Until their 2014 album Songs of Innocence, U2 had written relatively few songs directly related to their growing up in Dublin, often giving higher priority to works about The Troubles in Northern Ireland or to international concerns.Rafter (2001), pp. 222–223 When they have written about Dublin, allusions to it have often been disguised.Cogan (2008), p. 90 But "Running to Stand Still" was one of those with specific Dublin connections:
