Uno, dos, tres, catorce

[laoghaire]

Guys, IT MAKES SENSE.

1² + 2² + 3² = 14

You're welcome.

[hollywoodswag]

^This man is a genius!

[Tortuga]

Guys, IT MAKES SENSE.

1² + 2² + 3² = 14

You're welcome.

What???


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[JFW]

Haha, nice!

I guess 'catorce' is one pf U2's best jokes

[Tortuga]

Is anyone going to explain the joke to me?


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[laoghaire]

It's not much of a joke, really.

So we have the intro to Vertigo: uno, dos, tres, catorce. Spanish for one, two, three, fourteen. So the big question is, why does Bono say fourteen (catorce) instead of four (cuatro)?

In the above equation, if you add the squares of one (1), two (4), and three (9), you get fourteen. So ostensibly the lyric could be explained by this somewhat convoluted relationship between the numbers.

Of course, I don't actually believe this is the reason for the lyric but thought it was amusing.

Full disclosure: I did not come up with this myself, saw a YT comment and was tickled by it.

[Tortuga]

I was trying to figure out how the sum of 12, 22, and 32 was 14.  In case you care, squares are notated with ^.

1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 = 14

So did everyone else responding get what you meant or were they just acting like they did?  I should have figured it out.


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[laoghaire]

I used the superscript tag for the squares but maybe your browser isn't displaying them accordingly.

[Tortuga]

I used the superscript tag for the squares but maybe your browser isn't displaying them accordingly.

Ahhh.... Tapatalk &@$%!!!


At least its less of a mystery why I’m the only one who didn’t get it.

[JFW]

I used the superscript tag for the squares but maybe your browser isn't displaying them accordingly.

Ahhh.... Tapatalk &@$%!!!


At least its less of a mystery why I’m the only one who didn’t get it.

so maybe this is the best joke 

Is it ever revealed why he says catorce? Or is Bono just lame and made a mistake a la 'early morning april 4th'?

[GoldenStateGirl]

I love it! #teachernerd

[laoghaire]

I used the superscript tag for the squares but maybe your browser isn't displaying them accordingly.

Ahhh.... Tapatalk &@$%!!!


At least its less of a mystery why I’m the only one who didn’t get it.

so maybe this is the best joke 

Is it ever revealed why he says catorce? Or is Bono just lame and made a mistake a la 'early morning april 4th'?

Who even knows, but I really doubt it was a mistake (I know "early morning" was).

It seems like a little joke to me, a wink. And it fits his optimistic personality. And he is really really really not dumb.

[hollywoodswag]

In U2 By U2, Bono said that there may have been alcohol involved, haha.

[u2music]

Wiki says this:

At the beginning of the song, Bono counts off in Spanish "Unos, dos, tres, catorce!" In English, this translates to "some, two, three, fourteen!" When asked about this oddity in an interview for Rolling Stone, Bono replied "there may have been some alcohol involved". Some sources have suggested that as the first words spoken on the album, the lyrical choice was a deliberate nod to Exodus 3:14 (the first Testament (Old) of the Christian Bible, second book, third chapter, fourteenth verse), whereby after Moses asks God's name, God responds "I Am that I Am". This theory is supported by the fact the final track on the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album is titled "Yahweh", another name for the Abrahamic god.

[Luzita]

Wiki says this:

At the beginning of the song, Bono counts off in Spanish "Unos, dos, tres, catorce!" In English, this translates to "some, two, three, fourteen!" When asked about this oddity in an interview for Rolling Stone, Bono replied "there may have been some alcohol involved". Some sources have suggested that as the first words spoken on the album, the lyrical choice was a deliberate nod to Exodus 3:14 (the first Testament (Old) of the Christian Bible, second book, third chapter, fourteenth verse), whereby after Moses asks God's name, God responds "I Am that I Am". This theory is supported by the fact the final track on the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album is titled "Yahweh", another name for the Abrahamic god.

I agree it’s not a mistake. I always thought the “catorce” was just an indication of disorientation — vertigo. The idea of the Biblical reference is interesting though. I wouldn’t put it past Bono.


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