Songs of Experience
by U2
User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 191 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 135 out of 191
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 191
  3. Negative: 40 out of 191
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  1. leftygroove
    Dec 1, 2017
    1
    What happened U2? This album sounds like something Maroon 5 would be ashamed of. They've been progressively getting worse with every album after Pop. Still love 'em live.
  2. antmolly1995
    Dec 10, 2017
    1
    U2 clearly have no sense of direction left otherwise they wouldn't put their name to an album like this.

    I've been a fan from the beginning, but no longer. I'm done.
  3. VDS
    Dec 1, 2017
    2
    I don’t know this band anymore. To say they’re not what they were is a gross understatement. The well ran dry a long time ago, and they stopped trying after Pop failed. From there on it’s been a downward spiral, each new album marking the next embarrassing step on the path of talentless money.

    Dodgy lyrics have always plagued them, but here, blimey it’s all cringeworthy. The bass might    I don’t know this band anymore. To say they’re not what they were is a gross understatement. The well ran dry a long time ago, and they stopped trying after Pop failed. From there on it’s been a downward spiral, each new album marking the next embarrassing step on the path of talentless money.

    Dodgy lyrics have always plagued them, but here, blimey it’s all cringeworthy. The bass might be turned right up on most tracks, but it can’t hide the terror of Red Flag Day, Get Out Of Your Own Way, You’re The Best Thing…where’s the energy, the urgency and the balls to try something new? Their collective accountants and bank managers will quite like this record, first off because it’s bland bank manager music, and secondly because it’ll probably sell to completist fans and Cold Play devotees.

    Back in the day, I feel they would have laughed at songs like The Showman. Poor old MacPhisto must be turning in his grave if he’s unlucky enough to hear The Little Things That Give You Away. The whole album’s like a collection of very dodgy B-sides.

    It’s a shame to see how the once mighty have fallen. Stadiums everywhere prepare to be battered by this rubbish, and the usual back catalogue of hits that will mark another globe trotting money grab.

    Songs Of Experience, and the experience is bad.    … Expand
  4. HannahK
    Dec 9, 2017
    2
    The positive reviews must surely come from die hard fans only. While I'm not exactly a fan, I have admired some of U2's work, so am no hater by any means. This album, even after repeated listenings just left me cold.
  5. kirsten123
    Dec 5, 2017
    1
    U2 have been in decline for what seems like an eternity. 'Songs Of Experience' is in my opinion the sound of a band that has nothing left to offer. Time to call it a day boys.
  6. SgtPepper67
    Dec 6, 2017
    2
    I tried listening through a couple more times. I found the songs dragging and listless. Amateurish. Most of the songs, the arrangements and the production killed it. Not at all sounding like the greatest rock band in the world. Most songs seemed to start slow and never rocked me. Oh boy Bono. You didn’t carry your end here. You’ve lost touch to think these lyrics were good. They have to beI tried listening through a couple more times. I found the songs dragging and listless. Amateurish. Most of the songs, the arrangements and the production killed it. Not at all sounding like the greatest rock band in the world. Most songs seemed to start slow and never rocked me. Oh boy Bono. You didn’t carry your end here. You’ve lost touch to think these lyrics were good. They have to be local and specific. You’ve written some of the greatest lyrics of all time. You start getting philosophical and they...well they sound like this... They once had a method for build ups and kick ass choruses. Verses you wished you wrote and loved to sing out loud. I didn’t get that this time. I love an ingenious U2 ballad too. They were ok. No “it’s a wonderful day” energy. No rocking like the “Sunday Bloody Sunday” gritty kick ass drum sound. “You’re the best thing about me” had potential but then went disco-ish for the bridge. A maybe song fumbled. “Get our of your own way” was blah and the lyrics were really lame. “Red Flag Day” was ok. I had to wait real long for it but it finally rocked a little with a strong ending. “The little things you give away” had that old school Edge and U2 sound but it was barely a shadow of a flashback.I know this is another era. I know they’ve worked for years at changing it up and growing ala their idols The Beatles. I just didn’t find one song that I could crank that brought that U2 energy and rocked the house. Don’t get me too wrong. There are great songs on here that, to me, as a life fan, just didn’t get to that energy level they can bring like no one else. A great song has great verses, choruses, bridges. ABACAB. They’d get one part and blow the next part of the song. Or the lyrics were distracting. Maybe it was the production. I wanted to be wowed and blown out with brand new songs. I’m embarrassed for them. They’ve jumped the shark.… Expand
  7. lenny68
    Dec 4, 2017
    1
    Another cynical, joyless arena/corporate rock offering from a once inventive band. U2 have been steadily going down hill for years but this is arguably a career nadir.
  8. fuzzynavol
    Dec 8, 2017
    3
    I hate to trash one of the greatest bands of all time, but this is another embarrassment to their legacy. I had to go back and listen to War just to get the taste out of my mouth.
  9. pekoe
    Dec 11, 2017
    2
    I bought JT on the day it was released and I was listening to nothing but this band for years prior. It pains me to say that they may have finally reached Bono's oft referenced point of no longer being relevant. The Sonic Architect (Edge) of the band is no longer breaking new ground and Bono's lyrics are as painful as listening to him speak in an interview (platitudes anyone?). TheI bought JT on the day it was released and I was listening to nothing but this band for years prior. It pains me to say that they may have finally reached Bono's oft referenced point of no longer being relevant. The Sonic Architect (Edge) of the band is no longer breaking new ground and Bono's lyrics are as painful as listening to him speak in an interview (platitudes anyone?). The production work is obvious and overwrought and nothing here qualifies as experimental. Every previous U2 had something positive to offset what I didn't like, but I'm struggling with this one.… Expand
  10. oliverw
    Jan 22, 2018
    2
    I witnessed with horror over the years as U2 and Coldplay were heading towards each other, colliding like the andromoder galaxy into the milky way, but U2 have now just gone further and sound more like Coldplay than Coldplay.
  11. DrBlahBlah
    Dec 4, 2017
    3
    Awful from start to finish. The lyrics are hilarious (unintentionally of course), the hooks and melodies are lifeless and derivative, and the overall messages are equal parts trite and insufferable.
  12. Butterbean1
    Dec 8, 2017
    1
    U2 have been treading water for a long time now but with Songs Of Experience I think they've finally gone under. Maybe all they care about now is filling stadiums and making money from the unwavering 'faithful' content to listen to anything they put out; even rubbish like this.
  13. SuperMax156
    Dec 3, 2017
    3
    U2 have reached their Rolling Stones phase, in that it has been a long time since they made a great album, every release has 2 or 3 good songs on it, but the rest is filler. The Kendrick Lamar rap at the beginning of American Soul made me feel embarassed for U2, Its a shame because this was once a great band but now they are a cabaret act.
  14. SHADOSTRYKR
    Dec 2, 2017
    3
    The songs they released as singles are the only good ones, Mediocre album with 2 good songs. A lot of "samey" sounding songs as well. U2 should hang up the guitar straps.
  15. jimmypowder
    Dec 7, 2017
    2
    The worst release by U2 in the bands history and I’m a huge U2 fan . I couldn’t get past the first three songs . Just horrific . Joshua Tree it is not .
  16. Primrosehill
    Dec 16, 2017
    3
    They try but something has gone missing. Only a couple of songs are alright but otherwise the production is somewhat horrid. Remembering how utterly fresh and capable their sound was in the early years. As a longtime fan these last albums have been disappointing but well, we all get old.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed Album of 2017
19
#19 Most Shared Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. Record Collector
    Jan 5, 2018
    60
    The emotional climax of The Little Things That Give You Away is one of several moments that promise more than the album as a whole can deliver.
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  2. Spin
    Dec 19, 2017
    60
    Songs of Experience, clicks into place more boldly than Songs of Innocence did three years ago. Tempos are alert, riffs punchy, melodies sharp. ... It’s also too bad the album’s second half gets stuck in pensive midtempo mode and never recovers.
    Read full review
  3. Clash Music
    Dec 12, 2017
    70
    It may not even share the same ambition as ‘No Line On The Horizon’ however, it’s an undeniable improvement on their two misfiring predecessors, marking this collection as their most cohesive and heartfelt in almost 15 years.
    Read full review
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