"Exit" is a song by rock band U2. It is the tenth track on their 1987 album The Joshua Tree. "Exit" was developed from a lengthy jam that was recorded in a single take and edited down to a shorter arrangement. The lyrics, which portray the mind of a serial killer, were inspired by lead singer Bono's reading of Norman Mailer's 1980 novel The Executioner's Song, and other related works.
Bono portraying a character called the "Shadow Man" during a performance of "Exit" on the Joshua Tree Tour 2017
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release, The Unforgettable Fire, the band aimed for a harder-hitting sound within the limitation of conventional song structures on The Joshua Tree. The album is influenced by American and Irish roots music, and through sociopolitically conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery, it contrasts the group's antipathy for the "real America" with their fascination with the "mythical America".
Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois produced the album, their second time working with U2.
Sting and Bono performing during A Conspiracy of Hope in June 1986. U2's appearance on the tour helped them focus their new material being written for The Joshua Tree.
Parts of the album were recorded and mixed at Windmill Lane Studios (pictured in 2008).
The mental image of an American desert was inspirational to the group during the album's conception.
