Once upon a lifetime, I interviewed a space rock band that is highly underrated. Chris, their amazing drummer, mentioned several expected influences, then he paused and said “and here’s one that always raises eyebrows: Larry Mullen Jr.”

I asked about a song in particular and he said: “listen to War on good headphones.” So I did. And I found a lot of missing subtle* parts on the songs. You know the singles, and we all love them, but it was the moment I listened to Like a song… with a true appreciation.

Bono is on his usual histrionics. That’s an endemic seasoning of U2 that always entices people or casts a spell of utter loathing. I don’t mind him that much, but he does love the spotlight on himself, doesn’t he? But what really jumps on Like a Song… is Mullen’s decisive, straight up muscular drumming. It’s so upfront it eclipses all vocals. It’s a fierce song that is often overlooked on lists of U2 greatests, and it’s a damn shame, it’s an earnest rocker, and I might say….important!

“A generation without name, ripped and torn, nothing to lose, nothing to gain, nothing at all” that part floored me so much I took it as the lead epigraph of a novel I wrote. I keep looking at that novel, and a lot of harsh truths I would eventually face that I already had on the back of my mind. Like a song… is like that: all that troublesome stuff, finally surfacing. Brutally. Mercilessly. Face it.

-Sam J. Valdés López

*I know subtle and U2 are mutually exclusive.