# In 1987, U2 made a song no one could take seriously. In 2026, it has been streamed 2,000,000,000 times

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1987-u2-made-a-song-no-one-could-take-seriously-in-2026-it-has-been-streamed-2000000000-times/
- Published: 2026-11-07T14:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T15:41:03+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1987-u2-made-a-song-no-one-could-take-seriously/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- U2 initially doubted the song because it sounded unlike their usual work.
- Gospel influences helped shape its sound and live performances.
- The headline says it has reached two billion streams.

## Summary

U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” began as a loose, Jamaican-influenced idea that the band initially found too unlike their usual sound to take seriously. It became one of the defining tracks on 1987’s *The Joshua Tree*, showing how the band could broaden its rock sound with gospel influences.

The Edge recalled that Bono found the melody and he already had the title in a notebook, but the song only came together during mixing. The article says its sparse guitar parts helped give it space, while a gospel choir brought greater scale to live performances captured on *Rattle and Hum*. Its streaming total is stated in the headline as two billion, though the article text provides no further figures or platform details.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.