The U2 Song That Benefited From Edge’s ‘F This’ Approach

As U2’s lead guitarist, the Edge has contributed to many of rock’s most timeless tracks.

Part of his success can be attributed to a willingness to push the boundaries of his instruments’ sound. During a recent appearance on the Sodajerker podcast, the Edge ruminated about the importance of musical experimentation.

“I think to find really interesting sounds, it’s important to find ways to abuse the technology,” the guitarist explained. “I never think about using effects, you know what I mean? To me, it’s like I want to create an amazing sound and the effects are part of that.”

“Is this sound going to inspire a song? Has this sound got utility for me in U2?” the rocker continued. “And sometimes unorthodox use of the pedal will do it.”

Experimentation Brought ‘The Fly’ to Life

The Edge went on to explain how this approach was successfully used on one of the stand out tracks from 1991’s Achtung Baby.

“I was working on sounds for ‘The Fly’ and I had this Korg Echo [tape delay unit]. I’m looking at it, I’m going, ‘What have I not tried here?’ I said, ‘Well, I’ve not tried messing with the attenuation buttons because that’s a technical thing for like the studio engineers, but I’m going straight into an amplifier. So what would happen if I just use this in a way it’s not designed for?”

READ MORE: U2’s ‘Achtung Baby’: A Track-by-Track Guide

The result was an “incredible sound” that became the distinctive guitar centerpiece of “The Fly”. Released as the album’s first single, the tune reached No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative chart and has remained a staple of the band’s set lists ever since.

“The guitar sound for ‘The Fly’ came from basically saying, ‘F this, I’m just seeing what happens if I just completely do the wrong thing here,’” the Edge affirmed. “So yeah, I think experimentation is a large part of how I approach the instrument.”