This song is criminally underrated, kind of epitomizes Pop. Its narrator is a man that has pursued fame, fortune - in short, who has bought in fully to the materialism of a comsumerism-driven society. Banks are his cathedrals, chance is his religion.
This is not a song about trying to get to heaven, this is a song about trying to get into the Playboy Mansion - the height of earthly desires, the pinnacle of fame, wealth, and material comfort. That is what this narrator is clinging to. Not to God, but rather to the hope that he will push his way into a comfortable lifestyle.
The song is downright heartbreaking. A narrator crying out, hoping for nothing more than the chance to make it, declaring "Don't know if I can hold on / don't know if I'm that strong / don't know if I can wait that long / till the colours come flashing / and the lights go on." The worst part is the sincerity - he truly believes in it. So it's easy to think he might be talking about God, about spirituality when he's so absolutely devoted. But God is the last thing on his mind. This is a portrait of a man possessed by pop culture, driven by desire for material possessions, and utterly devoid of a sense of place in the world beyond the pursuit for wealth and status. It's Pop through and through - its themes, its biting critique, and even its rejection by U2 fans in favor of more accessible, traditional songs.
This song is criminally underrated, kind of epitomizes Pop. Its narrator is a man that has pursued fame, fortune - in short, who has bought in fully to the materialism of a comsumerism-driven society. Banks are his cathedrals, chance is his religion.
This is not a song about trying to get to heaven, this is a song about trying to get into the Playboy Mansion - the height of earthly desires, the pinnacle of fame, wealth, and material comfort. That is what this narrator is clinging to. Not to God, but rather to the hope that he will push his way into a comfortable lifestyle.
The song is downright heartbreaking. A narrator crying out, hoping for nothing more than the chance to make it, declaring "Don't know if I can hold on / don't know if I'm that strong / don't know if I can wait that long / till the colours come flashing / and the lights go on." The worst part is the sincerity - he truly believes in it. So it's easy to think he might be talking about God, about spirituality when he's so absolutely devoted. But God is the last thing on his mind. This is a portrait of a man possessed by pop culture, driven by desire for material possessions, and utterly devoid of a sense of place in the world beyond the pursuit for wealth and status. It's Pop through and through - its themes, its biting critique, and even its rejection by U2 fans in favor of more accessible, traditional songs.