" Where the Streets Have No Name " is a song by Irish rock band U2 . It is the opening track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album 's third single in August 1987 . The song 's hook is a repeating guitar arpeggio using a delay effect , played during the song 's introduction and again at the end . Lead vocalist Bono wrote the lyrics in response to the notion that it is possible to identify a person 's religion and income based on the street on which they lived , particularly in Belfast . During the band 's difficulties recording the song , producer Brian Eno considered erasing the song 's tapes to have them start from scratch .