U2 is one of my favorite bands of all time. This morning I listened to one of their albums, called “Achtung Baby,” as I was working out in the gym. Two particular songs that I listened to stood out to me, reminding me of our Kingdom versus Empire discussions in class. The first song is “Even Better Than The Real Thing.” I had initially thought this song was referring to God. However, when I searched the Internet I found that this song has a deeper meaning. The song is a play on Coca-Cola’s slogan “It’s The Real Thing.” Bono, the lead singer of U2, explained that the lyrics of this song were intended to make a statement about commercialism. Now that I realize this, this song holds an entirely different meaning to me. The song is reflective to the culture we are living in; instead of seeking the truth, people are looking for instant gratification. In our culture, we are led into believing that products of the Empire such as plastic surgery, pornography, drugs and alcohol are “The Real Thing.” As the first line of the song says “Give me one more change and you’ll be satisfied”--we believe products of the Empire will satisfy us. “Even Better Than The Real Thing” strives to make a statement about humans—we so easily buy into our culture’s lies and believe that certain products will make us happier and feel better about ourselves. In believing these lies, we follow the Empire’s way of life, rather than following the Kingdom of God.
The second song on this album that heavily makes a statement about our relationship with the Empire is called “Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World.” The lyrics of this song talk about people who are lost in the Empire, trying to gain everything from the world and experience all that is out there. This song makes it clear that our purpose is not to try to put the world in our pocket. If we choose to take that route, we will soon get tangled up in worldliness that will only leave us lost and empty. As the lyrics from the second verse say, “How far you gonna go before you lose your way back home? You’ve been trying to throw your arms around the world.” In addition, Bono sings in the third verse, “He took an open-top Beetle, through the eye of a needle,” which refers to the text from Luke 18:24-25: “Jesus looked at him now sad and said, 'How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Overall, these two songs make a statement about our human nature-- it is all too easy for us to get wrapped up in worldliness and consumerism. However, if we follow this lifestyle of the Empire, we will only be left lost and unsatisfied.
Discussion Questions:
1. It's easy to simply listen to music like this and not take action. How can music like this
challenge us to fight the Empire?
2. How can we practice discerning music in our daily lives?
When I saw that you made a post about U2 I was so happy! Their music is truly inspirational and I feel like the lyrics send a very good message to listeners. Not only is their music exeptional, but their music speaks to us. The messages that their music send can actually affect listeners in a good way, unlike most songs on the radio now. U2 has morals and the band's music seems to me like it is part of the Kingdom vision. Music like that is hard to find!
ReplyDeleteGood observations on these two songs, Kendra. The 90s were a very interesting time for U2 as they explored commercialism, the media and the nature of being rock stars.
ReplyDeleteI think that in "Trying to Throw Your Arms.." they are, in part, asking the question of how to be in the world without being of the world. How far can Christians go to embrace the world and still maintain their distinctiveness?