U2 takes an early stab at metric ambiguity in the introduction to the second song on the album, one first recorded almost eighteen months earlier as a self-produced demo, with few structural changes. A paired-triplet guitar arpeggio opens the song suggesting time (Ex. 4.3). However, the entry of the bass (0:05) indicates a 3:2 polyrhythm, which the kick drum entry confirms (0:19). The fundamental meter is clearly duple once the snare drum establishes the backbeat (0:26).
Ex. 4.3: Reduction of bass and guitar lines from intro to “Twilight” (0:19)
As with “I Will Follow,” there is an economy of musical materials, again
resulting in a modified compound simple AABA form (A´ABA´´[B]). A i - VII - VI - V descending tetrachord based on the E aeolian mode provides the harmonic skeleton both for verses and choruses as well as most interludes. The harmonic rhythm, again, is one chord per measure, creating four-measure phrases. The bridge is harmonically
contrasting, alternating between IV (borrowed from the major mode) and III for four two-measure phrases, preceding three two-measure phrases, all on i9with an alternating E - G, E - F figure in the guitar.15
There are several unconventional elements in the organization of the song, particularly the occurrence of a second bridge so late in the form, the relatively large number of distinct interludes, and the several false indicators of coda material. The sequence of events begins quite predictably with verse 1, and a four measure interlude of
intro tutti (inti) followed by verse 2, then a chorus and bridge. Having presented all song elements in a typical sequence, one might expect a near repetition. However, the intb following the bridge is truncated at six measures by the return of the verse/chorus harmonic progression (1:55) and the vague suggestion of a guitar solo over the verse/chorus descending tetrachord (int2), although this interlude has the character of
Fig. 4.3: Formal diagrams for demo (left) and album versions of “Twilight”
neither section. The entrance of verse 3, however, suggests resumption of normative form, but the accompanimental guitar figure changes with Edge planing second inversion major triads against the descending bass to create strong dissonances with the established harmony and vocal melody (Ex. 4.4). Bono accentuates the dissonances by singing
Ex. 4.4: Verse 3 of Twilight with dissonant, planing triads16
slightly out of tune, and by sliding between pitches, creating numerous transient cross relations between vocal, bass, and guitar. The verse concludes with a three measure dominant extension—the longest in U2’s catalogue—leading predictably into a chorus. The chorus music is repeated while Bono ad libs on the final line of text, creating an expectation that this is the end of the song, and that it will likely fade out as the ad lib chorus continues to repeat. However, a guitar solo begins on what would have been the third iteration of the chorus (2:54), and goes through four phrases before another full chorus/bridge complex unexpectedly begins (3:20).
The partitioning at the end of the song is also unusual, as the intro guitar arpeggio re-enters on what should be the eighth measure of intb. This sounds like a closing gesture and continues for seven measures, with the downbeat of the seventh measure
corresponding with the beginning of the triplet arpeggio and permitting all instruments to conclude on the tonic, and at their respective metric downbeats. This, however, results in an odd 7 + 7 partitioning of the intb/coda, or an 8 + 6 partitioning, both of which result in the song concluding on a weak part of the hypermeasure. Again, in distinction to most of the songs from Achtung Baby, it is likely that the songs on Boy mirror live practice and
16
Bono’s vocal is almost unintelligible. This is the text published in the liner notes to the North American edition of the CD.
do not feature the symmetry that the more mature sketching process likely imposed on the final forms as a result of symmetrical bed tracks.
As mentioned earlier, this song was first recorded as a self-produced demo in February, 1979, and was added as the B-side for the Ireland-only single “Another Day,” produced almost one year later by Chas de Whalley (producer of U2-3). There are revealing stylistic differences between the B-side and album versions of “Twilight” that disclose a subtle change in presentation manifesting itself at the level of genre.
Not surprisingly, the B-side version is sparser, and Bono recalls recording it very quickly—an impression corroborated by the poor execution and occasional confusion.17 “Twilight” was performed originally as an instrumental, with Bono adding text much later.18Remarkably, the timings for both versions are virtually identical until they diverge formally, this despite neither version apparently being regulated by a click track, as both appear to wander between 138 and 143 bpm.19
The most noticeable difference between the B-side and album versions is Bono’s typical over-pronounced post-punk vocal style, proclaiming “Twilight” such that both vowels are drawn out to sound like the diphthong in “I eat,” whereas the vowels are more conventional long “i’s” on the album cut, making the delivery less sardonic. Similarly, during the B-side bridge, Edge echoes Bono’s “In the shadows” with an affected, boyish
17
Stokes recounts: “Legend has it that it was recorded in just five minutes and suffered as a consequence.”
Into the Heart, 10. Similarly, the U2 Encyclopedia quotes Bono as claiming that the recording “took four
minutes,” s.v. “Twilight.” It sounds like a single take, so this may well be true.
18
According to Scott Isler, “Operation Uplift,” 19. The significant textual differences between the Boy and
U2-3 versions of “Twilight” confirms that the lyrics are very fluid. Edge also remarks that even in the early
days, Bono was often undecided about lyrics until the last possible moment. See U2 by U2, 99.
19
Hannett complained that the rhythm section experienced inordinate difficulty playing in time together, making it almost impossible to get a basic rhythm track. The band as a whole also had a tendency to speed up. See U2 by U2, 92-3.
“sha-dœws” (the final diphthong almost begging for an umlaut) while again singing the standard long vowel in the album version. Bono also employs some unusual affectations on the B-side version. For the opening line “I look into your eyes,” he makes his voice break in a falsetto squeak on “your,” a gesture he repeats at the same metric point in subsequent verses. In the chorus, he does the same falsetto break on the “twi-” syllable of “twilight.” Bono’s lead vocal is single tracked in both versions, but is dry on the B- side, while processed with substantial reverb, and echo on the syllable “-light,” on the album version.
As one might expect, the production value on the album cut is much higher, with numerous overdubbed guitars and vocals. Lillywhite’s production achieves a wider sonic palette, but strives for greater formal concision as well, taking U2 far more in the
direction of “rock” than “post-punk.” Lillywhite erects a wall-of-sound, resulting in a more mature sounding track, with far greater intensity than the somewhat fey, prancing B-side. Bono’s first utterance of “Twilight” in the chorus (1:14) has no hint of irony, and echoes ametrically over a dramatically thickened texture, whereas the chorus in the single is actually more subdued than the verses. Similarly, the demo bridge almost evokes the sense of shadows through a reduced texture and dynamic, whereas Lillywhite, again, thickens the texture, particularly by multi-tracking Edge’s background vocals.
The unusual form of the album version is presaged by that of the demo, which is even less formally coherent. The main difference is the length of the intbsections. In both versions, there appears to be some confusion regarding the transition from intbto int2and coda respectively. On the B-side, the first intbis only five measures, whereas it is six measures on the album version, at least preserving the hypermeter. Intbis
harmonically static, but Edge and Clayton need to coordinate the start of int2, as it resumes the descending tetrachord. If the B-side version was, in fact, recorded live, then Edge and Clayton may have started int2on a visual cue (although one measure early), likely mirroring their practice on stage. Under Lillywhite’s direction, this asymmetry would likely have “felt wrong,” thus the album version’s first intbis six measures.20 However, the intbafter B2 is actually more symmetrical on the single version, and partitioned quite asymmetrically on the studio version. Again, since intbis harmonically static, hypermeter is the only impetus to commence the coda guitar triplet arpeggio, so it is difficult to understand why the album version is so hypermetrically weak at the end.21
This song, demoed nineteen months before the recording of Boy, provides a glimpse into U2’s earliest forays into songwriting. Contrasting the stylistic changes between the demo and album versions is the overall similarity in structure, which
suggests that some of these early songs were deemed as strong as anything they had done up to the time Boy was recorded.