"Red Hill Mining Town" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the sixth track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. A rough version of this song was worked on during the early Joshua Tree album writing sessions in 1985. The focus of the song is on the National Union of Mineworkers' 1984 strike in Great Britain that occurred in response to the National Coal Board's campaign to close unprofitable mines. A music video was produced in February 1987 for the song and was directed by Neil Jordan. The song was planned for release as the album's second single, but it was ultimately shelved in favour of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". A new mix of the song by producer Steve Lillywhite was released as a single in April 2017. Background and recording In 1984, the National Union of Mineworkers declared a strike in response to the British National Coal Board's decision to close down a large swathe of the United Kingdom's coal mines, which had become unprofitable. The Margaret Thatcher government vehemently opposed the strike. The dispute led to civil discord politically, socially, and in violent confrontations between trade union pickets and the United Kingdom's police forces in the affected areas. This was one of the most divisive and bitter civic conflicts in Britain in the 20th Century, and its societal and economic impact on the working class coal-mining based communities in Wales, across the English Midlands and the North was severe. In 1984, Bob Dylan played at Slane Castle in Ireland. U2 singer Bono interviewed him for Hot Press magazine and Dylan invited Bono to sing on stage with him. The meeting confirmed for Bono, whose "record collection started in 1976", how much he still had to learn about the traditions of singing, songwriting, and musicianship. A friendship developed between Bono and Dylan with Bono delving into Dylan's back catalogue and retracing the connections between Irish and American folk music. He was also listening to the blue-collar labour songs of Bruce Springsteen. U2's growing awareness of folk traditions was reflected in their performance at a 25th anniversary tribute on The Late Late Show to folk veterans the Dubliners. U2 performed Peggy Seeger's "Springhill Mining Disaster" which tells the story of a mining disaster in Nova Scotia. These strands came together in "Red Hill Mining Town", a rough version of which was worked