In March 2000, U2 were awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin at a ceremony where Burmese academic Aung San Suu Kyi was honoured but absent.
The band had never heard of Suu Kyi prior to that but learned that her activism and fighting for freedom in Burma led to her being under house arrest since 1989 (a sentence that was later ended in 2010).
In explaining the lyrics, he recalled a Biblical passage in Corinthians that used the image of a house fire to impart the lesson that only eternal things can survive.
Accordingly, "Walk On" concludes with lyrics describing a "litany of ambitions and achievements" that are expendable, with lines such as "You've got to leave it behind / All that you fashion / All that you make / All that you build / All that you break".
[4] The album's producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois advised the group that the mix of "Walk On" "was not one to chase", but Bono insisted they continue working on it.
[2] Towards the end of the album's recording sessions, the band's long-time producer Steve Lillywhite was hired to make final touches to the songs.
Lillywhite told them that "Walk On" had a "fantastic chorus" and "Home" a "great verse"; the band subsequently informed him that they were formerly the same song.
[11] It was also reworked for the U2 album Songs of Surrender (2023), featuring an acoustic musical arrangement and rewritten lyrics reflecting the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Anyone who attempted to import the album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, to Burma could experience a prison sentence lasting between three and twenty years.
[16] In response to Suu Kyi's condoning of 2017 hostilities, the "International Version" of the video on YouTube was edited, replacing a dedication to her at the end with a message in support of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
The song found added resonance as a supportive, uplifting anthem following the September 11th attacks that year in the United States.
The first performance of the song for a live audience following the 11 September attacks was at the University of Notre Dame on 10 October 2001, where the band brought on stage members of the New York City Police and Fire Departments.
It was snippeted after "Running to Stand Still" on the Vertigo Tour at the dates closest to 19 June, the birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Prior to the tour, the band asked fans to bring masks of Suu Kyi to concerts and wear them during performances of "Walk On" in support of her.