10 Best Rock Music Album Closers Of The 1980s
8. Mothers Of The Disappeared - U2 (The Joshua Tree)
U2's renowned album The Joshua Tree has its fair share of famous songs on it. Where the Streets Have No Name, With or Without You, and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For stand out as big names, but the track that draws it all to an end is one that most non-U2 fans won't know.
Mothers of the Disappeared is the eleventh overall song on the record. It's also one of the longest, coming in at five minutes and 12 seconds.
It was written by Bono after a meeting with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a human rights group campaigning for those who lost their children under various South American dictatorships. Considering the subject matter, the song is an emotional one. Bono's impactful lyrics are accompanied by a swirling soundscape, which is just as evocative as anything the lead singer has to say.
Ending the album on such a powerful note was a brave choice by the band, but it doesn't distract from the rest of it at all. It serves as a poignant climax to The Joshua Tree and sends a powerful message about how the misuse of power can affect ordinary people.