o in husky and confident voice , underpinned by a sinuous bass line , and with The Edge demonstrating his newfound prowess in blues @-@ based guitar . " " Silver and Gold " was played live on The Joshua Tree Tour several times , one performance of which was featured on the band 's 1988 album and rockumentary , Rattle and Hum . Both the studio recording and the Sun City versions were later featured on the bonus disc of the 20th anniversary edition of The Joshua Tree . The studio version was also included on the limited edition B @-@ sides bonus disk of the band 's first compilation album , The Best of 1980 – 1990 .   " Sweetest Thing " was written by Bono as an apology to his wife for forgetting her birthday . The song opens with a short piano piece before the rest of the band begins to play . Some of Bono 's lyrics have been described as reminiscent of John Lennon . The Edge described it as " a beautiful song ... which is pop as it should be — not produced out of existence , but pop produced with a real intimacy and purity " , also noting that " It 's very new for us . " It was re @-@ recorded with some lyrical alterations and released in 1998 as a single in its own right for The Best of 1980 – 1990 . Hot Press editor Niall Stokes stated that this track , along with " Race Against Time " , is " an indicator of what U2 might have made instead of The Joshua Tree . "   = = Critical reception = =   Upon the release of The Joshua Tree , critics praised " Where the Streets Have No Name " . Steve Morse of The Boston Globe noted the " bell @-@ like tones from the Edge fram [ e ] a search for heaven " and along with the subsequent track on the album , " I Still Haven 't Found What I 'm Looking For " , these songs showed how the group were " pilgrims still on a quest ; not preachers who claim to have found answers " . The Bergen Record echoed these sentiments , saying the tracks demonstrated how the band was on a personal and spiritual quest . Rolling Stone called it " assertive rock " in their review of The Joshua Tree . The San Diego Union @-@ Tribune said of " Where the Streets Have No Name " , " the music charges , like someone fleeing for life " . The Washington Post said the track is " a bit oblique lyrically , but the implications are clear in Bono 's resolute delivery , Dave ( the Edge ) Evan 's quavering guitar , Adam Clayton 's cathedral bass and Larry Mullen 's rolling thunder drums " .   NME lauded the song as the opening track by saying the album " starts by spitting furiously " . The publication praised Bono 's impassioned singing and The Edge 's guitar playing , which transformed the instrument into " something more than an endlessly abused piece of wood " . The review commented that the " last ten seconds are breathtakingly beautiful " . The Rocket wrote that the song builds a " wall of sound " that Bono 's vocals cut through with a " wail of desperation , as the lyrics agonize the need for personal spirituality " . The reviewer compared the opening riff to Simple Minds ' " Ghostdancing " . Reviewing The Joshua Tree , Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called the song an " epic opener " . The service 's Steve Huey , in a review of the song , praised its " insistent , propulsive rhythmic drive and anthemic chorus " , qualities he singled out for making it a fan favorite . He called the song the " perfect album @-@ opener " , crediting the " slow build of its arrangement toward a climactic peak " . Huey also called Bono 's delivery " passionate and grandiose " and " his commitment to the material unshakable " . He believed the combination of his vocals and the band 's " sonic power " is what gave U2 its " tremendous force " .   = = Live performances = =   " Where the Streets Have No Name " made its concert debut on 2 April 1987 in Tempe , Arizona on the opening night of The Joshua Tree Tour . It has since been played at nearly every full @-@ length concert that U2 has headlined , totaling over 700 performances as of 2011 . The song is widely regarded as one of the group 's most popular live songs . Bono said of it , " We can be in the middle of the worst gig in our lives , but when we go into that song , everything changes . The audience is on its feet , singing along with every word . It 's like God suddenly walks through the room . "   On The Joshua Tree Tour , " Where the Streets Have No Name " was most often used to open concerts . Fans and critics responded favourably to the song in a live setting . The San Diego Union @-@ Tribune wrote that , " From the lofty sonic opening strains
o Ġin Ġhus ky Ġand Ġconfident Ġvoice Ġ, Ġunderpin ned Ġby Ġa Ġsin uous Ġbass Ġline Ġ, Ġand Ġwith ĠThe ĠEdge Ġdemonstrating Ġhis Ġnewfound Ġprowess Ġin Ġblues Ġ@ - @ Ġbased Ġguitar Ġ. Ġ" Ġ" ĠSilver Ġand ĠGold Ġ" Ġwas Ġplayed Ġlive Ġon ĠThe ĠJoshua ĠTree ĠTour Ġseveral Ġtimes Ġ, Ġone Ġperformance Ġof Ġwhich Ġwas Ġfeatured Ġon Ġthe Ġband Ġ' s Ġ1988 Ġalbum Ġand Ġrock ument ary Ġ, ĠR attle Ġand ĠHum Ġ. ĠBoth Ġthe Ġstudio Ġrecording Ġand Ġthe ĠSun ĠCity Ġversions Ġwere Ġlater Ġfeatured Ġon Ġthe Ġbonus Ġdisc Ġof Ġthe Ġ20 th Ġanniversary Ġedition Ġof ĠThe ĠJoshua ĠTree Ġ. ĠThe Ġstudio Ġversion Ġwas Ġalso Ġincluded Ġon Ġthe Ġlimited Ġedition ĠB Ġ@ - @ Ġsides Ġbonus Ġdisk Ġof Ġthe Ġband Ġ' s Ġfirst Ġcompilation Ġalbum Ġ, ĠThe ĠBest Ġof Ġ1980 ĠâĢĵ Ġ1990 Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ" ĠSweet est ĠThing Ġ" Ġwas Ġwritten Ġby ĠBon o Ġas Ġan Ġapology Ġto Ġhis Ġwife Ġfor Ġforgetting Ġher Ġbirthday Ġ. ĠThe Ġsong Ġopens Ġwith Ġa Ġshort Ġpiano Ġpiece Ġbefore Ġthe Ġrest Ġof Ġthe Ġband Ġbegins Ġto Ġplay Ġ. ĠSome Ġof ĠBon o Ġ' s Ġlyrics Ġhave Ġbeen Ġdescribed Ġas Ġreminiscent Ġof ĠJohn ĠLennon Ġ. ĠThe ĠEdge Ġdescribed Ġit Ġas Ġ" Ġa Ġbeautiful Ġsong Ġ... Ġwhich Ġis Ġpop Ġas Ġit Ġshould Ġbe ĠâĢĶ Ġnot Ġproduced Ġout Ġof Ġexistence Ġ, Ġbut Ġpop Ġproduced Ġwith Ġa Ġreal Ġintimacy Ġand Ġpurity Ġ" Ġ, Ġalso Ġnoting Ġthat Ġ" ĠIt Ġ' s Ġvery Ġnew Ġfor Ġus Ġ. Ġ" ĠIt Ġwas Ġre Ġ@ - @ Ġrecorded Ġwith Ġsome Ġlyr ical Ġalterations Ġand Ġreleased Ġin Ġ1998 Ġas Ġa Ġsingle Ġin Ġits Ġown Ġright Ġfor ĠThe ĠBest Ġof Ġ1980 ĠâĢĵ Ġ1990 Ġ. ĠHot ĠPress Ġeditor ĠNi all ĠSt okes Ġstated Ġthat Ġthis Ġtrack Ġ, Ġalong Ġwith Ġ" ĠRace ĠAgainst ĠTime Ġ" Ġ, Ġis Ġ" Ġan Ġindicator Ġof Ġwhat ĠU 2 Ġmight Ġhave Ġmade Ġinstead Ġof ĠThe ĠJoshua ĠTree Ġ. Ġ" Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠCritical Ġreception Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠUpon Ġthe Ġrelease Ġof ĠThe ĠJoshua ĠTree Ġ, Ġcritics Ġpraised Ġ" ĠWhere Ġthe ĠStreets ĠHave ĠNo ĠName Ġ" Ġ. ĠSteve ĠMorse Ġof ĠThe ĠBoston ĠGlobe Ġnoted Ġthe Ġ" Ġbell Ġ@ - @ Ġlike Ġtones Ġfrom Ġthe ĠEdge Ġfram Ġ[ Ġe Ġ] Ġa Ġsearch Ġfor Ġheaven Ġ" Ġand Ġalong Ġwith Ġthe Ġsubsequent Ġtrack Ġon Ġthe Ġalbum Ġ, Ġ" ĠI ĠStill ĠHaven Ġ' t ĠFound ĠWhat ĠI Ġ' m ĠLooking ĠFor Ġ" Ġ, Ġthese Ġsongs Ġshowed Ġhow Ġthe Ġgroup Ġwere Ġ" Ġpilgrims Ġstill Ġon Ġa Ġquest Ġ; Ġnot Ġpre achers Ġwho Ġclaim Ġto Ġhave Ġfound Ġanswers Ġ" Ġ. ĠThe ĠBer gen ĠRecord Ġechoed Ġthese Ġsentiments Ġ, Ġsaying Ġthe Ġtracks Ġdemonstrated Ġhow Ġthe Ġband Ġwas Ġon Ġa Ġpersonal Ġand Ġspiritual Ġquest Ġ. ĠRolling ĠStone Ġcalled Ġit Ġ" Ġassert ive Ġrock Ġ" Ġin Ġtheir Ġreview Ġof ĠThe ĠJoshua ĠTree Ġ. ĠThe ĠSan ĠDiego ĠUnion Ġ@ - @ ĠTribune Ġsaid Ġof Ġ" ĠWhere Ġthe ĠStreets ĠHave ĠNo ĠName Ġ" Ġ, Ġ" Ġthe Ġmusic Ġcharges Ġ, Ġlike Ġsomeone Ġfleeing Ġfor Ġlife Ġ" Ġ. ĠThe ĠWashington ĠPost Ġsaid Ġthe Ġtrack Ġis Ġ" Ġa Ġbit Ġob lique Ġlyr ically Ġ, Ġbut Ġthe Ġimplications Ġare Ġclear Ġin ĠBon o Ġ' s Ġres olute Ġdelivery Ġ, ĠDave Ġ( Ġthe ĠEdge Ġ) ĠEvan Ġ' s Ġqu avering Ġguitar Ġ, ĠAdam ĠClayton Ġ' s Ġcathedral Ġbass Ġand ĠLarry ĠMull en Ġ' s Ġrolling Ġthunder Ġdrums Ġ" Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠN ME Ġlauded Ġthe Ġsong Ġas Ġthe Ġopening Ġtrack Ġby Ġsaying Ġthe Ġalbum Ġ" Ġstarts Ġby Ġspitting Ġfuriously Ġ" Ġ. ĠThe Ġpublication Ġpraised ĠBon o Ġ' s Ġimp assion ed Ġsinging Ġand ĠThe ĠEdge Ġ' s Ġguitar Ġplaying Ġ, Ġwhich Ġtransformed Ġthe Ġinstrument Ġinto Ġ" Ġsomething Ġmore Ġthan Ġan Ġendlessly Ġabused Ġpiece Ġof Ġwood Ġ" Ġ. ĠThe Ġreview Ġcommented Ġthat Ġthe Ġ" Ġlast Ġten Ġseconds Ġare Ġbreathtaking ly Ġbeautiful Ġ" Ġ. ĠThe ĠRocket Ġwrote Ġthat Ġthe Ġsong Ġbuilds Ġa Ġ" Ġwall Ġof Ġsound Ġ" Ġthat ĠBon o Ġ' s Ġvocals Ġcut Ġthrough Ġwith Ġa Ġ" Ġw ail Ġof Ġdesperation Ġ, Ġas Ġthe Ġlyrics Ġagon ize Ġthe Ġneed Ġfor Ġpersonal Ġspirituality Ġ" Ġ. ĠThe Ġreviewer Ġcompared Ġthe Ġopening Ġriff Ġto ĠSimple ĠMind s Ġ' Ġ" ĠGhost d ancing Ġ" Ġ. ĠReview ing ĠThe ĠJoshua ĠTree Ġ, ĠStephen ĠThomas ĠEr le wine Ġof ĠAll music Ġcalled Ġthe Ġsong Ġan Ġ" Ġepic Ġopener Ġ" Ġ. ĠThe Ġservice Ġ' s ĠSteve ĠHue y Ġ, Ġin Ġa Ġreview Ġof Ġthe Ġsong Ġ, Ġpraised Ġits Ġ" Ġins istent Ġ, Ġprop ulsive Ġrhyth mic Ġdrive Ġand Ġan the mic Ġchorus Ġ" Ġ, Ġqualities Ġhe Ġsingled Ġout Ġfor Ġmaking Ġit Ġa Ġfan Ġfavorite Ġ. ĠHe Ġcalled Ġthe Ġsong Ġthe Ġ" Ġperfect Ġalbum Ġ@ - @ Ġopener Ġ" Ġ, Ġcred iting Ġthe Ġ" Ġslow Ġbuild Ġof Ġits Ġarrangement Ġtoward Ġa Ġclim actic Ġpeak Ġ" Ġ. ĠHue y Ġalso Ġcalled ĠBon o Ġ' s Ġdelivery Ġ" Ġpassionate Ġand Ġgrand i ose Ġ" Ġand Ġ" Ġhis Ġcommitment Ġto Ġthe Ġmaterial Ġun sh akable Ġ" Ġ. ĠHe Ġbelieved Ġthe Ġcombination Ġof Ġhis Ġvocals Ġand Ġthe Ġband Ġ' s Ġ" Ġsonic Ġpower Ġ" Ġis Ġwhat Ġgave ĠU 2 Ġits Ġ" Ġtremendous Ġforce Ġ" Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠLive Ġperformances Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ Ġ" ĠWhere Ġthe ĠStreets ĠHave ĠNo ĠName Ġ" Ġmade Ġits Ġconcert Ġdebut Ġon Ġ2 ĠApril Ġ1987 Ġin ĠTem pe Ġ, ĠArizona Ġon Ġthe Ġopening Ġnight Ġof ĠThe ĠJoshua ĠTree ĠTour Ġ. ĠIt Ġhas Ġsince Ġbeen Ġplayed Ġat Ġnearly Ġevery Ġfull Ġ@ - @ Ġlength Ġconcert Ġthat ĠU 2 Ġhas Ġheadlined Ġ, Ġtotaling Ġover Ġ700 Ġperformances Ġas Ġof Ġ2011 Ġ. ĠThe Ġsong Ġis Ġwidely Ġregarded Ġas Ġone Ġof Ġthe Ġgroup Ġ' s Ġmost Ġpopular Ġlive Ġsongs Ġ. ĠBon o Ġsaid Ġof Ġit Ġ, Ġ" ĠWe Ġcan Ġbe Ġin Ġthe Ġmiddle Ġof Ġthe Ġworst Ġgig Ġin Ġour Ġlives Ġ, Ġbut Ġwhen Ġwe Ġgo Ġinto Ġthat Ġsong Ġ, Ġeverything Ġchanges Ġ. ĠThe Ġaudience Ġis Ġon Ġits Ġfeet Ġ, Ġsinging Ġalong Ġwith Ġevery Ġword Ġ. ĠIt Ġ' s Ġlike ĠGod Ġsuddenly Ġwalks Ġthrough Ġthe Ġroom Ġ. Ġ" Ġ Ġ ĠOn ĠThe ĠJoshua ĠTree ĠTour Ġ, Ġ" ĠWhere Ġthe ĠStreets ĠHave ĠNo ĠName Ġ" Ġwas Ġmost Ġoften Ġused Ġto Ġopen Ġconcerts Ġ. ĠFans Ġand Ġcritics Ġresponded Ġfavour ably Ġto Ġthe Ġsong Ġin Ġa Ġlive Ġsetting Ġ. ĠThe ĠSan ĠDiego ĠUnion Ġ@ - @ ĠTribune Ġwrote Ġthat Ġ, Ġ" ĠFrom Ġthe Ġlofty Ġsonic Ġopening Ġstrains