U2 was a rock band from Dublin, Ireland formed in 1976 and signed with Island Records within four years. They released their debut album, Boy, in 1980 and their second album, War, in 1983. Their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, was their most successful and featured the song Where the Streets Have No Name.
Bono wrote Where the Streets Have No Name while on a humanitarian trip to Ethiopia, inspired to write it after hearing about the town of Belfast in Northern Ireland. The lyrics are open-ended, but many enjoy this fact because it allows them to adapt the tune personally.
U2's 1989 music video for Where the Streets Have No Name was shot in Skid Row, one of the most poverty-stricken areas in the country, and was praised for its rawness and message. It won a Grammy Award for Best Performance Music Video.