The Joshua Tree:
Of all the music we encounter throughout our lives, certain songs and albums become truly memorable. They effortlessly transport us back to another time and place when played, creating a unique mental connection that evokes sentiment by interpreting the music and lyrics that resonate with us. For me, one such album is U2's 'The Joshua Tree.'
Shortly after the album's release in March 1987, I was vacationing in Cavalaire-Sur-Mer, in the south of France, when I stumbled upon a cassette copy playing on a player by the hotel pool. After signaling my innocent intentions to a young French woman in the neighboring deckchair, she handed me the cassette case. The series of black and white images on the cover and insert immediately captivated me. Similarly, the printed lyrics in the booklet struck me as incredibly original.
A bronze plaque set deep in the soil about 20 years ago at the site of U2's Joshua tree.
Then and now: An iPhone image captured where Anton Corbijn grabbed the original centerpiece photograph. In the background, the rotting tree can be seen lying on the desert floor. 
Many years later, I learned that the photo session for the album artwork had happened entirely by chance. Apparently, in December 1986, Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn had set out with the members of U2 to scout photo locations for their upcoming album, 'The Two Americas.' After several days of shooting throughout the desert landscapes of the American Southwest, the band was returning to the hotel.
While driving Route 190 near Darwin, California, they spotted a lone Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Corbijn suggested stopping and shooting a series of casual images around the tree. He subsequently photographed the band with the solitary plant for about 20 minutes. Later, the band selected two images from the series to make up the album centerpiece and back cover. Bono then announced the album would be retitled 'The Joshua Tree.' That spontaneous 20-minute photo session forever tied the Yucca brevifolia with the band—and named it one of the best-selling albums in the world.
Today, the album is listed as one of the greatest albums of all time; in 2014, it was selected for preservation in the US National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. Yet, while the album's songs have been preserved, sadly, the album's namesake lies dead on the floor of the Mojave Desert. The tree is believed to have fallen around 2000; since then, many thousands of fans have visited the site to pay homage, experience this hallowed ground firsthand, and leave small souvenirs. Consequently, on March 10, 2022, I found myself standing there too! Like the thousands that came before me, I left a small memento.
One of the many small tributes left by visitors over the years, either paying accolades to the band or departed loved ones.
A box of tributes for U2 and the fabled Joshua tree.
Visitors have left behind various tributes for the band and the fabled Joshua tree.
A collection of tributes to the band, consisting of photographs, t-shirts, an empty whiskey bottle, and a visitor's book.
A snare drum bearing the name from the fourth track, side two of the album (vinal) 'One Tree Hill.' 

A small wooden cross and marble plaque. “Empathy without exception.” Sofia Katrina Hansen.

A cryptic Road trip: Pappnasen Op Jock Roadtrip 2021

A small wooden plaque, painted in the colors of the Irish flag, showcases the band's name alongside a peace sign.

Lyrics from track one, side one (With or Without You), "And when I go there, I go there with you." 
A painted glass tile showing images of the band members placed on the desert floor with the Irish flag.
My own small contribution.
I couldn't leave without touching the tree, thinking back to when I first saw it in a black-and-white photograph.
When I first saw this majestic tree in a black and white photograph on an audio cassette cover, I had no concept of ever standing there. Yet, as I stood, looking down upon it, the tree evoked a deluge of mixed emotions. It could have been because the collection of artifacts gave the impression of an eerie gravesite. Or perhaps that so many had come before seeking the same thing. On the other hand, it could be the backstory behind the impromptu photo session, the fact that the band had once stood there, or simply a combination of them all. The spot had a very spiritual and incredible feeling to it.
So, 'Did I find what I was looking for?' I did take one thing away from the whole experience. Before making the pilgrimage, when I would hear a track from the album and find myself mentally drifting back to that warm summer afternoon by the pool, overlooking the Mediterranean, I always reflected upon it as if it were only yesterday. Having seen the tree lying rotting on the desert floor—it brought home a sobering reality: That a whole lifetime has subsequently passed.
The Joshua Tree - March 10, 2022.
Afterthoughts:
When I first mentioned visiting the U2 Joshua tree as part of my itinerary for the Mojave Desert trip, a musician friend replied, 'Nah! I don't think that much of U2 anyway!' Of course, I was surprised at this comment; had I given the impression I was making this pilgrimage because of a band? Being considered a groupie at my age made me wince! But, on the contrary, I had never really given their music much thought—outside of the Joshua Tree album, anyway!
In 1987, the album struck a chord with me during a time of despair. 'The Joshua Tree' provided a means of psychological escape. This collection of songs arrived amid a failed marriage, one I stuck with—unpleasant as it was—for a further ten years, until my son left high school. Track five, 'Running to Stand Still,' connected with me through my interpretation of the lyrics. The song was inspired by an epidemic of heroin use in Dublin, portraying a couple deciding to risk everything on a big drug deal, knowing they don't have a chance of coming out. These songs stand up thirty-four years later because you don't need to understand their backstories. 'Running to Stand Still' is for anyone who feels trapped in an impossible circumstance.
"Sweet the sin, bitter the taste in my mouth
I see seven towers, but I only see one way out
You gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking
Scream without raising your voice."
Bono's lyrics describe the tactics I employed to suppress anguish and frustration, giving me the strength to count down ten years without driving myself insane. Those lyrics resonated with me from the first hearing, on holiday with a wife of six years, trapped in a loveless duet with no light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, listening to the album today reminds me of just how far I've come—hence the reason for a pilgrimage to a fallen tree in the middle of the desert.
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