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The best part of U2 celebrating the 20th anniversary of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is hearing unreleased songs like the Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark-coded “Happiness.”
Songs like the previously-released “Country Mile” and “Picture of You (X+W)” portray an interesting vortex the band was in at the time. They were between their most rock-and-roll album in years, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and the more ambient No Line on the Horizon.
Between those projects, Bono and the Edge composed the music for Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark. I may be biased, having seen it three times, including one of the earliest performances and the final matinee, but the latest vault track sounds like a cross between “Magnificent” and “Pull the Trigger.”
That is largely due to Bono and the Edge's vocal harmonies in the song. “Happiness” opens with a bass and guitar part that sounds a lot like “Magnificent.” Overall, the song sounds similar to U2's '90s work from Achtung Baby, almost like an outtake of “Even Better Than the Real Thing.”
But once you hear the chanted verses after the choruses and “Pull the Trigger,” you will not be able to deny the comparison. Perhaps the song was still in their minds when they composed the music for the since-closed Broadway musical.
One funny thing is how often Bono says “atomic bomb” in both “Picture of You (X+W)” and “Happiness.” The motif must have been very present during his writing process. I cannot think of another U2 album where a word from the title is repeated this frequently.
Should you listen to “Happiness”?
I do not think that “Happiness” is nearly as good as “Picture of You (X+W)” or “Country Mile” (which also has Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark guitar riffs), but the latest U2 unreleased song provides subtext to the band's later work.
That is the greatest gift the biggest band in the world can provide to their fans with these retrospectives. Of course, it is unlikely any of these vault tracks are worthy of making an album (so far, “Country Mile” is the only one that could make a case). But it is always fun to get new U2 material.
U2's Bono and the Edge's Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark
Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark was a Broadway musical about the Marvel hero with music written by Bono and the Edge of U2. It originally starred Reeve Carney as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Jake Epstein later assumed the role from Carney.
The musical was ambitious. It would send actors flying across the theater to replicate Spider-Man's web swinging. However, there were several injuries and accidents involving the swinging actors.
After officially premiering on June 14, 2011, Turn Off the Dark had a somewhat lengthy run. It lasted for almost three years before closing on January 4, 2014.
Julie Taymor, who previously adapted The Lion King for Broadway, spearheaded the Spider-Man musical. She is credited with writing the book along with Glen Berger and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.
