Where The Streets Have No Name

Media Review:

Review: Where the Streets Have No Name [US/Austria Four-Track 7"/CD]

4 stars (out of 5)

By JT Griffith, All Music Guide

"Where the Streets Have No Name" is one of the most popular songs from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. Bono once explained the genesis of the song to the band's fanzine, Propaganda: "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...." A CD version was released in Austria. This four-track single has the same Adam Clayton cover as the 7" releases, but has one more song. It contains the title track and three B-sides, "Silver and Gold," "Sweetest Thing," and "Race Against Time." This single is incredible for these three rare songs. The version of "Sweetest Thing" on this single is the original, which became a minor radio hit, although it was never on a full-length album. "Sweetest Thing" was re-recorded for U2's greatest-hits album in 1998. Bono wrote "Silver and Gold" for the Steve Van Zandt benefit record, Sun City: Artists Against Apartheid, which was released in 1985. The track includes some unknown session musicians named Keith Richards and Ron Wood. The single version of "Where the Streets Have No Name" has a shorter intro and ending than on the album. This version is much more stripped-down than the one that appears on Rattle and Hum. "Race Against Time" is an experimental song, essential for the fan trying to recreate The Joshua Tree double album. This is one of the great U2 singles, and this is the version to look for. The CD version does not includes the lyric sheet, but lyrics can be easily found on the Internet. Where the Streets Have No Name peaked at number four on the U.K. singles chart and came in second in the 1987 Rolling Stone readers' picks for best single. Right before The Joshua Tree tour, U2 filmed a video for the single on top of a liquor store located at Seventh and Main in Los Angeles.

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