"Where the Streets Have No Name" is played in the key of D major at a tempo of 126 beats per minute. The introduction and outro are played in a time signature, while the remainder of the song is in a common signature. The song opens with an instrumental section, starting with chorale-like sustained synthesiser notes. The guitar fades in after 40 seconds; this part consists of a repeated "chiming" six-note arpeggio. A "dotted eighth" delay effect is used to "play" each note in the arpeggio twice, thus creating a rich sound. The bass and drums enter at 1:10.