During the last year of the twentieth century, Bono from the rock band U2 actively participated in the campaign, called Jubilee 2000. The aim of the project was to convince the leading states to forgive the debts of the third world countries by the beginning of the new millennium.
It is believed that this experience became the main source of inspiration for the musician when writing the lyrics of the song Beautiful Day , which turned out to be the main hit of the multi-platinum album All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
The story behind of Beautiful Day by U2
Work on the composition, which Bono himself described as a song about “a man who has lost everything, but knows how to rejoice in what he still has,” began in the winter of 1999 in Dublin.
In an interview with Mojo magazine, Edge shared his memories of creating the composition:
[Песня] has gone through several different incarnations, and although we always felt that there was something in her, it was quite difficult to understand in which direction she was moving. In fact, the moment when Bono came up with the line “It’s a beautiful day” was exciting. It may seem kind of trite in a way, but something crazy happened in combination with the music, and we all acknowledged it.
Mojo, 2010
If we describe the history of the song Beautiful Day in stages, then it began with improvisations around the Always track. Then Edge composed the famous guitar riff that brought listeners back to the old U2 sound.
Bono then found a key phrase that became the title and determined the direction of the further development of the composition. (A detailed description of the studio work can be found on Wikipedia.)
Release and achievements
The song was released as the first single from All That You Can’t Leave Behind, which topped the charts in the UK, Australia, Canada and other countries. Later, it was included in the greatest hits compilations by the rock band U2.
Bono, speaking on BBC Radio One, commented on Beautiful Day’s chart success:
It is very nice. You think to yourself that you are a rock band and you don’t need pop charts, but you do. Singles are what makes rock cool, and we haven’t done much with singles. Can’t express how excited we were. We have already achieved some popularity, but hearing this song on the radio was something special.
In 2001, the band received three Grammys for Beautiful Day in the categories Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The song was included in several authoritative ratings of the best tracks, including the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time from Rolling Stone.
Video of Beautiful Day by U2
The music video was filmed at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Also widely known is the video prepared for the British broadcast Top of the Pops.
An alternative video is offered to fans of the band on several collectible CDs and DVDs.
Interesting Facts
- The song was actively used by Barack Obama during the presidential election campaign in 2008.
- Beautiful Day is featured in the TV series Smallville (episode Nicodemus).
- In the video for Top of the Pops, the musicians play on the roof of the Clarence Irish Hotel, which is owned by Bono and Edge.
Lyrics of Beautiful Day by U2
The heart is a bloom, shoots up through stony ground
But there’s no room, no space to rent in this town
You’re out of luck and the reason that you had to care,
The traffic is stuck and you’re not moving anywhere.
You thought you’d found a friend to take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand in return for grace
It’s a beautiful day, the sky falls
And you feel like it’s a beautiful day
It’s a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
You’re on the road but you’ve got no destination
You’re in the mud, in the maze of her imagination
You love this town even if it doesn’t ring true
You’ve been all over and it’s been all over you
It’s a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
It’s a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
Touch me, take me to that other place
Teach me, I know I’m not a hopeless case
See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out
It was a beautiful day
A beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
Touch me, take me to that other place
Reach me, I know I’m not a hopeless case
What you don’t have you don’t need it now
What you don’t know you can feel it somehow
What you don’t have you don’t need it now
You don’t need it now, you don’t need it now
beautiful day
Beautiful Day Lyrics by U2 Alternate
The heart is a flower breaking through the stony ground
But in this city you can’t rent a house or a room
You’re unlucky and have to worry about
That transport costs, and you will not go anywhere
You thought you found a friend to take you away from here
Someone you could reach out to in exchange for kindness
It’s a beautiful day, the skies are falling
And you think it’s a beautiful day
It’s a wonderful day
Don’t let him slip away
You’re on your way but you don’t know your destination
You’re in the dirt, in the labyrinth of her imagination
You love this city, even if it doesn’t feel like the truth
You’ve been around, and this feeling has always been with you.
It’s a wonderful day,
Don’t let him slip away
It’s a wonderful day,
Don’t let him slip away
Touch me, take me to that other place
Teach me I know I’m not hopeless
See the world in blue and green
Look at China right in front of you
Look at the canyons broken by the cloud
Look at the fishing boats scouring the sea
Look at the Bedouin lights in the night
Look at the oil fields in the first rays of the sun
Look at the bird with the leaf in its beak
After the flood, all colors appeared
It was a beautiful day,
Great day,
Don’t let him slip away
Touch me, take me to that other place
Understand me, I know I’m not hopeless
What you don’t have, you don’t need now
What you don’t know, you can somehow feel
What you don’t have, you don’t need now
You don’t need it now, you don’t need it now
Great day
Song quote
I like this song. It is a pity that I did not write it, and they know that I am sorry that I did not write it. She makes me dance. It makes me angry that I didn’t write it.
Michael Stipe, REM
