Rolling Stone published a list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, with some of the blurbs about each one written by other singers. Bono came in at number 32, and the piece about him was written by Billie Joe Armstrong. Read the whole piece by clicking on the link. (Scroll down to number 32 to see Bono.)
We know Billie Joe has a way with words, of course, form his own songwriting, and it’s lovely how, here, he brings together observations about Bono’s singing style with a real emotional feel for how Bono’s convictions and soulfulness are carried through in his singing. Billie Joe has both the understanding of a fellow musician and the artfulness to convey so much with a few well chosen phrases. My favorite lines: “50 percent Guinness, 10 percent cigarettes — and the rest is religion. He’s a physical singer, like the leader of a gospel choir, and he gets lost in the melodic moment. He goes to a place outside himself, especially in front of an audience, when he hits those high notes. That’s where his real power comes from — the pure, unadulterated Bono.”
Although I like U2, I’m not sure I was actually a huge fan of Bono’s singing, but I feel like I’m reconsidering it in a new light. There’s also an interesting thread mentioned: Bono learned form punk rock, and many others, and Billie Joe says he learned from Bono. It’s pure Billie Joe to stop to notice that all art is influenced and shaped by other artists, and that every accomplishment rests on many shoulders besides one’s own.
[ Via GDA ]
November 13, 2008 at 7:32 pm [ Category: Essay, Influences ]
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