RockLists.com
Cover of The Joshua Tree by U2
Cover: The Joshua Tree

Song · U2

“One Tree Hill” by U2

From the album The Joshua Tree (1987)

“One Tree Hill” by U2 appears on 30 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 1987 and 2023. It was first released in 1987 on the album The Joshua Tree. Its best result is #58 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1987. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #102 alternative song of 1987 and #1,020 alternative song of all time.

30countdowns
10stations
#58best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1987–2023years charted

Watch

U2 - One Tree Hill (Rattle And Hum Out-take)

Video from YouTube (U2VEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"One Tree Hill" sits ninth on U2's The Joshua Tree (1987), and it's a eulogy. Greg Carroll was a New Zealander U2 got to know in Auckland while touring The Unforgettable Fire in 1984; he became one of Bono's closest friends and later worked as a roadie for the band, and he was killed in a motorcycle crash in Dublin in July 1986. Bono wrote the words after Carroll's tangi, his funeral in New Zealand, going back to his first night in the country, when Carroll took him up Auckland's One Tree Hill, and nodding to the Chilean singer and activist Víctor Jara along the way.

The music grew out of a jam with Brian Eno, who produced with Daniel Lanois; Eno adds keyboards, Lanois omnichord and tambourine, the Armin Family strings. Bono sang it in one take, feeling he couldn't manage another. Released as a single in New Zealand in 1988, it went to number one there.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1987 58 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1987 91
1987 60 WLIR / WDRE Long Island, NY WLIR Top 100 Songs of 1987 99

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 649 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 962 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 1013 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 1017 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 1731 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 1017 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 1728 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 1002 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 1002 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 686 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2005 1003 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 551 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 538 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 532 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 543 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 559 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2011 974 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 1026 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2013 576 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 615 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 581 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 700 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 621 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 808 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2020 1602 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 454 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2023 332 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 663 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places 800

Charting alongside it in 1987

Best songs of 1987 →
  1. 1Girlfriend in a ComaThe Smiths
  2. 2With or Without YouU2
  3. 3Dear GodXTC
  4. 4Why Can't I Be You?The Cure
  5. 5StrangeloveDepeche Mode
  6. 6Lips Like SugarEcho and the Bunnymen

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "One Tree Hill" by U2.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.