I'm a firm believer that U2‘s Songs of Surrender was a successful ambitious project. To tie in with Bono's memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, the band re-recorded 40 of their songs.
It resulted in an album made up of re-recorded songs in brand-new arrangements. Bono also re-wrote the lyrics to some of the songs as a wiser lyricist than he was when he originally wrote the songs.
Some of the album's best tracks include “Walk On (Ukraine),” “All I Want Is You,” and “City of Blinding Lights.” Even the band's biggest songs such as “With or Without You” and “One” weren't safe from being touched.
But with such a dense discography, U2 had such an open canvas of opportunity. And while I'm overall happy with the results, there are other songs that would have been cool to hear whether it's because they are deep cuts or the sheer ambition it would take to re-arrange the song.
A different Rattle and Hum song
“Desire” and “All I Want Is You” are the only Rattle and Hum tracks on Songs of Surrender. The latter is a great rendition of the song that arguably rivals the original. However, another Rattle and Hum song would've made for an interesting re-recording.
“God Part II” is an often-overlooked song from U2's back catalog. Written as a retort to John Lennon's song “God,” “God Part II” introduced a new sound for the band that was akin to the musical direction of Achtung Baby.
They could have done something similar to Songs of Surrender's version of “The Fly.” The groovy Adam Clayton bassline drives the song, and that could have been a great sound for “God Part II.”
Songs of Experience
Songs of Experience actually got three entries on Songs of Surrender — “Get Out of Your Own Way,” “Lights of Home,” and “The Little Things That Give You Away.”
All three are relatively good, but “Landlady” and “The Showman (Little More Better)” would have been great to hear. Both songs are unique and would present unique challenges for U2.
A Johnny Cash collaboration, redone
To close out their 1993 album Zooropa, U2 collaborated with Johnny Cash on “The Wanderer.” They have occasionally played the song live but hearing it in a new arrangement would have been amazing. Bono's aged voice has gotten deeper and perhaps he could have provided a new take on Cash's iconic vocals.
“Lemon” isn't an official entry on this list but also would have been a unique song to hear. It remains one of Bono's most impressive vocal performances given that it's mostly sung in falsetto. A new take on the song would have been welcome.
Achtung, Baby
Achtung Baby is well represented on Songs of Surrender. “One” opens the album while “Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” “The Fly,” and “Until the End of the World” ‘were also featured.
Since the Sphere residency, “So Cruel” and “Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World” have reemerged in the minds of U2 fans. Hearing something similar to Bono's solo performance of the former would provide a nice alternative to the original song.
“Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World” is one of U2's silliest songs. However, its groovy composition would have been interesting to hear redone.
Just for the madness, “Even Better Than the Real Thing” would be another great entry. Its wah-wah guitar effects would likely be stripped away. And it'd be interesting to see how The Edge would pivot on such an iconic, yet layered, song.
A little while longer
U2 re-recorded the biggest hits from All That You Can't Leave Behind: “Beautiful Day,” “Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of,” and “Walk On.” Deep cut “Peace on Earth” was also recorded by The Edge.
When Bono and The Edge performed a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR, they played “In a Little While” for the first time since the “360” tour. It wasn't drastically different from the album version, but Bono's falsetto soared on this occasion and would have made a great addition to the album.
No Line on the Horizon deep cut
Even more so than Pop, No Line on the Horizon gets no love from U2. Aside from Bono singing a vocal snippet of “Moment of Surrender” during the Sphere shows, the band rarely plays songs from it live.
“Magnificent” is the best song on the album and would have made for a great addition to the track listing if for no other reason than to simply include the album on Songs of Surrender.
“Surrender” on Songs of Surrender
This one seems obvious, but why didn't U2 re-record “Surrender” from War for Songs of Surrender? it would have been fitting. Even if they wanted to go with a more familiar track, “New Year's Day” would have sufficed given the energy Clayton's bass brings to the full band arrangement.
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