U2 Vertigo- mistake?

[georgit79]

On U2's new single 'Vertigo', on the intro Bono shouts, 'Un, dos, tres, catorce!'. Is this just a really bad, classic mistake, or is there some hidden irony there which is lost on me?

[rachellynn]

One question:  how many albums have U2 released?

14!

The lyrics are no mistake at all!!!  That seemed somewhat obvious to me, but if one wasn't a fan I can see why it would be confusing.

[b8kedbeans]

This is an pop culture joke.. there was an episode of threes company where Jack Tripper was testing a microphone and in a very hilarious deliver he said "uno, dos, tres, ... catorce!" 

.. of course its also possible that Bono thought it would symbolise VERTIGO in the sense that going up to the 4th floor could seem like the 14th to someone with clinical vertigo.  You decide.

[georgit79]

Well, on the Jo Whiley show yesterday Bono's mistake was pointed out to him and he sniggered and said something about being drunk...

[bradleyrlk]

i think he says catorce because it is the number 14 in spanish. perhaps it's a bit of a pun meaning "for teen," as in, "for teens to recognize the vertigo and avoid it if they can."

just thoughts. maybe i'm overanalyzing it, but i think it's a clever and well put together song anyway.

who cares if they're popular or not.

[bradleyrlk]

also...

with all of the important people that bono works with, don't you think that ONE of them would have pointed out that it was a mistake (IF it WAS actually a mistake)?

common, guys. they've had like 2 years to work on their music.

 

[Jezzie]

B8kedbeans:

     Even if it is a play on the Three's Company joke, it still doesn't explain that he doesn't say "uno."  He says "unos," which has a totally different meaning.  Again, it  means "some," not one.

     Him being drunk is about the only thing that makes sense. 

     I have to wonder if this is offensive to the Latino/Spanish community.  If you're going to represent them by using their language, it should be correct.

[bobbb]

The counting Bono does in the beginning is uno does tres catorce is spannish for one two three fourteen. According to several sources in the U2-Talk mailing list, the album is U2's 14'th album (including Wide Awake in America) and Lillywhite has been involved with U2's first, second, third and now fourteenth album.

[aRKay]

The album is their 14th album

[aRKay]

This album is their 14th.

[georgit79]

I agree Jezzie- it annoys me when a foreign language is used, especially in big budget films (who can afford to get it right!) and it's all wrong.

[FroschJunge]

How bout this for a possibility...

According to the following article, South Korea claims that North Korea now possesses 14 atomic bombs... Seems pretty Bono-esque to mention that in a song. Especially on an album called "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb."

Here's the article:

http://www.newsinsight.net/nati2.asp?recno=1535&ctg= World

[Discolemon]

According to several sources in the U2-Talk mailing list, the album is U2's 14:th album (including Wide Awake in America) and Lillywhite has been involved with U2's first, second, third and now fourteenth album.

[Discolemon]

. According to several sources in the U2-Talk mailing list, the album is U2's 14:th album (including Wide Awake in America) and Lillywhite has been involved with U2's first, second, third and now fourteenth album.

[wp57]

If you go to AltaVista's babel fish translator, check the word "unos" = "about", as in, "this song is about ..."

Book 2 (Exodus), Ch. 3, Verse 14

See if the song has any different kind of meaning for you, now

[gonzo]

I've always had a measure of respect for U2 and their music.  But I agree that the Spanish in Vertigo is a bit "strained", to be kind ("one, two, three, fourteen"?  Come on!  You don't even need to be bilingual to know better than that.).  And am I the only one who recognizes a similarity between the guitar riff in Vertigo and the one in "Get Free" by the Vines?  Also, listen to the chorus of "Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Supremes (in the 1960's), or its cover by Kim Wilde in the 80's, and compare it to the chorus in Vertigo.  Hmmm.  But having said all this, U2 is still "good people".

[trilobite]

Perhaps it's because U2's amps go up to 14.....?

[srmdoherty]

Well, Jo Whiley was talking to Bono the other week and said to him 'you know that your song says 'One, two three, fourteen' right?!" to which he didn't know he'd made that mistake. Overall conclusion- IT'S A MISTAKE!!!

[Agilos]

I really dont think the Unos thing requires that much thought. I just think Bono took some artistic liberties and figured unoS, DoS, TreS flowed better than just using UNO.

[donegal]

U2 are the best band in the world. ok vertigo is not the best u2 song but its better that the crap that is in the charts.

U2 ROCK!!!!!

[NH]

It's like the thing in Pride where the lyrics say Martin Luther King was shot in the morning. It could just be erroneous.

Alternatively, the song could be interpreted as a comment on Iraq (after the POP album they wouldn't want to irritate US audiences) with the Spanish stuff signifying their involvement.

Tenuous but possible.