Editing U2 (section)

=== ''The Joshua Tree'' and ''Rattle and Hum'' (1986–1990) ===
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 | quote  = The wild beauty, cultural richness, spiritual vacancy and ferocious violence of America are explored to compelling effect in virtually every aspect of ''The Joshua Tree''—in the title and the cover art, the blues and country borrowings evident in the music&nbsp;... Indeed, Bono says that 'dismantling the mythology of America' is an important part of ''The Joshua Tree''{{'}}s artistic objective.
 | source =&nbsp;—[[Anthony DeCurtis]]<ref>Rolling Stone (1994), pp. 68–69</ref>
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For their fifth album, ''[[The Joshua Tree]]'', the band wanted to build on ''The Unforgettable Fire''{{'}}s textures, but instead of experimentation, sought a harder-hitting sound within the limitation of conventional song structures.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=DeCurtis|first=Anthony|title=U2 Releases The Joshua Tree|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=26 March 1987|issue=496}}</ref> Realising that "U2 had no tradition" and that their knowledge of music from before their childhood was limited, the group delved into [[American roots music|American]] and [[Folk music of Ireland|Irish roots music]].<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 169, 177</ref> Friendships with [[Bob Dylan]], [[Van Morrison]], and [[Keith Richards]] motivated Bono to explore [[blues]], [[folk music|folk]], and [[gospel music]] and to focus on his skills as a songwriter and lyricist.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 179</ref> U2 halted the album sessions in June 1986 to play as a headline act on the [[A Conspiracy of Hope|Conspiracy of Hope]] benefit concert tour for [[Amnesty International]]. Rather than distract the band, the tour invigourated their new material.<ref name="McCormick 2006, p. 174">McCormick (2006), p. 174</ref> The following month, Bono travelled to [[Nicaragua]] and [[El Salvador]] and saw first-hand the distress of peasants affected by political conflicts and US military intervention. The experience became a central influence on their new music.<ref name=westwon>{{cite magazine|title=How the West Was Won|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|first=Stephen|last=Dalton|date=October 2003|issue=77}}</ref>

[[File:U2 (1987 Island Records Publicity Photo).jpg|thumb|A promotional image of the band for their 1987 album ''The Joshua Tree'']]
''The Joshua Tree'' was released in March 1987. The album juxtaposes antipathy towards US foreign policy against the group's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom, and ideals.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 186</ref> The band wanted music with a sense of location and a "cinematic" quality, and the record draws on imagery created by American writers whose works the band had been reading.<ref>Graham (2004), pp. 27–30</ref> ''The Joshua Tree'' was critically acclaimed; [[Robert Hilburn]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' said the album "confirms on record what this band has been slowly asserting for three years now on stage: U2 is what [[the Rolling Stones]] ceased being years ago—the greatest rock and roll band in the world".<ref name="latimes-joshua">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-15-ca-10491-story.html|title=U2's Roots Go Deeper|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Robert|last=Hilburn|author-link=Robert Hilburn|date=15 March 1987|at=section Calendar, p. 61|access-date=15 October 2010|archive-date=6 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206152411/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-03-15/entertainment/ca-10491_1_joshua-tree|url-status=live}}</ref> The record went to number one in over 20 countries,<ref name="10things">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2s-the-joshua-tree-10-things-you-didnt-know-106885/|title=U2's 'The Joshua Tree': 10 Things You Didn't Know|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Jordan|last=Runtagh|date=9 March 2017|access-date=2 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702180231/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2s-the-joshua-tree-10-things-you-didnt-know-106885/|url-status=live}}</ref> including the UK where it received a [[Music recording sales certification|platinum certification]] in 48 hours and sold 235,000&nbsp;copies in its first week, making it the fastest seller in British chart history at the time.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 170</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/who-we-are/eighties/|title=The history of the Official Charts: the Eighties|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=13 May 2018|archive-date=19 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235412/http://www.officialcharts.com/who-we-are/eighties/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the US, it spent nine consecutive weeks at number one.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=King, Philip, and Nuala O'Connor (directors)|title=[[Classic Albums]]: U2&nbsp;– The Joshua Tree|medium=Television documentary|publisher=Isis Productions|year=1999}}; McCormick (2006), p. 186</ref> The album included the hit singles "[[With or Without You]]", "[[I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For]]", and "[[Where the Streets Have No Name]]", the first two of which became the group's only number-one hits in the US. U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine,<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 177</ref> which called them "Rock's Hottest Ticket".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19870427,00.html|title=Time Magazine Cover: U2 – April 27, 1987|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=27 April 1987|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=9 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209061709/http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19870427,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The album and its songs received four [[Grammy Award]] nominations, winning [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]].<ref name="grammy-wins-noms">{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/u2/7858|title=U2 <nowiki>|</nowiki> Artist|website=[[Grammy Awards|Grammy.com]]|access-date=26 February 2022|archive-date=27 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227005423/https://www.grammy.com/artists/u2/7858|url-status=live}}</ref> Many publications, including ''Rolling Stone'', have cited ''The Joshua Tree'' as one of rock's greatest albums.<ref name="500Greatest">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/u2-the-joshua-tree-20120524|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|year=2012|editor=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner, Jann S.]]|issue=Special Collectors Issue|page=29|isbn=978-7-09-893419-6|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=19 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119092242/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/u2-the-joshua-tree-20120524|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[The Joshua Tree Tour]] was the first tour on which the band played shows in stadiums alongside smaller arena shows.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 102–103, 111</ref> It was the highest-grossing North American tour of the year with {{USD|35.1&nbsp;million}} earned at the box office,<ref name="U287">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-23-ca-9654-story.html|title=U2's $35-Million Gross Is Highest for '87 Tour|first=Robert|last=Hilburn|author-link=Robert Hilburn|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=23 January 1988|at=sec. Calendar, p. 1|accessdate=1 September 2023|url-access=subscription|archive-date=2 January 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20220102033941/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-23-ca-9654-story.html}}</ref> and globally it grossed {{USD|56&nbsp;million}} from 3.17&nbsp;million tickets sold.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/the-making-of-the-joshua-tree-behind-the-scenes-of-u2-s-spectacular-live-tour-20191112-p539zp.html|title=Masters of stagecraft add wall of wonder|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|first=Karl|last=Quinn|date=16 November 2019|page=24|access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref>

In October 1988, the group released ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'', a double album and theatrically released documentary film that captured the band's experiences with American roots music on the Joshua Tree Tour. The record featured nine studio tracks and six live U2 performances, including recordings at [[Sun Records|Sun Studio]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] and collaborations with Dylan and [[B.B. King]]. Intended as a tribute to American music,<ref>Stokes (1996), p. 78; Graham (2004), pp. 36–38</ref> one ''Rolling Stone'' editor spoke of the album's "excitement" and another described it as "misguided and bombastic".<ref name="rs-achtung-review">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/achtung-baby-251325/|title=U2's 'Achtung Baby': Bring the Noise|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Elysa|last=Gardner|date=9 January 1992|issue=621|page=51|access-date=2 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204419/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/achtung-baby-251325/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film's director, [[Phil Joanou]], described it as "an overly pretentious look at U2".<ref name="RS_xxiv">Rolling Stone (1994), p. xxiv</ref> The film underperformed at the box office and was withdrawn from theatres after three weeks,<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 197</ref> having grossed only {{USD|8.6&nbsp;million}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=u2rattleandhum.htm|title=U2: Rattle and Hum (1988)|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=21 June 2017|archive-date=30 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330172224/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=u2rattleandhum.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the criticism, the album sold 14&nbsp;million copies and reached number one worldwide.<ref>Stokes (2005), p. 78</ref> Lead single "[[Desire (U2 song)|Desire]]" became the band's first number-one song in the UK while reaching number three in the US.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 119</ref> Most of the album's new material was played on 1989–1990's [[Lovetown Tour]], which visited Australasia, Japan, and Europe. They had grown dissatisfied with their live performances; Mullen recalled, "We were the biggest, but we weren't the best".<ref name="fricke">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-finds-what-its-looking-for-189823/ |title=U2 Finds What It's Looking For |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=David |last=Fricke |author-link=David Fricke |date=1 October 1992 |access-date=2 July 2018 |issue=640 |pages=40+ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026111642/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/u2s_serious_fun |archive-date=26 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> With a sense of musical stagnation, Bono hinted at changes to come during a 30 December 1989 concert near the end of the tour; before a hometown crowd in Dublin, he said on stage that it was "the end of something for U2" and that they had to "go away and&nbsp;... just dream it all up again".<ref>McGee (2008), p. 129</ref><ref>McCormick (2006), p. 213</ref>
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