Rating: 10/10
The Joshua Tree will always be an album that’s near and dear to my heart, as it was constantly played throughout my childhood. My dad was the person who got me into U2, and I’m very grateful, as this band has gifted me with some of my favorite songs of all time.
In this post I’ll be ranking all of the songs on U2’s iconic album, The Joshua Tree, from worst to best. This is just my personal opinion, so don’t come for me.
11. Exit (Track 10)
This isn’t a bad song (there aren’t any bad songs on this album), but I do think that it’s not as enjoyable as most of the songs on this album are. Plus, it’s definitely one of the darkest tracks on the record, so it feels just a bit out of place. All in all, not a bad song for what it was meant to be, but not my favorite, and not one that I find myself listening to often. It’s just a little too creepy and menacing for me.
10. Mothers of the Disappeared (Track 11)
I feel pretty bad about ranking this so low, considering that it’s quite a nice song. However, the subject matter is just really sad, and it, like Exit, is one of the darkest songs on the album. That’s not to say that this isn’t a great closer, though, because it is. Again, this is just my personal opinion, and for me personally, this isn’t my favorite track.
9. Trip Through Your Wires (Track 8)
What can I say, I just love that harmonica. While this song is objectively not among the best of the album, I really do like listening to it. It has a very fun sound, and, to repeat what I said before, that harmonica really gets me. It’s a simple song, but I like it quite a bit.
8. In God’s Country (Track 7)
This song has a very specific quality to it that I can’t quite name, but I find it very infectious. Maybe it’s that it really fits into the album’s themes of yearning and searching for meaning in seemingly dull or despair-filled places. Apparently the members of the band weren’t that impressed with themselves in this song, which I guess is somewhat understandable, as this track is lighter than a lot of the others on the album, but I still think it’s quite a good addition to the album. And as mentioned before, it’s completely infectious.
7. One Tree Hill (Track 9)
This song marks the point where all the songs from here on out are my favorites from the album, and all of which I think are wonderful and delightful in their own way. And I just know that I’m going to be hated for putting this song relatively low in the ranking. I’m sorry, okay. I know that this song is fantastic, and that it deserves better than the #7 spot. The only reason I have it as the lowest of my favorites is that I don’t find myself listening to it as often as I listen to the songs that will be mentioned later in this list. Still, don’t get me wrong; I really like this song. The message is totally inspiring, the lyrics are very poignant, the vocals are great, the backing instrumental is awesome, and the gospel elements towards the end are really cool. Really, I wish I could rank this higher, as it is truly a highlight and standout of the record.
6. Bullet the Blue Sky (Track 4)
This song is probably the most rock and roll out of the album, and I love it for that. If I’m being honest, this song should probably be in the seventh spot, and One Tree Hill should be in this spot, but I’m going to stick to my current ranking. The main reason I have this song higher than One Tree Hill is because I’m biased towards it. This was the first U2 song that I ever actually liked and enjoyed listening to. I heard it for the first time at a very young age, and it was a song that all of my siblings and I agreed was very good. For that reason, I will always associate it with fond memories, and it’ll always be one of my personal, subjective favorites off the album.
5. Red Hill Mining Town (Track 6)
I love this song mostly for the backing instrumental and the vocals. I feel like they just really capture the message and tone of the song, and they make the song a complete joy to listen to. The chorus really makes the song for me. It’s also weird because the first time that I listened to this album all the way through, I don’t remember thinking that this song was anything special, but the more I listen to it, the more I have steep increases in my enjoyment of it. I don’t know what else I can really say, so overall, I’ll just say that this is a truly fantastic track.
4. Running To Stand Still (Track 5)
When I first listened to this album I remember thinking, “Wow, how could this album get better than those first four tracks?” and then I heard this, and I just fell in love with it. This song is so exciting in all the ways you wouldn’t expect it to be. It’s a very slow song, with an even slower beginning, and yet it keeps you interested and hooked all throughout. It never drags, and it never feels repetitive. It stops right where it needs to, and it says all it needs to say. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful. This song is really touching to me, and it was such a pleasant surprise from the album. Bonus points for the harmonica.
3. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (Track 2)
“I have climbed highest mountains, I have run through the fields, only to be with you. I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls, these city walls, only to be with you. But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…” Ah, and here we arrive at the singles. The three songs that most encapsulate the optimistic message of the album (With or Without You isn’t exactly optimistic, but still), as opposed to the disappointed message. I love this song. It’s so inspiring and uplifting, and I also love the biblical themes that are found within the lyrics. Fun fact, when I first heard this song I wasn’t all that crazy about it. I didn’t like the vocals much and I wanted my dad to skip it. I don’t know what changed, but I’m just glad that I have a new perspective. The lyrics, the vocals, the backing instrumental, it’s all so perfect. I really can’t choose which of the three I like the best, but if I had to, I would say that the lyrics steal the show on this track. The yearning, the mission to find something, even if you’re not sure what it is. It’s brilliantly conveyed in this song. and “I believe in the kingdom come, that all the colors will bleed into one, bleed into one, but yes I’m still running. You broke the bonds and you loosed the chains. Carried the cross of my shame, oh my shame. You know I believe it.” Utterly magnificent.
2. Where the Streets Have No Name (Track 1)
“We’re still building and burning down love.” This is one of the best openers I’ve heard in my entire life. It’s so sweeping and grand, and the way it builds up in the beginning is so magical to listen to. This song is the best representation of the album’s theme. It showcases the hungering, seeking, passion, and fascination that is constantly shown throughout this record. For me, it was an unexpected decision that I ranked this at #2 with ISHFWILF at #3, considering that I listen to ISHFWILF more often. However, as I was listening to this album, I realized just how truly fantastic this song is. The feeling it evokes is really something else, and it’s a total anthem. “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.”
1. With Or Without You (Track 3)
“See the stone set in your eyes, see the thorn twist in your side. I’ll wait for you. Sleight of hand and twist of fate, on a bed of nails she makes me wait. And I wait without you. With or without you.” This is U2’s most famous song for a reason, and that reason is that it’s impossibly beautiful. Even the opening chords touch my emotions, so it goes without saying that the actual words sung speak to my heart. I don’t even know what I can say to articulate how much I love this song. It’s a very devastating song, but still full of passion. I think that’s what I like most about it. The passion. You can hear it in the backing instrumental, and you can hear it in the lyrics, and you can hear it in Bono’s voice as he sings them. The way the song builds is absolutely breathtaking. It starts out calm and steady, and starts to continually pick up speed and power until that climax at just over 3 minutes, where it all comes bursting out. The lyrics are so raw and powerful and personal, and there’s too many of them that I love for me to quote them all here, so I’ll just list some of the best ones. “My hands are tied, my body bruised. She’s got me with nothing to win and nothing left to lose.” Ah, this song is so perfect. It’s no wonder it’s in first place, as it’s at the very top of my favorite songs of all time.
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