U2 vs. MJB & U2 | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 6th edition of Head 2 Head, U2 and MJB (Mary J. Blige) & U2 duke it over their respective recordings of the rock classic, “One.” 

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing and contrasting their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  For our sixth head-to-head, the source material is 🎙 U2, specifically the song, 🎵 “One”. The artists going head-to-head are 🎙 U2 and 🎙 MJB (Mary J. Blige) duetting with – wait for it – U2! So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. U2, “One”

💿 Achtung Baby • 🏷 Island • 📅 1991

“You say one love, one life / When it’s one need in the night / One love, we get to share it / Leaves you, baby, if you don’t care for it.” 🏆 Multi-Grammy winning rock band 🎙 U2 (22x winners FYI) are renowned for their song, 🎵 “One”. This incredibly well-written song – among the crème de la crème of their illustrious career – appears as the third track on their 1991 album, 💿 Achtung Baby.  Technically, they won a Grammy for “One” considering the entire album was awarded Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group (this doesn’t happen anymore, by the way).

There’s so much to rave about with “One.” It starts with the instrumental intro, where a simple but highly effective harmonic progression is established.  Next, 🎙 Bono enters into the mix, lending expressive but balanced, controlled vocals.  He never over sings but delivers just the right amount of zest.  Likewise, the instrumental has great energy without ever becoming overwrought in the least.  Honestly, everything feels right about this song.  Adding to the grandeur is the open-ended messaging and brilliant songwriting. Besides the chorus, one of the best lyrical passages from “One” happens on the bridge:

“You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter, but then you make me crawl
And I can’t be holding on to what you got
When all you got is hurt.”

Woo, that’s deep stuff right there!  Love can be a five-letter word (*cough* B-*-*-*-H *cough*) in that particular context!

2. Mary J. Blige & U2, “One”

💿 The Breakthrough • 🏷 Geffen • 📅 2005

In 2005, Bono and company joined 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B artist 🎙 Mary J. Blige for a duet version of 🎵 “One”, which appeared on her album, 💿 The Breakthrough, one of the best albums of Blige’s career. Blige infuses some power into her vocals, fitting for this powerful, incredibly well-written song.  Bono fittingly takes first blood, performing the first verse before calling on “Mary” to do her thing.  Do her thing she does, singing the second verse, before joining with Bono for the bridge where they simply say “One” (eight times).  From there, we get more Blige on the third verse before they join forces once more for that gargantuan, ‘unifying’ moment!

“One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters and brothers
One life but we’re not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other.” 

Also Appears On 🔽:

🔗 🎧 11 Songs Associated with Number One

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

So, who wins? The original version by U2 or their duet version with powerhouse Mary J. Blige?  While the duet version of “One” remains powerful, it doesn’t supplant the original.  Therefore, the original version of “One” gets the edge.  It’s classic, period.  Either way, Bono and company were never going to lose this head 2 head battle!

U2 vs. MJB & U2: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 6 [📷: Brent Faulkner, Geffen, Island, The Musical Hype, Valentin Tikhonov from Pixabay]