“Mysterious Ways” by U2
Kelley: U2 is a band I have only just tolerated.
5songpjct: I think all of their songs sound the same.
Kelley: Honestly they are just awful. I watched MTV a lot growing up, like everyone else, and that is how I discovered Tom Petty, Snoop-Dog, and Smashing Pumpkins. When U2 came on, I was just like Eh? Which song is this? Something terrible, that’s all I know.
5songpjct: I like some of their early stuff, like “Sunday, Bloody Sunday.” Then the 90s happened and they just started sounding vanilla.
Our conversation switches from U2 being on Saturday Night Live, when we talked it was the week before they performed. We continue to talk about Saoirse Ronan and Lady Bird, which we both hadn’t seen at the time.
5songpjct: If you do not like U2, why did you choose a song by them in your five songs?
Kelley: As a part of the BFA Theatre Program at the University of West Florida, you had to take two dance classes, which was daunting because I can’t dance…just too uncoordinated. One of the dance classes I chose was with a woman I actually really liked and respected. At the end we put together a big dance as a class to “Mysterious Ways” and it just clicked. I had so much fun and really had an appreciation for the song. Now I love that song and pretty much just that song by U2, but I still don’t dance.
OUR FOURTEENTH song is a song by a Bond villain