Celerity/celebrity in Original Of The Species

[Axver]

Hi folks,

I've been reading this site for months and love it, and I was finally driven to register for the forums by this line.  In Original Of The Species, many people are convinced that Bono sings "some things you shouldn't get too good at, like smiling, crying, and celebrity", but I absolutely do not hear the 'b' in 'celebrity' at all.  'Celerity' IS a word, meaning swiftness or quickness, and I think it makes a lot more sense than 'celebrity' as smiling and crying are actions and so is celerity, while celebrity is a status.  Furthermore, at the Brooklyn Bridge show, I am absolutely certain there is not even a trace of a 'b' sound.

Am I going mad?  Can one of you with really impressive hearing and technology actually find a 'b', and am I becoming more deaf by the day?

[Carl]

I heard it as "celerity" myself but always assumed it was just a case of Bono having bad pronounciation on the line.  I just looked it up and it is a word... though I think celebrity works in that status even if it breaks the grammatical mold.  

It seems an odd word to use, unless he wanted to play off the way it sounds like celebrity.

[Axver]

Originally posted by Carl
I heard it as "celerity" myself but always assumed it was just a case of Bono having bad pronounciation on the line.  I just looked it up and it is a word... though I think celebrity works in that status even if it breaks the grammatical mold.  

It seems an odd word to use, unless he wanted to play off the way it sounds like celebrity.

I initially thought the same as you, that it was the same kind of poor enunciation that led to I Will Follow's "your eyes make a circoh".  I don't think the line itself is good at all and it's hard to argue one way or another for celerity/celebrity, but I'm listening to all the copies of OOTS that I have now and I am leaning towards it being 'celerity'.

iTunes: this one is iffy.  There may be a trace of a 'b', I'm not sure.
Brooklyn Bridge: None at all.
Studio: None at all.

To me, it sounds like Bono is holding a soft 'r' - 'celehhhrity'.  Also, pronounce 'celerity' and 'celebrity'.  I don't know if this works in other accents, but in my New Zealand accent, -rity in 'celerity' comes out like how Bono sings it, while -rity in 'celebrity' comes out differently.

I guess we may have to wait for tour bootlegs.  If there's never a 'b' sound, the 'celerity' case will seem stronger, I feel.

[Between Two Worlds]

Although I would not  at all be surprised if Bono were to sing celerity (which I did not know existed!) one evening and celebrity the other.  I don't think lyrics are fixed for him.

[slaneman]

I hear celebrity. Always hear the "b" sound.

I'll bet that's what Bono meant to say. I also never knew "celerity" was a word. Would Bono? lol

Even if he did, and it does seem to make sense in this context, I believe he would not use such an obscure word on a rock album.

Perhaps singing at a philologists convention?

But I agree "celebrity" does not fit in the series of gerunds and always seemed an awkward choice for that reason.
One of the many on Bomb.

Seemed to me like he had an avuncular reason and the right no. of syllables for that line.

[Brad]

Bono seems to have a pretty expansive vocabulary.  I had no idea what a parapet was until 'Always.'

[slaneman]

Originally posted by Brad
Bono seems to have a pretty expansive vocabulary.  I had no idea what a parapet was until 'Always.'

Point well taken. Had to go look up "parapet" myself.

[Butter7]

Originally posted by slaneman

Originally posted by Brad
Bono seems to have a pretty expansive vocabulary.  I had no idea what a parapet was until 'Always.'

Point well taken. Had to go look up "parapet" myself.

Me too.

Even I know this word long time ago in my own language, but have totally no idea it does exist in English.

[Carl]

I grew up reading Fantasy novels so parapet was nothing new to me.

I changed the lyric to celerity for now.

[gracie]

Originally posted by Axver
Hi folks,

Am I going mad?  Can one of you with really impressive hearing and technology actually find a 'b', and am I becoming more deaf by the day?

Hey Axver and all,

I don't post here often but I do use the lyrics section and I just have to say that I think the Queensland sun has got to you Axver if you can't hear the "b" in cele-brity.  On the album it is quite clear, don't know about the Brooklyn Bridge version - haven't heard it - but then Bono is renowned to be lazy with pronunciation, especially live.  

As for the context I think the word celebrity fits well in this song.  I think he is warning of the falseness of celebrity, the tabloid dramas and the fake smiles that celebrities seem to be all too good at these days. The song was written with the band's children in mind after all, and they will face this in their lives.

And it is "celebrity" on the CD insert book  

Anyway, that's my 2cents worth

Great job you guys do.

cheers

[Carl]

As for the insert book... hehe.  He apparently sings an extra line in the middle 8 of LAPOE (amongst a few other obviously wrong transcriptions in that song).  Gone's transcription in the Pop insert is another example of a spot on transcription.

At first I was just Bono messing up celebrity, but I didn't know celerity was a word.  It seems like he sings celerity at Brooklyn Bridge concert and celebrity at San Jose 2 (though the 'b' is still pretty indistinct).  I still lean towards the studio version not having a B in it.  I could see Bono choosing celerity while thinking most people will just subconsciously hear celebrity, kind of giving it another layer.

I whipped up a quick wav file (1.67MB) with this bit from the Bridge and San Jose 2 here: http://www.u2wanderer.org/carl/oots.wav

[Edited on 2005-4-28 by Carl]

[gracie]

Thanks for that .wav file Carl.

Listened long and hard but I still hear celebrity though, in both and I still hear it as a warning about false joy, despair and the lure of fame.

cheers

[Between Two Worlds]

Listening to the wav file, I can hear either if I want. But to my ears it's celerity in the first and celebrity in the second - although on the version of the San Jose 2 performance I have listened to before it's celerity. I'd also agree with Axver and Carl on the Studio version (celerity). To me either or both makes sense.