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U2: Million Dollar Hotel

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Interscope Records
Released: 2000
Time:
 55:36
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: ********... (7/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.u2.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2001.01.31
Price in €: 7,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Ground Beneath Her Feet (Rushdie) - 3:45 3
[2] Never Let Me Go - 5:36
[3] Stateless (Bono) - 4:05
[4] Satellite of Love (Reed) - 4:12 3 [5] Falling at Your Feet (Bono/Lanois) - 4:54
[6] Tom Tom's Dream (Hassell) - 1:52
[7] First Time - 3:42
[8] Bathtub (Eno/Frisell/Hassell) - 1:06
[9] First Time (Reprise) (U2) - 2:05
[10] Tom Tom's Room - 2:24
[11] Funny Face (Frisell) - :33 3 [12] Dancin' Shoes (Bono/Klein) - 2:06
[13] Amsterdam Blue ["Cortege"] (Hassell) - 9:19
[14] Satellite of Love (Reprise) (Reed) - 1:06
[15] Satellite of Love ["Danny Saber Remix"] (Reed) - 5:14
[16] Anarchy in the USA (Cook/Jones/Matlock/Rotten) - 3:37

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


PAUL "Bono Vox" HEWSON - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
DANIEL LANOIS - Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar, Vocals
BRIAN ENO - Synthesizer
BILL FRISELL - Guitar
JON HASSELL - Trumpet
CHRIS SPEDDING - Guitar
GREGG ARREGUIN - Performer
BRIAN BLADE - Drums
GREG COHEN - Bass
PETER FREEMAN - Performer
BRAD MEHLDAU - Piano
JAMIE MUHOBERAC - Performer
MILLA JOVOVICH - Vocals
ADAM DORN - Synthesizer, Programming, Beats

GENE PAUL - Mastering
DANNY SABER - Performer
WIM WENDERS - Executive Producer
JASON ALEXANDER - Coordination

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


The Million Dollar Hotel was something more than a pet project for Bono, the lead singer of U2; it was his first attempt at a screenplay. Not that he wrote the script himself - he collaborated on the story with Nicholas Klien, who wrote the screenplay. The greatly respected director Wim Wenders - the auteur behind Wings of Desire, generally regarded as one of the finest films of the '80s - decided to direct the script, possibly because he was a close friend of Bono's. Mel Gibson, perhaps in a bid for indie recognition, agreed to participate in the production, along with Milla Jovovich, Jimmy Smits, and the great Peter Stormare, best-known as the nearly mute criminal in the Coen brothers' Fargo. That wasn't just a lot of talent, but it was a lot of fairly bankable names - a near-guarantee for some box office revenue, at the very least. Still, the soundtrack to The Million Dollar Hotel appeared in March 2000, which was months before the film was actually released. Quite likely, the delay wasn't planned by either the label or the film's distributors, considering that such a large gap between a film and its soundtrack never bodes well for the former, especially if the release of the soundtrack happens before the film. No matter the fate of the Wenders' movie, the charm and flaws of its soundtrack would remain the same. As it happens, the main charm and flaw is exactly the same thing: a sultry, omnipresent moodiness, as seductive as it is lulling. At first, it draws the listener in; U2's "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" and "Never Let Me Go" (performed by Bono and the MDH Band, a superstar collective featuring Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Bill Frissell, Jon Hassel, and Brian Blade, among others) unspool at a leisurely, graceful pace. It's easy to get lost in the slow, dark crawl of the music. The second new U2 song, "Stateless," maintains the intriguing atmosphere - halfway between The Joshua Tree and Zooropa - and then, things begin to unravel. Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" - a perennial favorite of Bono, who had U2 use it as a B-side and concert piece in the Achtung Baby era - makes its first of three appearances on the soundtrack. Sonically, it's really no different than the three preceding tracks. After all, it's performed by the MDH band - but it's sung by Milla Jovovich, the star of the film. Now, Jovovich is a recording artist in her own right, and she's actually one of some merit. Both of her records are quite strong and surprisingly inventive, but this recording falls flat, mainly because she was coached to be a little too theatrical at the end of the song. Once the soundtrack loses momentum with this version of "Satellite of Love," it never really regains its forward motion. There are some very good moments scattered throughout the record, from Bono and Daniel Lanois' "Falling at Your Feet" to various assorted instrumentals, but much of it winds up sounding a bit too samey and a little too draggy. It's not just because "Satellite of Love" functions as a motif, of sorts - the variations on the basic, elegantly ominous sound wind up not being varied enough. Perhaps it's not fair to peg the blame on Jovovich's version of "Satellite of Love"; it's neither the recording's fault nor her fault, but that song marks the point when things become a little less compelling. However, The Million Dollar Hotel is always on the verge of being, indeed, compelling - even though it meanders too much - and that should be enough for not just the diehard U2 fans, but for fans of atmospheric film soundtracks, who are accustomed to the music drifting a little bit when it's separated from the visuals.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide



Wim Wenders's films are inextricably linked to their companion soundtracks, with music playing as essential a role as any star actor--just see Wings of Desire, Paris, Texas, and Until the End of the World for proof. And now we have Million Dollar Hotel. On this outing Wenders turns to U2's Bono, who not only contributes two tracks from his band but also collaborates with a host of outstanding artists, including Bill Frisell, Brian Eno, and Daniel Lanois. Even without the film, the songs resonate with a haunting glory.

Tod Nelson, Amazon.com's Best of 2000



The soundtrack to a Wim Wenders joint is often as creative and satisfying as the movie itself (see Until the End of the World and Wings of Desire), serving not only as a companion to the film but as a stand-alone work of art. The Million Dollar Hotel is no exception, indeed it ups the ante. The film is based on a story conceived and written in part by U2's Bono, and his influence is all over the score. U2 contribute three stunning songs, most notably a collaboration with Daniel Lanois, "The Ground Beneath Her Feet," a soaring pop ballad with lyrics penned by writer Salman Rushdie (from his novel of the same name) that stands among the best U2 cuts ever recorded. In addition, Bono joins the all-star "Million Dollar Band" (comprising Mr. Fly himself, Daniel Lanois, Bill Frisell, Brian Eno, and others) for a host of great tracks, including the ethereal groove of "Never Let Me Go." And as if that weren't enough, The Million Dollar Hotel also features a duet between Brad Mehldau and Frisell ("Tom Tom's Room"), a surprisingly smoky cover of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" by model-actress-chanteuse Milla Jovovich, and a raved-up, Americanized, Spanish-language version of the Sex Pistol's "Anarchy in the U.K." ("Anarchy in the USA") sung by Tito Larriva with the Million Dollar Band. Despite such a wide ranging host of contributors, Bono's sure hand keeps the album within the same emotional spectrum, colored by a kind of melancholic longing and a wistful wonder, resulting in not only one of the best and most original soundtracks ever recorded but a sure nominee for Album of the Year.

Tod Nelson, Amazon.com



Packed with music industry heavyweights, it's no wonder that The Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack is stunning. Instead of simply regurgitating catalogue tracks, this set was especially recorded in Dublin with contributions from U2, Daniel Lanois, Bill Frisell, Brian Eno and Jon Hassell, who combine to form The Million Dollar Hotel Band. The film's female lead, Milla Jovovich, also joins the group for several remixed renditions of Lou Reed's "Satellite Of Love". Of the incidental score pieces, the finest are those that allow Hassell's trumpet to softly scuttle, like a slow motion crab, across Eno's synthesizer dunes and the hot sands of Greg Cohen's bass. Also present are several new U2 songs: the percussive "Stateless", the beautifully understated "The First Time" - which swaddles Bono's vocals in soft strings, piano chords and a gently looping guitar line - and the album's opener, "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" that features lyrics from Salman Rushdie's novel of the same name.

Rough Guide / Rock



Less a soundtrack and more a score, the music from Buena Vista Social Club director Wim Wenders’ latest film, Million Dollar Hotel, is much more than a string of pop and jazz songs. Executive produced by Wenders and Bono (who also wrote the screenplay), this literate, atmospheric companion piece contains two new U2 tracks, and three others written by Bono.

Hotel was recorded in Dublin with a specially created assemblage of musicians known simply as the MDH Band (which includes Bono, Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno), fronted by the film’s star-and sometime singer in her own right-Milla Jovovich. Contributions include a dramatic cover of Lou Reed’s "Satellite of Love," and snippets of film dialogue from Jovovich and co-star Jeremy Davies spliced with pianist Brad Mehldau and guitarist Bill Friseur’s dreamy jazz in "Tom Tom’s Room."

As for the flagship U2 songs, "The Ground Beneath Her Feet," puts the words of Salman Rushdie to music, while the sensual "The First Time," adds a subtly different, more ‘90s pop atmosphere to Million Dollar Hotel’s sanguine jazz mood.

Closing the album is singer, songwriter, and actor Tito Larriva (From Dusk Till Dawn), who joins the band for a punk-caliente version of the Sex Pistols’ "Anarchy In The UK," sung demonically in Spanish.

Linda Laban
CDNow.com, March 13, 2000



Ein Buchstabe plus eine Zahl genügen für Publicity -- vorausgesetzt, es handelt sich um U2. Deren Frontmann hat nämlich nicht nur die Drehbuch-Idee zu Wim Wenders erstem Film nach seiner erfolgreichen Dokumentation Buena Vista Social Club geliefert. Nein, Bono schrieb auch noch die Musik zu einem recht verworrenen Spagat zwischen Krimi und Liebesgeschichte, stellte für deren Einspielung eine Supergruppe zusammen und gewann seine eigentliche Band dazu, drei neue Songs beizusteuern!

Erfreulich, dass der Soundtrack besser ist als die 20-Millionen-Dollar teure Kino-Produktion. Diese schildert binnen zwei Stunden wie ein FBI-Agent einen Mord in jenem heruntergekommenen Hotel von Los Angeles aufklärt, das zu Beginn des vergangenen Jahrhunderts einmal eine Luxus-Herberge war. Der Untergang des ("Frontier"-)Hotels, auf dessen Dach U2 übrigens 1987 den Video-Clip zu ihrer Single "Where The Streets Have No Name" gedreht haben, ist dabei -- so die Macher -- als Sinnbild für Amerika zu verstehen.

Das wunderschöne "The Ground Beneath Her Feet", welches U2 mit Daniel Lanois an der Pedal-Steel-Gitarre aufgenommen haben und das auf einem Text von Salman Rushdie aus dessen gleichnamigem Roman basiert, eröffnet dieses sehr atmosphärische Album. Äußerst ätherisch kommen die vier Iren in "Stateless" daher. Die eigentlichen Überraschungen liegen allerdings in den Tracks, welche die aus Bono (Gesang, Gitarre, Klavier), Daniel Lanois (Gitarren, Gesang, Pedal-Steel), Brian Eno (Keyboards), Trompeter Jon Hassell, Greg Cohen (Bass), Schlagzeuger Brian Blade, Adam Dom (Beats, Synthesizer, Programming) und dem (Freejazz-)Gitarristen Bill Frisell bestehende M(illion) D(ollar) H(otel) Band erarbeitet hat. "Dancin' Shoes" beispielsweise klingt, als hätte Marianne "As Tears Go By" Faithfull dafür ihre typisch brüchigen Vocals beigesteuert. "Never Let Me Go" indes prägt ein entspannter Groove. Generell gesehen erinnern die Tracks in ihrer melancholischen Grundstimmung an U2s, 1995 unter dem Projektnamen Passengers veröffentlichte CD Original Soundtracks 1.

Einzig Milla Jovovichs Auftritt ist eine Enttäuschung. Die Schauspielerin (Joan Of Arc/Johanna von Orleans), die sich bereits auf ihren Solo-Werken The Divine Comedy (1994) und The Peopletree Sessions (1998) erfolglos als Sängerin versucht hat, probiert es diesmal mit Lou Reeds "Satellite Of Love". Im Finale bemüht sie sich zwar wie die Avantgarde-Vocalistin Diamanda Galas zu klingen, doch das nützt nichts. Das Resultat beschrieb ein Insider ihrer Plattenfirma deshalb treffend folgendermaßen: "Es hört sich an, als würde jemand ein Piano auf eine unter Drogen stehende Katze werfen!"

Thomas Hammerl, Amazon.de



U2-Fans werden heftigt protestieren: Aber die besten Songs hat Bono in den letzten Jahren für Soundtracks abgeliefert. So zum Beispiel einst für "In The Name Of The Father" an der Seite seines irischen Sandkastenfreundes Gavin Friday, einem begnadeten Sänger/Entertainer. Und jüngst für Wim Wenders "The Million Dollar Hotel", zu dem Bono sogar das Drehbuch schrieb. Der Vorgabe ist klar: Die Musik soll die Stimmungen der Bilder weiterführen und den Spannungsbogen der Geschichte mittragen. Ein Produzent wie Hal Willner arbeitet da wie ein zweiter Regisseur und bringt musikalische Talente wie Bono, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, Jon Hassell und Bill Frisell zu einem atmosphärisch dichten Interplay der Egos. Einmal mehr setzt Wim Wenders auf eigens für seinen Film geschriebene Musik.

Detlef Kinsler
© HIFI Test (03/00)
 

 L y r i c s


The Ground Beneath Her Feet

All my life, I worshipped her
Her golden voice, her beauty's beat
How she made us feel, how she made me real
And the ground beneath her feet
And the ground beneath her feet


And now I can't be sure of anything
Black is white and cold is heat
For what I worshipped stole my love away
It was the ground beneath her feet
It was the ground beneath her feet


Go lightly down your darkened way
Go lightly underground
I'll be down there in another day
I won't rest until you're found


Let me love you, let me rescue you
Let me bring you where two roads meet
Oh come back above
Where there is only love
Only love...


Let me love you true, let me rescue you
Let me bring you to where two roads meet


Let me love you true, let me rescue you
Let me bring you to where two roads meet


Never Let Me Go

Wow. After I jumped, it ocurred to me. Life is perfect. Life is the best, full of magic, beauty, opportunity, and television. And surprises...lot's of surprises, yeah. And then there's the best stuff, of course. Better than anything anyone ever made up, 'cause it's real.

You take a stranger by the hand
A man who doesn't understand
His wildest dreams


You walk across the dirty sand
And offer him an ocean
Of what he's never seen


Maybe I was blind
Or I, I might have closed my eyes
Maybe I was dumb
But what I forgot to say
If you didn't know
Is never let me go


Never let me go
Never let me go
Never let me go


You run from love and don't believe
Unless it catches you by the heel
That even then, you struggle


From red I learned to cross the strand
Your footprints still there in the sand
Everything else, washed away


I may not be alone
Oh I, I may have found my home
I may have lost my way
But what I forgot to say
If you didn't know
Is never let me go


Never let me go
Never let me go


Stateless

I've got no home in this world
Just gravity
Luck and time


I've got no hope in this world
Just you
And you are not mine


Stateless
Faithless
Stateless


There are no colors in your eyes
There's no sunshine in your skies
There's no race, only the prize
There is no tomorrow, only tonight


Stateless
It's the difference


You can cover the world with your thumb
Still so big, so bright, so beautiful


Faithless
Stateless


Push...down on me
Push...baby please
Your weight down
Your weight...down on me
Your weight (down on me)
When your weight falls...down on me
Be the heavy hand
The mortar sand
Be the weight, heart, down on me


Stateless
Faithless
Hey bliss


Satellite of Love

???


Falling at Your Feet

Every chip from every cup
Every promise given up
Every reason that's not enough
Is falling, falling at your feet


Every band elastic limit
Every race when there's nothing in it
Every winner that's lost a ticket
Is falling, falling at your feet
I've come crawling, falling at your feet


Everyone who needs a friend
Every life that has no end
Every knee not ready to bend
Is falling, falling at your feet
I've come crawling, now I'm falling at your feet


All fall down (All the manic dazed faces that you pull)
All fall down (All the action is not under your control)
All fall down (The graffiti rolling down off of your tongue)
All fall down (And the compromise you make for some)


Every teenager with acne
Every face that's spoiled by beauty
Every adult tamed by duty
They're all falling at your feet


Every foot in every face
Every cop's stop who finds the grace
Every prisioner in the maze
Every hand that needs an ace
Is falling, falling at your feet
I've come crawling, and I'm falling at your feet


(All fall down) All the books you never read
(All fall down) Just started
(All fall down) All the meals you rushed
(All fall down) Never tasted


Every eye closed by a bruise
Every player who just can't lose
Every pop star howling abuse
Every drunk back on the booze
All falling at your feet
Oh I'm falling at your feet


(All fall down) All the information
(All fall down) All the big ideas
(All fall down) All the radio waves
(All fall down) Electronic seas
(All fall down) How to navigate
(All fall down) How to simply be
(All fall down) To know when to wait
(All fall down) This plain simplicity
(All fall down) In whom shall I trust
(All fall down) How might I be still
(All fall down) Teach me to surrender
(All fall down) Not my will, thy will


Tom Tom's Dream

???


The First Time

I have a lover
A lover like no other
She got soul, soul, soul, sweet soul
And she teach me how to sing


Shows me colours when there's none to see
Gives me hope when I can't believe
That for the first time
I feel love


I have a brother
When I'm a brother in need
I spend my whole time running
He spends his running after me


When I feel myself going down
I just call and he comes around
But for the first time
I feel love


My father is a rich man
He wears a rich man's cloak
Gave me the keys to his kingdom coming
Gave me a cup of gold


He said I have many mansions
And there are many rooms to see
But I left by the back door
And I threw away the key
And I threw away the key
Yeah, I threw away the key
Yeah, I threw away the key


For the first time
For the first time
For the first time


I feel love


Bathtub

???


The First Time (Reprise)

???


Tom Tom's Room

???


Funny Face

???


Dancin' Shoes

I know you're so sad
So sad you can't cry
But I know you let go
Although you can't remember why


Your lipstick don't fit
Your strap's coming loose
You're out in the hall
Waltzing the blues


Now you hurt somewhere
They won't find a bruise
You've been learning to walk
In those dancin' shoes


I had a mama
She told me 'bout you
She said true love don't lie
You touch that woman
And the smoke won't leave your eyes


You're talking, you walk
'Cause you can't refuse
Learning to walk
In those dancin' shoes


Now you hurt somewhere
They won't find a bruise
Learning to walk
In those dancin' shoes


Amsterdam Blue (Cortege)

???


Satellite of Love (Reprise)

???


Satellite of Love (Danny Saber Remix)

???


Anarchy In The U.S.A.

???

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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