Editing Adam Clayton (section)

==Musical style==
[[File:U2 performing in Belfast 10-27-18 (31789918068).jpg|thumb|left|Clayton in October 2018]]
Clayton's style of bass guitar playing is noted for what instructor Patrick Pfeiffer called "harmonic [[syncopation]]". With this technique, Clayton plays a consistent rhythm that stresses the [[eighth note]] of each [[bar (music)|bar]], but he "anticipates the [[harmony]] by shifting the [[tonality]]" before the guitar chords do. This gives the music a feeling of "forward motion".<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 243</ref> Initially, Clayton had no formal musical training;<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 30, 34</ref> Bono said of Clayton's early bass playing, "Adam used to pretend he could play bass. He came round and started using words like 'action' and 'fret' and he had us baffled. He had the only amplifier, so we never argued with him. We thought this guy must be a musician; he knows what he's talking about. And then one day, we discovered he wasn't playing the right notes. That's what's wrong, y'know?"<ref>{{cite magazine|title=U2: Kings of the Celtic Fringe|magazine=[[NME]]|first=Gavin|last=Martin|date=14 February 1981}}</ref> In the band's early years, Clayton generally played simple bass parts in [[4/4 time|{{music|time|4|4}} time]] consisting of steady eighth notes emphasising the [[Root (chord)|roots]] of [[Chord (music)|chord]]s.<ref name="bassplayer-dec00">{{cite magazine|title=Reluctant Rock Star: How U2's Adam Clayton Learned to Play – and Conquer the World Onstage |magazine=[[Bass Player (magazine)|Bass Player]]|first=Gregory|last=Isola|date=December 2000 |volume=11|issue=12|pages=54+}}</ref> Over time, he incorporated influences from [[Motown#Motown sound|Motown]] and [[reggae]] into his playing style, and as he became a better timekeeper, his playing became more melodic.<ref name="bassplayer-dec00"/> Author [[Bill Flanagan]] said that he "often plays with the swollen, vibrating bottom sound of a Jamaican [[Dub music|dub]] bassist, covering the most sonic space with the smallest number of notes". Flanagan said that Clayton's playing style perfectly reflected his personality: "Adam plays a little behind the beat, waiting till the last moment to slip in, which fits Adam's casual, don't-sweat-it personality."<ref>Flanagan (1996), pp. 208–209</ref>

Clayton relies on his own instincts when developing [[bassline]]s, deciding whether to follow the chord progressions of the guitars or play a [[counter-melody]], and when to play an [[octave]] higher or lower.<ref name="bp-groundcontrol">{{cite magazine|title=U2's Ground Control|magazine=[[Bass Player (magazine)|Bass Player]]|first=Brian|last=Fox|date=January 2006|volume=17|issue=1|pages=34–41, 43}}</ref> He cites bassists such as [[Paul Simonon]], [[Bruce Foxton]], [[Peter Hook]], [[Jean-Jacques Burnel]],<ref name="bassplayer-dec00"/> and [[James Jamerson]] as major influences on him.<ref name="soundtrack-of-life">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/22/adam-clayton-u2-soundtrack-of-my-life|title=Adam Clayton: Soundtrack of my life|website=[[The Guardian]]|last=Grundy |first=Gareth |date=22 May 2011|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> He credits Jacques Burnel for his choice of instrument, saying that upon hearing his bass guitar playing in [[the Stranglers]]' song "Hanging Around", Clayton "immediately [knew] it was going to be the instrument for [him]".<ref name="soundtrack-of-life"/> Describing his role in U2's rhythm section with drummer [[Larry Mullen Jr.]], Clayton said, "Larry's drums have always told me what to play, and then the chords tell me where to go".<ref name="bassplayer-dec00"/> One of Clayton's most recognisable basslines is from "[[New Year's Day (U2 song)|New Year's Day]]", which was borne out of an attempt to play [[Visage (band)|Visage]]'s song "[[Fade to Grey (Visage song)|Fade to Grey]]".<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 136</ref>

Clayton has sung on some occasions, including on the song "Endless Deep", the B-side to the single "[[Two Hearts Beat as One]]" from 1983. Clayton also sang backup vocals on "[[I Will Follow]]", "Twilight", "[[Trip Through Your Wires]]" and also on some occasions on "With or Without You" and "[[Bullet the Blue Sky]]" during live performances. He also spoke the last verse of "[[Your Blue Room]]". Clayton can be heard speaking on "Tomorrow ('96 Version)" (a rerecording of "[[Tomorrow (U2 song)|Tomorrow]]" that he arranged) a song from U2's 1981 album ''[[October (U2 album)|October]]''.<ref name="bio2">{{cite web|url=http://www.u2online.org/u2-adam.php |title=Adam Clayton Biography |access-date=8 September 2007 |author=U2 Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808045347/http://www.u2online.org/u2-adam.php |archive-date=8 August 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He plays the guitar on a few occasions, most notably the song [["40"]], where he and guitarist [[the Edge]] switch instruments. He also plays the keyboards on "[[City of Blinding Lights]]" and "Iris (Hold Me Close)".