I don't get Where the Streets Have No Name

[gherman]

It's probably not my least favorite song but I don't understand why it's still so popular. It's catchy and fun but pretty much meaningless. I like the U2 music that makes me think. WTSHNN has just never done it for me.

Is there anyone else who could live without it? If so, what would you replace it with in a setlist.

Is there anyone who can't live w/o it? If so, please explain why.

 

[Celticfc]

Meaningless????????????????????

 

[pepokiss]

BAN HIS ASS

 

[OpperGoeroe]

I can't live without it, it's still the best song in any setlist for me, the intro is the best intro for any U2-song ever.

As Bono himself described it, it's the song that if they play it God walks in the house. And meaningless? You should read this
http://hem.bredband.net/steverud/U2MoL/JTree/streetsnoname.html

 

[LMP]

I listen to it to compell myself to wake up and go to school in the morning

it's just something about the intro that makes me hyper

 

[the rockin edge]

have you heard the song live?

 

[gherman]

BAN HIS ASS

Can you not taste my sarcasm

 

[Zoots]

And meaningless? You should read this
http://hem.bredband.net/steverud/U2MoL/JTree/streetsnoname.html

That's the best way to understand what U2 songs are about!

Streets on the album is great. But Streets (live) is on another level! The red screen and the flash of lights during the intro... simply heavenly!

Btw, I found this on that site... pretty interesting!


This is what Bono said (according to a Usenet posting) in Propaganda issue number five 1987:

Where the streets have no name, that's 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 somebody told me once, is that in Belfast, by what street somebody 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 you go 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 the street they live on. That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name...

 

[gherman]

That's the best way to understand what U2 songs are about!

Streets on the album is great. But Streets (live) is on another level! The red screen and the flash of lights during the intro... simply heavenly!

Btw, I found this on that site... pretty interesting!


This is what Bono said (according to a Usenet posting) in Propaganda issue number five 1987:

Where the streets have no name, that's 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 somebody told me once, is that in Belfast, by what street somebody 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 you go 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 the street they live on. That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name...

Thats a great way to put it. They definitly pulled it off with this song

 

[catlhere]

Streets=U2

Always and Forever.

 

[bonofox]

Amazing song. Live...its spiritual

 

[Joha_U2]

 

[*sofia*]

Meaningless...........










Yeah right.

 

[Aygo]

Catchy and meaningless?
Aren't you confusing Streets with something like Elevation?

 

[babyman]

Streets is one of the U2 songs which has the most beautiful meaning

 

[Utoo]

An interesting story that somebody told me once, is that in Belfast, by what street somebody 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 you go 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 the street they live on. That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name...

It's interesting to see how the meanings of U2's songs change for Bono over time. I'd read this a while back, too. This story was, indeed, the original inspiration for Streets. It's funny to see how now that B's into his Africa work, he's now changed the original inspiration to his pre-JT Africa trip. In the end, it was probably a combination of both, though I still place more weight on the Belfast story.

 

[U2Man]

Now that gherman has revealed that this was all sarcasm, could we please

 

[SiW87]

BAN HIS ASS

LOL

 

[JCOSTER]

Streets

If you ever heard it live, you would think you were in heaven....
@ the Garden NY, I was lucky enough to witness a 10 minute jam of streets. It was breathtaking...

 

[BVS]

Bad attempt at sarcasm

 

[u2mad25]

The live version sucks nowadays though...

 

[tuwie]

Streets

If you ever heard it live, you would think you were in heaven....
@ the Garden NY, I was lucky enough to witness a 10 minute jam of streets. It was breathtaking...

a 10 minute jam? wow! what tour was this?

 

[JCOSTER]

October 7th MSG NY....Besides what every others say....it was great.

I hope Bonovoxsupastar didn't think I was sarcastic, just telling like I witnessed.

 

[Ifeelnumb84]

I do love it, but it's not my favorite song live. I sorta favor the studio version to the three performances I witnessed this year (yes, even the one when I was on the rail and was 5 feet from bono and adam towards the end of the song).
Of course this is all relative, we're talking U2 here, right!
I prefer New Years' Day and Bad live, but Streets still rocks.