The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

U2 released the first music video for "Window in the Skies" on 20 November 2006, after the completion of their Australian leg of the Vertigo tour.

The first video, directed by Gary Koepke, is a montage that includes nearly 100 clips taken from footage from the previous 50 years of other famous musicians performing in concert.

The musicians in order of appearance are: Frank Zappa, Billie Holiday, Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Orbison, Björk, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Marley, Talking Heads, Louis Armstrong, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Frank Sinatra, John Stirratt, Kanye West, Mick Jones, Nat King Cole, Paul Cook, Pete Townshend, The Rolling Stones, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Ozzy Osbourne, The Temptations, Sharleen Spiteri, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Joe Strummer, Johnny Cash, Iggy Pop, Radiohead, Mary J. Blige, Jane's Addiction, Elvis Presley, Al Green, Morrissey, Beck, Britney Spears, Elton John, The Police, Wu-Tang Clan, Arcade Fire, Joey Ramone, The Temptations, White Stripes, Funkadelic, Kurt Cobain, U2, Charles Mingus, John Paul Jones, Arcade Fire, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Adam Clayton, Chrissie Hynde, Alicia Keys, Ray Charles, Little Richard, The Beatles, Sam Cooke, Keith Moon, David Bowie, The Beatles, Smokey Robinson, John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Vladimir Horowitz, Ronnie Spector, John Bonham, Queen, Unidentified, Jackie Wilson, Beastie Boys, Fela Kuti, Talking Heads, Public Enemy, MC5, Flavor Flav, U2, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jay-Z, Larry Mullen Jr., Patti Smith, Apollo Sunshine, Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, U2 and Frank Sinatra.

The camera flies through a surreal landscape with floating buildings and still images, mostly of the band from their U2 By U2 autobiography, morphing into each other.