HereвЂ™s what Bono told Propaganda 5 in 1987 вЂњWhere the Streets Have No Name is more like the U2 of old than any of the other songs on the LP, because itвЂ™s a sketch вЂ“ I was just trying to sketch a location, maybe a spiritual location, maybe a romantic location.

In this way, itвЂ™s where the streets have no name. Neighborhood boundaries are divided by religion and wealth, thus by knowing someoneвЂ™s street, you can figure out a lot about them. Bono was told that in Northern Ireland, you can figure out a personвЂ™s religion, income and general beliefs simply by knowing what street they live on. HeвЂ™d rather throw something difficult away and start something new.вЂќ ThereвЂ™s a part of Eno that likes instant gratification. I can remember pointing at a blackboard, walking everybody through the changes like a science teacher. Producer/Engineer, Daniel Lanois, told Mojo magazine in a 2008 interview вЂњIt was a bit of a tongue-twister for the rhythm section, with strange bar lengths that got everybody in a bad mood. Luckily they didnвЂ™t and eventually everything came together. The albumвЂ™s producer, Brian Eno, became so frustrated with the songвЂ™s progress that he instructed his assistants to destroy the taped recordings of this song. The masterful use of guitar effects is a huge part of what defines The EdgeвЂ™s sound and the sound of the band in general. He used a guitar distortion device named вЂInfinite GuitarвЂ™ on this song. This song also helped define The EdgeвЂ™s guitar sound. So you go into a liberation theology church and you see the flight from Egypt will be painted and portrayed, but instead of pharaohs it would be Ronald Reagan.вЂќДЄlthough he had a strong point of view, fans and government officials accepted it because Bono would travel to the places he wrote about and because he took an active role in trying to affect change in the areas that he wrote about. I was interested at the time in liberation theology, which is people reinterpreting Scriptures to their own specific situations. I had not a sophisticated understanding of what was going down, but as a student of nonviolence I had a violent reaction to what I was witnessing. It is Bono railing against the US for their stance on issues facing Central America.Д«ono explained that he had a particular vision in mind when he wrote the lineВ вЂњface red like a rose in a thorn bush,вЂќ At a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit he explained, вЂњHeвЂ™s peeling off those dollar bills, slapping them down вЂ“ paying for the war. This song has a political message, it was written after BonoвЂ™s trip to a war torn section of El Salvador. The song вЂBullet The Blue SkyвЂ™ was a prime example of this.

Richards & Dylan urged Bono to take a look back at the roots of rock music and this inspired his songwriting and lyric writing.Д«ono was also inspired by a variety of political issues when writing lyrics for this album. He encountered Richards and Jagger when taking part in Little Steven Van ZandtвЂ™s Sun City project. But in the right frame of mind, itвЂ™s also a very positive image, because you can actually do something with blank canvas, which is effectively what the desert is.вЂ™Д«ono was also influenced by Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan when it came to writing this album. Most people would take the desert on face value and think itвЂ™s some kind of barren place, which of course is true. The album art for the record actually depicts photos of the desert.ДЄdam Clayton discussed the desert influence in the following way, вЂњThe desert was immensely inspirational to us as a mental image for this record. The band wanted to bring listeners into the fields, deserts and open areas of America. The вЂJoshua TreeвЂ™ album was largely inspired by the bandвЂ™s tours of America. HereвЂ™s a look at the inspiration for some of the songs on this amazing album. Today (3/9) in 1987, U2 released their landmark, вЂJoshua TreeвЂ™ album.

U2 the joshua tree album lyrics