Reception
Upon the release of Achtung Baby, "Mysterious Ways" received positive reviews from critics. Rolling Stone called it a standout track among the new dance-influenced songs, praising its "ebullient hook and a guitar solo in which the Edge segues from one of his signature bursts of light into an insidious funk riff". Steve Morse of The Boston Globe called it an "exceptional love song (...) with a rapturous chorus" and noted that even though Bono's vocals on the album differ significantly from his previous style, "Mysterious Ways" features him returning to his "yearning self". The New York Times praised the song as the album's best track, commenting that it is "full of rhythmic cross-currents and fuzz-toned murk" and citing it as an example that the band had "taken Bo Diddley and James Brown lessons for its new syncopated dance songs". The Austin Chronicle singled out the song's "conga-laced funk" as one of three moments on the record where U2 have never sounded better. Denise Sullivan of Allmusic praised "Mysterious Ways", saying it is "structured like a gospel chant" and "maintains its deep groove with the assistance of some chunky guitar riffing, a persistent percussive beat, and what sound like spontaneous vocal bursts by Bono in the R&B tradition". In a review of the album's 20th anniversary reissue, Kit O'Toole of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said "Mysterious Ways" exemplified the evolution of the band's sound. In her opinion, despite the song's sonic flourishes, "this departure does not jar longtime fans, as it retains the core of U2—loud, swooping rock guitar, a huge voice, and powerful drums. Quite simply, it's a textbook example of how artists can alter their sound without compromising their essential beliefs." The song finished tied for 25th place on the "Best Singles" list from The Village Voice's 1991 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.
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