U2's lead singer Bono wrote the song about the suicide of his close friend Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the band INXS. The song is written in the form of an argument about suicide in which Bono tries to convince Hutchence of the act's foolishness. Bono characterized the song as a fight between friends, which he felt guilty for never having with Hutchence. As Bono said in 2005, "It's a row between mates. You're kinda trying to wake them up out of an idea. In my case it's a row I didn't have while he was alive. I feel the biggest respect I could pay to him was not to write some stupid soppy song, so I wrote a really tough, nasty little number, slapping him around the head. And I'm sorry, but that's how it came out of me."[
Mick Jagger and his daughter Elizabeth recorded backing vocals for the song, although these did not make the final mix.
This version was only broadcast in the United States. An alternative video was released in the rest world due to the fact that American football isn't played professionally outside of the United States.
The music video makes numerous references to U2's past. The football teams are titled the "Flys" and the "Lemons" referring to U2's songs "The Fly" and "Lemon."
The song reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart.