Vertigo by U2

[hottytoddy]

OK...I don't know if anyone has noticed this but it bothers me.

you know how at the beginning he's counting in Spanish?

Well he says "uno, dos, tres, catorce"

Um, catorce is 14, not 4.

Now I'm sure these guys aren't idiots. But why would you say "one, Two, three, fourteen"

I don't know why but it bothers me.

[33girl]

Because $14 million is how much they got for selling their souls to Ipod.

[bcdphie]

There is probably some reason behind it... So far I am not overly impressed with How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I have heard Vertigo and one other single off this new album, but it just isn't doing it for me, like all their other songs and albums. But a new album means another world tour and I am looking forward to another U2 concert - Elevation was amazing.

[PM_Mama00]

I noticed it too. I wasn't sure if I misheard it or what.

[smiley21]

i like the song....but that '1,2,3,14' drives me crazy too. i hardly think that they are uneducated in the spanish number department, so it must have some signicant meaning to it....

[UKDaisy]

Originally posted by 33girl
Because $14 million is how much they got for selling their souls to Ipod.

I hate that commercial. I have a lot of respect for U2. But that commercial comes on and I just want to hit Bono in the face.

[Sistermadly]

ETA: I did some checking on a U2 message board, and the general consensus among the folks there is that by counting this way, Bono is either intentionally screwing around, or trying to convey a sense of vertigo that someone might feel if, say, they were in an elevator that was going methodically through the floors (1..2..3..) and then suddenly zoomed up to the 14th floor.

Another interpretation is that he doesn't really say "uno" at the beginning, he says "Unos" which means "Some" in spanish. So if you take that interpretation, some think it's another way of trying to convey disorientation or vertigo. He's so dizzy that he can't count straight.

ETA (again): Yet another interpretation is that the numbers represent certain biblical verses that have meant a lot to Bono throughout the band's career. The verses are John 1:14, 2:14 and 3:14.

John 1:14:
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 2:14:
And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

John 3:14:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Does it show I have the day off and nothing better to do?

[hottytoddy]

Yeah I guess it could be any number of things. The disorientation makes sense. My friend has a condition called "Vertigo" which causes her to become dizzy and disoriented...

I dunno...

Or he could have made a mistake at first and then just decided to leave it to be silly. Maybe I'm reaching here.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

Maybe Bono just doesn't know how to count in Spanish.

Sistermadly, will you please post a link for the U2 message board? Thank you very much.

[CarolinaDG]

Because "cuatro" doesn't sound as cool as "catorce"? Just another theory.

[smiley21]

Originally posted by Sistermadly


ETA (again): Yet another interpretation is that the numbers represent certain biblical verses that have meant a lot to Bono throughout the band's career. The verses are John 1:14, 2:14 and 3:14.

John 1:14:
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 2:14:
And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

John 3:14:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Does it show I have the day off and nothing better to do?

i really like that interpretation

[HBADPi]

I was just discussing this with a friend and he seems to think it's not Spanish but Portuguese and that way onze doze treze catorze is 11 12 13 14 not 1, 2, 3, 14. Don't know if I like this theory but at least the numbers are now sequential.

[CarolinaDG]

Still doesn't explain the "uno" though. And I think the biblical reference sounds the most reasonable, but it doesn't really go with the song.

[bcdphie]

tres and catorce rhyme (almost) - but I'm sure there's more than that behind it - U2's songs are always full of symbolism of some sort.

On another note, I caught the ipod ad last night, and thought it was pretty cool.

[Sistermadly]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
Sistermadly, will you please post a link for the U2 message board? Thank you very much.

There are dozens (if not hundreds) of them. The one where I found the theories is here