The U2 song Bono retired from touring: “It became impossible to sing”
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/u2-song-bono-had-to-retire-from-touring/Most artists will want to stretch themselves whenever they walk into the studio. It’s no fun just trying to put together songs that everyone expects, so why not go out on a limb and make the kind of tune that leaves an audience scratching their head, wondering what the hell they just heard? That kind of artistic bravery usually pays off in spades when it’s done right, but Bono admitted that he would never be comfortable singing ‘Please’ ever again.
It’s not like the U2 frontman wasn’t cut out for challenge whenever he made any of his masterpieces. Looking at what went into making songs like ‘One’ or ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, he was already widening his capabilities as a singer, and by the time Zooropa rolled around, they were still willing to take chances wherever they saw fit.
But Pop is in a different category entirely. Despite being one of the most mainstream-leaning albums that the group ever made, you’d be hard pressed to find any songs that actually sound like U2, especially when they try half-heartedly to sound like the kind of cybernetic glam band that turns up in the ‘Discotheque’ music video.
Most of the tunes sound like robots trying to figure out what feelings are for the first time, but ‘Please’ is the first time that Bono’s struggles actually sound genuine. He was far from Joshua Tree-levels of sincerity, but hearing him talk to someone who has hit an impasse in their lives and begging them to get off their knees does tug on one heartstring.
Then again, modern times can sometimes change a song, depending on whether the artist wants to or not. Not even five years after it was released, seeing the unrest happening in the world and the tragedy of 9/11 unfolding meant that Bono had to look at the song a lot more objectively when he sang it. It came off as slightly snide on the record, but to legions of New Yorkers still smelling the smoke of the Twin Towers in the air, this was the kind of anthem that was a bit too on the nose.
While the lyrics were still great for what they were, hearing lines about street capsizing as September rolls around was enough for Bono to refuse to sing it, saying, “’September, streets capsizing, spilling over, down the drains. Shards of glass just like rain…’ It was the Docklands bombing in London that it referred to and the breakdown of peace talks in Northern Ireland, but after 9/11, it became impossible to sing.”
But this wasn’t a case of Bono being a pop music Nostradamus by any means. If anything, when taken with the tragedy, this is a far more compelling look at what someone might have gone through in the wake of the disaster, especially when listening to the final verses where he sings about going nowhere but still finding the strength to start all over again and become stronger for it.
In fact, U2 would also become integral to the rebuilding process for New Yorkers, with many adopting the track ‘Walk On’ as a hymn of determination in light of those horrible years. ‘Please’ is far from the most iconic song that the Irish legends would ever write, but considering how the future played out, it makes sense why it would be far too raw to perform anything like this in a live setting.