Which One ?

13 Sep 2011353

Twelve timeless tracks, twenty years old next month. But which is the one song from Achtung Baby that will always have a special place in your life ?

The single releases from the album colonised the airwaves in the early 1990's while tracks like Ultraviolet  and Until The End of the World have become live mainstays.

The Fly will always signal the moment when The Joshua Tree started toppling, Mysterious Ways has that unforgettable groove and One... what else is there to say about One?

But there are twelve tracks on this album and maybe your own Achtung Baby moment is none of these.

Which one song will always make it onto your U2 greatest hits collection - and why does it means so much to you ?

Who does it make you think of? Where were you when you first heard it? What is it about for you...  and why can you never let it go?


Comments
353
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U2_360_SLC
Tryin' to Choose
I had a difficult time choosing. But, Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World is my favorite. One, Ultraviolet and Even Better Than the Real Thing. I really loved Even Better Than the Real Thing at Rice Eclles Stadium in Salt Lake.
bobcaygeonmary
Ultraviolite
Heard it many times, but when Bono sang it at the Rose Bowl - there it was reinvented ! It was very late in Ontario, I had an early day the next day but am glad I stayed with youtube . I hummed Ultraviolet all day ! I was hooked at Get on Your Boots when Larry pounded the drums - and was so bummed when they stopped playing the concert online - so I joined this site, downloaded Rose Bowl Concert from itunes & bought the DVD from thru this site. Bought tickets to Toronto 360 - must be good for U2 too ! Untill next time - keep up the good work boys, you have become very distinguished for a punk band !
RichG
Whole album is a gem
I loved the whole album and is my favorite album of all time. I was going through a bad breakup when this album was out so Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses and So Cruel were songs that reminding me of my girlfriend at the time. Also, I was driving through the desert at night when The Fly was playing, Edge's solo reminds so much of that time.
rawler
UTEOTW
... too cool without even trying ... 2nd Ultra Violet ...3 rd the other 10 songs.
Jhartney
The END
Until The end of the world my favorite all time
Jhartney
Jhartney
Until the end of the world
goingnotgone
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses!!!
My absolute favorite song on this album!! I love the melody, the lyrics, Bono's voice!! I was lucky to hear it live in Honolulu and i am super glad it made its way into the new documentary!!! A beautiful dynamic is created between the band!! Love it!
tan_lejos_tan_cerca
Even better than the real thing / One
It is about the kind of a guy who is a troublemaker with a free spirit and great ideas who sometimes is misunderstood by people with square heads :D. I connect with the song! And One... what a song...
tumamilhem
UltraFly
Ultra Violet (Light My Way) is sheer brilliance. The Fly is one of the greatest U2 songs ever live with an amazing edge, groove and one of the best guitar solos I have ever heard. I can listen to both over and over and over again. Never gets tired.
the shev
theshev
the fly,remembering hearing it on a bus id ratmhmines dublin,i smilled like a baby,amazing.now go away for 4 years and do it again u2
Vertigo3333
Close Call...
it's hard to choose one, I love every song from Achtung Baby. One and Until The End Of The World are two of the most powerful and moving (There's that awesome guitar and lyrics. And drums, and bass...) songs I have ever heard, but I think I have to say Mysterious Ways. I've listened to U2 my whole life, but it was more recently that I really got into them and it was because of Mysterious Ways, which when I heard "U2" is the song that instantly popped into my head, and it was the only song of theirs I could remember. An awesome live moment at a concert this past summer was The Edge walking by during the solo. Beautiful and unforgettable.
u2liftmysoul
Favourite Song of All Time
"One" is my favourite song of all time. It is amazing in every single way, and can mean so many different things to many different people. To me, along with it being my favourite song, it will always be the song I sang on the news before my final 360 concert, and the first song I performed alone on a stage - got to be a great moment for an aspiring rock star, eh? "One" is timeless. But every single other song on Achtung Baby is...wow. Other faves of mine include "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," "The Fly," "Ultraviolet," and "Love is Blindness." But all of the others...ugh, this is so hard!!
stevie.Phisto.stein
Really hard choice...
One is of course an amazing song, no one can deny that. However, Ultraviolet is my favourite off Achtung Baby. One, Acrobat and Love is Blindness tie for 2nd :)
davidguarino
Acrobat
This was easy for me. Acrobat is the perfect song to define all that came with this album. It would have been perfect to play live on Zoo TV and would be perfect to play live now. Kills me they haven't done it yet. But I'm holding out hope they will play the album in its entirety on some tour as other bands have done. Now that would be a great, great night. The song means so much because it is all that U2 stands for in a couple lyrics - 'Dream Out Loud.' And certainly don't let the bastards drag you down...
florisbo
talk like this - act like that
apart from the singles, I prefer ultraviolet and most of all ACROBAT: because of some desperate and emotional phrases (so don't let the bastards grind you down), we are all human beings, even bono is. thank you U2 for this precious music. Greetings worldwide to u2fans, Floris from Bruges, Belgium.
JoyceP
So hard to choose!!!!
My absolute favourite has to be Until the End of the World but very closely followed by Even Better than the Real Thing, So Cruel, Mysterious Ways, One and The Fly. Just the most fab of albums. Sheer brilliance.
clorinszky
two favorites:
"who's gonna ride your wild horses" and "so cruel". and sorry, but no smart explanation. only emotional feelings.
LEGA
Ultraviolet
I was moved in 1991. I was moved at 360 in 2011.
utoons
What does Achtung Baby mean to me?
A lot...since my wife and I chose Nov. 19, 1991 as our wedding day. So we're celebrating 20 years along with U2's greatest album...and it also happens to be our son's 6th birthday on top of that. How 'bout it, U2.com? Care to send us the Uber deluxe set as an anniversary gift?
vicoroadu2
Acrobat
And you can dream So dream out loud You know that your time is coming 'round So don't let the bastards grind you down above says its all.
skywarn
Four Friends
Like so many others, I love most of the songs on "Achtung Baby". My favorite, though, is probably "One". I liked the song even before I became a fan. At the time I just met three great girls. To this day, we are so closely bonded that our parents and inlaws all know one another. During the 360 tour, every time they played "One" I thought about us four, the trials and celebrations we've been through. To know the band was going through trials when they wrote it really makes it special. I sometimes dedicate it to my three friends.
davidlarsen
One...no Mysterio...no, no Until the...W
Can't choose the one! What did I said? Can't choose the one...choose the one...the one...one! My favorite song on Achtung Baby, is One! But is it the one? No Mysterious Ways is th...no Until the End...no Who's..who's gonna choose for me?
MsPurrl
Tough choice
"Ultraviolet" came to mind immediately, after seeing it performed live during the 360 shows. But for emotional value, I may have to go with "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?"
MsPurrl
Tough choice
"Ultraviolet" came to mind immediately, after seeing it performed live during the 360 tour. But for emotional value, I have to go with "Whose Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?"
MarieChantal
One
For me it's definitely 'one' is my favorite song
Val_Sarsur
Acrobat / Until the End of the World
Love them both! The drums are so strong and intense! Love them soooooo much... But every other song is equally fantastic, so it is really unfair to choose...
SGKCA
How could I choose just one?
While The Joshua Tree is my favourite album I have always thought that Achtung Baby is by far U2's best album. The transformation on this album was remarkable. It was hard to believe that this was the same U2 that had released the trio of The Unforgettable Fire/The Joshua Tree/Rattle and Hum. Achtung Baby has such breadth and depth across its listing, and it's hard for me to choose just one song. I guess if I could just have one song off the album it would have to be "The Fly". It's the perfect ix of driving percussion, sharp vocals, and incredible guitar work that never ceases to amaze me. Can't wait for the 20th anniversary special edition. Thanks U2. Much love from Canada.
bellydancr
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
epic, beautiful
cornellazar
It was 20 years ago today ...
I remember going to the record shop the morning The Fly single was released. Never heard it before, and the last new stuff I had heard of U2 then was Rattle and Hum. I got the single, went to the listening post and the first guitar lines came on. I remember thinking, "woah, this is wild" ... I looked at the flip of the single cover and starred at Bono who was sporting those ridiculous huge fly shades and I just grinned throughout the entire song, thinking this is U2 at their best. Little did I know how amazing the rest of the album would be but that wasn't released at that point. I hope U2 can surprise us like this once more with the forthcoming new album. I think my fave AB moments are End of The World and Acrobat ... live it will forever be the ZooTV version of Love is Blindness.
United Colours
Light My Way
Ultraviolet is one of my favorites. I'm glad they brought it back for the 360 tour. I stood in line my freshman year with a bunch of friends at a midnight sale to get the cd. It was so different from everything else that they had done and so good. I like the fact that they continued to stretch themselves rather than rely on same sound over and over.
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