Is It Getting Better ...

"One" may very well be U2's most-famous song, and maybe it's because of that that the song stirs up quite a lot of debate in the U2 fan community. Since its live debut in the early 1990s, the song has been a concert mainstay and the moment when concertgoers grab their lighters or cell phones to light up the night sky if they love the song, or just wait for the whole thing to be over if they don't.

I do love this song, quite a bit, actually, but I can see how easy it would be for some people to be over it. It is one of the few U2 songs that gets any real radio play anymore, which is so absurd considering this comes from a band with well over 500 songs to its credit, the worst of which run circles around most of today's biggest pop hits.

For nearly 20 years, "One" has managed to hold on, becoming a pop culture hallmark (as evidenced by that Bank of America version a few years back or "Glee's" cover last season) because it's a fantastic, moving, honest song that speaks to people in bad times and in good. That's why I love it.

I think Bono has given a different interpretation for the song each time he's interviewed about it. It's definitely about a relationship, but the exact relationship changes, it's either romantic, platonic or familial. I've tended to connect with the song on the family level, thinking of it after run ins with particular family members I have very strained relationships with. The song fits those relationships so perfectly that I've been tempted to send it off those family members, hoping they'd understand what I hear when Bono sings, "Did I ask too much? More than a lot? You gave me nothing, now it's all I got" or, "I can't be holding on to what you've got when all you've got is hurt." I couldn't have said it better myself.

That's my take on it, based completely on my life, my relationships and my experiences. Like all great art, "One's" meaning changes depending on the audience. A song that garners so many different reactions and interpretations can't have just one video, so U2 made three. I think Anton Corbijn's original version shot in Berlin is my favorite, but Phil Joanou's New York City version is also very special, so I share it with you now. Watch, listen, enjoy and find your own connection to "One."