Song · U2
“Red Hill Mining Town” by U2
From the album The Joshua Tree (1987)
“Red Hill Mining Town” by U2 appears on 13 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2002 and 2023. It was first released in 1987 on the album The Joshua Tree. Its best result is #280 on The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,370 alternative song of all time.
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"Red Hill Mining Town" sits sixth on The Joshua Tree, U2's 1987 album, and it's the record's bruised political heart, set against the National Union of Mineworkers' 1984 strike in Britain, the fight over the National Coal Board's drive to shut down pits that weren't paying. A rough version dated back to the album's early writing sessions in 1985. Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois produced, Lanois adding omnichord, tambourine and guitar, Eno keyboards, and both joining the Edge on backing vocals, while Bono throws in harmonica and sings like a man at the end of his rope.
It was lined up as the second single and even got a Neil Jordan video in February 1987, but "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" took its place. A new Steve Lillywhite mix finally came out as a single in April 2017.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 802 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 535 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2007 | 1348 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 1298 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 1322 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 1359 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 1420 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 1430 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 1426 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2020 | 1279 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2023 | 297 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
| 2023 | 763 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 | 1229 |
| 2023 | 280 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places | 800 |
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