With or Without You

With or Without You is the third song from The Joshua Tree. It was the band's first number-one single in the US with the lyrics of the song very much being seen as the lyrics of a love song, talking about the highs and lows of long-term relationships. The landscape of a long-term relationship if you like. Based on what is already known about U2s deep spiritual influence, many also interpret the lyric of "See the thorn twist in your side" as a reference to Jesus. "And you give yourself away" some would suggest refers to how Christ redeems us through the cross. The words "With or Without You" could be said to really capture the heart of Christianity (Stokes, 2005).

However, the overwhelming broader interpretation of the song is that it is a love song, expressing a longing to be with someone, who for some reason or another you can't be (Gallucci, 2017). Bono in a radio interview from "Timothy White's Rock Stars" back in 1987, when talking about the With or Without You as a love song said "I've said it before, but to me there's nothing more radical, there's nothing more revolutionary than two people loving each other. One, 'cause it's so uncommon these days, and two, 'cause it's so difficult to do."

On another occasion, during an interview with Hot Press in December 1987, Bono described how "With or Without You doesn't really make sense without Walk to the Water or Luminous Times", two songs which were released as B-sides for their singles from the album and later as part of the With or Without You EP (O'Hare, 2007).

Some have suggested that the song is about Bono's relationships with his audience and fans. From the very beginning of their careers, Bono has always given himself completely to the fans. He's opened himself up to them and invested into them. Over the years, this had taken it's toll on him, physically, spiritually and emotionally. A video of the band performing the song in Mexico City as part of their POPMART tour (see below) clearly shows how much he gives himself to the audience, whilst also showing how much the audience means to him (Steverud, 2006).