![u2 the joshua tree cover art u2 the joshua tree cover art](https://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2017/01/u2.jpg)
It was used for all photos that appear throughout the album including the front cover. Near Darwin, California, a lone Joshua tree was located in the Mojave Desert. Lead singer/songwriter Bono found the religious significance of the tree quite fascinating and after doing some additional research, announced that the album should be called ‘The Joshua Tree.’ At one point, Corbijn told the band about Joshua trees and suggested using one on the record sleeve. While spending time with the band touring around the Mojave Desert on a bus, photos were taken around Reno, Nevada and then to several different locations in California. Photographer Anton Corbijn was requested to scout potential sites for photos that would capture the essence of the title.
![u2 the joshua tree cover art u2 the joshua tree cover art](https://cdn.europosters.eu/image/750/mugs/u2-the-joshua-tree-i76570.jpg)
The first cover design was based on where the desert met civilization and principal photography was set to take place in the United States for the first time in the band’s history. The album was originally called ‘The Desert Songs’ and ‘The Two Americas’ and recording sessions proceeded with those as the working titles. That resulted from the US Library of Congress deeming it to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” In 2014 the album was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry. ‘The Joshua Tree’ is considered one of the greatest albums of all time and is one of the world’s best-selling albums with well over 25-million copies sold. It had three hit singles and went on to win two Grammy Awards – for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance (by a Duo or Group with Vocal). The album went on to top charts in over 20 countries and was the fastest-selling album in British music history. The 5th studio album released by Irish rock band U2 in 1987 was titled, ‘The Joshua Tree’ although it was not originally carrying that name. This time we will examine in interesting story behind U2’s incredible album ‘The Joshua Tree.’ Pure Music Manufacturing welcomes you to another edition of ‘Behind the Cover’ where we take a closer look at the details behind a well-known album release.