JourneySong: Where The Streets Have No Name by U2

Today's JourneySong, is U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name". Lead singer, Bono, was inspired to write the song after learning that on certain streets in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was possible to determine the religion and wealth of the inhabitants, simply from which side or end of the street they lived. Bono said in 1987:

"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.  That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place "where the streets have no name."

This video version was taken from a live concert at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland. The most famous videos of this song are the 1987 Beatlesque one shot on a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles and the 2002 Super Bowl performance.

I wanna run, I want to hide
I wanna tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I wanna reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name

I want to feel, sunlight on my face
I see the dust cloud disappear
Without a trace
I want to take shelter
From the poison rain
Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
We're still building, then burning down love
Burning down love, and when I go there
I go there with you, it's all I can do

The city's a flood and our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled in dust
I'll show you a place
High on a desert plain
Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
We're still building, then burning down love
Burning down love, and when I go there
I go there with you, it's all I can do

Our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Blown by the wind, oh, and I see our love
See our love turn to rust

Oh, we're beaten and blown by the wind
Blown by the wind
Oh, when I go there, I go there with you
It's all I can do

----------
JourneySongs is a regular feature on the GoAbroad blog where we share videos of songs that help us discover and celebrate our world. Do you have a favorite JourneySong you'd like to share or have us feature? Just give us  a link to the video you'd like to see featured and tell us why in the comments section below!

Tagged as: Belfast, Bono, British Isles, English language, Europe, Great Britain, Ireland, Irish, JourneySongs, music, music videos, Northern Ireland, Slane Castle, world music