The Fly

"The Fly"
Single by U2
from the album Achtung Baby
B-side	"Alex Descends into Hell for a Bottle of Milk / Korova 1"
Released	12 October 1991
Format	CD maxi, Cassette 7" single, 12" maxi
Genre	Alternative rock, alternative dance
Length	4:29
Label	Island
Writer(s)	U2
Producer	Daniel Lanois
U2 singles chronology
"All I Want Is You" (1989) "The Fly" (1991) "Mysterious Ways" (1991)
Music sample "The Fly"

"The Fly" is a song by rock band U2. It is the seventh track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby and was released on 12 October 1991 as the album's first single. "The Fly" introduced a more abrasive sounding U2, as the song featured hip-hop and industrial beats, distorted vocals, and an elaborate guitar solo. Lead vocalist Bono described the single as "the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree,"^[1] due to its departure from the traditional sound that had characterised the band in the 1980s.

Bono described the song's subject as that of a phone call from someone in Hell who enjoys being there and telling the person on the other end of the line what he has learned.^[2] The song and its video were also a showcase for "The Fly", a persona that Bono took on for the Zoo TV Tour, in which he played the part of a stereotypical leather-clad rock star known for wearing large wrap-around sunglasses and strutting around the stage. The song became the band's second #1 single in the UK and was successful among alternative rock radio audiences.

Recording and composition

In 1991, U2 were in Dublin at the seaside mansion "Elsinore" for the second phase of the recording sessions for Achtung Baby.^[3] One song, later released as the B-side "Lady With the Spinning Head", proved troublesome, but it would inspire portions of three separate songs, "The Fly" being one of them, and "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" and "Zoo Station" the other two.^[3] Lead vocalist Bono stated, "One day, [engineer] Flood had a different look in his eye. It started to feel good. We recorded 'The Fly'. Edge's guitar sound was literally like a fly had broken into your brain and was buzzing around."^[3] Described as a "whooshing, industrial, beat-driven" piece^[4], "The Fly" shows a heavier, more abrasive side of U2. The song featured hip-hop beats, distorted vocals, an elaborate guitar solo, and hard industrial edge.^[5]

The song was also a showcase for a persona Bono had invented called "The Fly". Bono recalls that during the recording sessions, Fintan Fitzgerald, in charge of the band's wardrobe, found a 1970s pair of wraparound blaxploitation sunglasses.^[3] Bono would put them on and make everyone laugh whenever they ran into a problem or disagreement.^[3] Bono wrote the lyrics in character as "The Fly", explaining, "I became very interested in these single-line aphorisms. I had been writing them, so I got this character who could say them all, from 'A liar won't believe anybody else' to 'A friend is someone who lets you down,' and that's where 'The Fly' was coming from."^[6] Bono described the song as "a crank call from Hell... but [the caller] likes it there."^[3] Bono sings part of the chorus in a falsetto, utilizing what he calls the "Fat Lady" voice, which he also uses on the songs "Lemon" and "Numb".^[3]

Towards the end of the sessions, the band decided that they were unhappy with the mix to "The Fly", which was selected well in advance of the album's release to be the first single.^[3] The band ended up taking the song's mix, placing it on a two-inch multi-track tape, and adding additional vocals and guitars. The Edge and producer Daniel Lanois mixed on top of the previous mix live in the studio, an unusual practice.^[3] The Edge says the technique would "make studio professionals laugh" and believes "part of the reason why [the song] sounds so dynamic is because it was a real hands-on performance mix."^[3] The guitar sounds in the opening were created by mixing additional guitar on top of the existing guitar, creating a "really crazy natural phasing effect".^[3]

Bassist Adam Clayton mentioned that "at that time, it was impossible to know whether U2 fans would follow Bono down this particular path, so [the song] was a real leap of faith. The whole track is a high-energy sonic barrage but with an angelic chorus. It's a classic example of U2 and Eno interfacing."^[3]

Reception

Upon the release of Achtung Baby, "The Fly" received generally positive remarks from critics. Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone commented that "The Fly" was one of many songs on which The Edge was "crafting harder textures and flashing a new arsenal of effects" and that the song features "grinding riffs that bounce off Adam Clayton's thick bass line and echo and embellish Larry Mullen Jr.'s drumming".^[7] Furthermore, she noted that Bono was "acknowledging his own potential for hypocrisy and inadequacy" with lyrics such as "Every artist is a cannibal / Every poet is a thief" and that he sounded humbler and more vulnerable.^[7] The New York Times praised the song's danceable beat, citing "The Fly" as one example of how it "sounds as if [the band] has taken Bo Diddley and James Brown lessons for its new syncopated dance songs".^[8] The publication also highlighted Bono's dynamic range of vocals in the song, pointing out that he "juxtaposes a whisper, a chant and a sweet falsetto to contrast cynicism and glimmers of hope".^[8] The Austin Chronicle called the song an "exhilarating rush",^[9] while Steve Morse of The Boston Globe said the album "follows the lead" of "The Fly" with a heavier, more industrial-influenced sound.^[10] Entertainment Weekly was less receptive to the song, asserting that it "rocks out but goes overboard with the psychedelic foofooraw".

Underlined by this new direction, "The Fly" became extremely successful among alternative rock audiences, though it struggled to find airtime on pop radio. The song became U2's second #1 single in the UK, following "Desire". It was notable for ending the record breaking 16 week run at the top of the singles chart for Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" but it quickly slid down the chart. In the U.S., it only managed #61 on the Hot 100, a position later surpassed by all the other Achtung Baby singles. Nevertheless, the song was very successful on modern rock radio, reaching the top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart and #2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It debuted at #1 in Australia. It also made #4 on the Dutch Top 40. When the covers to the "The Fly", and the album's other singles, "Even Better Than the Real Thing", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", and "Mysterious Ways", are arranged, a picture of the band members driving a Trabant is formed.

When The Edge was named the 24th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2003, "The Fly" was dubbed his essential recording.

Live performances

On the Zoo TV Tour, Edge used an Eric Clapton Stratocaster, accompanied by Bono on a Gibson ES-175. This version included many effects from The Edge, including wah and distortion. These performances included subliminal messages flashing on screen as the band played, often in unison with the pace of the song. The Edge would sing the falsetto part of the chorus, including the part over his guitar solo.

The song was not played on the PopMart Tour, although it was snippetted several times on versions of "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Discothèque" [1].

The Fly, left, Bono's persona introduced in the song's music video

The version from the Elevation Tour, featured just The Edge on a Gibson Les Paul Custom playing in a lower key with less wah. Bono did not play guitar on these versions, as he usually performed on the heart-shaped stage in the audience. This version is also notable for its added introduction with Bono singing new lyrics over only Edge's arpeggioed chords. His new lyrics would then involve him reciting parts of the chorus of the song. The Edge did not sing in falsetto during the chorus as he has done on the versions from other tours. This tour also included the first extending ending of the song. The band felt that, while the song was good, they hadn't gotten it exactly right. David Bowie told them, upon hearing it, that it needed to be re-recorded. Bono has also said, "It took us fifteen years to really get it right live," assumingly meaning that the intended product is the version played on the Vertigo Tour.

For the Vertigo Tour, "The Fly" was played during the Zoo TV-themed encore, and was often re-paired with "Zoo Station" as on Zoo TV. Edge used a Line 6 Variax 700 Acoustic (custom painted to match the tour's red and black color scheme) and Bono used his signature guitar, the Gretsch Irish Falcon. Larry Mullen also changed the drum beat to the song on this tour, involving more use of the hi-hat cymbal and snare as opposed to the heavy use of the tom rack on past versions. The Edge again used the extended outro to the song, and Bono often snippeted the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" as well as other songs over the outro. The subliminal messages played on the LEDs (though using new, original messages) invoked nostalgia of the Zoo TV Tour.

The song is featured on the Zoo TV: Live from Sydney, Elevation 2001: Live from Boston, and Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago live DVDs.

Music video

The promotional video was the first appearance of The Fly character and displayed the band's "new look". The song was promoted with a music video directed by Ritchie Smythe and Jon Klein. Smythe's contribution was a basic performance video, relying heavily on unfocused, fast, wandering takes. Klein's part featured only Bono sitting in a chair with a remote control, facing a wall with several TV sets. The intro to the video, also filmed by Klein, featured a small portion of the "Lounge Fly Mix", with Bono running in the streets in his "Fly" costume.

The video appears on the DVD for The Best of 1990-2000, along with the directors' commentaries.

Alternate versions

There are four released versions of this song:

• The album version, which appears on Achtung Baby and some editions of The Best of 1990-2000.
• "The Lounge Fly Mix", which appears as a B-side on the single. This is an alternate take of "The Fly", featuring different lyrics and a more dance-oriented, trip-hop sound. A snippet of this version is played over the intro of the music video to "The Fly".
• A live performance from Manchester, England in 19 June 1992 for the Stop Sellafield concert. This was released as a B-Side on the "City of Blinding Lights" single. It is also available on the second disc of the Zoo TV: Live from Sydney DVD as a bonus track.
• Another live performance from the Vertigo Tour, recorded in Chicago in May 2005, which appears on the U2.COMmunication fan club album. This performance is also available in the Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago concert film.
• A live version of "The Fly" performed during the Elevation Tour which has a minute and a half intro of Bono singing a new verse and the first part of the chorus, with The Edge playing a different guitar riff. This version of the song appears on the concert film Elevation 2001: Live from Boston.

B-sides

The single was backed with the following B-sides:

• "Alex Descends into Hell for a Bottle of Milk / Korova 1" - a music piece by Bono and The Edge, taken from the score for the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "A Clockwork Orange" ^[11]. This was the only part of the score which was officially released. The author of the original book, Anthony Burgess was reportedly very unsatisfied with the soundtrack.^{[citation needed]} This song was also featured on the soundtrack to the movie Johnny Mnemonic.
• "The Lounge Fly Mix"

Track listings

Certifications

Charts

See also

• List of covers of U2 songs - The Fly

References