"Where the Streets Have No Name" is the opening track and third single from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. It has become one of the band's most popular songs. Image File history File links U2_streets_single. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Silver and Gold is the eighth track from U2s 1988 album, Rattle and Hum, recorded as a live version. ... For the Juice Newton song, see The Sweetest Thing (Ive Ever Known). ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Childrens gramophone records be merged into this article or section. ... 12 single for U2s Beautiful Day The 12-inch [30 cm] single gramophone record came into existence with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. ... A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. ... Insert from the Winter cassette single by Tori Amos The cassette single was a music recording format that debuted in the 80s. ... Windmill Lane Studios is a recording studio located in Dublin, Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Leinster County: Dáil Éireann: Dublin Central, Dublin North Central, Dublin North East, Dublin North West, Dublin South Central, Dublin South East European Parliament: Dublin Dialling Code: 01, +353 1 Postal District(s): D1-24, D6W Area: 114. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Brian Eno (pronounced ) (born Brian Peter George St. ... Daniel Lanois (born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Québec) is a Canadian record producer and singer-songwriter. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, alternative) stations, which are counted in the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ... U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. ... I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For is the second track U2s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree and was released as the albums second single. ... In Gods Country is the seventh track and fourth single from U2s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For is the second track U2s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree and was released as the albums second single. ... The Best of 1980-1990 is a greatest hits compilation released by Irish rock band U2 in November 1998 (see 1998 in music). ... Bad is the seventh track from U2s 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. ... I Will Follow is a song by the rock band U2 and is the first track on their debut album Boy. ... U218 Singles (originally titled U218) is a compilation by the Irish rock band U2. ... All That You Cant Leave Behind track listing Beautiful Day (1) Stuck in a Moment You Cant Get Out Of (2) Elevation (3) The Best of 1990-2000 track listing Stay (Faraway, So Close!) (7) Stuck in a Moment You Cant Get Out Of (8) Gone (9... For the Juice Newton song, see The Sweetest Thing (Ive Ever Known). ... U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

The song

Recording "Streets"

"Where the Streets Have No Name" had a particularly difficult birth: it was almost rejected by the band, and nearly did not survive until the album's release.[1]

Prior to the recording of The Joshua Tree, The Edge came up with the famous guitar and organ introduction. On presenting the idea to the band, bassist Adam Clayton admits that he "perhaps did not fully appreciate the hours of work that had gone into this idea," feeling in particular that the 6/8 time signature of the introduction seemed less like an inspired idea, and really "just seemed like a good way to mess the band up."^{[citation needed]} Clayton now says the song is a pleasure to perform. The process of joining the intro with the song proper became protracted and difficult. After weeks of working on the song,^{[citation needed]} co-producer Brian Eno reportedly ordered his assistant to destroy the master tape of the song while the band was out of the room, although Eno maintains that he simply wanted to start afresh on the track. Dave Howell Evans (born August 8, 1961 in Barking, East London), more widely known by his moniker The Edge, is the guitarist, keyboardist, primary songwriter, and backing vocalist for the Irish rock band U2. ... Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960 in Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England), is best known as the bass player of the rock band U2. ... Brian Eno (pronounced ) (born Brian Peter George St. ...

Structure

The album version of "Streets" opens with an instrumental section, starting with chorale-like organ notes; the guitar, bass, and drums fade in near the one-minute mark. This part, following a I-IV-I-IV-vi-V-I chord progression, creates a "wall of sound", as described by Mark Butler, against which the vocals finally emerge after nearly two whole minutes.^[1] The instrumentation continues in regular eighth and sixteenth notes, while Bono's vocal performance, in contrast, varies greatly in its timbre, ("he sighs; he moans; he grunts; he exhales audibly; he allows his voice to crack")^[1] as well as timing by his usage of rubato to slightly offset the notes he sings from the beat.^[1] A chorale was originally a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence), as its name implies, is a series of chords played in order. ... In music, timbre, also timber (from Fr. ... Tempo rubato is an Italian musical term for slightly speeding up or slowing down the tempo as well as altering the relationships among the written note values. ...

This development reaches a climax during the first chorus at the line "burning down love" (A-G-F#-D); the melody progresses through a series of scale degrees that lead to the highest note in the song, the A4 at "burning". In later choruses, Bono sings "blown by the wind" with the same melody, stretching the same note even longer. In music theory, a scale degree is the name of a particular note of a scale in relation to the tonic (the first note in the scale). ...

Interpretation

Bono himself also reported that the song was inspired by the social situation in Belfast; in a 1987 interview to Propaganda, the official U2 magazine, Bono stated: WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ...

"'Where the Streets Have No Name' is more like the U2 of old than any of the other songs on the LP, because it’s a sketch — I was just trying to sketch a location, maybe a spiritual location, maybe a romantic location. I was trying to sketch a feeling. I often feel very claustrophobic in a city, a feeling of wanting to break out of that city and a feeling of wanting to go somewhere where the values of the city and the values of our society don’t hold you down. An interesting story that someone told me once is that in Belfast, by what street someone lives on you can tell not only their religion but tell how much money they're making — literally by which side of the road they live on, because the further up the hill the more expensive the houses become. You can almost tell what the people are earning by the name of the street they live on and what side of that street they live on. That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name..."

U2 performs "Where the Streets Have No Name" at Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime Show, February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome

It has been stated that the song was inspired by U2's visit to Nicaragua's capital, Managua, whose streets are unnamed.[2] Image File history File links U2_Super_Bowl. ... Image File history File links U2_Super_Bowl. ... Date February 3, 2002 Stadium Louisiana Superdome City New Orleans, Louisiana MVP Tom Brady, Quarterback (New England) Favorite Rams by 14 National anthem Mariah Carey Coin toss George H. W. Bush and Roger Staubach Referee Bernie Kukar Halftime show U2 Attendance 72,922 TV in the United States Network FOX... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Superdome can stand for: Louisiana Superdome HP Superdome server ... This article is about a city that serves as a center of government and politics. ... Managua, with a population of about 1,617,096 in 2004, is the capital of Nicaragua and largest city of Central America. ...

Live performances

Rooftop performance

The song was first played on the rooftop of the Republic Liquor Store at East 7th Street and South Main Street in Los Angeles on March 27, 1987 in an ad hoc concert. The music video was filmed with footage from this event, including the police shutting the surprise concert down due to traffic concerns. The stunt was viewed as an homage to The Beatles when they played their own rooftop show on the roof of Apple Records. Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State California County Los Angeles County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means for this [purpose]. It generally signifies a solution that has been tailored to a specific purpose, such as a tailor-made suit, a handcrafted network protocol, and specific-purpose equation and things like that. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Apple Records logo, featuring a Granny Smith apple. ...

Concerts

Since its concert introduction, "Where the Streets Have No Name" has been played no less than 20 times per U2 tour, making it one of the most frequently played U2 songs. There are slight variations in the live presentation to the recorded version; the final verse is played differently, and Clayton plays a particularly striking melodic bassline in the chorus, reminiscent of the style of Peter Hook, along the outline of a guitar part on the record. The Edge has always used a Fender Stratocaster of some sort for this song. On the Joshua Tree Tour and Vertigo Tour, he used his black with black pickguard 70s-era Strat. On the Lovetown Tour, he used a Lace Sensor pickup-equipped yellow Strat with a black pickguard. On the Zoo TV, Popmart Tour and Elevation Tours, he has used a 60s-era Strat that is black with a white pickguard. Peter Hooky Hook (born February 13, 1956 in Salford, Lancashire) is an English bass player. ... Dave Howell Evans (born August 8, 1961 in Barking, East London), more widely known by his moniker The Edge, is the guitarist, keyboardist, primary songwriter, and backing vocalist for the Irish rock band U2. ... “Stratocaster” redirects here. ... The Joshua Tree Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place during 1987, in support of their album The Joshua Tree. ... The Vertigo Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in 2005 and 2006 in support of the groups 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. ... The rock band U2s Lovetown Tour took place in late 1989 and early 1990. ... The Lace Sensor is a guitar pickup designed by Don Lace and manufactured by AGI (Actodyne General International). ... Zoo TV was a massive, elaborate, innovative, postmodern, multifaceted and multimedia, and very commercially successful world concert tour by the rock band U2 that took place in arenas and stadiums during 1992 and 1993. ... The Popmart Tour (often referred to as just Popmart) was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place from 1997 to 1998, in support of the groups 1997 album, Pop. ... The rock band U2s Elevation Tour took place in 2001 in support of their album All That You Cant Leave Behind. ...

Although the song was released over 20 years ago, it is still played at every U2 concert, and was even performed during the Super Bowl in early 2002. As the band performed this song, the names of the people killed in the attacks rolled up a screen in the background. The song ended with Bono opening up his jacket, which was lined with the American Flag. The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Flag ratio: 7:12; nicknames: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory The flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars...

One of the most heralded moments of a U2 concert is when a red background appears - this signifies the appearance of "Streets". This background has appeared on both the TV screens (Joshua Tree Tour to Elevation Tour) and in the form of flashing lights (Vertigo Tour). The red background has not appeared on only a few occasions - notably at the Super Bowl performance where the names of those who perished in the events of September 11th scrolled behind the band (see above picture), and on the first few concerts of the Vertigo Tour, where scrolling African flags took its place. It is worth noting that the red background was reinstated in the form of flashing red lights after the first few concerts.

Track listings

1. "Where the Streets Have No Name" (Single Version) (4:46)
2. "Silver and Gold" (4:40)
3. "The Sweetest Thing" (3:03)
4. "Race Against Time" (4:03)

This was the most common 12" release. The 7" version omitted "Race Against Time". Silver and Gold is the eighth track from U2s 1988 album, Rattle and Hum, recorded as a live version. ... For the Juice Newton song, see The Sweetest Thing (Ive Ever Known). ...

"The Sweetest Thing" made its first appearance on this single, as an outtake from The Joshua Tree. The song would later be rerecorded and released as a single from the band's 1998, The Best of 1980-1990. The Best of 1980-1990 is a greatest hits compilation released by Irish rock band U2 in November 1998 (see 1998 in music). ...

The version of "Where the Streets Have No Name" featured on the single is a different mix from the album. The single version contains additional backing vocals.

Chart positions

The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, alternative) stations, which are counted in the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ...

Covers

"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"

In 1991, UK synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys covered "Streets" to accompany "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", the third single from their 1990 album, Behaviour, as a double A-side in the UK (both singles were released separately in the U.S.). The band have said that they thought the guitars in the original sounded similar to a sequencer.^[2] In this version, "Streets" is turned into a medley with "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", the 1960s single by Frankie Valli, though in an arrangement informed by the 1981 disco version of the song by Boystown Gang rather than the original. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Pet Shop Boys are an English synthpop/pop music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant who provides main vocals, keyboards and very occasionally guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals. ... Behaviour is the fifth album, the fourth of entirely new music, by the UK electronic music group Pet Shop Boys. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into B-side. ... In the field of electronic music, a sequencer was originally any device that recorded and played back a sequence of control information for an electronic musical instrument. ... Cant Take My Eyes Off You was a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. ... Frankie Valli (born May 3, 1934[1] in the First Ward of Newark, New Jersey as Francis Stephen Castelluccio) is best known as the lead singer of The Four Seasons, a music act of the 1960s, which continued from then to the 1970s disco scene to the present day. ... The Boys Town Gang were a disco and hi-NRG band. ...

This version has been called, in its intent, a subversion of the original, denoted in a number of ways by its musical arrangement. In contrast to the U2 version's instrumental build-up, the Pet Shop Boys version opens abruptly with synthesized and sampled noises and a drum machine. The musical climax of the song is also shadowed by other elements: a background vocal sample of "burning down love" is played right at the start, and synthesized horns erupt with even higher notes immediately following each chorus. Singer Neil Tennant performs the lyrics with no vocal exertion or stresses, in contrast to Bono. In addition, at the transition between "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", Tennant sings the two lines one after the other, with no change in pitch — pointing out the similarities in the two songs.^[1] A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... Neil Tennant (right) with collaborator Chris Lowe (left) Neil Francis Tennant (born July 10, 1954 in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, England) is an English musician, who, with his colleague Chris Lowe, makes up the successful pop duo, Pet Shop Boys. ...

The pairing of this version with "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", a song criticizing the insincere humanitarian messages of a number of pop stars during the 1980s and the institutionalization of rock and roll,^[3] also adds to the subversive message.^[1]

The Pet Shop Boys have performed the medley live as recently as during their 2006 Fundamental tour, as well as at the Moscow Live 8 concert of 2005. MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY On 2 July 2005, a Live 8 concert was held in Red Square, Moscow, Russia. ...

Others

Vanessa Carlton recorded a cover version of the song for her second album, Harmonium (2004). The song was not included on the original release of the album in the United States, but it was made available on the Japanese version of the album and as an MP3 download on websites such as iTunes. Vanessa Lee Carlton (born August 16, 1980) is an American pop singer, songwriter, and pianist best known for the single A Thousand Miles from her platinum-selling debut album, Be Not Nobody (2002). ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Harmonium is the second album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released in the United States on November 9, 2004 (see 2004 in music). ...

Chris Tomlin covered the song for the album In the Name of Love, on which 13 Christian artists drew attention to Africa by covering popular U2 songs. Chris Tomlin is a Christian worship leader and songwriter from Grand Saline, Texas, United States. ...

MercyMe has covered this song in some live shows. It is included on their Mercy Me Live CD/DVD which was released couple years ago. Mercy Me is also the title of a song by Alkaline Trio from the album Crimson. ...

Flea (Bass), Brad Wilk (Drums), Tom Morello (Acoustic Guitar), Pete Yorn (Guitar/Vocals), Tim Walker (Electric Guitar), Serj Tankian (Vocals), Maynard James Keenan (Vocals), Jonny Polonsky (Keyboard) performed Where the Streets Have No Name at a performance in Avalon in Los Angeles. The concert was a benefit to raise money for the Axis of Justice. Michael Balzary aka Flea Flea (born Michael Peter Balzary on October 16, 1962 in Burwood, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia) is the bassist for the alternative funk band Red Hot Chili Peppers. ... Brad Wilk (born September 5, 1968 in Portland, Oregon) is an American drummer, famous for being the drummer in Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. ... Thomas Baptist Morello or Tom Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist who played in Rage Against the Machine. ... Pete Yorn opening for the Dixie Chicks in Austin, Texas Peter (Pete) Yorn (b. ... Serj Tankian (Armenian: ) (born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Lebanese-American-Armenian musician and songwriter of Armenian descent. ... Maynard James Keenan (born April 17, 1964, as James Herbert Keenan) is an American rock singer. ... Axis of Justice is a non-profit organization co-founded by Serj Tankian (of System of a Down) and Tom Morello (from the band Rage Against the Machine and the now defunct Audioslave). ...

Kane covered the song on their live CD/DVD album With or Without You. Kane is a Dutch pop group. ... With or Without You is a live CD/DVD U2 tribute album recorded by the Dutch band Kane. ...

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Butler, Mark (January 2003), "Taking it seriously: intertextuality and authenticity in two covers by the Pet Shop Boys", Popular Music 22(1): 1-19, ISSN 0261-143http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/blair%20chooses%20u2%20classic%20as%20favourite%20song_10128190
2. ^ Heath, Chris (2001). "Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you". In Behaviour / Further Listening 1990-1991 [CD liner notes]. London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership.
3. ^ Heath, Chris (2001). "How can you expect to be taken seriously?". In Behaviour / Further Listening 1990-1991 [CD liner notes]. London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership.

Chris Heath is a British writer who was a regular contributer to the popular English music magazine Smash Hits in the eighties and early nineties. ... Chris Heath is a British writer who was a regular contributer to the popular English music magazine Smash Hits in the eighties and early nineties. ...

External links

• U2.com entry
• U2Wanderer.org entry