10 Rock Music Songs That Were Almost Never Released
7. Where The Streets Have No Name - U2
Though they had been successful before, it all changed for U2 upon the release of 1987's The Joshua Tree.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, The Joshua Tree is a embarrassment of riches when it comes to great U2 songs; I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For; One Tree Hill; With or Without You; Red Hill Mining Town; and, of course, Where the Streets Have No Name.
The opening track on the album, Where the Streets Have No Name is based on Bono's experiences in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is one of the most recognisable tracks in the band's discography. It's unthinkable that someone wanted to destroy it, especially when that someone was legendary producer Brian Eno.
Eno estimates that about half of the recording sessions for Joshua Tree were dedicated to this one song, it was that difficult to record. He attempted to erase the original tapes in order to force the band to start it again, but sound engineer Pat McCarthy allegedly physically prevented him from doing this.
Thank God he did, otherwise the version of Where the Streets Have No Name that exists today would have been lost forever.