" Where the Streets Have No Name " is played at a tempo of 126 beats per minute . The introduction and outro are played in a 3 / 4 time signature , while the remainder of the song is in a common 4 / 4 signature . The songs opens with an instrumental section , starting with chorale @-@ like sustained synthesiser notes . The guitar fades in after 42 seconds ; this part consists of a repeated " chiming " six @-@ note arpeggio . A " dotted eighth " delay effect is used to " play " each note in the arpeggio twice , thus creating a rich sound . The bass and drums enter at 1 : 10 .