This song is about Bono's character the Fly, a parody of himself.
First let's clear up what "kill me." It's the "little death," that is orgasm. So the entire thing of "hold me thrill me kiss me kill me" means "let's have sex and go all the way."
Of course there's a double meaning too. The double meaning is that being a rock star with all the celebrity, status, money, fame and glory is like sex but it destroys who you are and kills you. The final climax of rock star status is death- Holly, Valens, Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, Croce, Presley, Moon, Bonham, Lennon, Nelson, Wood, Cobain, Hoon, Hutchence, Staley. It's the very fan who give the adulation to the star (sex) who also destroy the star by either shooting them, driving them to drink/drugs to escape the madness or forcing them to fly in bad weather to make touring dates.
Now let's look at the verses.
A rock star, like the Fly, doesn't really create his own stuff, he steals it from others, who in turn stole it from others. That's the stealing from thieves. He's been caught but instead of getting in trouble he gets rich and famous- he's in the spotlight and it's a big limo coming to get him.
Rock stars like the Fly are as much about fashion as music and that means often dressing in glam and makeup like a girl, his sister. Tarting up. The music and show get confusing to some, they don't understand it. But if the rock star is big enough it doesn't matter, the more strange (like putting a big TV behind the stage and showing random things on it) it is, the more it gets labeled "art." But he's not really happy in all this. He's a headache and he's always on tour, so he's a headache in a suitcase- that's what a star.
This all happens fast once it happens, you go from being a serious musician trying to create meaningful music to some fabuluous celebrity at parties with hanger ons and all sorts of hype and the star doesn't really know how he got there, but he wants out of the fluff, hype, spotlight and back into something more real. But he's ambivalent he's not sure if really wants to give up or not. Plus he's not sure if he deserves it or not, after all he just stole it all from earlier artists. Part of him believes in himself, "I am a rock god." Part of his doesn't. He's a big smash but being a big smash isn't a good thing, it's more like a rash on the skin that itches and won't go away. He shouldn't scratch it, but he can't help it, it feels so good to scratch it.
With Bono, that is the Fly, there's more to this rock star status than with others because Bono began as a religious rock star, people even though U2 were a Christian Band and one of their first hits was a worship song called "Gloria." Bono was and is a serious humanitarian, almost preachy it times in his social concerns. In Rattle & Hum he is preaching about South Africa before "Silver and Gold" and realizes he's going to far and has to stop himself with "I didn't mean to bug ya." So that means that not only do the fans want him to be the star, they want him to be a religious figure. They want him to be like Jesus, they want him to go down on one knee and pray at concerts, like he used to do with "Help," slowing it down and making it a prayer to God for help. But religious folk can be just as fickle as anyone and they want their leaders to be martyrs. They turned on Jesus and killed, crucified, him at 33. But when they turn on rock stars they just want to leave the show and get their money back. In realizing all this, Bono admits that what's he does with his religiosity as a rock star is pimp it- he's turning tricks with his crucifix.
This song is very much a critical put down of his own persona, which he dubbed the Fly in Achtung Baby. In the video the cartoon Bono is often the Fly, he's also the Devil, who is both criticing him and at the same time seducing him into the excess of rock star status.
Batman? Well, is all this true of Bruce Wayne too? Is Bono the rock star a good guy or a bad guy? Is he a thieving tart or Jesus? Well, is Batman a noble figure trying to hold back the darkness or is he psychopath who created his villains when he donned a mask himself? The song seems to indicate he's both.
"You don't have to go blind" is part of the call to have sex. Don't be shy, come have sex with me. The alternative to having sex with me is masturbation all alone and the old adage is that you go blind from that. So you don't have to be blind is a way of saying you don't have to deny sex with others, which then is a parallel to the later chorus where he says you don't have to deny love
"You don't have to go blind" is part of the call to have sex. Don't be shy, come have sex with me. The alternative to having sex with me is masturbation all alone and the old adage is that you go blind from that. So you don't have to be blind is a way of saying you don't have to deny sex with others, which then is a parallel to the later chorus where he says you don't have to deny love
This song is about Bono's character the Fly, a parody of himself.
First let's clear up what "kill me." It's the "little death," that is orgasm. So the entire thing of "hold me thrill me kiss me kill me" means "let's have sex and go all the way."
Of course there's a double meaning too. The double meaning is that being a rock star with all the celebrity, status, money, fame and glory is like sex but it destroys who you are and kills you. The final climax of rock star status is death- Holly, Valens, Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, Croce, Presley, Moon, Bonham, Lennon, Nelson, Wood, Cobain, Hoon, Hutchence, Staley. It's the very fan who give the adulation to the star (sex) who also destroy the star by either shooting them, driving them to drink/drugs to escape the madness or forcing them to fly in bad weather to make touring dates.
Now let's look at the verses.
A rock star, like the Fly, doesn't really create his own stuff, he steals it from others, who in turn stole it from others. That's the stealing from thieves. He's been caught but instead of getting in trouble he gets rich and famous- he's in the spotlight and it's a big limo coming to get him.
Rock stars like the Fly are as much about fashion as music and that means often dressing in glam and makeup like a girl, his sister. Tarting up. The music and show get confusing to some, they don't understand it. But if the rock star is big enough it doesn't matter, the more strange (like putting a big TV behind the stage and showing random things on it) it is, the more it gets labeled "art." But he's not really happy in all this. He's a headache and he's always on tour, so he's a headache in a suitcase- that's what a star.
This all happens fast once it happens, you go from being a serious musician trying to create meaningful music to some fabuluous celebrity at parties with hanger ons and all sorts of hype and the star doesn't really know how he got there, but he wants out of the fluff, hype, spotlight and back into something more real. But he's ambivalent he's not sure if really wants to give up or not. Plus he's not sure if he deserves it or not, after all he just stole it all from earlier artists. Part of him believes in himself, "I am a rock god." Part of his doesn't. He's a big smash but being a big smash isn't a good thing, it's more like a rash on the skin that itches and won't go away. He shouldn't scratch it, but he can't help it, it feels so good to scratch it.
With Bono, that is the Fly, there's more to this rock star status than with others because Bono began as a religious rock star, people even though U2 were a Christian Band and one of their first hits was a worship song called "Gloria." Bono was and is a serious humanitarian, almost preachy it times in his social concerns. In Rattle & Hum he is preaching about South Africa before "Silver and Gold" and realizes he's going to far and has to stop himself with "I didn't mean to bug ya." So that means that not only do the fans want him to be the star, they want him to be a religious figure. They want him to be like Jesus, they want him to go down on one knee and pray at concerts, like he used to do with "Help," slowing it down and making it a prayer to God for help. But religious folk can be just as fickle as anyone and they want their leaders to be martyrs. They turned on Jesus and killed, crucified, him at 33. But when they turn on rock stars they just want to leave the show and get their money back. In realizing all this, Bono admits that what's he does with his religiosity as a rock star is pimp it- he's turning tricks with his crucifix.
This song is very much a critical put down of his own persona, which he dubbed the Fly in Achtung Baby. In the video the cartoon Bono is often the Fly, he's also the Devil, who is both criticing him and at the same time seducing him into the excess of rock star status.
Batman? Well, is all this true of Bruce Wayne too? Is Bono the rock star a good guy or a bad guy? Is he a thieving tart or Jesus? Well, is Batman a noble figure trying to hold back the darkness or is he psychopath who created his villains when he donned a mask himself? The song seems to indicate he's both.
Oh I left something out.
Oh I left something out.
"You don't have to go blind" is part of the call to have sex. Don't be shy, come have sex with me. The alternative to having sex with me is masturbation all alone and the old adage is that you go blind from that. So you don't have to be blind is a way of saying you don't have to deny sex with others, which then is a parallel to the later chorus where he says you don't have to deny love
"You don't have to go blind" is part of the call to have sex. Don't be shy, come have sex with me. The alternative to having sex with me is masturbation all alone and the old adage is that you go blind from that. So you don't have to be blind is a way of saying you don't have to deny sex with others, which then is a parallel to the later chorus where he says you don't have to deny love