MERGED ---> The Fly ... Bono's tribute to himself? + The best U2 song ever!! The Fly

[An Cat Gav]

Re: The Fly ... Bono's tribute to himself?

When you listen to the Fly and see it live, you think "This song is crude, it's harsh and it's cold."

A part of me, while listening to it tonight, realized that the Fly is a song about what Bono was back in the late 80s. Bono was pretty serious back in the 80s, with his rants here and there and activism. I think when U2 reinvented itself, he chose to reinvent himself.

Bono wrote this song about himself I believe...

But I agree with what you say too, THe whole concept of The Fly and ZOOTV was at least partly about U2 and Bono in particular reinventing himself.
Where once he would have tried to make your heart bleed with words and couplets etc but here he is using throwaway aphorisms to an equally brilliant effect.
My favourite U2 song ever

 

[dietcokeofevil]

God, Devil etc. whether or not they existed, are well out of reach of our declarations on a message board. There are people much smarter than anyone here on both sides of that argument who don't have it figured out either way.

 

[An Cat Gav]

God, Devil etc. whether or not they existed, are well out of reach of our declarations on a message board. There are people much smarter than anyone here on both sides of that argument who don't have it figured out either way.

For Fu#ks sake, I just said that Bono said the song was about a phonecall from the devil to God. Bono said this , so that must be what its about.
I couldnt care less if you or anyone else on here thinks God or the Devil exist.

 

[An Cat Gav]

The Fly is my favourite U2 single. I think its perfect.
However the version on the Boston DVD is almost better than the single!
I didnt think that song could possibly get any better!!

 

[Bonochick]

Also, "The Fly" is a damn great tune, regardless of what it may or may not be trying to say. Why not leave it open to the imagination, y'know?

Well, this forum IS for discussing lyrics...which includes lyric interpretations.

As for the debate about whether or not God and the Devil exist...that stuff is better suited for the Free Your Mind forum.

 

[Carek1230]

Let's face it, Bono created The Fly and he enjoyed performing as this character. I love it

 

[cobl04]

All my friends think U2 are this really pussy pop band, to put it in their words. I just give them the following instructions:

1. Shut up
2. Go and by Achtung Baby or Boston DVD
3. Play The Fly
4. Now tell me U2 are pussy pop bitch!

 

[Earnie Shavers]

I've heard him say it's a phone call from hell, but not the devil himself.
The way I think of it is exactly that. This guy has died and gone to hell. Just like when arrested, he's given his one phone call. He calls someone he loves, his partner I imagine. And as the walls are crumbling around him and his time is almost up, as he is given these last couple of minutes to send his last message to earth, he gets more and more scattered, more confused. He's switching between anger, bitterness, guilt, sorrow, switching between asking for redemption and telling everyone to f*ck off, giving his little life lessons and openly questioning everything. He's being honest, but tricky. He's admitting to all these wrongs and weaknesses, but promising he held love at the highest. I don't think it's a steady message, I think it's deliberately random. Coming from a rushed and nervous place. I literally hear the world cracking and collapsing around him, there's that panic in Edge's guitar. I think it is one of Bono's more honest songs and on Achtung Baby, considering all of it's themes of not only being betrayed, but being the betrayor, the Fly is sort of the centrepiece. I did it, I know it, I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed it, but it takes nothing away from the fact that I love you and put you first. This what humans do.