'You’re The Best Thing About Me' U2 song lyrics

You’re The Best Thing About Me is from the Songs of Experience album. Officially, it was the first single to be released. A song called Blackout was released as a live video earlier.

The blue cover art features the Edge's daughter, Sian Evans.

A remix on the song has been released. It's called "You're the Best Thing About Me (U2 Vs. Kygo)", Kygo being the remixer. This is a return to past U2 roots - as in the 1990's U2 were really into remixes - the Paul Oakenfold (Melon) version of Even Better than the Real thing charted higher than the original! U2 have also released two other versions of the song, an acoustic version and a 'sci-fi soul mix' which is intended to be the preferred format for radio stations.

The lyrics meaning are almost cryptic. Bono said this about the song to Rolling Stone Magazine:

"We must resist surrendering to melancholy for only the most special moments. That's a long way to say check our new single out, "You're the Best Thing About Me," it's kind of like punk Supremes."

Poets eh?

'You’re The Best Thing About Me ' song lyrics by U2

When you look so good
The pain in your face doesn’t show
When you look so good
And baby, you don’t even know

When the world is ours
But the world is not your kind of thing
Full of shooting stars
Brighter as they’re vanishing

Oh, you’ve seen enough
To know it’s children who teach
You’re still free enough
To wake up on a bed or a beach

You’re the best thing about me
The best thing that ever happened
A boy
You’re the best thing about me
I’m the kind of trouble that you enjoy
You’re the best thing about me
The best things are easy to destroy
You’re the best thing about me
The best thing about me

I been crying out
How bad can a good time be
Shooting off my mouth
That’s another great thing about me

I have everything
But I feel like nothing at all
There’s no risky thing
For a man who’s determined to fall

You’re the best thing about me
The best thing that ever happened
A boy
You’re the best thing about me
I’m the kind of trouble that you enjoy
You’re the best thing about me
The best things are easy to destroy
You’re the best thing about me
Why am I walking away
Walking away
Why am I walking away

Edge sings this next verse:

I can see it all so clearly
I can see what you can’t see
I can see you lover her loudly
When she needs you quietly

And back to Bono:

You’re the best thing about me
The best things are easy to destroy
You’re the best thing about me
Why am I
Why am I walking away?
Walking away
Why am I walking away?

Here's the official U2 video of the song which features the band having a good time in New York.

The song is a celebration of love and the joy that another person can bring into one's life. The chorus, with its direct and heartfelt declaration, "You're the best thing about me," serves as a powerful expression of love and admiration. This type of open and unabashed appreciation is a recurring theme in U2's lyrics, reflecting a deep sense of gratitude and acknowledgement of the positive impact of loved ones.

However, "You're The Best Thing About Me" also delves into the theme of self-awareness and the recognition of one's own flaws within the context of a relationship. Lyrics like, "I'm the kind of trouble that you enjoy," and, "I have everything but I feel like nothing at all," suggest a nuanced understanding of personal imperfections and the complexities they can bring to relationships. This introspection adds depth to the song, moving beyond a simple love song to a more reflective examination of the self in relation to others.

The song also touches on the theme of change and the passage of time, particularly in the context of long-standing relationships. The line, "When you look so good, the pain in your face doesn't show," suggests a deeper understanding and acceptance of the inevitable changes and challenges that come with time. This acceptance of change, both in oneself and in one's partner, is a crucial element in enduring relationships.

U2's "You're The Best Thing About Me" explores the complexities of love, admiration, and vulnerability within relationships. The song juxtaposes outward beauty with hidden pain, illustrating how appearances can mask deeper struggles.

 

Some other titles of songs mentioned by Bono for the Songs of Experience album include:

1. The Little Things that give you away
2. Red Flag Day
3. The Showman (Much More Better)
4. Summer of Love

Leave a Comment songs of experience, the best thing about me is you, the best thing about you is me, you're the best thing about me

The irony meaning of U2's "Everything you know is wrong" logo during the Zoo TV tour

U2’s Zoo TV Tour was a surreal, ironic spectacle that took aim at media saturation and the erosion of truth in the early '90s.

Through flashing slogans like “EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG,” the band forced audiences to confront a world drowning in information, where authenticity and meaning were constantly up for debate.

The audacity of Zoo TV was that it turned U2’s trademark sincerity on its head, diving into a visual and sonic assault designed to overwhelm, provoke, and disorient.

When U2 flashed phrases like “EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG” across the sprawling, flickering screens, they were driving home a cultural critique that resonated with the chaos and confusion of the early ‘90s.

Coming off the spiritual earnestness of The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum, Bono and company realized that earnestness alone couldn’t capture the fragmented reality of post-Cold War culture, with its 24/7 media cycles and creeping commercialism.

The Zoo TV Tour, launched in the wake of Achtung Baby, became a platform for U2 to dismantle their own myth, throwing into question the trustworthiness of not only pop culture but of U2 itself.

Just ask Macphisto himself.

By projecting disorienting messages like “EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG,” U2 questioned the very fabric of "truth" in an age dominated by screens and advertisements.

The message wasn't just anti-establishment, though; it was a reckoning with how society was embracing these forms of control.

Bono’s rock-star persona, "The Fly," a character that dripped with irony and swagger, delivered this critique while donning leather and oversized shades, both celebrating and satirizing the idea of the rock star as a manufactured figure.

By flooding audiences with flashing logos and slogans, Zoo TV echoed the relentless barrage of TV, radio, and advertising that had permeated modern life, forcing people to question what was real and what was commodified.

U2 was grappling with the collapse of meaning itself—suggesting that, in a world oversaturated with information and simulacra, even the messages we held close could be tainted by consumer culture.

Enter Mirror Ball Man.

“EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG” became less a declarative statement and more a rallying cry for skepticism in a world on the brink of postmodern media saturation.

U2’s choice to mock the very tools they used underscored their frustration and fascination with mass media. The phrase “EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG” functioned as a paradox—it was a lie in itself, flashed in a show that was still designed to sell tickets and merch.

The genius lay in U2's manipulation of this irony, as they questioned whether any form of rebellion was even possible within a capitalist framework.

In this way, Zoo TV wasn’t just a tour but a manifesto on modern alienation, where reality was fractured by the screens meant to connect us.

In embracing and inflating these contradictions, U2 anticipated the media landscape we now inhabit, where irony often masks sincerity, and where we are endlessly questioning the authenticity of the world around us. For Bono, who once preached earnestness from a pulpit, this was an uncomfortable revelation: maybe the only way to resist was to succumb fully to the absurdity of it all.

10 Questions to ask Bono

1. What does Salmon Rushie think of the almost surprise success of The Ground Beneath her Feet?
2. Family is important. What's the most important song in the U2 catalog where the lyrics consider family? It's probably the whole of Songs of Innocence right?
3. What is the worst lyric you have ever written that was recorded. Is it Salome?
4. Discuss the lyric 'Dream Out Loud'. Why have you written it into three U2 songs?
5. Do you ever hear 'lepers in your head'?
6. If U2 had its own version Fight Club, what would its rules be? And if anyone in the band had to be Robert Paulson, who would it be?
7. When I was young and impressionable I had a poster on my wall that featured a Zoo TV concert and its said 'Every Thing You Know is Wrong'. To me as a 17-year-old teenager that made perfect sense. As a thirty-something with a mortgage, I wondered if should have paid more attention in English class. Bono, how do you know everything I know is wrong?
8. Have you ever punched The Edge?
9. Have you ever thrown up on stage?
10. Does it amuse you that the Melon remix of Even Better Then The Real Thing charted higher than the original version?

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U2 songs with lyrics about War, Soldiers, Civilians and Civility

GNR once asked 'what's so civil about war anyway?'

 
U2 seem to write songs with lyrics about war in some form or another on just about every album they've released.

U2's engagement with the theme of war in their lyrics demonstrates the band's enduring commitment to addressing complex global issues through their music. 

Often drawing from historical events and personal observations, their songs explore the ramifications of conflict, the toll it takes on humanity, and the longing for peace.

I've got soul but I'm not a soldier

In "Sunday Bloody Sunday," a track from their 1983 album "War," U2 delves into the horrors of the Bloody Sunday massacre in Northern Ireland. This song, with its martial drumbeat and evocative lyrics like, "Broken bottles under children's feet/Bodies strewn across the dead-end street," powerfully conveys the senselessness of violence and the deep scars left by sectarian strife. 

Another notable example is "Bullet the Blue Sky," from their 1987 album "The Joshua Tree," where Bono's vivid lyrical imagery paints a stark picture of the devastation wrought by military interventions, particularly in Central America. The song's intense, almost sermon-like delivery underscores the band's critique of war and its impact on the innocent. Through these and other songs, U2 articulates a strong anti-war stance, advocating for peace and reconciliation. 

Their war-themed lyrics are not just political statements; they are poignant reflections on the human cost of conflict, offering a perspective that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

U2's extensive body of work reflects their deep concern for the global and personal impacts of war, frequently framing their lyrics around the themes of conflict, human suffering, and the urgent need for peace. In "Mothers of the Disappeared," from The Joshua Tree, U2 poignantly addresses the anguish of families in Latin America who lost loved ones to military dictatorships, once again shining a light on the individual human cost of political violence. 

Similarly, "Miss Sarajevo" from Original Soundtracks 1—a collaboration with Brian Eno under the name Passengers—captures the juxtaposition of beauty and brutality during the Bosnian War, emphasizing the absurdity and tragedy of life continuing in the shadow of destruction. 

Even in more recent tracks like "Cedarwood Road" from Songs of Innocence, Bono explores how the violence of Northern Ireland’s Troubles shaped his personal outlook on conflict and peace. U2’s ability to weave these themes into their music, whether through direct confrontation or personal reflection, reveals a consistent thread of empathy, moral urgency, and a desire to inspire change. 

Much like Guns N’ Roses’ cynical question, “What’s so civil about war anyway?,” U2’s war-themed songs interrogate the myths and justifications surrounding conflict, ultimately condemning violence and advocating for a world where peace prevails over destruction.

Except for Boy, that album was just full of stories....ahem.

Winter

A song probably taken from the No Line on the Horizon album recording sessions, Winter was used in the soundtrack for the Wim Wenders film. Brothers (U2 have a long association with Wim - he directed their video for Stay and Until the End of the World was used for the film of the same name).

Winter is about is a song about the experience of the armed forces in Afghanistan, where Winder's film is set.

The Unforgettable Fire

Inspired by paintings that were about the nuclear bombs that were dropped on the two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki to effectively end Japan's involvement in World War II.

The Unforgettable Fire is not just a reflection not on war but the last effect the atomic bombs had on the people of Japan.

Bullet the Blue Sky

Arguably the most political song U2 has ever written, at least it's probably the most popular one! The lyrics are a savage indictment on American foreign policy.

Miss Sarejevo from Original Soundtracks Vol 1.

Please don't let them kill us...

When Bono asks if there's a time for East 17 (a boy band that everyone has now forgotten) during the Bonsnian War, you've gotta ask what he's talking about.

The song's lyrics actually praises the rebellious spirit of the Sarajevan people who refused to surrender their way of life during the conflict.

And what did they do? They staged a beauty contest.

Which clearly inspired the chorus of the song, "Here she comes, heads turn around, here she comes, to take her crown".

Please

If you could consider that the IRA's disgraceful and disgusting campaign against the people of Ireland was a civil war of sorts then Please is U2 exhorting Ireland's Political leaders to stop the civil war they had been waging.

Mothers of the Disappeared

A lyrical expression of the suffering experienced by the mothers and grandmothers of the thousands of children abducted during the conflict in Central America during the late 1970s through to the mid 1980s, particularly during Argentina's so called "Dirty War" (1976-1983). The Dirty War was a civil-style war that the American government covertly sanctioned in a bid to stop the 'communist threat' that was pervading at the time.

Given this song was written in the mid 80s one can see how it's a cousin of sorts to Bullet the Blue Sky - indeed both songs appeared on the Joshua Tree album..

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U2's lyrical references to war heated up with the release of U2 first truly 'popular' album War. Marking Bono's ascent into a true lyrical monster, War's songs features thoughts on soldiers shooting protesting civilians in Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Seconds reflects on terrorist actions in trying to set off atomic bombs (a theme U2 often turn to) in a supposed attempt to cause nuclear war.

Maybe.

Maybe they just want us all to give peace a chance like John Lennon did.

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