In 1995, U2 was essentially a band in the middle of a massive identity crisis. They’d spent the early nineties tearing up their "earnest rock savior" blueprint with Achtung Baby and Zooropa, but they weren't quite done with the neon and the irony. Then came a call from Joel Schumacher. He was making Batman Forever, a movie that was basically a fever dream of Day-Glo paint and leather. He wanted a song. What he got was Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, a track that sounds like a panic attack in a disco. It’s loud. It’s abrasive. Honestly, it’s one of the best things they’ve ever recorded, even if it often gets buried under the weight of their more "serious" anthems.
Most people remember the video more than the song. You know the one. It had MacPhisto—Bono’s devilish, gold-suited alter ego—fly-fishing for the Batmobile and getting run over by a car while trying to read The Screwtape Letters. It was peak mid-nineties weirdness. But beneath the cartoonish exterior of Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, there’s a surprisingly cynical look at the machinery of fame. It wasn't just a soundtrack tie-in. It was a leftover from the Zooropa sessions that felt too aggressive for the album but perfect for a movie about a billionaire who dresses like a rodent to fight a guy with a question mark obsession.
The Song That Almost Didn't Happen
Actually, the origins of Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me go back further than the Batman soundtrack. During the Zooropa sessions in 1993, the band was experimenting with "The 7" and "Dress Up in the Dark." They were messing with these heavy, glam-rock riffs that felt a bit like T. Rex but with more distortion. The Edge was leaning heavily into this scratchy, industrial guitar sound that defined that era. But the song didn't fit the vibe of the record. It was too "rock" for an album that was trying to be electronic and detached.
So they shelved it.
When the Batman opportunity arose, they pulled it out of the vault and polished it with producers Nellee Hooper and Flood. Hooper, known for his work with Massive Attack and Björk, brought a certain trip-hop grime to the rhythm section. Listen to Adam Clayton’s bass on this track. It’s thick. It’s heavy. It provides the floor for Bono’s vocals, which shift from a conversational mumble to a full-throated scream in the chorus. The title itself is a play on the 1950s classic "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" by Harry Noble, but U2 added the "Kill Me" part because, well, they were being edgy.
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The Lyrics: A Warning About Being a Star
You've got to look at where Bono’s head was at. He was obsessed with the idea of the "star" as a sacrificial lamb. The lyrics are basically a roadmap of how the industry treats talent. "You don't know how you got here / You just know you want out." It’s claustrophobic. He talks about being "a star" and "a big wheel," but the tone is mocking. It’s the sound of a man who spent two years on the Zoo TV tour staring at a giant wall of television screens and realized he couldn't tell what was real anymore.
The bridge is where it gets really dark. "They want you to be a Jesus / They'll go my way for a bit of your time." This is classic U2—blending religious imagery with the grotesque reality of celebrity worship. People often misinterpret the song as a love story because of the title. It’s not. It’s a song about the audience’s hunger to consume the artist until there’s nothing left. "Dress me up like a Halloween mask" isn't a romantic line; it’s a line about losing your soul to a persona.
Why It Worked for Batman
Batman Forever was a mess of a movie, let’s be real. It was a jarring shift from the gothic, moody world Tim Burton created. It was campy. It was loud. It was brightly lit. Somehow, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me captured that exact dissonance. The song is glamorous but decaying. It has these soaring strings—arranged by Craig Armstrong—that feel cinematic and "superhero," but they’re layered over a beat that feels like a dirty alleyway in Gotham. It’s the perfect sonic representation of a character like Bruce Wayne, who is perpetually trapped between his public image and his internal chaos.
The Visual Legacy of MacPhisto
We have to talk about the music video because it’s a masterclass in 1990s animation. Directed by Kevin Godley and Maurice Linnane, it’s a hybrid of traditional animation and live-action footage from the PopMart era and the movie. This was the definitive introduction of the animated "Mr. MacPhisto." He’s the one wearing the platform shoes and the horns, looking like a washed-up Vegas singer who sold his soul for a residency at the Sands.
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The video features the band members as superheroes—The Fly, Mirrorball Man, and MacPhisto. It’s deeply meta. It was U2’s way of saying, "We know this is ridiculous, and we’re leaning into it." It also featured some of the most iconic imagery of the band from that decade, including a giant Bono being chased by a cartoon Bat-Signal. It wasn't just marketing; it was art-pop. It reached #2 on the UK charts and became a staple of MTV, proving that U2 could still dominate the mainstream even when they were being deliberately difficult.
Critical Reception and the "Sellout" Accusations
At the time, some die-hard fans were worried. U2 was the "serious" band that sang about Bloody Sunday and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Suddenly they were doing songs for a movie that featured Jim Carrey in a green spandex suit. Some critics felt the song was too commercial. But listen to it again. It’s actually quite weird for a radio hit. It doesn't follow a standard verse-chorus-verse structure in a clean way; it’s messy and dense.
In retrospect, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me was a bridge. It bridged the gap between the experimental electronics of Zooropa and the over-the-top kitsch of the Pop album that followed in 1997. It showed that U2 wasn't afraid to play in the sandbox of pop culture, even if they were doing it with a smirk on their faces.
Live Performances: From Zoo TV to Experience + Innocence
The song has had a fascinating life on stage. It was a highlight of the PopMart Tour, naturally, given the "supermarket" theme of that run. But then it disappeared for a long time. It felt like a relic of an era the band wanted to move past. Then, during the U2 eXperience + Innocence Tour in 2018, they brought it back in a massive way.
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This time, it was reimagined. They used it as an interlude with a comic-book style video that addressed the rise of the far-right and political instability. It was a reminder that the "Kill Me" part of the title isn't just a metaphor for fame—it’s a metaphor for what happens when society loses its way. The fact that a song written for a Batman movie could be repurposed decades later to comment on global politics tells you everything you need to know about the depth of U2's songwriting.
The Gear and the Sound
If you’re a guitar nerd, this song is a goldmine. The Edge didn't use his signature Stratocaster or Explorer for the main riff. He went for something with more bite. He used a Gibson Les Paul Custom, running it through a series of fuzz pedals to get that "ripping cloth" sound. The heavy use of the wah-wah pedal during the solo isn't just for flair; it’s rhythmic. It fights against the beat.
The production by Flood is also key. He’s the guy who worked with Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode, and you can hear that influence in the percussion. The drums aren't clean; they’re compressed and slightly distorted. It gives the track a sense of urgency that many other U2 songs lack. It’s not "beautiful" in the way "With or Without You" is. It’s ugly, and that’s why it’s great.
How to Appreciate the Song Today
If you want to dive back into this era of U2, don't just stream the song on Spotify and call it a day. You need the full experience. Start by watching the original music video to see the MacPhisto character in his prime. Then, find a high-quality live version from the 1997 Mexico City show. It captures the raw energy of the band when they were still trying to prove they were the biggest rock stars on the planet.
For those looking to understand the technical side, pay attention to the transition between the heavy guitar verses and the orchestral choruses. It’s a masterclass in dynamics. Most bands would have picked one style and stuck with it, but U2 mashed them together. It shouldn't work, but it does.
Actionable Steps for Music Fans:
- Check out the Batman Forever Soundtrack: It’s a weirdly great time capsule featuring PJ Harvey, Method Man, and Mazzy Star. It’s one of the last great "curated" movie soundtracks.
- Listen to the 'Gotham Experience' Remix: For a deeper dive, the 2018 remix of the song offers a cleaner, more modern take on the vocals while keeping the grit of the original.
- Compare it to 'The Fly': Listen to both songs back-to-back. You’ll see how the band evolved their "industrial glam" sound over the course of four years.
- Read 'U2 at the End of the World': Bill Flanagan’s book gives the best behind-the-scenes look at the band during this specific period of creative chaos.
Honestly, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me is the sound of a band having fun while also being terrified of their own success. It’s a tightrope walk. Most bands fall off. U2 just built a bigger tightrope.