"Mysterious Ways" (U2)

“Mysterious Ways” from U2’s album Achtung Baby (1991) started out as a jam called “Sick Puppy.”  Not much of “Sick Puppy” made it to the final track with the sole exception of Adam Clayton’s funky bassline, which became the throbbing heart and soul of “Mysterious Ways.”   
At first, the band didn’t really know what to do with the bass-heavy groove until lead guitarist David “The Edge” Evans started playing his 1966 Rickenbacker guitar through a Korg A3 pedal on the “Funk Wah” setting.  The gritty, funky sound of the guitar catapulted them in a new direction, and “Mysterious Ways” was born.
Those distorted gulps of guitar over the undulating Berber drums were what first grabbed me years ago.  But it’s really Clayton’s slinky bass, which is pushed up in the mix much more graciously than most modern rock bands would allow, that keeps “Mysterious Ways” and Achtung Baby in my playlist for months at a time.  (And I don't even consider myself a big U2 fan.)