"
Where the Streets Have No Name" is a song by Irish
rock band
U2. It is the opening track from their 1987 album
The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's third
single in August 1987. The song's
hook is a repeating guitar
arpeggio using a
delay effect, played during the song's introduction and again at the end. Lead vocalist
Bono wrote the lyrics in response to the notion that it is possible to identify a person's religion and income based on the street on which they lived, particularly in
Belfast. During the band's difficulties recording the song,
producer Brian Eno considered erasing the song's tapes to have them start from scratch.