HelloAngel

By Devlin Smith, Contributing Editor
2006.03


It's completely anthemic in the way it starts out—a slightly distorted guitar leads the way for an innumerable chorus of voices to call out a succession of "ohs." The song is timeless and familiar, a slight throwback to Bowie and something altogether new.

According to Mark Ellen, writer for The Word, it's a trigger for The Edge. "… in fact he can't hear Arcade Fire's 'Wake Up' without the blind panic that he should be onstage in three minutes." It probably elicits the same response from the rest of the band. I know it brings up something similar in me.

The last time I heard it was the last time I saw U2 live, at New York's Madison Square Garden two days before Thanksgiving. I remembered the nudge I gave my friend as the song churned into action, letting her (a U2 virgin) know that the real show was about to begin.

After nearly a year of inescapability, "Wake Up" has disappeared from the airwaves. But this weekend it came back and so did all those pre-concert feelings I'd nearly forgotten. Even though I was at work, I wanted to jump and holler, throw my arms into the air and yell out the "ohs" at full volume. I managed to hold back but it was so hard.



Like Edge, I can no longer separate "Wake Up" from the Vertigo Tour. I can't hear the song without thinking Bono's "everyone" chant is coming and then the band will follow. Just hearing those "ohs" puts me right back in a packed arena with thousands of other fans singing and jumping and yelling, "Oh my God, it's them!"

Everything about "Wake Up" made it the perfect song to usher U2 onstage. Its melding of the old and new, its pessimistic yet hopeful lyrics fit so well with what U2 endeavored and accomplished with "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" and the Vertigo Tour. For me, this was the album where U2 really grew up, where the band took the best and worst parts of being an adult and made it come out just right—not too sad, not too sickly sweet.

On "Wake Up," the members of Arcade Fire seemed to be doing the same thing. Unlike the members of U2, though, the musicians in Arcade Fire have just walked through the grown-up door, like the guys in U2 did with "Boy."

It all tied up beautifully and U2 found a song that not only announced that the party was getting started but let everyone know exactly what kind of party it was. And now I can't hear one without thinking of the other, without yearning for it and wanting to be back in the crowd screaming and begging for more. I don't know if that feeling will ever go away but maybe I don't want it to.

one4u2

Arcade Fire Good Times, Good Times!

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Yeah That's A Redo! Bono 10/05/05

nbcrusader

Wake Up takes me right back to the floor of the Staples Center, giddy with anticipation that U2 was about to take the stage. It will always be a trigger!

zetrindade

Couldn't have been said better! I remember nodding to my younger brother when the song came on at his first Vertigo show. Wake Up does the same thing for me now every time I hear it. It's now part of the U2 experience! I hope they play it in honolulu!

macfisto

I actually heard that song twice that evening...before U2 came up on it...I heard it live...in Ottawa....what a great evening it was!

Devlins Brother

This is my first foray into posting so forgive me if I don't know the appropriate abbreviations and lingo. Just wanted to say that I agree with my "little" big sister that the song will be forever linked to the Vertigo tour and the excitment and anticipation of waiting for "the guys" to appear.

dsmith2904

Aww, shucks

__________________

Don't you know it's gonna be alright?

zooropa83

Amen to that. After I got home from a tremendous show with my family and college friends in Philly on 10/17, I went looking for the name of the intro song. Upon hearing that thirty second snippet on a music store website the whole concert ran through me. Everytime I put in the Chicago dvd and that little bit of "Wake Up" comes over the speakers my heart skips a few beats. I even see it in my friends eyes whenever they hear or talk about it, the raw emotion is so tangible. Sit us down in a group an one person will start the ohs and the rest of us kick in, on cue, on key. I've only seen two U2 shows (Elevation and Vertigo) but that song and that one little word will forever remind me of those two awesome experiences and hopefully a few more to come.

-Zooropa83

johnnysav

Devlin

Great article, just showed it to my wife and we had to of course blast out Wake Up over our system. Just hearing the song brings back great memories of U2 shows we caught in 2005 but also, unbelievable memories of the many friends we met who share our love for U2 and their music.

Thanks for bringing back me back!!

John

johnnysav

One more thing, if you get the chance to see Arcade Fire live, do it. We saw them in a small university club last fall, fantastic. After their last song, they unplugged their instruments, and walked through the crowd playing and still singing. Also, we caught the first show at the Bell Centre in Montreal and Arcade Fire came to the stage just as U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" was just finishing, very nice touch!

dsmith2904

Thank you so much for your comments. It's amazing how much of a trigger certain things can be. I really think that song will speed up my heart and give me butterflies for years to come.

__________________

Don't you know it's gonna be alright?

U2_860

I downloaded after I saw them for the first time. I couldn't listen to it for a while because I would want so badly to be back at that concert

velascomike

Oh,

Great article just reading it bring back so gooood memories. From the first time I saw U2 in concert in the Madison Square Garden back in November to almost a month ago when I nudge my brother in the Estadio Azteca in mexico City to let him now U2 was coming onstage.

When I hear the song is like a lot of wonderful feelings just sweep over me.

Thanks for the article

kakvox

Arcade Fire are the only band besides U2 that envokes that "other-wordly" feeling in me. My 2 favorite bands, and looking forward to lots more music from both bands

DaveC

I remember when it came on at Philly 1 in the spring, almost a year ago. I went all giddy, but then halfway through the song stopped and Led Zeppelin's "Trampled Underfoot" came back on...such a letdown. But then "Wake Up" kicked back in at top volume after about 30 seconds and the place went wild!

I'll always remember that...