With or Without You

{{Short description|1987 single by U2}} {{Other uses}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}} {{Infobox song | name = With or Without You | cover = With or Without You vinyl single.jpg | alt = | caption = Artwork variant for 7-inch release | type = single | artist = U2 | album = The Joshua Tree | B-side = *"Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)" *"Walk to the Water" | released = 16 March 1987<ref>{{cite web|first1= Aaron |last1= Sams |first2= Harry |last2= Kantas |title= U2 – "With or Without You" Single |publisher= U2songs.com |access-date= 25 May 2016 |url= http://www.u2songs.com/discography/u2_with_or_without_you_single}}</ref> | recorded = 1986 | studio = Danesmoate House (Dublin) | venue = | genre = Rock | length = 4:56 | label = Island | composer = U2 | lyricist = Bono | producer = {{hlist|Daniel Lanois|Brian Eno}} | prev_title = The Unforgettable Fire | prev_year = 1985 | next_title = I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For | next_year = 1987 | misc = {{Audio sample | type = single | file = U2 - With or Without You.ogg }} {{External music video|{{YouTube|ujNeHIo7oTE|Official Video}} <br />{{YouTube|yamxg2oCfwo|Alternate Video}}}} }}

"'''With or Without You'''" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track on their fifth studio album, ''The Joshua Tree'' (1987), and was released as the album's lead single on 16 March 1987. The song was the group's most successful single at the time, becoming their first number-one hit in both the United States and Canada by topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks and the ''RPM'' national singles chart for one week, with a further three weeks at number two.

"With or Without You" features sustained guitar parts played by guitarist the Edge with a prototype of the Infinite Guitar, along with vocals by lead singer Bono and a bassline by bassist Adam Clayton. The rock ballad<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://observer.com/2017/06/u2-best-songs/|title=The 5 Best U2 Songs of All Time|date=30 June 2017|website=The New York Observer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ndsmcobserver.com/2003/10/u2s-music-defines-a-generation/|title=U2's music defines a generation // The Observer|date=8 October 2003}}</ref> originated from a demo recorded in late 1985 that the group continued to work on throughout ''The Joshua Tree'' sessions. Ostensibly a song about troubled love, the track's lyrics were inspired by Bono's conflicting feelings about the lives he led as a musician and domestic man.

Critics praised the song upon its release. It is frequently performed on the band's tours, and it has appeared on many of their compilation albums and concert films. "With or Without You" is U2's second most frequently covered song.<ref name="u2com">{{cite web|url=http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4029/tagName/singles|title=With or Without You|work=U2.com|publisher=Live Nation|access-date=12 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915002219/https://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4029/tagName/singles|archive-date=15 September 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked the song 131st on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

== Writing and recording ==

In late 1985, U2 convened at a house that drummer Larry Mullen Jr. bought to review material the group had written during The Unforgettable Fire Tour. During this time, a rough demo of "With or Without You" was written, with lead vocalist Bono composing the song's chord sequence.<ref name="m172">McCormick (2006), p. 172</ref> The band continued to work on the song at STS Studios, creating many permutations of the track, but not making any progress. Guitarist the Edge considered the song at that point to be "awful".<ref name="m172" /> The track consisted of a Yamaha drum machine beat and a bass part played by bassist Adam Clayton using an Ibanez bass guitar with a short scale.<ref name="hotpress">{{cite magazine|title=The Secret History of 'The Joshua Tree' |magazine=Hot Press |first=Colm |last=O'Hare |date=21 November 2007}}</ref> According to Clayton, these early versions of the song sounded too sentimental<ref name="macphisto">{{cite web | url = http://www.macphisto.net/article70.html | title = Top 100 Pop Songs Since 1963 | publisher = Macphisto.net | date = 19 November 2000 | access-date = 15 February 2010 | archive-date = 26 February 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120226082941/http://www.macphisto.net/article70.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> and "very traditional because the chords just went round and round and round".<ref name="m172" />

The sessions for ''The Joshua Tree'' started in earnest in 1986, and U2 were recording at the Georgian mansion Danesmoate House in Dublin. The group attempted to take the song in a different direction, although Bono was reluctant.<ref name="macphisto" /> Under the direction of co-producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, the Edge pursued more ambient guitar playing, Clayton turned up the volume on his bass, and Mullen experimented with an electronically enhanced drum kit.<ref name="macphisto" /> Despite the work they continued to put into the track, the group considered abandoning the song, as they could not find an arrangement they liked.<ref name="m179" />

Bono and his friend Gavin Friday continued to work on the song after Lanois and Eno declined to do so.<ref name="m179" /> Bono credits Friday with rescuing the song and rearranging it, believing it could be a hit. Eno added a keyboard arpeggio, similar to the one from "Bad".<ref name="m179" /> The song's fate was still in doubt when the Edge was sent a prototype of the Infinite Guitar by Canadian musician Michael Brook, with whom he had collaborated for the 1986 ''Captive'' soundtrack.<ref name="m179">McCormick (2006), pp. 179, 181</ref> The instrument allowed sustained notes to be played, producing "a similar effect to the E-Bow", but with the ability to provide all the "mid-points between no sustain and infinite sustain" that the E-Bow cannot provide.<ref name="inside" /> The prototype included elaborate assembly instructions and as the Edge recollects, "one wrongly placed wire and you could get a nasty belt of electricity. This piece of gear would have failed even the most basic of safety regulations."<ref name="m179" /> On subsequent tours, his guitar technician occasionally received electric shocks from the instrument when preparing it for performances.<ref name="m179" />

Listening to the backing track to "With or Without You" in the control room, Bono and Friday heard the sustained effect that the Edge was creating with the Infinite Guitar in the other room. The combination of the two playing simultaneously caught their attention. According to Lanois, "I said, 'That sounded pretty cool,' so we listened back and I said, 'Jesus, it's better than I thought.'"<ref name="hotpress" /> The Edge immediately recorded an Infinite Guitar part in two takes.<ref name="hotpress" /><ref name="m179" /> The band considers the song's recording to be one of the album sessions' breakthrough moments, as it was recorded amid concerns that they had run out of ideas.<ref name="m179" />

Eno sequenced the song's electronic drum beat on the Yamaha DX7 synthesiser. Rather than connect it to the recording equipment via a DI unit and maintain the instrument's pristine sound, the producers plugged it into a Mesa Boogie guitar amplifier and then miked it to give the sound more personality. As a result, Lanois said it sounded "more like people playing in a room". The sequenced beat was chosen to give the song a feeling of discipline, so that when Mullen's acoustic drums enter the song, "they mean something", in Lanois' words.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Creating Chaos|magazine=Music Technology|first=Paul|last=Tingen|date=October 1987|pages=34–38}}</ref>

Producer Steve Lillywhite was hired by U2 in December 1986 to help mix some songs for ''The Joshua Tree'';<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 184–185</ref> "With or Without You" was one of them. While Lillywhite and engineer Mark Wallis were mixing it, Eno entered the room and told them that he wanted to change the introduction. Wallis said: "And it was kind of awe-inspiring because he said, 'Right, send this guitar through those ten effects over there and send that guitar through those ten effects over there and then feed them back to each other.' So what started as a traditional bit of rhythm guitar, bass, and drums suddenly became something quite otherworldly and spiritual, and the sound of the music you were hearing started to give you a feeling of where the song was going to go prior to the lyric. I thought that was really visionary."<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 164</ref> Ultimately, "With or Without You" was the most debated song of those on which Lillywhite worked, as Eno and Lanois each had ideas different from his. Lillywhite, who wanted a more mainstream approach to his mix, favoured "a little more crash, bang" sound to Mullen's drums that enter later in the song, while Eno preferred that the drums remain "more mysterious and more supportive".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/daniel-lanois-19871217|title=Q&A: Daniel Lanois|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=James|last=Henke|date=17–31 December 1987|access-date=23 June 2017|issue=515/516}}</ref>

Bono wrote the lyrics during his first night visiting the Côte d'Azur in 1986,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/12/u2-job-art-divisive-interview|title=U2: 'It's the job of art to be divisive'|work=The Guardian|first=Dorian|last=Lynskey|date=12 October 2014|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> while struggling to reconcile his responsibilities as both a married man and a musician.<ref name=m179/> His wanderlust in belonging to a musical act was often at odds with his domestic life.<ref name=m179/> While writing the lyrics, he realised that neither facet of his life defined him, but rather the tension between the two did. He explained that the final lyric is about torment and how repressing desires only makes them stronger.<ref name=m179/>

==Composition== "With or Without You" is written in a {{music|time|4|4}} time signature and is played at a tempo of 110 beats per minute.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/scorch.asp?ppn=SC0021694 |title=U2 - With or Without You Guitar Tab |work=Musicnotes |date=9 November 2009 |access-date=9 March 2010}}</ref> Although certain stanzas of lyrics are repeated, the song does not follow a traditional verse-chorus form. Lanois says of it, "It has tension and builds like one of those great Roy Orbison songs, where every section is unique and never repeats. I like that kind of sophistication [...]."<ref name="hotpress" />

The song begins with a minimal drum beat of eighth notes played by Mullen, while a backing track—Eno's synthesiser—plays a "rippling" triplet arpeggio of the chord D major.<ref name="inside">Rooksby (2001), pp. 122–123</ref> A high sustained guitar part (played by The Edge's Infinite Guitar) enters, played "dry" in the left channel before reverberating on the right.<ref name="inside" /> At 0:09, Clayton's bass guitar begins to play eighth notes in time with the kick drum, and the song's four-bar sequence of the chord progression D–A–Bm–G, begins.<ref name="inside" /> This chord progression is never explicitly played but is "implied" by the root notes played by Clayton and the guitar parts of The Edge.<ref name="inside" />

{{Quote box | quote = "Notes actually ''do'' mean something. They have power. I think of notes as being expensive. You don't just throw them around. I find the ones that do the best job and that's what I use. I suppose I'm a minimalist instinctively. I don't like to be inefficient if I can get away with it. Like on the end of 'With or Without You'. My instinct was to go with something very simple [...]. I still think it's sort of brave, because the end of "With or Without You" could have been so much bigger, so much more of a climax, but there's this power to it which I think is even more potent because it's held back." | source = —The Edge, on the song's concluding guitar figure<ref name="flansimple" /> | width = 27% | align = right | style = padding:10px; }} Bono's vocals enter at 0:28 in a low register, a stark contrast from Bono's typical singing style to that point in the group's career.<ref name="inside" /> He stays below the middle C for the first two and a half stanzas, centering his melody on the mediant F{{music|sharp}}. At the end of each of the first two stanzas, his vocals drop an octave, from A to A. Author Susan Fast called Bono's vocals on "With or Without You" the first occasion on which he "extended his vocal range downward in an appreciable way".<ref name="exp">Fast (2000), p. 48</ref> At 0:58, an additional sustained guitar part joins the mix.<ref name="inside" /> The drums increase in intensity at 1:45, before The Edge begins playing the song's signature guitar riff at 1:53. The riff, a perfect fifth opening to a sixth, features a prominent use of delay.<ref name="inside" /> When the riff is played, it is answered by Bono singing "And you give yourself away", a line on which backing vocals appear at 2:06 and 2:32.<ref name="inside" />

A stanza begins in which Bono sings the song's title in a high, passionate voice as the drums get heavier.<ref name="inside" /> At 3:03, the song bursts out in emotion as Bono begins open-throated "Oh-oh-oh-ohh" vocals, which are double-tracked, and the rhythm increases to play sixteenth notes on the guitar, cymbals, and tambourine.<ref name="inside" /> After another stanza of Bono repeating the song's title, the music dies down at 3:38 to a similar state as it was at the beginning of the song.<ref name="inside" /> Ten seconds later, Bono sings in a falsetto while a bass synthesiser doubles the bass guitar.<ref name="inside" /> After the vocals complete, The Edge begins a simple guitar figure. He explained that its understated nature was meant to resist the temptation to play an intricate guitar solo as an ending.<ref name="flansimple">Flanagan (1996), p. 43</ref> The second time the figure is played, the signature guitar riff from earlier re-appears and the song regains some of its intensity.<ref name="inside" /> The song concludes with a fade-out.

The lyrics ostensibly describe a troubled relationship between two lovers, although the lyrics have been interpreted in religious contexts. The ''Washington Post'' interpreted the song as both an acerbic love song and a tune lamenting the moral contradictions one faces with their religious faith.<ref>{{cite news | title = U2 Can Be Famous; Breaking into the Big Time with 'Joshua Tree' | newspaper = Washington Post | first = Richard | last = Harrington | date = 22 March 1987}}</ref> Toby Creswell echoed these sentiments, saying it "can be read as a song about either marital romance or spiritual need".<ref name="1001songs" /> Bono explained that the lyrics had romantic intentions, saying, "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."<ref name="1001songs" /> In 1987, Bono explained that "And you give yourself away" lyric refers to how he sometimes feels exposed being in U2, and that his openness, both to the public and music press, can do damage to the group. Author Niall Stokes interpreted the line as encompassing the theme of "surrendering the ego" to one's love and spiritual faith.<ref name="stokes">Stokes (1996), p. 66</ref> According to Bono, the song was heavily influenced by Scott Walker's 1984 album ''Climate of Hunter.''<ref name="u2com" />

==Release and chart performance== The band's manager Paul McGuinness was resistant to U2 releasing "With or Without You" as a single, as he thought it was too sonically unusual for release. Gavin Friday, having helped the band complete the track, disagreed and thought it would be a "certain No. 1".<ref name="hotpress" /> The song was selected as the lead single from ''The Joshua Tree''. United States radio stations were allowed to play the song at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. on 4 March 1987, with strong warnings by Island Records against playing it earlier.<ref name="truths">{{cite magazine| last =DeCurtis | first =Anthony| author-link = Anthony DeCurtis | title =Truths and Consequences | magazine=Rolling Stone | date = 7 May 1987}}</ref> The single was released on 16 March 1987, two weeks after the album was released.<ref name="truths" /><ref>McGee (2008), pp. 100-101</ref> It was the group's first single to be widely issued on compact disc.<ref name="u2com" /> Clayton referred to the song's nature as a challenge to radio, saying, "You don't expect it there [on radio]. In church perhaps."<ref name="stokes" />

"With or Without You" debuted at number 64 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart,<ref name="truths" /> and on 16 May 1987,<ref name="billboardsite">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100?chartDate=1987-05-20| title = Hot 100 - Week of May 16, 1987 | magazine = Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|access-date = 26 July 2012}}</ref> it topped the chart to become U2's first number-one single in the US, proving Friday's prediction true.<ref name="hotpress" /> The song spent three weeks atop the chart,<ref name="billnum1">Bronson (2003), p. 666</ref> and 18 weeks in total on the Hot 100.<ref name="billboardsite" /> The song also topped ''Billboard''{{'}}s Album Rock Tracks chart,<ref name="allmusic-billboard">{{cite web | url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5723/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} | title = U2: Charts & Awards: Billboard Singles | website = AllMusic | access-date = 14 December 2009}}</ref> Canada's ''RPM'' Top 100,<ref name="rpm">{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=8btpc55uesvhffgnhp22r4co86&q1=%22With+or+Without+You%22 |title=Search Results: With or Without You |work=RPM |date=9 May 1987 |access-date=25 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023182922/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=8btpc55uesvhffgnhp22r4co86&q1=%22With+or+Without+You%22 |archive-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Irish Singles Chart.<ref name="Irish S"/> According to ''Billboard'', the song was the group's breakthrough with American audiences.<ref name="billnum1" /> The single peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, spending 11 weeks in the top 75 of the chart. The single also peaked at number two on the Dutch MegaCharts Top 40.<ref>McGee (2008), pp. 100, 105</ref> In 2009, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 43 on the week ending 31 May, based on download sales due to Shaun Smith's performance of the song in the series 3 semi-final of ''Britain's Got Talent''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20090531/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 (31 May 2009 - 06 June 2009) &#124; Official Charts Company|website=Official Charts}}</ref>

Two videos were shot in Dublin in February 1987 and were co-directed by Meiert Avis and Matt Mahurin. The first includes abstracts shots of dancer (and Edge's future wife) Morleigh Steinberg edited in between shots of the band playing the song. A second alternative version can be found in the Super Deluxe version of the album.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 100</ref> On 15 March 2024, the song became the first U2 song to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Amabile |first=Michele |date=2024-03-18 |title=U2's 'With or Without You' Hits A Billion Streams on Spotify |url=https://1071theboss.com/news/u2s-with-or-without-you-hits-a-billion-streams-on-spotify/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=107.1 The Boss |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Live performances== [[File:With or Without You 23 Sep 2009.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Lighting effects during a performance of "With or Without You" on the U2 360° Tour.]]

"With or Without You" was first played live at the second show on the Joshua Tree Tour on 4 April 1987, and was a regular for the rest of that tour. It was played at most shows on 1989's Lovetown Tour. During these tours, two extensions to the song not present on the studio version were played: an extra verse with lyrics that typically read "We'll shine like stars in the summer night/We'll shine like stars in the winter light/One heart, one hope, one love" or modifications thereof,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/song88.html | title = U2 Shine Like Stars | publisher = U2Gigs | access-date = 3 May 2010}}</ref> which appears in the 1988 ''Rattle and Hum'' movie; and a snippet of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (along with the "shine like stars" lyrics) which can be heard in the live album and concert film ''Live from Paris''. Since the PopMart Tour, it has been more common for Bono to repeat the "Ohh" at the climax of the song, with the "shine like stars" verse sung rarely.

"With or Without You" was played at most Zoo TV Tour concerts and every concert on the PopMart Tour. It was dropped from the set list during the third leg of the Elevation Tour. It was initially a rare inclusion during the Vertigo Tour - over the two months of the tour's first leg, it was only played four times.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/tour224.html | title = U2 Vertigo Tour 1st leg: North America | publisher = U2Gigs | access-date = 3 May 2010}}</ref> It became a regular concert inclusion during stadium concerts on the second leg in Europe and remained in the set list for the third leg. It has been played on every night of the U2 360° Tour, occasionally with the "shine like stars" coda.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.u2gigs.com/360__Tour.html | title = U2 360° Tour | publisher = U2Gigs | access-date = 3 May 2010}}</ref> The song regularly closed out the main set on the Innocence + Experience Tour, again occasionally with the "shine like stars" coda. The song was performed at every concert on The Joshua Tree Tours 2017 and 2019. It was also performed at all 40 shows of their 2023–2024 residency U2:UV ''Achtung Baby'' Live at Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley.

Live performances of the song also appear in the group's concert films ''Zoo TV: Live from Sydney'' (1994), ''PopMart: Live from Mexico City'' (1998), ''Elevation 2001: Live from Boston'', ''U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland'' (2003), ''Vertigo 05: Live from Milan'' (2006), ''U2 3D'' (2008), and ''U2360° at the Rose Bowl'' (2010).

==Reception== The song received universal acclaim from critics. ''Rolling Stone'' called it an "inventively arranged tune... that builds from a soothing beginning to a resounding climax".<ref name="RS_JT">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-joshua-tree-19870409|title=Review: The Joshua Tree|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Steve|last=Pond|date=9 April 1987|access-date=26 April 2010|issue=497}}</ref> Bill Graham of ''Hot Press'' praised the song, suggesting it may be Bono's "most controlled vocal, building from an almost conversational first verse over a bare rhythm section to a soul-baring confession". Graham suggested the lyric "And you give yourself away" was essential to U2's message.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://hotpress.com/archive/551787.html|title=The Joshua Tree|magazine=Hot Press|first=Bill|last=Graham|date=12 March 1987|access-date=27 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004151407/http://hotpress.com/archive/551787.html|archive-date=4 October 2011}}</ref> The ''Sunday Independent'' suggested that the song was proof the band could be commercially accessible, yet not resort to rock clichés.<ref>{{cite news|title='Joshua Tree' blooms|newspaper=Sunday Independent|first=Lisa|last=Hand|date=8 March 1987}}</ref> ''NME'' called it "some kind of love song" and found musical and lyrical symmetry between the song and the group's 1981 album ''October''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Out of Little Acorns..|magazine=NME|first=John|last=McCready|date=14 March 1987}}</ref>

Mike DeGagne of AllMusic praised the song for Eno's and Lanois's "gleaming" production work, Bono's vocals and "poetic deftness", and for The Edge's "astute but assertive" guitar playing. DeGagne described Bono's singing as "unleashing all his vocal power, moving from a soft, subtle intro and middle to an explosive burst of unyielding energy toward the end". He made religious comparisons to the musical arrangement, saying the "discerning air sounds almost church-like as it slowly unravels".<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t833160|pure_url=yes}}|title=Song Review: 'With or Without You'|website=Allmusic|first=Mike|last=DeGagne|access-date=3 May 2010}}</ref> Tom Breihan of ''Stereogum'' described the song as a power ballad with a "beautiful" build. "It hits all the marks that power ballads are supposed to hit — the soft beginning, the slow ramp-up, the eventual catharsis — but it makes those beats feel instinctive, not cynical. Nothing about “With or Without You” feels cynical. It feels like a great unburdening, a pent-up howl at the heavens. It’s operatic nonsense, and it’s great spectacle."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2116257/the-number-ones-u2s-with-or-without-you/columns/the-number-ones/|title=The Number Ones: U2's "With Or Without You"|magazine=Stereogum|date=17 February 2021}}</ref> Readers of ''Rolling Stone'' voted "With or Without You" the "Best Single" in a 1987 end-of-year poll,<ref name="u2com" /> while it finished in 15th place on the "Best Singles" list from ''The Village Voice''{{'}}s 1987 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres87.php|title=The 1987 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|work=robertchristgau.com|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>

==Legacy== "With or Without You" has become one of U2's best-known songs, and it often appears in music critics' rankings of the best songs of all-time. In 2000, the song appeared at number eight on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of "100 Greatest Pop Songs", compiled by ''Rolling Stone'' and MTV music critics to rank songs released since The Beatles' breakthrough.<ref>{{cite magazine| title = 100 Greatest Pop Songs | magazine= Rolling Stone | date = 7 December 2000|issue=855}}</ref> In 2005, ''Blender'' ranked the song at number 268 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.blender.com/lists/68125/500-greatest-songs-since-you-were-born-451-500.html?p=5|title=The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born|magazine=Blender|date=October 2005|issue=41|access-date=2 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410101955/http://www.blender.com/lists/68125/500-greatest-songs-since-you-were-born-451-500.html?p=5|archive-date=10 April 2009}}</ref> The following year, readers of ''Q'' voted "With or Without You" the 17th-greatest song in history.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The 100 Greatest Songs Ever!|magazine=Q|date=October 2006|issue=243}}</ref> In 2012, ''Slant Magazine'' listed "With or Without You" as the 40th best single of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/best-singles-of-the-1980s/P7|title=Best Singles of the 1980s|work=Slant Magazine|date=20 August 2012|access-date=12 May 2013}}</ref> Music television network VH1 ranked the song number 13 on the "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s" countdown in its series ''The Greatest''.<ref>{{cite episode|title=100 Greatest Songs of the 80s (Hour 5)|series=The Greatest|network=VH1|url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_greatest/episode.jhtml?episodeID=106857|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816181835/http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_greatest/episode.jhtml?episodeID=106857|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 August 2011|number=171|airdate=30 October 2006}}</ref> In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' placed the song at number 131 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time";<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6596661/sort/rank/pagenum/3|title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=9 December 2004|issue=963|page=120|access-date=15 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041230112453/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6596661/sort/rank/pagenum/3|archive-date=30 December 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> the song was re-ranked to 132nd on the magazine's 2010 version of the list,<ref name="rs500-2010">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/u2-with-or-without-you-20110526|title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time: U2, 'With or Without You'|magazine=Rolling Stone|year=2010|issue=Special collectors edition}}</ref> and to 211th on the 2021 version.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/u2-with-or-without-you-2-1225127/|title=The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=October 2021|issue=1356|access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> The song appeared as one of seven U2 songs in Toby Creswell's 2006 music reference book ''1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories, and Secrets''.<ref name="1001songs">Creswell (2006), p. 560</ref> Creswell said the song struck a perfect balance between the "vigour and spit and attitude" of the group's teenage years and their new-found appreciation for the "power of understatement".<ref name="1001songs" /> In 2019, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the song number seven on their list of the 50 greatest U2 songs,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/u2-band-greatest-songs-bono-the-edge-205104/with-or-without-you-198262/|title=U2's 50 Greatest Songs|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=30 November 2019|accessdate=19 March 2022}}</ref> and in 2020, ''The Guardian'' ranked the song number four on their list of the 40 greatest U2 songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/may/21/u2s-40-greatest-songs-ranked|title=U2's 40 greatest songs – ranked!|first=Alexis|last=Petridis|work=The Guardian|date=21 May 2020|accessdate=19 March 2022}}</ref> U2 included the song on their compilation albums ''The Best of 1980–1990'' (1998) and ''U218 Singles'' (2006) and reworked and re-recorded it for ''Songs of Surrender'' (2023).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-reimagined-rerecorded-version-u2s-pride-name-of-love-3378942|title=Listen to "reimagined and re-recorded" version of U2's 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)'|publisher=NME|date=11 January 2023|accessdate=1 March 2023|last=Qureshi|first=Arusa|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230301062823/https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-reimagined-rerecorded-version-u2s-pride-name-of-love-3378942|archive-date=1 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, ''Vulture'' placed the song at number 12 on its ranking of all 234 U2 songs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Caryn |title=All 234 U2 Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/all-218-u2-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |website=Vulture |date=26 October 2022 |language=en-us}}</ref>

==In popular culture== In the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', the song is the theme song of the relationship between Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston). It is first played in the 1995 season 2 episode "The One with the List", wherein Ross apologizes to Rachel for the list he made in which he described the negative attributes of Rachel. Rachel then prevents the song from continuing after ringing up the radio station, informing them about what Ross did.

The song is featured in the 1994 film ''Blown Away'', as well as in "START", the 2018 season 6 series finale episode of the series ''The Americans''.

A piano cover of the song featured in series 4, episode 6 of the series ''Sex Education'' in 2023.

==Track listing== {{Track listing | extra_column = Producer | title1 = With or Without You | length1 = 4:55 | writer1 = U2 | extra1 = Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno | title2 = Luminous Times (Hold on to Love) | length2 = 4:33 | writer2 = U2, Brian Eno | extra2 = Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, U2 | title3 = Walk to the Water | length3 = 4:49 | writer3 = U2 | extra3 = Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, U2 }}

==Personnel== '''U2''' *Bono&nbsp;– vocals *The Edge&nbsp;– guitar *Adam Clayton&nbsp;– bass guitar *Larry Mullen Jr.&nbsp;– drums

'''Additional personnel''' *Daniel Lanois&nbsp;– production, tambourine *Brian Eno&nbsp;– keyboards, DX7 programming, production *Flood&nbsp;– recording *Pat McCarthy&nbsp;– recording assistance *Steve Lillywhite&nbsp;– mixing

==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+Weekly chart performance for "With or Without You" ! Chart (1987–1988) ! Peak<br />position |- !scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=317}} N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.</ref> |9 |- {{single chart|Austria|15|artist=U2|song=With or Without You|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Flanders|3|artist=U2|song=With or Without You|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|1|chartid=0807|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2025}} |- !scope="row"|Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=European Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=4|issue=22|page=10|date=6 June 1987}}</ref> |1 |- !scope="row"|Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>{{cite book | first= Jake | last= Nyman |year= 2005 | title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja | edition= 1st | publisher=Tammi | location= Helsinki| isbn= 951-31-2503-3| language= fi }}</ref> |5 |- {{single chart|France|10|artist=U2|song=With or Without You|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Ireland2|1|song=With or Without You|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2025|refname="Irish S"}} |- !scope="row"|Italy (''Musica e dischi'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=Musica e dischi|language=it|access-date=28 May 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "U2".</ref> |18 |- !scope="row"|Italy Airplay (''Music & Media'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-04-18.pdf|title=European Playlist Reports: RAI - Italy|magazine=Music & Media|volume=4|issue=15|page=14|date=18 April 1987}}</ref> | 2 |- {{single chart|Dutch40|2|year=1987|week=16|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Dutch100|2|artist=U2|song=With or Without You|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|New Zealand|5|artist=U2|song=With or Without You|rowheader=true}} |- !scope="row"|South Africa (Springbok Radio)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(U).html |title=South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (U) |website=rock.co.za |access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref> |11 |- !scope="row"|Spain (AFYVE)<ref>{{cite book |last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002|edition=1st |date=September 2005|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|location=Spain|isbn=84-8048-639-2}}</ref> |5 |- {{single chart|Sweden|13|artist=U2|song=With or Without You|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Switzerland|10|artist=U2|song=With or Without You|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|4|artist=U2|artistid=|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2025}} |- !scope="row"|UK Airplay (''Music & Media'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-03-28.pdf|title=Top 20 Airplay Chart|magazine=Music & Media|date=28 March 1987|page=14|access-date=27 April 2024}}</ref> | 1 |- {{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=U2|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|23|artist=U2|rowheader=true}} |- !scope="row"|US Album Rock Tracks (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/u2/chart-history/rtt/|title=U2 Chart History: Mainstream Rock Airplay |magazine=Billboard|access-date=31 March 2021}}</ref> |1 |- !scope="row"|US ''Cash Box'' Top 100<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1987/CB-1987-05-16.pdf|title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles|magazine=Cash Box|date=16 May 1987|volume=L|issue=46|page=4|via=World Radio History}}</ref> |1 |- {{single chart|West Germany|7|artist=U2|song=With or Without You|songid=1599|rowheader=true}} |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+1987 year-end chart performance for "With or Without You" ! Chart (1987) ! Position |- !scope="row"|Australia (Australia Music Report)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/sPdqqRt.jpg|title=Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987|publisher=Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com|access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref> |67 |- !scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1987&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten 1987|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> |30 |- !scope="row"|Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=European Charts of the Year 1987: Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=4|issue=51/52|page=34|date=26 December 1987}}</ref> |4 |- !scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1987|title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987|publisher=Dutch Top 40|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> |19 |- !scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1987&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987|publisher=MegaCharts|language=nl|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> |10 |- !scope="row"|New Zealand (RIANZ)<ref>{{cite web|url= https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1987-12-31 |title= End of Year Top 50 Singles 1987|publisher=Official New Zealand Music Chart|access-date=April 22, 2021}}</ref> |32 |- !scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gallup Year End Charts 1987: Singles|magazine=Record Mirror|page=36|date=23 January 1988}}</ref> |45 |- !scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite magazine|title=No. 1 Awards: Top Pop Singles|magazine=Billboard|volume=99|issue=52|page=Y-22|date=26 December 1987}}</ref> |15 |- !scope="row"|US Album Rock Tracks (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|title=No. 1 Awards: Top Rock Singles|magazine=Billboard|volume=99|issue=52|page=Y-31|date=26 December 1987}}</ref> |4 |- !scope="row"|US ''Cash Box'' Top 100<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1987/CB-1987-12-26.pdf|title=Awards: Top 50 Pop Singles|magazine=Cash Box|date=26 December 1987|volume=LI|issue=27|page=24|via=World Radio History}}</ref> |12 |- !scope="row"|West Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1987|title=Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1987|publisher=GfK Entertainment|language=de|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> |32 |} {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+2012 year-end chart performance for "With or Without You" ! Chart (2012) ! Position |- !scope="row"|France (SNEP)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-lannee/top-singles-annee/?categorie=Top%20Single%20de%20l%E2%80%99ann%C3%A9e&annee=2012|title=Top de l'année Top Singles 2012|publisher=SNEP|language=fr|access-date=20 August 2020}}</ref> |195 |} {{col-end}}

==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "With or Without You"}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|artist=U2|title=With or Without You|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=2024|access-date=20 November 2024}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|award=Gold|artist=U2|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=2024|access-date=10 January 2021|note=Digital}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|award=Gold|artist=U2|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=2009|access-date=10 January 2021|note=DMS}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|title=With or Without You|artist=U2|award=Gold|relyear=1987|certyear=1987|access-date=7 May 2021}} {{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Denmark|artist=U2|title=With Or Without You|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1987|certyear=2025|id=16355|access-date=19 January 2026}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=France|award=Platinum|artist=U2|title=With or Without You|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=2020|access-date=18 May 2020}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|award=Platinum|artist=U2|title=With or Without You|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=2025|access-date=April 11, 2025}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|award=Platinum|number=2|artist=U2|title=With or Without You|type=single|relyear=1987|access-date=9 August 2021|certyear=2021|id=8827}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=U2|title=With or Without You |award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=1987|certyear=2025|source=radioscope|access-date=29 July 2025}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|artist=U2|title=With or Without You|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=2020|id=file_2021-03-26-10-09-12.pdf|access-date=3 October 2021}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|award=Platinum|number=3|artist=U2|title=With or Without You|type=single|relyear=1987|access-date=27 February 2024|certyear=2024|id=u2-with-or-without-you}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|number=3|artist=U2|title=With or Without You|type=single|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|id=10115-263-1|access-date=17 May 2024}} {{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

==See also== *List of cover versions of U2 songs - With or Without You

==References== '''Footnotes''' {{Reflist|30em}}

'''Bibliography''' {{refbegin}} * {{cite book | title = The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits | first = Fred | last = Bronson | edition = 5th | year = 2003 | publisher = Billboard Books |location=New York| isbn = 978-0-8230-7677-2}} * {{cite book |title=1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories, and Secrets |first=Toby |last=Creswell |author-link=Toby Creswell |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |location=New York |year=2006 |isbn=1-56025-915-9}} * {{cite book |title=Expression in Pop-Rock Music: A Collection of Critical and Analytical Essays (Studies in Contemporary Music and Culture)|first=Susan|last=Fast|editor1-first=Walter |editor1-last=Everett |chapter=Music, Contexts, and Meaning in U2 |publisher=Garland Publishing|location=New York |year=2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tAA73ebsa0sC |isbn=978-0-8153-3160-5}} * {{cite book | last = Flanagan | first = Bill | author-link = Bill Flanagan | title = U2 at the End of the World | publisher = Delta | edition = Paperback | year = 1996 | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-385-31157-1}} * {{cite book|last=Jobling|first=John|title=U2: The Definitive Biography|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|location=New York|year=2014|isbn=978-1-250-02789-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/u2definitivebiog0000jobl}} * {{cite book | last = McGee | first = Matt | title = U2: A Diary | publisher = Omnibus Press | location = London | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-1-84772-108-2}} * {{cite book | title = Inside Classic Rock Tracks | first = Rikky | last = Rooksby | year = 2001 | publisher = Hal Leonard Corporation| isbn = 978-0-87930-654-0}} * {{cite book | first = Niall | last = Stokes | author-link = Niall Stokes | title = Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song | publisher = Thunder's Mouth Press | year = 1996 | location = New York | isbn = 1-56025-134-4 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/intoheart00stok }} * {{cite book | author = U2 | author-link = U2 | editor1-first = Neil | editor1-last = McCormick | title = U2 by U2 | url = https://archive.org/details/u2byu200u2ne | url-access = registration | publisher = HarperCollins | location = London | year = 2006 | isbn = 0-00-719668-7}} {{refend}}

==External links== *[http://www.u2.com/discography/lyrics/lyric/song/175 "With or Without You" lyrics and performances at U2.com]

{{U2 songs}} {{MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:With Or Without You}} Category:1986 songs Category:1987 singles Category:U2 songs Category:Songs written by Bono Category:Songs written by the Edge Category:Songs written by Adam Clayton Category:Songs written by Larry Mullen Jr. Category:Song recordings produced by Brian Eno Category:Song recordings produced by Daniel Lanois Category:Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Cashbox number-one singles Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:1980s ballads Category:Rock ballads Category:Island Records singles Category:Music videos directed by Matt Mahurin Category:Music videos directed by Meiert Avis