[1] "The Fly" introduced a more abrasive-sounding U2, as the song featured danceable hip-hop beats, industrial textures, distorted vocals, and an elaborate guitar solo.

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.

The song and its video were also a showcase for "The Fly", a persona that Bono adopted 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.

He recalled that during the recording sessions, Fintan Fitzgerald, in charge of the band's wardrobe, found a 1970s pair of wraparound blaxploitation sunglasses.

[7] The band ended up taking the song's mix, placing it on a two-inch multi-track tape, and adding additional vocals and guitars.

[7] The Edge says the technique would "make studio professionals laugh" and believes "part of the reason why [the song] sounds so dynamic is because it was a real hands-on performance mix.

[7] Bassist Adam Clayton mentioned that "at that time, it was impossible to know whether U2 fans would follow Bono down this particular path, so [the song] was a real leap of faith.

[5] Bono sings part of the chorus in a falsetto, utilising what he calls the "Fat Lady" voice, which he also uses on the songs "Lemon" and "Numb".

When the covers to "The Fly", and the album's other singles, "Even Better Than the Real Thing", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", and "Mysterious Ways", are arranged, a picture of the band members driving a Trabant is formed.

"[17] Furthermore, she noted that Bono was "acknowledging his own potential for hypocrisy and inadequacy" with lyrics such as "Every artist is a cannibal / Every poet is a thief" and that he sounded humbler and more vulnerable.

"[18] The publication also highlighted Bono's dynamic range of vocals in the song, pointing out that he "juxtaposes a whisper, a chant and a sweet falsetto to contrast cynicism and glimmers of hope.

"[18] The Austin Chronicle called the song an "exhilarating rush",[19] while Steve Morse of The Boston Globe said the album "follows the lead" of "The Fly" with a heavier, more industrial-influenced sound.

He described the character's outfit as having Lou Reed's glasses, Elvis Presley's jacket, and Jim Morrison's leather pants.

[28][29] For performances of the song during Zoo TV, the video monitors flashed a rapidly changing array of textual words and aphorisms.

Some of these included "Taste is the enemy of art", "Religion is a club", "Ignorance is bliss", "Watch more TV", "Believe" with letters fading out to leave "lie", and "Everything you know is wrong".

[30] Describing the visuals, the Edge said, "'The Fly' is information meltdown—text, sayings, truisms, untruisms, oxymorons, soothsayings, etc., all blasted at high speed, just fast enough so it's impossible to actually read what's being said.

Edge used a Line 6 Variax 700 Acoustic (custom painted to match the tour's red and black colour scheme) and Bono used his signature guitar, the Gretsch Irish Falcon.

Larry Mullen Jr. also changed the drum beat to the song on this tour, involving more use of the hi-hat cymbal and snare as opposed to the heavy use of the tom rack on past versions.

On the Innocence + Experience Tour, the song was not performed by the band, but rather the Gavin Friday remix version with Bono's original vocals was played over the PA system during the intermission between the first and second halves of the main set.

The song was resurrected in full form (but without Bono's rhythm guitar) on the Experience + Innocence Tour, starting with the 15 October 2018 concert in Milan, Italy.

Performances utilised a presentation similar to the one from the Zoo TV Tour, with a barrage of rapidly flashing words and aphorisms displaying on the venue's LED screen that recalled the work of Jenny Holzer.

At the song's midpoint, seven-segment digital letters and numbers in a rainbow of colors slowly began to fill up the entire screen from bottom to top, before the ceiling appeared to fall towards the audience.