Fans of the legendary rock group U2 have likened their cover of a Rolling Stones classic to “wedding reception karaoke.”
A cover of The Rolling Stones‘ hit track remains unpopular, with fans taking to the r/U2Band subreddit to consider why the song did not fare well when Bono performed it. Fans have since suggested the song is an “untouchable” classic that would sound worse if any band other than the Mick Jagger-fronted group touched it. A post to the Reddit forum saw one user comment: “I’ve only seen bad things said about it, but I genuinely think it’s a great take on the song. Anybody else on my side? If not, why not?” Fans have since shared their thoughts on U2’s attempt at The Rolling Stones’ Paint it, Black.
One user replied: “I’d say it’s fine but it’s also one of those untouchable songs where I can’t see a cover ever being better than the original.” Another agreed, adding the sheer number of covers of Paint it, Black, means it is hard for any artist to stand out with their own cover. One user commented: “There are quite a number of covers of Paint it, Black out there that are outstanding. Sadly, not U2’s version…”
Another user has suggested U2’s version of the song is far from the standard set by The Rolling Stones’ original. They wrote: “U2 and the Stones are both great bands… but they are kind of like oil and water. The Stones are sort of the Bad Boys of The Beatles generation and they lean into that.
“Thematically, they are a really dark topic band with entire decades worth of songs about heavy drugs, sex, and mental instability. I know that is a bit of a norm now, but they really pioneered it. When Mick Jagger sings that song, I genuinely feel like he is devoid of feeling and longing for this world without color and Keith’s guitar just leans into the crazy feeling of it all.
“Bono and U2 just aren’t those people/those rockstars. Bono screaming, ‘I want to see you paint it, paint it black!’ at the end of the song sounds like wedding reception karaoke compared to the original. U2 are incredible, but some songs are just made to stay in their lane. On the flipside, I don’t think the Stones could really cover Pride or One either They are just different bands.”
Another user has suggested the cover is “a bit bland”. They wrote: “I’ll simply add that I find their cover of it to be a bit bland as compared to the original (which I regard as one of the most distinctive early songs by the Stones).
“It’s better than what I consider to be their worst cover (Fortunate Son – I simply don’t know what possessed them to cover that song; that cover is completely non-descript); however, covers like Dancing Barefoot and Everlasting Love were excellent versions of very good original songs.
U2’s cover of Paint it, Black, can be found below.
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