Happy Birthday Mate, Enjoy your special day.
“Life was pretty chaotic. I don’t really like that kind of intensity, I don’t like that sort of activity, so whilst I was able to go along with it, I wasn’t really in control, it would be fair to say. Every night was a party, but I don’t think I felt much contentment or peace, that’s for sure. I’d be fine during the day, I’d be fine for the gig but afterwards it was too easy to go out all night or just keep drinking in your room. I was beginning to realize that every time I drank, I couldn’t really be sure of the result. And it always made the next day worse. So I decided to lay off and stop drinking during the final leg of the tour.”
Adam Charles Clayton was born to brian and Jo in Oxfordshire, England on 13th March 1960. At the age of 5 the family moved to Yellow Walls Road in Malahide near Dublin, where sister Sarah and brother Sebastian were born. Adam was sent to St. Columba's boarding school due to the nature of his father's job (RAF pilot) which meant that the family could be called away at very short notice.
As a bass player, Adam Clayton's most recognizable basslines include "New Year's Day", which evolved out of an attempt to play Visage's song "Fade to Grey", and "With or Without You" His style includes Motown and reggae influences.and cites artists such as Paul Simonon of The Clash as influences on his musical style.
When Clayton first joined the fledgling U2, he did not have formal training in the bass. In the band's early years, he generally played simple parts in 4/4 time. 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?"
Clayton has sung on several occasion, 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" during live performances in 1983 and 1984. He also spoke the last verse of "Your Blue Room". Clayton can be heard speaking on "Tomorrow ('96 Version)" (a rerecording of "Tomorrow" that he arranged) a song from U2's 1981 album October.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 keyboard introduction to "City of Blinding Lights".