THE album for good and not so good times in my life

It's personal and rewarding.

I love the album,but I remember as a 13 year old my parents bought me some of the singles on vinyl. Used my dad's record player,but the b sides from that album are so good as well.

The Joshua Tree is one unforgettable journey, that is by my side, ever since as a little girl i heard With Or Without You. It is a strange feeling that eleven songs can describe your life, your dreams, hopes - perfectly. It inspired me in so many different ways. When i want to belive that there is a sense in the quest, the search of love, that happiness is still around a corner i play a song from that album. When im down, when im sad, when im happy it allways comes back to the Tree, my Favourite one-The Joshua Kind.

This album is so beautiful and perfect for me, every song, every sound, every melody is in my heart. I love #U2

I got married just before the Joshua Tree tour and my best friend/best man was the one who had introduced me to U2, so I stood in line for a day to get the wristband and a day to cash it in for tickets (while ducking out of a new job to do so), so we and our new brides could go to the October 1987 Joshua Tree concert. Bono was in a sling from a fall, and it was a freezing cold night at a stadium that is long gone, but it was sheer magic. Never to be forgotten.

In the summer of 1987, American pop music all sounded the same to me. Despite the endless possibilities of musical expression that could produce an infinite number of tonal sequences, most of the songs I heard on the radio at that time in history could be boiled down to the surface level, L.A.-based glam-rock sound being generated by groups like Van Halen, Poison, or Motley Crue. But that summer, American top 40 radio began playing several tunes from a Dublin based group who had formerly been pigeon-holed into punk or college formats. Their sound was unique… something immediately recognizable as all their own. There weren’t any self-indulgent drum solos. They weren’t singing about teen crushes or hot cars. This sound was deep, haunting, and lyrically dripping with symbolic imagery. In 2017, The Joshua Tree turns 30 years old. That’s mature adulthood for most people, but this record was mature from birth. It was U2’s breakout album, topping the charts in more than 20 countries. It launched the quartet into mega-stardom and was critically acclaimed by the pundits. As I reflect on its relevance 30 years on, I can’t help but think that the album was ahead of its time in so many ways. From cinematic album photography by Anton Corbijn to Edge’s often-copied, groundbreaking six-string styles to Bono’s soaring vocals, this album caught the ears of the whole world, landing U2 on the cover of Time magazine in 1987. Most people agree that it was an instant classic. But little did they know it would hold up to 30 years of political, social, and musical history. The following is a track-by-track examination of the eleven cuts that took the world by storm in the late 80’s, and that still pack a powerful punch today. Where The Streets Have No Name “Where The Streets Have No Name” is a staple for the band’s incredible live shows, as anyone who has attended a U2 concert knows. Featuring Edge’s infinite sustain guitar, Adam’s pounding bass line and Larry’s unconventional percussive beats, the song sounds like nothing that has ever been produced before. Lyrically, this track dives deep into religious, economic and political division, all converging into a world where peace, love and unity gather together in a small, unknown village in the developing world, where economic status and political backgrounds are irrelevant. It would be hard to point to a more divisive time in recent American history, given our present struggles. The “haves” vs. the “have-nots”… red state vs. blue state… black lives vs. blue lives… Liberal vs. Conservative… it would seem that “Streets” was written for a turbulent twenty first century. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For A spiritual anthem that takes an honest look at faith and doubt, this track may be the most heartfelt gospel song ever written. Featuring a unique rhythmic groove and an echoing chord progression, it certainly sounds nothing like gospel on the surface. But a deeper look reveals a rock solid faith as Bono proclaims, “I believe in the Kingdom Come, Then all the colors will bleed into one… You broke the bonds and you loosed the chains, carried the cross of my shame.” Another live show staple, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” was a number one hit on American radio and was even re-recorded the next year, being accompanied this time by a gospel choir on 1988’s follow up album, “Rattle and Hum.” Many Americans have lost faith in the systems that seemingly kept our society together. Evangelicals can no longer look to their political party’s candidate and find someone with integrity they can stand behind. Progressives are seeing cracks in their own candidates, marred by allegations of corruption and greed. In an uncertain world where nothing seems sacred anymore, “I Still Haven’t Found” speaks to 2017 as well as anything that gospel music has produced in the past 4 decades. With Or Without You Perhaps U2’s most well known song, “With Or Without You” is the standard liveshow closer. This track was the vehicle that brought Edge’s infinite guitar sound to the world and established him as a musical force to be reckoned with. Along with Adam’s iconic 4-note bass line, Larry’s unassuming rhythms and Bono’s soaring vocals, “With Or Without You” is instantly recognizable and still prominent on the airwaves today. At one point in the song, Bono’s voice seems to leap out of the recording and into the stratosphere, his raw passion breaking out like a pulsing echo through a deep canyon. I can’t help but sing along, remembering the first time I heard the song as a teenager. Anyone who has survived an intimate relationship knows the depths of agony and ecstasy that love can bring. Bono’s timeless lyrics still speak to those of us who know what it’s like to feel the full range of human emotions when connecting with another human. Bullet The Blue Sky The ultimate protest song, “Bullet The Blue Sky” is the framework for Bono’s commentary on many issues of social justice. With lyrics inspired by a 20th century U.S. intervention in the Salvadoran Civil War, the tune has been used to put a spotlight on everything from gun control to the war on terror. Most recently, Bono used the song to voice his disapproval of the Republican nominee for U.S. President in a rant that was anything but subtle. Larry’s pounding drums intermixing with Edge’s anxious guitar solo produce a soundtrack that screams of injustice. As long as dictators sell out their nations for personal gain… as long as politicians take bribes for looking the other way… as long as human beings are traded like livestock, there will always be a need for “Bullet.” Running To Stand Still Rooted in the heroin epidemic of early 1980’s Dublin, “Running To Stand Still” is a depressing tale of addiction and hopelessness. With a twangy folk sound that produces images of the barren American West, this track gives voice to a world looking to numb the pain of loss and despair. One can only think that “Running” could be dedicated to artists we have lost recently, including Prince, George Michael and David Bowie. But beyond the celebrities are the regular folks who lost their jobs in the 2008 recession, or the farmer who can’t raise a crop in a crushing drought brought on by El Niño. The emergence of cheap drugs, including heroin, has infected American society like a flu virus that gets spread around a middle school drinking fountain. Meth can be cooked up in a back room of a mobile home using household cleaners. It seems that mankind has been searching for painkillers since the beginning of time, and this track exposes the dark path that many take after they’ve been knocked down and lose the will to get back up. Red Hill Mining Town “A link is lost… a chain undone.” These are powerful lyrics from a 27-year old Irish singer/songwriter who is unafraid to address tough issues. In “Red Hill Mining Town,” Bono writes of the strain on relationships caused by job loss, hard times, or anything else, for that matter. In my opinion, one of the most underrated and underplayed songs in U2’s library, “Red Hill” re-opens a wound in the hearts of fathers who mourn broken relationships with their sons. With the imagery of a closed mine in the background, we get a vivid picture of human struggle from the lens of a man who admittedly struggled in his relationship with his own father. As the subject of clean, sustainable energy rose to the forefront of the 2016 American election cycle, mining safety and operations again came into focus. Some want to shut American coal mines down. Some depend on them for their livelihood. Where is the balance? Our country looks for a potential leader who can unify a divided nation. But I can’t help but hear Bono’s voice in my head, singing, “Our labor day has come and gone.” Beyond the issue itself, America searches for a healer of relationships – someone who can unify a weary, injured, divided land. “We’re wounded by fear, injured in doubt.” In my opinion, “Red Hill” paints a picture of 2017 America in ways that no one could have imagined in 1987. In God’s Country America- “Land of Opportunity”… a place where immigrants come to start over. But many are disillusioned when they arrive, only to find the same old problems they were dealing with before. “I thought this was God’s country?” they ask. “In God’s Country” exposes some of the hypocrisy we find in the U.S. in the late 1980’s. Dishonesty. Immorality. Corruption. There was plenty to go around. Critics pointed the finger back at Bono’s war-torn Northern Ireland in response. “What about your country? Things are pretty bad there, too.” But that wasn’t the point. America, in many ways, seemed like an illusion to many of the immigrants who decided to make the leap of faith and move. Advertised as a place for the displaced to come and make a new life, they were often greeted with prejudice, violence, and hatred. Sound familiar? The immigration debate in America has been raging on for decades now. Should we allow refugees to enter our country if some originate from sketchy places? Many have been treated as less than human, in a knee-jerk reaction to fear. Could our great nation, the melting pot, be capable of this type of treatment? Should children of illegal aliens be deported to a land they’ve never seen? Again, a divided nation debates a deeply emotional issue as both sides dig their heels in. Trip Through Your Wires “I was thirsty and you wet my lips.” With a striking similarity to New Testament scripture, the heavy lyrical content of “Trip Through Your Wires” takes us to another arid landscape. An illustration of human struggle and a search for faith, this track emerges from the American blues genre, featuring Bono on the harmonica. America is still “calling out” for someone or something to put us back together again. With parched lips and a dry throat, we are thirsty for solutions in this turbulent time in our history. One Tree Hill Shortly before The Joshua Tree was recorded, one of the band’s assistants was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin. Bono penned the lyrics of “One Tree Hill” in memory of his fallen friend, Greg Carroll. Life is fragile, and we never know when our time on earth could end. This seems to be the underlying theme of the track. When our loved ones die, we often think of the deeper meanings of life. Inevitably, we all lose someone close to us. In those times, some of us cling to faith in a higher power, and the thought of seeing them in the afterlife. On a tour date in 2010 in New Zealand, Bono dedicated this song to the lost miners of the Pike River Mine disaster. “I’ll see you again when the stars fall from the sky, and the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill.” Blood moons and falling stars are both signs of the biblical end of days, referenced in the book of Revelation. After 9/11, much of America began to wonder if the world was coming to an end. The image of people leaping from the towers to their deaths was burned into the minds of a fearful nation, like stars falling from the heavens. In 2016, some began to wonder if the increasing occurrence of “blood moons” or lunar eclipses were signs of the end of the world. And though the world still turns in 2017, our country seems to have lost an innocence and optimism that it once had. Exit Another pounding rhythmic tune, “Exit” is the personification of the battle between good and evil inside the mind of someone who seems to have committed a horrible crime. And there is no way out. “He used to stay awake to drive the dreams he had away.” Criminal or not, we can all relate to the inner battles of the mind. Some of us deal with obsessive thoughts that simply won’t leave, like a bad dream that doesn’t end. What you want the most is to wake up from the dream – if you could only stay awake so as to not allow the bad thoughts to enter your head. Twenty-first century medicine offers pharmaceutical band-aids to these mental conditions, but whether they completely cure the condition is debatable. Mental health issues account for much of the violence in our society, but is there a cure? “He wanted to believe in the hands of love.” Most of us want to believe that love will win in the end, but down deep, we’re not really sure. We’ve all had that certain someone we let into our lives with the power to build us up or tear us down. When you do that, there is always the risk of getting hurt. On a broader scale, we want to believe that love in our world will win out. But racial tensions, cultural differences, and political divisiveness have taken a foothold in recent years. If we could just find a leader with “the healing hands of love,” maybe things would get better. Mothers Of The Disappeared In this placid tune of retrospection, one can’t help but picture victims of war and violence. Most likely inspired by those unjustly imprisoned or killed for political reasons, this track laments those we lost to machine guns, tanks and bombs. As war in the Middle East seems to linger and offer no signs of ending, “Mothers” is a fitting tribute to those we lost to IED’s, car bombs and sniper fire in our modern day war on terror. “In the trees our sons stand naked. Through the walls our daughters cry. See their tears in the rainfall.” When I hear these haunting lyrics, I picture the boy who drowned crossing the Aegean Sea with his family, fleeing the madness of Syria. In the past two years, thousands have died in an attempt to flee the violence and find a better life. Could these lyrics have been written in a prophetic attempt to warn us in 2017 about a humanitarian crisis, the likes of which we’ve never seen before? Probably not, but it’s not that much of a stretch. Conclusion I’ve been a U2 fan since the 1980’s, and I’ve lived long enough to see the circle of life bring both joy and pain in cyclical patterns. This is the essence of what it means to be human. The Joshua Tree brilliantly paints a picture of humanity that stands the test of time and is universally relatable. The true sign of a great album is its ability to stay relevant. For me, The Joshua Tree is even more relevant today. I’m not sure any album has ever, or could ever measure up to the innovative sound, soul-wrenching lyrics, and prophetic imagery depicted in this musical masterpiece. And though the tree itself no longer stands in the California desert wilderness, the music still penetrates the souls of those who hear it.

How can I forget when U2 did a free show in Los Angeles. I just turned 15 and a friend and I took the bus to downtown. We didn't expect to see much because we thought there would be a very large crowd. But it turned out that not a lot of people show up. We still didn't get to see a whole bunch because it look us so long to get there and we needed to get home or we would be grounded. I didn't make it in the video for "Where The Streets Have No Name" but I always look at the people in the video and think to myself, I was there.

My brother was 15. I was 17. We lived at 30 Cedarwood Grove, next street over from Bono, we could see the Seven Towers! We had been hearing about U2 in our neighbourhood for quite a while and the build up to the release of Joshua Tree was so exciting since we first heard them. On the night of its realease, we convinced my Dad to drive us at midnight to the nearest record shop where we bought the album and rushed home, our parents allowed us to stay up late to play the album on our second hand stereo system at home .. the smell of the vinyl, the unique look of the album and the wonderful photography, the album cover was a thing of beauty even before we played it. We looked at and turned it over for some time before getting it on to the turntable. Oh, but when we played it ... it was majestic from the get go, when we first heard Streets then Still Haven't Found and then With or Without You, we knew we weren't going to bed that night, we stayed up the whole night playing the album over and over until the sun crept up and my mother descended the stairs the next morning to find us sitting around the stereo player. That summer both of us went to Croke Park to see U2 live for the first time and I've been to every tour several times over since at home and abroad. Joshua Tree made a profound impact on both of us and allowed two brothers, who didn't share a whole lot in common in those days at our ages, share a magical night with unique songs and sounds that would forever influence our taste in music. Well I'm still in Dublin 30 years on, and my brother is living in San Franciso these last 20 years and Joshua Tree has been the constant thread in our lives between us, never far from our conversations - on May 17th we will converge in Santa Clara To hear the Joshua Tree live again, and we will have come full circle .. two brothers, eleven songs, thirty years, four musicians. For both of us, it can't come quick enough.

My favorite all time album. I've listened to it thousands and thousands of times over the last 30 years. Speaks to my generation and now to my children's generation. I find myself in tears now listening and knowing every single word of the album. So poignant even today. I absolutely love u2 with all my heart. Can't WAIT to see them live performing Joshua Tree in Dallas and Tampa:) True highlight of my year!

My brother was 15. I was 17. We lived at 30 Cedarwood Grove, next street over from Bono, we could see the Seven Towers! We had been hearing about U2 in our neighbourhood for quite a while and the build up to the release of Joshua Tree was so exciting since we first heard them. On the night of its realease, we convinced my Dad to drive us at midnight to the nearest record shop where we bought the album and rushed home, our parents allowed us to stay up late to play the album on our second hand stereo system at home .. the smell of the vinyl, the unique look of the album and the wonderful photography, the album cover was a thing of beauty even before we played it. We looked at and turned it over for some time before getting it on to the turntable. Oh, but when we played it ... it was majestic from the get go, when we first heard Streets then Still Haven't Found and then With or Without You, we knew we weren't going to bed that night, we stayed up the whole night playing the album over and over until the sun crept up and my mother descended the stairs the next morning to find us sitting around the stereo player. That summer both of us went to Croke Park to see U2 live for the first time and I've been to every tour several times over since at home and abroad. Joshua Tree made a profound impact on both of us and allowed two brothers, who didn't share a whole lot in common in those days at our ages, share a magical night with unique songs and sounds that would forever influence our taste in music. Well I'm still in Dublin 30 years on, and my brother is living in San Franciso these last 20 years and Joshua Tree has been the constant thread in our lives between us, never far from our conversations - on May 17th we will converge in Santa Clara To hear the Joshua Tree live again, and we will have come full circle .. two brothers, eleven songs, thirty years, four musicians. For both of us, it can't come quick enough.

What does The Joshua Tree mean to me? It is just a defining moment in my life, moving away from home and living on my own. Going back to 1983 and my time in high school, I was introduced to U2 by a friend. He played the album War for me & I was hooked. U2 was my drug of choice, I couldn’t get enough of their music. I immediately went out and purchased War, Boy & October that same day. I couldn’t wait to play them in order in my car’s tape deck. I followed up with subsequent albums on their release dates, including The Joshua Tree. On March 9th, 1987 I skipped class and went around to my local record store, Paradise Records in Fayetteville NC to purchase the cassette. My hand shook as I inserted that cassette into the car stereo. I rolled the windows down and shared my new love with the world. In June of 1987, I moved away from home to start a new part of my life as a responsible adult. As I left my parent’s home, Where the Streets Have No Name came on the local radio station. I felt that it was a good omen to hear my favorite band on this monumental day. Once that song went off, in went the cassette and it played repeatedly until I arrived at my new apartment. U2 has been my comfort music since way back in 1983. I’ve shared my love of U2’s music with all my friends and family. My wife (girlfriend at the time) & I went to our first concert together, U2 Elevation in 2001. We attended U2 Vertigo in 2006, shortly after our son was born. We attended U2 360 in Raleigh in 2009 with our son for his first concert, he was 4 years old and loved every minute of it. This year, our family will again attend a U2 show together, celebrating the wife & son’s birthdays, The Joshua Tree tour in Washington DC, June 2017. We can’t wait!

What can I say ? House is burning down what do I rescue? My dog and my copy of The Joshua Tree nothing else. Yeah it means that much to me

I started jumping up and down when the DJ at my senior prom played the just-released "With Or Without You." I was dancing with my mediocre sorta-boyfriend, and I exclaimed, "Oh, I love U2!" He gave me this sarcastic little look and said, "Well, I never said I loved you." Thirty years later, I am living happily ever after without him. The Joshua Tree helped me stagger to the finish line of high school, and I played it and Prince's Sign o' the Times nonstop as I did my homework and painted. U2 acted as my security blanket as I began college, taught in US public schools, became a full-time artist, and searched for and eventually found love at age 39. They are The Other Men In My Life That All Relationships Must Acknowledge, and my beloved husband wishes them well.

I remember buying "The Joshua Tree" on a cassette tape. I was 19 years old and working as a hotel management trainee in Co. Cork, working all the hours under the sun, for very little pay. When I did have some time to myself, I played the album over and over and over again. I had taken an interest in U2 from the War album, but TJT was the album that, like so many others, got me hooked and I've been a fan ever since. Looking forward to July 22nd in Croke Park and a trip back in time :)

I remember sitting on the floor of my living room, glued to the television as I watched a man passionately sing about “streets not having names.” Three other musicians played behind him and I really didn’t understand what they were trying to say. Although, the sound coming from them was so powerful, the band was performing with such conviction that I had to listen. I saw four men expressing emotion with such intensity and I immediately began to relate. In that moment, I was given permission to feel because I saw four others feeling with me. I’ve found grace inside a sound. U2’s songs transport me to a place where I can be myself … my swinging pendulum of emotion and all. I have unearthed transcendence through music, transcendence of the boundaries I create around my heart and the walls of judgment I raise that inhibit me from conveying the emotions that are the foundation of my being. I am still discovering the power of certain songs on The Joshua Tree and more importantly, I am constantly finding new means of discharging my emotions in a favorable way that help me embrace my own intensity. The melodies of "With or Without You", "One Tree Hill" and "Where The Streets Have No Name" have pointed me in the right direction. While the music continues to give back, my heart is opening to give even more to the world around me … it’s a beautiful thing and it began with an act of listening. Thank you, U2.

I grew up in a small town American town that was very rural and no one was listening to U2. They were mine alone....the music was so personal to me it defined who I was during my adolescence. It will stay with me forever.

My childhood went behind the Iron curtain, in USSR, Soviet Socialistic Republic of Latvia. At the time when U2 released the Joshua Tree, we already could get some little informational sparks from the West and one of theses sparks was very popular Western music radio programme 'Būsim pazīstami' ('Let us introduce ourselves'). There I heard With or Without you for the first time and it was love from very first accord - I find my group and music for rest of my life. And U2 has been around me in every important, life chanching moment since - there was Achtung Baby on air when I met my future husband for the first time. From latest - my kid was born by But I Still Havent Found What I'm Looking For on the radio in the labor room few years ago. Coincidence? I doubt :-) Liga from Riga

The Joshua Tree is 30 this year. I just turned 30 on 12/25/86. What does this mean to me? Well, I’ve grown along this album, and it has aged with me and represents me more than any other piece of music. Joshua trees are special, rare trees that only grow and thrive at a certain elevation after the seeds have frozen. They live a long time and offer a beautiful bloom once a year. Like the special trees, we have been blessed with a special album. This album offered a unique, rare sound to the 80’s, as the trees offer a unique look to the desert. U2 sang of God, trials, loss, and tribulations in life, the world, and America. It was such a risk-but it paid off. Perhaps not for the success, but for being personal. Perhaps that’s why at 30 no other piece of music makes more sense to me, because at 30 I’ve experienced my own sense of loss, questions of the world, trials, and tribulations. Perhaps nothing else speaks me more. That’s why I went and got 2 tattoos from this album-one lyric that sums up everything to me “I believe in the Kingdom come, then all the colors will bleed into one”…and the tree itself. One signaling that when life has ended and our journey is complete, we will all be united and…the tree signifying the unique, rare, extraordinary life we are challenged to live…like the tree in the desert. Thank you U2 for gifting me with what will forever remain the most important piece of art…music…that I will cherish forever…and although both our journey’s are only at 30 years, we will have a deeper bond that will last forever and carry us through. Whatever life holds, we will rise above the ground, hold steadfast to our roots, and celebrate the diversity that makes us all ‘unique’.

With every album, with every song, U2 has been the soundtrack of my life. Each album over 30+ years has given me new meaning, new direction, and new motivation for each phase of my journey. Thank you. And, as always, I look forward to more music that gives me life

This song is my supreme hymn. From my first listen till nowadays.....the atmosphere when they play it live is unbelievable, I saw them in 1987 in Madrid and I will see the again in July in Barcelona..U2 forever!

Hi guys, I'm 22... younger than your album. Nevertheless JT is a part of my life for 10 years when I discovered this wonderful band at high school with Sunday Bloody Sunday. I decided to listen all the discography and i felt in love with The Joshua Tree... Wonderful songs, wonderful lyrics, wonderful melodies .. My favorite song ever is Where The Streets but in JT I love specially In God's Country and Red Hill Mining Town. I will see your show 3 times in Europe this summer, and I will in Dublin! Can't wait... Love u guys, take care Valentin, France.

This is what it boils down to. This album has been with me most of my life. Starting from just a cassette tape that I would play repeatedly over and over. It became my soundtrack. From spending countless hours as a kid drawing while listening to the cassette to popping the CD into my discman while walking or driving to now being a permanent fixture on my iPhone music. Never gets old.

has been my defining anthem for 30 years. I love that song and look forward to going back to the place where I first heard it live. Foxborough , MA on the original Joshua Tree Tour in 1987.

I've listened to The Joshua Tree, in full or in part, on every best and worst day of my life since I bought the cassette on the day it was released when I was 15 years old. When I graduated high school, became a mother, lost my grandma...on all the days when I've needed solace, reassurance, celebration, or a release of grief, through laughter and tears, it's always been The Joshua Tree. Listening to these songs is like coming home.

"U2...who?". Junior high school. Edmonton, Canada. Some of the cool kids two grades higher than me are wearing a band t-shirt with 4 grim looking guys standing in front of a castle. U2 in big letters at the top. This band did not look like the other 80's hair bands that I was mostly in to. They were serious. Almost challenging with their stare at the camera. Hmmmm...... Record store at Heritage Mall. Flipping through U2 titles in the cassette section. Cheapest U2 cassette is a maxi-single for Pride. Cheap..let's give it a shot. MIND BLOWN! Next up War. I have a new favorite band. Finally see a live video on tv of their Amnesty concert. I'm a die-hard. It's announced that U2 will be releasing a new album. Their first since I became aware of them. With or Without You video. They look different. This song is brooding. Building. The climax!!! Bono spinning with his guitar. Goosebumps!!! Mom works at the mall and everyday goes to the record store to see if the new album is in yet. Finally the day comes. I get home from school and lying on my pillow is The Joshua Tree. Hours, days, weeks, spent listening on repeat. Struggling to ready the gold fine print, but doing so over and over again. Realizing that music can change the world. Life changing. Thank you.

"The Joshua Tree" has always been an album that's been "there" for me, ever since I first listened to it when I was a kid. But that became all the more true when I was leaving an abusive relationship in college. I remember listening to "Running to Stand Still" in my dorm room and crying, but at the same time, feeling empowered that I was doing what was right for me. "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "I Still Haven't Found" encouraged me as I struggled with my faith in the fallout of that abusive relationship. After feeling so alone and isolated and like no one understood what I was going through, this album quite literally saved my life. U2's music, especially in Joshua Tree, gives me a feeling of hope beyond hopelessness - a comfort that even though things are painful now, I will overcome. In fact, it's why I love the very image of the tree - reaching not only up, but outward. Grabbing for something bigger, but pulling in what's around it. (I've been meaning to get it tattooed on me for a bit, but had to put it off due to expenses.) I could literally go on all day about how important this album is to me. I fully expect to cry through the whole show when I see U2 in June. In short, thank you, U2, for giving me The Joshua Tree and the strength to keep fighting through my worst hours.

I have gotten two speeding tickets in my life. They both occurred while driving to meet my future wife after being a fair distance away for a bit when Where The Streets Have No Name came on. With a little more research I think I could prove the theorem of Streets v. Speed!

I fell in love with Running to Stand Still. From my first listen to my most recent, its still my favorite. Hearing they were playing it in Europe in 2005 i knew i had to hear it and didn't want to risk waiting until i saw them in Toronto that fall. Took the plunge, figured out tickets and accommodations, and made it to Dublin. An amazing first trip to Dublin, and such enjoyable shows. And it was a good choice. As they retired the song before they returned to North America that fall. Those three shows in Dublin are the only place i've heard it.

' With or without you' that is the song I remember of the Joshua tree's album! This song has a melancholic impact some times. It depends from the facts or personal situations in life, I suppose. But it is the song of a real feeling !