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One, but Not the Same: Interpreting “One” by U2 We're one

But we're not the same

Well we

Hurt each other

Then we do it again

You say

Love is a temple

Love a higher law

Love is a temple

Love the higher law

You ask me to enter

But then you make me crawl

And I can't be holding on

To what you got

When all you got is hurt

“One” is one of U2’s most famous songs—it was released in 1991, has since been covered by a number of other artists, is still played on many pop radio stations, and is bound to make an appearance at every U2 concert. When songs can stand the test of time like this, it is usually because they reflect on a specific legacy that resonates presently, or because they can be interpreted so widely that it doesn’t matter when the song is listened to. It seems that “One” does exactly this for many, many listeners. The song raises questions, from the first lines: “Is it getting better / Or do you feel the same?” But to whom are the questions addressed, and why is the singer so bitter? If bitterness is a theme that can be explored, why is this not more prominent; why are there so many paradoxes? One example occurs near the end: “Love is a temple / Love the higher law / You ask me to enter / But then you make me crawl”. Is this a criticism of love in general, or of a certain relationship that the singer experienced? These lines are only a few examples of the intriguing paradoxes and questions that the song inspires for listeners, and these very questions have prompted several different analyses. The song has a “face value” or simple analysis that can resonate with anyone listening on the radio; it also has deeper levels relevant to the position and history of the band when it was written; it also has levels relevant to the historical and political context of Europe when it was written.

How does such a deeply layered song come into existence? In the case of “One,” it was done extremely quickly. Bono is quoted as saying, “The melody, the structure—the whole thing was done in 15 minutes” (Stokes 95). Those familiar with the band’s style of recording will recognize that this is very possible, although Bono probably worked on the lyrics a bit more to develop the ideas. For the band, however, the ideas present in the song were very much what they were feeling at the time. //From The Sky Down//, a recent documentary which looks in detail at the band’s progress up to the point of recording //Achtung Baby// (the album which contains “One”), brings to light much of the tension and desolation that the band was feeling when they attempted to record their new album. It was after their Americanist documentary //Rattle and Hum// had been hacked to pieces by the press, and after the band thought that they had exhausted their abilities. They had spent weeks trying to record, all going in opposite directions with their music, and never able to come together to produce anything. “One” was the first tune in the studio where they were able to be exactly that – one. For the first time since their previous album, the melody and the guitar and the bass and drums literally fell into place. As the band describes it, they were able to move past what had happened and what was happening and create a working song that would inspire the rest of the album, and that is clearly reflected in both the lyrics and the melodic temperament of the song.

Of course, the song stands alone without having this background on the band, and indeed, the documentary which exposes these details was released a full twenty years after the song topped the charts for the first time. This is because the song, while inspired partly by personal struggles within the band, speaks to another sort of disunity to which nearly everyone can relate. The meaning of the song for many people is relayed in the chorus: “One love / We get to share it / Leaves you baby if you / Don’t care for it.” Bono refers to broken relationships in a broad sense—he alludes to situations that anyone in or out of a relationship can recognize. Speaking in the song is a broken lover who is wondering how to repair a relationship full of mystery. The song refers to now specific event which caused a relationship to break; in fact, there is no solid evidence that the relationship is over. The singer repeats “We’re one, but we’re not the same” over and over throughout the song, followed a few times by “Will we hurt each other, then we do it again.” The ambiguity of the lyrics is perhaps a large part of why so many have found an attachment to this song. Bono is referring not to any specific moment, event, or relationship, but rather to a state of two beings that are intertwined and cannot fully understand each other. The conversation shifts throughout the song, and they attempt to recognize what is going on, and it seems that each moment that could end positively is bitterly refuted. There is a constant struggle, a desire for unity, but problems standing in the way—and no one can really figure out the cause. This theme strikes at the heart of every broken relationship, friendship, career, religious journey; the interpretation is far-reaching and relatable.

While the song most popularly resonates with anyone who has experienced the type of bittersweet love that Bono sings about, in 1991 it was born into a very political context as well. U2 arrived in Berlin to record the album directly after the Berlin wall was demolished, creating a unified German state among those who are “one, but not the same.” While the band was feeling that they may be disuniting and may be able not carry on as a band, they found an opportunity to recreate themselves—and this is exactly what many countries in Eastern Europe did during the decade. As more and more governments throughout the region gained independence and created new nation-states, the song began to resonate with significance much deeper than human relationships. The song easily became a rallying cry for countries like Germany, who wanted to take their own step into western civilization and be recognized as a unified national state, no matter what their differences were. The political interpretation had more far-reaching implications, as well. A decade later, when Bono created the ONE Campaign, he swore that it wasn’t a reference to the song, but the allusion is clear—let’s create an organization that can unite the world and help the world’s poor; where we can all “carry each other.”

So, is the song about political strife in the modern era? Is the song about political resolution? Is the song a personal recollection of the band’s struggles in 1990? Is the song a recognition of a universal struggle between human beings? Certainly all of these interpretations are possible, and one could argue that all of these interpretations are true. The latter explanation involves a word which describes so many U2 songs: universal. No matter what reading of “One” a listener relies upon, it can easily be seen as a beautifully ambiguous work that accurately looks at human relationship, a work that investigates the back-and-forth struggle of so many different situations and looks at how deeply connected we all are, through it all. This is the common vane that unites the various understandings of the song’s lyrics, because the various understandings rely on a conscious observation of human nature as relying on interpersonal relations and interconnectedness. There may not be an obvious moral lesson in the lyrics of this song, but it is clear that Bono is bringing to light something that all can understand, and that is what allows a song to top music charts for such a long time.

@Full Song Lyrics