"With or without you" Appreciation thread

[gluttonmutton]

I absolutely loved Damien's version of this U2 classic, and was stunned by the way his voice just soared without losing vocal quality or having to resort to rock singer shouting or any other shortcuts. I became a fully fledged fan then and there.

For those of you who've been watching Idol since 2003, you may remember that Shannon also performed this song with, imo, less than stellar results.


Here's the way Damien did it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkZ43fl0VyE


And here's Shannon's version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYUfxyOF25s

[dededom]

Thanks for posting the Shannon version - I see it is from the Up Close and Personal night, so must have been a noncompetition night *can't remember that far back!*. I think the interpretation was interesting, but the vocal quality just pales into comparison with Damien's.

[gluttonmutton]

dededom said:

Thanks for posting the Shannon version - I see it is from the Up Close and Personal night, so must have been a noncompetition night *can't remember that far back!*. I think the interpretation was interesting, but the vocal quality just pales into comparison with Damien's.

Yes, that was what I was getting at. There really is no comparison, is there? No wonder Shannon said he wanted Jessica to win - methinks he feared the competition from Damien - and with good reason, too!

Listening to Shannon strain to get up to those high notes that Damien reached so effortlessly is a little embarrassing. But hey, he's been very successful and obviously has a formidable following, established via idol and consolidated through the hard slog of touring.

[dededom]

Shannon is a pretty average tenor, whereas Damien is a counter-tennor with a falsetto range. The latter definitely trumps the former!

[Roxy]

wow thanks for posting that....what a difference ah..

Shannon pales incomparison to Damiens version for sure..I love Damiens version...and it was about this time that I really sat up and took notice of him in the competition..I had noticed him earlier in the auditions but when he sung With or Without You, I wasn't watching the TV but I could hear it..and I quickly ran to watch and from then on ....well thats history..as they say.

I'm now a fully fledged Damienite.

[gluttonmutton]

Shannon is a pretty average tenor, whereas Damien is a counter-tennor with a falsetto range. The latter definitely trumps the former!

I didn't want to offend the Shannon fans on this forum, but I have never had a very high regard for his voice. Let's face it, he's a pretty ordinary singer. I do, though, understand why he's been the most successful Idol so far: when his debut album came out, he supported it by touring the country (including an extensive tour of regional Australia) thereby building up his live base, winning over new fans while keeping the fans he garnered during Idol happy. He worked his arse off. I'm not a fan, but I give him kudos for making the most of his modest talents, and establishing a viable career after Idol.

[hyperrune]

To be honest, I had trouble getting into this one at first, cos I rather liked Shannon's version. When Shannon did it I thought "oh no, I like U2, so I'm gonna hate his version cos he can never live up to Bono!" I was pleasantly surprised - it was pretty darn good!
So when Damien came out and did it, in the first week of the finals no less, I did a double 'oh no!' Of course it was brilliant! No one in the competition past or present can hit those high notes like he can, and he at least matched Bono, I think. I occasionally get his version stuck in my head instead of Bono's. It's hard to separate the two!
I preferred the group performance of One - I really loved that one, it's even a bit above Bono's version! (even though he stuffed up a bit - he started to sing too early on one bit, the only slip up I've ever heard him do ) Of course, singing straight after Dean does make you look pretty good...

[Spud]

Has anyone ever noticed this? In With Or Without You, the whole crowd is sitting there with their attention fully focused on Damien, except for this one girl in the crowd who stands up and does this huge wave at the camera, before noticing that everyone else is watching Damien and sitting down again.

BTW this was one of my favourite performances D did - well that's not saying much, I loved them all - but I really think this one was just funtarstic and whenever I have this song in my head it's always D's version. I love the way he sometimes mixes it with Fall At Your Feet, that's another funtarstic song.

[dmac]

actually Spud yup did notice the girl, at one stage I was playing this you tube song non-stop all day....it soooooo took over my mind eerrrr not hard to do really

[Leithal Dame]

No competition really. Thx for uploading the Shannon version GluttonMutton. I wasn't watching Idol from its inception so didn't experience Shannon or Guy. I'm a dyed in the wool Damienite but that's only because he's the best singer/songwriter/performer/sexy/lovely/intelligent/fabulous man.

[princess1]

I love the way Damien does this song, I wish it had been included on The Winners Journey CD.

[Nuffy]

princess1 said:

I love the way Damien does this song, I wish it had been included on The Winners Journey CD.

Thanks gluttonmutton (love the name ) for the links. Shannon doesn't match Damien's quality. But I say, good luck to him and hopes he keeps making the most of whatever range he has. Damein and Shannon aren't targeting the exact same audience anyway.
And i agree, Princess, skipping that and High & Dry was also a mystery to me.
By the time Damien sang With or Without You I already knew who I was looking forward to watching each week.

[shimmery]

Thanks for bringing back this thread again, I don't know how I missed it!

I have always watched Idol and didn't remember Shannon had sung With or Without you! Damien's version was great on Idol, but since then I've seen him sing it live a couple of times and when he can let loose with the audience with the full version - OMG - it's amazing with Damien feeding off a big crowd energy as well.

I always get nervous whenever I hear anyone cover a U2 song, because they are so iconic - but with Damien's voice and interpretations those iconic songs are in safe hands and I don't worry with him, just enjoy seeing what he will do with it!

[thebraff (Braffy)]

Wow! Thanks for both of those links. I just watched them both and Damien totally nailed it. Shannon's rendition I thought was quite ordinary. Some parts of it I thought were good and others, well,

[princess1]

thebraff said:

Wow! Thanks for both of those links. I just watched them both and Damien totally nailed it. Shannon's rendition I thought was quite ordinary. Some parts of it I thought were good and others, well,

I agree Braffy, Shannon's version was nothing compared to Damien's