The Definitive Ranking Of The Joshua Tree Tracklist
In case you haven't heard (in which case you likely never speak to me), I witnessed U2 in concert last week. It was a truly remarkable show, which one might come to expect as their Joshua Tree Tour celebrates the 30-year anniversary of one of the most acclaimed, impactful, and brilliant albums of all time. In honor of it being 30.5 years to the day of their release, as well as a week since the historic day of me being in their crowd, I thought I would take on the unthinkable task of ranking the 11 songs on Joshua Tree.
This list begins with the inevitable caveat that none of these songs are anything but good to great. And I don't mean that to be a thoughtless platitude- genuinely, every single song on this album is a good song. It's what makes it a timeless classic, and renders a ranking so difficult (and pointless). Here goes!
This is the only song from the album I skip when it comes on my iPod. A fun, harmonica-laden "U2 does Western Country" experiment, but nothing more.
10. "Exit"
The other song from Joshua Tree that, like the previous entry, would fall under the umbrella of "good, but forgettable." It's heavy-hitting, though, and a fun live song!
This one is a slow burn of a song, one that will take you some time to come to love. That was likely intentional, as the song endeavors (and succeeds, for my part) to emulate the horror and heartache the mothers in Argentina and Chile felt upon losing their children to violent dictatorships.
This soulful homage to a personal friend, as well as a landmark in New Zealand, starts the run of what I'll call Tier I-b. songs, which are "good enough to be among just about any other band's greatest hits." Minor points off for spawning a teen melodrama TV show that became more recognizable than this song.
A heartfelt, beautiful song addressing the once-rampant heroin epidemic in Dublin. It's not one you'll blare at peak volume in your car, but it's brilliant in its own way.
I was shocked to discover this is often the most-decried track on the album. For me, "Mining Town" gets the edge over the other members of Tier I-b. because it serves as a perfect bridge between Joshua Tree's stadium anthems and quiet introspective tracks.
Childhood Me would hate myself for daring to even think about ranking the favorite song of my youth at number 5. But I don't know, though this track is an undeniable member of Tier 1-A, it hasn't aged as well with me as the rest of my Top 5. That being said, it is moving, hard-hitting, and majestic.
If there were a line graph tracking this song's movement in 'Daniel's U2 Song Rankings' through the years, it would show a straight, upward-moving line. This gut-punching takedown of America's questionable (read: immoral) foreign backing employs distortion, echo and spoken word more effectively than any other rock song I've ever heard. Simply epic.
Sure, it's probably their most overplayed, but can you blame anyone? What a song. the slow build of emotion, the hopelessness, the vulnerability, all culminating in a crescendo of guitar, drums and voice that are bound to make you cry at least 8 times out of 10.
I have always loved this song, but for years and years, have forgotten to think of it as among my favorites, perhaps because it dwells in the shadow of the unbelievably good first half of Joshua Tree. But forget it no longer: seeing it in concert last week solidified this brilliant, Edge-driven song in my personal Top tier. Its short length, I think, is only to its benefit; it's a 3-minute desert joyride in a car with friends through the most beautiful landscapes you've ever seen.
Was there ever any doubt? Unoriginal, perhaps, but this song's place in music history cannot be questioned. Beyond being arguably the greatest song by arguably the greatest band, it also holds the honor of the greatest introduction to any album, ever. Listen to the organ introduction, starting softly. Next, the incoming guitar line from one of the greatest rock guitarists ever. The pulsing bass and drums come next, adding a throb the swell of music. By the time Bono comes in, you've heard 100 seconds of magnificence, and you're ready to run a freaking marathon. No, this won't be unseated any time soon.