U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

Irish rock band U2 formed in 1976 at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, when frontman Bono was a teen.  They were also known as Feedback and The Hype before U2 released its debut album, Boy, in 1980.  They have an extensive discography, including 15 albums and 9 EP’s.  Their albums include:

• Boy (1980)
• October (1981)
• War (1983)
• Under a Blood Red Sky (Live, 1983)
• The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
• The Joshua Tree (1987)
• Rattle and Hum (1988)
• Achtung Baby (1991)
• Zooropa (1993)
• Pop (1997)
• All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)
• How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
• No Line on the Horizon (2009)
• Songs of Innocence (2014)
• Songs of Experience (2017)

Us received more awards than I can list, 116 in all.  They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/U2-i-still-havent-found-what-im-looking-for-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

U2 presents their honest search for “you”, seeking high and low for them.  Based on Verse 3, we can ascertain that “you” is the Christian God, who U2 believes died for them.  While they acknowledge that they sought meaning in the wrong places, namely, lusting after women, it left them empty and broken.  Though they believe that God’s Kingdom will come and Christ-followers will enter in unison, U2 has not found their relationship with Him.

U2’s lyrics ends in a cliffhanger.  They know where God is not.  He’s not aloof on a high mountain.  He’s not in sinful desire.  He’s not in intellectual profession of belief.  Yet, this ending begs the question: does U2 continue to seek their relationship with God?  I don’t know.  I hope so, and I hope those who listen to this song will not be discouraged; However, I fear that some will.  Especially since U2 does not indicate that they haven’t given up.

Still, when I hear this song, I hear U2’s cry for help.  It drives me to pray and hope that U2 and others find their relationship with God.  There’s nothing else like it (Philippians 3:8-10)!

This song follows basic format.

Score: 7/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

All of these lyrics agree with Scripture, including U2’s honest assessment of struggle.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-8: Verse 3 informs us that “you” is God. U2 searches high places to be with God atop city boundary walls and mountains, where God appeared to Israel and Moses (Exodus 19:20 and Exodus 24:18).  Though U2 runs and crawls, signifying the high’s and low’s of life…

[Chorus]

Lines 1 and 2: …U2 has not found Him.  They seek and wish to find (Matthew 7:7), but are short of their goal.

Lines 3 and 4 (and 5-8, in Chorus’ final iteration): Repeats lines 1 and 2.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1-8: U2 gave into lustful desire amid claiming to speak Biblical truths, as with the tongue of angels (1 Corinthians 13:1).  This left U2 spiritually dead (Proverbs 21:16, Luke 15:11-24, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-2, Colossians 2:13, and 1 Timothy 5:6).

[Verse 3]

Lines 1-8: Despite U2’s belief that God’s Kingdom will come (Matthew 6:10 and Luke 11:2) where we as Christians will be united as one (Ephesians 4:4-6), That Christ bore the cross for their sins (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 19:30, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:28, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:3-4, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15, Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 9:26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9), they have not found God.  This tells me that U2 has intellectual belief, but does not have a relationship with God.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Those outside the camp of Christ will arrive at the same conclusion as I.  I can find nothing that will confuse or bewilder unbelievers, with many identifying with their lack of relationship.

My only criticism is that it does not grant unbelievers the hope that is in Jesus, where they could find meaning and purpose in their lives; However, it’s also difficult for U2 to offer something they do not process.

Score: 7/10

4. What does this song glorify?

While it glorifies God that U2 seeks a personal relationship with Him, the song’s end is ambiguous to U2’s resolve, whether they will continue to seek or will give up.

Score: 7/10

Closing Comments

U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For is an honest assessment of doubt.  It borrows from Biblical concepts and indeed, U2 professes belief in the Kingdom of God and Christ crucified; However, so do the demons (James 2:19).  While unbelievers will find interpretation easy, I fear that this song’s cliffhanger end will discourage some from finding their relationship with God.  Still, it provides a comprehensive list of places to avoid looking, such as mountaintops, large city walls, and lusting after women.

I cannot recommend this song for corporate worship.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Artist Info

Track: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (listen to the song)

Artist: U2

Album: The Joshua Tree

Genre: Rock

Release Year: 1987

Duration: 4:38

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