Even Better Than The Real Thing
by U2

Album: Achtung Baby (1991)
Charted: 12 32
Play Video
  • Give me one more chance
    And you'll be satisfied
    Give me two more chances
    You won't be denied

    Well my heart is where it's always been
    My head is somewhere in between
    Give me one more chance
    Let me be your lover tonight

    You're the real thing
    Yeah the real thing
    You're the real thing
    Even better than the real thing

    Give me one last chance
    And I'm gonna make you sing
    Give me half a chance
    To ride on the waves that you bring

    You're honey child to a swarm of bees
    Gonna blow right through you like a breeze
    Give me one last dance
    We'll slide down the surface of things

    You're the real thing
    Yeah the real thing
    You're the real thing
    Even better than the real thing

    We're free to fly the crimson sky
    The sun won't melt our wings tonight

    Oh now
    Here she comes

    Take me higher
    Take me higher
    You take me higher?
    You take me higher?

    You're the real thing
    Yeah the real thing
    You're the real thing

    Even better than the real thing
    Even better than the real thing
    Even better than the real thing Writer/s: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 13

  • Rod K from U.s.I love reading the interpretations. Like others, I kind of always felt that the song was about a man in love...only not with a real one, but his idealization of what the perfect woman is to him in a very nuanced way. An imagery he's put on a pedestal, reflecting back to himself that he's more in love with this ideal than he is with anything he's connected to in reality. The song always had a gleefully submissive yearning feel to me, so theres a sexual undercurrent there, or lust if you will. He's okay with surrendering himself to the illusion, because its so powerful, so specific to him, that the reality of a woman couldn't possibly be better, a slave to his own desire
  • Jane B. from NjI've been following U2 on and off for years. Just saw them at the Sphere. I knew this song was about commercialism at one point, but whenever I listen to it, can't help but feel it's about a relationship. Since I'm hetero, a man (Bono) telling his woman (Ali) that their love is authentic and better than pornographynand other material crap. But I guess we each interpret songs the way they hit us...that's the beauty of music.
  • Paul from UkThe video also features many scenes with U2s own Lookalike band The Doppelgangers - open auditions were held for Lookalikes, Kevin Godley & U2 put the band together they feature throughout the video in quick cuts (mainly in the zoo clothes shop scenes in Carnaby street) swapping places and clothes with the real U2 in fact the Lookalikes were a bit too good and the cuts were so fast that unfortunately hardly anybody noticed and couldn't tell them apart so the whole point was really lost.
    U2 & Kevin Godley rectified this by using The Doppelgangers for a second time in the Zootv / Channel 4 special broadcast by having the Doppelgangers flown over to Dublin to perform to the track "Who's gonna ride you wild horses" again dressed in U2s actual Zootv stage clothes and using U2s guitars and drums while U2 sat amongst the studio audience watching.
  • Chris from Germany U2 at that time could make everything they wanted and they were the darlings of the press, fans and of the world. This song is strange and has a strange video.
  • Davíd from Woburn, MaI agree with Steve, now that I listen to it with that in mind... give me one more chance, slide down the surface of things, and of course the title of the song itself. Still a great song regardless.
  • Steve from Binghamton, NyI know it wasn't written with it in mind, but the words and the music fit very well with someone relapsing on drugs...
  • Maddie from Rochester, NyThe line "the sun wont melt our wings tonight" refers to the Greek myth about Icarus and Daedalus where Icarus made fake wings but he flew too close to the sun and they melted.
  • Acrobat from Adelaide, AustraliaCoke wanted to use this for an add, U2 told them to shove off.
  • Shehryar from Islamabad, Pakistanyes there are some safe shots from porn flicks, with sound, in there
  • Matt from Bossier City, LaI think you can look at this song as a statement about the over-sexualization of our society. With things like plastic surgery and pornography becoming so mainstream in the media, we are constantly led to believe that it sould be, "Even better than the real thing". If you look closely at the images in the video (one of my all-time favorites) I think you'll see some support for this point of view.
  • Ryan from Albion, Nycover bands always play this song,like the dopplegangers..i guess its all in the title, huh? (which im pretty sure theyre NOT cuz u2 is incredible)
  • Wes from Atlanta, GaSimply reminds me of an incredible past relationship. Great lyrics and the main rift makes the whole song. Tell a girl that this song reminds you of them and watch the reaction!
  • Nick from San Francisco, CaThis song was really good. Then it inspired U2 to spend the rest of the 1990s trying to add techno touches to match the sound of this one. That wasn't really good.
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