I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

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Create account Personal tools Contents (Top) Writing and recording Release Music video B-sides Reception Live performances Legacy Track listing Personnel Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications The Chimes version Critical reception Track listing Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Scarlett Johansson and Bono duet version Charts See also References External links I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Article Talk Read Edit View history From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" Still havent found cover.jpg 7-inch vinyl variant of the standard artwork Single by U2 from the album The Joshua Tree B-side "Spanish Eyes" "Deep in the Heart" Released 25 May 1987[1] Recorded 1986 Studio Danesmoate House (Dublin) Genre Rockgospel[2] Length 4:37 Label Island Composer(s) U2 Lyricist(s) Bono Producer(s) Daniel LanoisBrian Eno U2 singles chronology "With or Without You" (1987) "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (1987) "Where the Streets Have No Name" (1987) Music video "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" on YouTube "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's second single in May 1987. The song was a hit, becoming the band's second consecutive number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 while peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart. The song originated from a demo the band recorded on which drummer Larry Mullen Jr. played a unique rhythm pattern. Like much of The Joshua Tree, the song was inspired by the group's interest in American music. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" exhibits influences from gospel music and its lyrics describe spiritual yearning. Lead singer Bono's vocals are in high register and lead guitarist the Edge plays a chiming arpeggio. Adding to the gospel qualities of the song are choir-like backing vocals provided by the Edge and producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was critically acclaimed and received two nominations at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It has subsequently become one of the group's most well-known songs and has been performed on many of their concert tours. The track has appeared on several of their compilations and concert films. Many critics and publications have ranked "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" among the greatest tracks in music history, including Rolling Stone which ranked the song at number 93 of its 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[3] Writing and recording "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" originated from a demo variously titled "The Weather Girls" and "Under the Weather" that the band recorded during a jam session.[2][4][5] Bassist Adam Clayton called the demo's melody "a bit of a one-note groove", while an unconvinced The Edge, the band's guitarist, compared it to "'Eye of the Tiger' played by a reggae band". However, the band liked the drum part played by drummer Larry Mullen Jr.[6] Co-producer Daniel Lanois said, "It was a very original beat from Larry. We always look for those beats that would qualify as a signature for the song. And that certainly was one of those. It had this tom-tom thing that he does and nobody ever understands. And we just didn't want to let go of that beat, it was so unique."[4] Lanois encouraged Mullen to continue developing the weird drum pattern beyond the demo.[6] Mullen said the beat became even more unusual, and although Lanois eventually mixed most of the pattern out to just keep the basics, the rhythm became the root of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".[6] "I've always liked gospel music and I encouraged Bono to take it to that place ... It was a very non-U2 thing to do at the time, to go up the street of gospel. I think it opened a door for them, to experiment with that territory ... [Bono]'s singing at the top of his range and there is something very compelling about somebody pushing themselves. It's like hearing Aretha Franklin almost. It jumps on you and you can't help but feel the feeling." —Daniel Lanois[7] The group worked on the track at the studio they had set up at Danesmoate House in Dublin.[4] Lanois compared the creation of the song to constructing a building, first laying down the drums as the foundation, then adding additional layers piece by piece, before finally "putting in furniture".[7] Lead singer Bono was interested in the theme of spiritual doubt, which was fostered by Eno's love for gospel music, and by Bono's listening to songs by The Swan Silvertones, The Staple Singers, and Blind Willie Johnson.[8] After the Edge wrote a chord sequence and played it on acoustic guitar "with a lot of power in the strumming", the group attempted to compose a suitable vocal melody,[6] trying out a variety of ideas.[4] During a jam session, Bono began singing a "classic soul" melody, and it was this addition that made the Edge hear the song's potential.[6] At that point, he remembered a phrase he had written in a notebook that morning as a possible song title, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for". He suggests it was influenced by a line from the Bob Dylan song "Idiot Wind": "You'll find out when you reach the top you're on the bottom".[6] He wrote the phrase on a piece of paper and handed it to Bono while he was singing. The Edge called the phrase's fit with the song "like hand in glove".[6] From that point on, the song was the first piece played to visitors during the recording sessions.[6] "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" 0:29 Gospel music influenced the song. Bono's vocals are in a higher register, and he sings of spiritual doubt.[6] Problems playing this file? See media help. As recording continued, a number of guitar overdubs were added, including an auto-pan effect and a chiming arpeggio to modernise the old-style "gospel song".[7] While the Edge was improvising guitar parts one day, Bono heard a "chrome bells" guitar hook that he liked.[6] It was added as a counter-melody to the song's "muddy shoes" guitar part,[6] and it is this hook that the Edge plays during live performances of the song. Bono sang in the upper register of his range to add to the feeling of spiritual yearning; in the verses he hits a B-flat note, and an A-flat in the chorus.[7] Background vocals were provided by the Edge, Lanois, and co-producer Brian Eno, their voices being multi-tracked. Lanois suggests that his and Eno's involvement in the track's creation helped their vocals. He stated, "You're not going to get that sound of, 'Oh they brought in some soul singers' if you know what I mean. Our hearts and souls are already there. If we sing it'll sound more real."[6] Lanois also played a percussive guitar part, which is heard in the introduction.[9] The song's writing was completed relatively early during the band's time at Danesmoate House. The mix took longer to complete, though, with most of the production team contributing. The final mix was completed by Lanois and the Edge in a home studio set up at Melbeach, a house purchased by the Edge. They mixed it on top of a previous Steve Lillywhite mix, which gave the song a phasing sound.[6] The final version of the song is composed in the key of D-flat major.[10] Lanois says he is very attached to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and has, on occasion, joined U2 on stage to perform it.[7] The original "Weather Girls" demo, re-titled "Desert of Our Love", was included with the 2007 remastered version of The Joshua Tree on a bonus disc of outtakes and B-sides.[5] Release Initially, "Red Hill Mining Town" was planned for release as the second single. However, Bono was unable to sing the song during pre-tour rehearsals and the band were reportedly unhappy with the video shot by Neil Jordan, so "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" became a late choice for the second single.[11] The single was released in May 1987. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 51 on 13 June 1987. After nearly 2 months on the chart, the song reached number one on 8 August 1987, becoming the band's second consecutive number-one hit in the United States. The song spent two weeks in the top spot, and remained on the chart for 17 weeks.[12] On other Billboard charts, the song peaked at number 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart,[13] and number two on the Album Rock Tracks chart.[14] The song also topped the Irish Singles Chart,[15] while peaking at number six on the Canadian RPM Top 100[16] and the UK Singles Chart.[17] In New Zealand, the song peaked at number two on the RIANZ Top 40 Singles Chart, while reaching number six on the Dutch Top 40 and number 11 on the Swedish Singles Chart.[18] Music video The accompanying music video for the song was filmed on Fremont Street in Las Vegas on 12 April 1987 following their Joshua Tree Tour concert in that city.[11] It features the band members wandering around while the Edge plays an acoustic guitar. The music video was later re-released on The U218 Videos compilation DVD. Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas's official event organization, credits the group's video with improving the city's image among musicians. "The whole perception of Vegas changed with that video," Christenson said, adding, "Now all the big names come here, some of them five, six times a year

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Chart History (17 weeks)