You shine like a burning star...

[baker6621]

Someone help me out to find out what


"The Fly"


really means.

What does it mean to you? What does it mean to Bono? Why is this song so damn good?

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"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, live like there is no tomorrow, dance like no one is watching." --Bono

"The only limits are the limits of our imagination. Dream up the kind of world you want to live in. Dream out loud. At high VOLUME".

 

[Zoocifer]

Well, today while driving home from school - I put in Achtung Baby and listened to "The Fly" 3 times in a row (don't know why). This is the song that got me to like U2 and it still remains one of my all-time favourites. I love how they distorted Bono's voice in a way where you don't know where Bono starts and the Fly end, or where the Fly starts, and Bono ends. Also the total contradiction of the 'fat-lady gospel' behind the distorted vocal is just amazing.

I've never actually thought of the song as a tune about broken relationships - I always thought of it is a man, on the edge of lunacy. Haven't you ever gotten to the point where all you want to do is scream out the (sometimes brutal) truth ? I can picture this man. Sitting there, smoking a cigarette, talking about love, lust, life, God, and little things that seem to become important. Probably one of the most cynical songs Bono has ever written. When you listen to the verse:

every artist is a cannibal
every poet is a thief
all kill their inspiration
to sing about their grief

You can almost see him with a grin full of cynism. Ah, I love it. I can just listen to it over and over.

Also ... I believe "Beautiful Day" marked the return of the Fly character. It's like the Fly emerged out of the rubble and took off the shades.

~Zoo~

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" They had the Vision, but we had the Television " - The Edge

" The greatest lesson you'll ever learn - is to love, and be loved in return" - David Bowie

"Hey John Lennon ! We don't need your help." - Bono

 

[ACROB@T]

The song that got me into U2 as well...for all its critics it converted a fair few fans than has been recognised..the part that really caught my attention was the fat lady voice (unaware that this was Bono back then), it had a really magical, distant feel to it and almost release everytime after Bono had growled his burst of lyrics out..plus it contains hands down for me Edge's best guitar work fullstop! not just the solo but the entire song, little details hidden in and around his distorted wah..and the video kicks ass!!! the most complete and yet often never looked at package U2 have delivered




[This message has been edited by ACROB@T (edited 10-03-2001).]

 

[baker6621]

Wow great analysis, what a cool webpage Olive. Thanks for the responses. Is it just me or did the elevation intro to the fly kick ass? I just loved it.

The best was Torino...

"You blow me away.....Torino you blow me away"

"Walk out of the stadium, lights go down, everything changes"

"I'm gonna ride on your emotions"...

"You feel the night take you away....you take me away".

Dammit I just love the first minute of the Torino Fly! Actually I love the whole thing.

------------------
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, live like there is no tomorrow, dance like no one is watching." --Bono

"The only limits are the limits of our imagination. Dream up the kind of world you want to live in. Dream out loud. At high VOLUME".

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

Originally posted by baker6621:
Is it just me or did the elevation intro to the fly kick ass? I just loved it.

No, it's not just you! I was just reminded of how brilliant the opening to "The Fly" was this time around... ahhh I can't wait to experience that again!

As for what it means, what Zoocifer said sounded very nice--with all the aphorisms throughout I can see that scenario clearly.

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"Swallows must have their feet kept on the ground or their egos will expand further than this forum..."
-ACROB@T

 

[Hawkfire]

I love the opening 1.30 of the Fly on the Elevation tour - absolutely one of the top highlights!!

In particular, I finally got around to committing the Hartford show to CD and the Fly is incredible, Bono shouts something to the effect of "and you can have it all, you can HAVE IT ALL, and love...you shine like a burning star" Take my word - it's an incredible version.

 

[SkeeK]

Someone on this forum (can't remember who) posted a LONG time ago about what s/he envisioned fly being about, based on the lines "look i gotta go/yeah i'm running out of change/there's a lot of things/if i could not rearrange"

The gist was basically that the fly has landed in hell or prison or some place that is "out of society" connected only by one phone call he screams the paranoid truths he has discovered to whoever is on the other end of the line. like some sort of otherworldly prophet.

I always liked that idea.

 

[zooropamanda]

The Fly was definitely the tour old song highlight. That set with MW leading into the unbelievable reworked Fly was awesome.

I went crazy in the heart during it. Edge was like a madman. It was so awesome!!!! ahhh I cant get enough of this band.

Somebody slap me

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"I'm a brat and I know everything"

 

[U2girl]

i always saw this in "the Fly":

- it speaks of a broken relationship (like most of AB) "we're falling from the sky" "it's no secret that our world is in darkness tonight" "you know i don't see you when she walks in the room" "it's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest" "if i could i'd rearrange"
- it mocks the stardom, and has self-doubt element "it's no secret that the stars are falling from the sky" "every artist is a thief, every poet is a cannibal, all kill their inspiration then sing about their grief" "it's no secret ambition bites the nails of success" "a man will fall on the sheer face of love"

[This message has been edited by U2girl (edited 10-03-2001).]

 

[oliveu2cm]

Baker6621,

I posted earlier this analysis my friend and I did about the sun and the moon on Achtung Baby and how Bono is torn between the two throughout the album and even continuing into Pop.

It is a long analysis but very indepth and insightful, I believe. The Fly's interpretation is included on that- it's really quite amazing. For easy reading I posted it on my website, you can check it out here: www.u2takemehigher.com/moon.html

i hope you enjoy this! let me know what you think!

------------------
Take me to that twilight land

Go baby! -->* www.u2takemehigher.com *<--All New!

 

[baker6621]

Hawkfire, I went to Hartford and have been looking for a CD for months! D you havethe full show? Any chance you can copy it? Thanks so much...Hartford was awesome.

------------------
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, live like there is no tomorrow, dance like no one is watching." --Bono

"The only limits are the limits of our imagination. Dream up the kind of world you want to live in. Dream out loud. At high VOLUME".

 

[sweetest_thing]

The intro to The Fly on the Elevation tour was one of the most creative and poetic parts of the concert. I have recordings from many different cities on CD and it is really interesting to see how he changed the intro to The Fly...sometimes entirely, sometimes partly...from city to city. I really loved the intro he did for MSG #1 in NY"

You walk into a sports hall...lights go down, everything changes..
Light and motion, light and motion
Over there in the corner, light and motion
You turn the light on the motion
You turn the light on emotion
Cause we can have it all..we can have it all
And love shines like the burning stars falling from the sky tonight...
Love shines like the burning starts falling from the sky...tonight...
(Launch into opening)

It was pure inspiration and the Garden was silent as a tomb during this intro.

 

[oliveu2cm]

Originally posted by baker6621:
Wow great analysis, what a cool webpage Olive. Thanks for the responses. Is it just me or did the elevation intro to the fly kick ass? I just loved it.

The Fly was spectacular during Elevation. it was actually a surprise to me (i'd been avoiding reading anything about the shows). So when B started singing so softly I was frozen, I couldn't move and I couldn't breath- I thought at first he was singing a brand new song and it was sooo beautiful. Then he did the "swoooooooooosh" sound that I love and Edge crashed in- Edge definitely stole the show on that song. CRAZY awesome. But that new intro- it was definitely a high moment and one I won't forget.

A cool one I heard was when Bono was in Paris for his daughter Eve's birthday and talks about her, how he's gonna love this girl forever.

Bono himself has always said about the Fly, "It's this guy calling from hell. but guess what- he likes it there" (paraphrasing). Just a really f-ed up character, over the edge and really living the lines "to touch and to feel to taste as much as a man can before he repents" from The Wanderer.

Now, though, with The Fly transformed, Bono sees him as a desperate, pathetic character who really f-ed himself over. "what you thought was freedom was just greed". It's quite amazing.

Glad you liked the analysis VelvetDress & I did. It surprised even us! And also glad you liked the new webpage

put a lot of work into it, it's a "work in progress"

------------------
Take me to that twilight land

Go baby! -->* www.u2takemehigher.com *<--All New!