New Albums by Morrissey and U2: A Study in Worldview Contrasts

For Morrissey, it boils down to temporality, resentment, and despair, while for U2, the thematic core is eternity, grace, and hope.

Temporality vs. Eternity

But for U2, the expectation of afterlife is an abiding source of comfort. In “Get On Your Boots” Bono assures us, “laughter is eternity, if joy is real.” His joy is to “magnify” his Maker, as he sings, “I was born to be with you… I was born to sing for you. I give you back my voice. From the womb, my first cry was a joyful noise” (”Magnificent”). But perhaps nowhere is the theme of eternity more clear than in the title of the album and title track: “No line on the horizon.” For those who have eternal life, as is the hope of every Christian such as Bono, there is no such line because there is no end to what lies ahead for us.

Resentment vs. Grace

The Christian hope of eternal life is, of course, the result of divine grace and forgiveness, which comes to us through Christ. Bono sings passionately about this grace, especially in “White as Snow,” the potency of which is underscored by the fact that the melody is a variation of that from the classic hymn “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”): “Once I knew there was a love divine. Then there came a time I thought it knew me not. Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not? Only the lamb as white as snow” (”White as Snow”). In contrast to this, sadly, Morrissey’s world is one of self-loathing and resentment.

Despair vs. Hope

So for the Moz, in the end there is only despair. “There is no hope in modern life,” he tells us in “Something is Squeezing My Skull.”

Things couldn’t be more different in U2’s world, where Bono proclaims, “I know I’m not alone” (”I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”). There is plenty of pain and sorrow, but it is redeemed: “This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue. Only love can leave such a mark. But only love can heal such a scar. Only love unites our hearts” (”Magnificent”). There is a profound and exhilarating sense of purpose: “Every day I die again, and again I’m reborn. Every day I have to find the courage to walk out into the street with arms out. Got a love you can’t defeat, neither down nor out. There’s nothing you have that I need. I can breathe” (”Breathe”). And there is that final hope: “We’re gonna make it all the way to the light” (”I’ll go Crazy”). (I have focused on U2 to read more about Morrissey follow the link below.)

By Jim Spiegel, read the whole thing here