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About This Track
“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 number-one single in the UK and was successful among alternative rock radio audiences.
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.
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 number-one single in the UK and was successful among alternative rock radio audiences.
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.
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Albums featuring this track
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Achtung Baby
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Greatest Hits
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The Total Thing (disc 1)
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All The Best
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Shouts
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felipecgo wrote:
mas que solo é esse que isso
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hollins48 wrote:
1 of my favs from u2 and from there 2nd best album achtung baby only war better.
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albertrose wrote:
this song is legendary good. and i stopped liking u2 in the late 90s.
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wiwaU2 wrote:
jaaaa ... einfach Spitze :-)
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Newborn_Bantam wrote:
After seeing this live at Glasto, it has become my favourite U2 song
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heavner72 wrote:
!!!
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RichXTuta wrote:
best lyrics EVER imo.
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YoungHeretic wrote:
The Edge at his best.
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clarky212 wrote:
'look i gotta go.......am runnin outta change'
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meerkatboy13 wrote:
has to be my favorite U2 song, the Edge's solo is just amazing [2]
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damar47 wrote:
amazing guitar solo
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bistec54 wrote:
el 25 de Marzo 2011 voy al recital de U2, 360 grados, en Chile¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿
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mani5984 wrote:
has to be my favorite U2 song, the Edge's solo is just amazing
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MaryForsberg wrote:
U2 зарабатывают 130 млн. $ в год и являются на сегодняшний день самой высокооплачиваемой группой
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floydianslip313 wrote:
The ZooTV live footage of this is amazing. These guys take stagecraft to a whole new level for rock.
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dizel760 wrote:
its been a few years since i played this.
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Ssuper_freakK wrote:
First time when I heard this song... there is something like 'every poet is a thief' and I thought he sings 'every POLE is a thief'... and my face looked like 'HAHHAHAHAHAHA'. xDD
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zombiegorennoir wrote:
lmao this soooong.
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MightyShane2 wrote:
Not sure if it fits the 90,s dance tag but great song anyways
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JamesDybleOasis wrote:
That guitar sound is incredible
Track Stats
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163,516 Listeners
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