collection of Critical and Analytical Essays (Studies in Contemporary Music and Culture). Routledge. pp. 45–48. ISBN 978-0815331605.
  6. ^ Assayas, Michka (2005). "Everybody gets out of here alive". Bono in conversation with Michka Assayas. Riverhead Books. p. 75. ISBN 1573223093.
  7. ^ a b Zak, Albin (2001). "Sound as Form". The Poetics of Rock: Cutting Tracks, Making Records. University of California Press. pp. 68–70. ISBN 9780520232242.
  8. ^ McCormick (2006), pp. 216, 221.
  9. ^ Morse, Steve (1991-11-15). "U2 bounces back". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  10. ^ Easlea, Daryl (2007-04-18). "Review of U2 - Achtung Baby". BBC Online. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  11. ^ Pareles, Jon (1991-11-17). "U2 Takes a Turn From the Universal To the Domestic". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  12. ^ Gardner, Elysa. "U2, Achtung, Baby". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  13. ^ Kot, Greg (1991-11-17). "U2 Loosens Up". Chicago Tribune.
  14. ^ Gettelman, Patty (1991-11-06). "Achtung Baby". Orlando Sentinel.
  15. ^ "u2 > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  16. ^ (Media notes). {{cite AV media notes}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Format= ignored (|format= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Location= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |PID= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Type= ignored (|type= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz (Directors) (2002). About a Boy (Film). Universal Pictures.
  18. ^ Dalton, Stephen (2004-10-26). "Achtung Stations". Uncut.
  19. ^ Graham, Bill (1992-05-21). "Achtung Station!". Hot Press.
  20. ^ BP Fallon (host and co-creator) (1992-11-27). Zoo Radio (Syndicated radio broadcast). United States.
  21. ^ U2, David Mallett (Director) (2006). Zoo TV: Live from Sydney (DVD). Sydney, Australia: Island Records.
  22. ^ U2, Hamish Hamilton (Director) (2005). Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago (DVD). Chicago, Illinois: Island Records.
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