Beautiful Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Beautiful Day" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by U2 | ||
| from the album All That You Can't Leave Behind | ||
| Released | October 9, 2000 (UK) October 10, 2000 (U.S.) |
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| Format | CD, Cassette, Vinyl | |
| Recorded | HQ, Windmill Lane Studios, Westland Studios and Totally Wired in Dublin, and South of France | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 4 min 08 s | |
| Label | Island Records | |
| Producer(s) | Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno with additional production by Steve Lillywhite | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| U2 singles chronology | ||
| "Sweetest Thing" (1998) |
"Beautiful Day" (2000) |
"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (2001) |
| All That You Can't Leave Behind track listing | ||
| "Beautiful Day" (1) |
"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (2) |
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| The Best of 1990-2000 track listing | ||
| "Mysterious Ways" (2) |
"Beautiful Day" (3) |
"Electrical Storm" (William Orbit Mix)" (4) |
"Beautiful Day" is the lead single from U2's 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind. It was a huge commercial success, helping to launch the album to multi-platinum status. The song won the band three Grammys in 2001: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
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[edit] Composition
"Beautiful Day" was originally known as "Always". During a recording session, Bono randomly yelled out "It's a beautiful day!", and consequently, the band rewrote the song. "Always" has since been released numerous times as a B-side. According to Bono, "Beautiful Day" is about "a man who has lost everything, but finds joy in what he still has" [citation needed].
The song is an optimistic anthem that opens with a drum machine and a rhythm sequencer. The verses are relatively quiet before The Edge's guitar and the song's signature riff join in for the choruses. The Edge recorded this song on his Gibson Les Paul Standard and plays the song live with his Gibson Explorer, which helps add the distinctive shimmering, chiming sound that made the band unique when they first debuted in the early 1980s.
[edit] Live history
Ever since its tour debut at the first date of the Elevation Tour on March 24, 2001 in Miami, "Beautiful Day" has been played at every single full tour concert, as well as a number of promotional appearances and concerts not connected with a tour. On the Elevation Tour, "Beautiful Day" was normally the second song played, though it did open one show and was played late in the setlist at two concerts. During the Vertigo Tour, it has appeared in the first half of the main set. It is featured on the live films Elevation: Live From Boston, U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle, and Vertigo: Live From Chicago. The song was also performed on stage, along with "Vertigo" and "One", at Hyde Park in London for the Live 8 concerts.
"Always" has never been performed live.
[edit] Other uses
From 2001-2004, ITV used the closing chords of the song as the theme to their show "The Premiership". From 2004 onwards ITV used it on "The Championship. The Labour Party subsequently made extensive use of the song during its successful re-election campaign in 2005 - though an unresolved dispute with and within the band prevented it being used in party political broadcasts.
The Christian rock band Sanctus Real covered "Beautiful Day" for In the Name of Love: Artists United for Africa in 2004. The song reached No. 1 on Christian music charts. The song was also the theme of WWE superstar Triple H's comeback from a devastating quadriceps injury that kept him out of the ring for nearly a year. The song also played after John Kerry gave his acceptance speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The song was also, together with Randy Bachman's "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", used as a theme song by the US Democratic Party following the the US 2006 midterm elections. It was also used throughout the movie, "Bandits", starring Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis.
In an episode of the Sundance Channel's Iconoclast, Michael Stipe said "I love that song. I wish I'd written it. It makes me dance."
[edit] Music Video
The song's video showed the band walking around in Paris' Charles de Gaulle International Airport, with scenes of the band playing on a runway interspliced with large jets taking of an landing overhead.
[edit] Track listings
[edit] Version 1
- "Beautiful Day" (Album Version) (4:06)
- "Summer Rain" (4:06)
- "Always" (3:46)
This is the common CD release. A cassette single was released with only "Summer Rain" as the B-side. The Australian CD edition also had an enhanced video of "Last Night on Earth" (Live from Mexico City).
[edit] Version 2
- "Beautiful Day" (Album Version) (4:06)
- "Discotheque" (Live from Mexico City December 3, 1997) (5:10)
- "If You Wear that Velvet Dress" (Live from Mexico City December 3, 1997) (2:43)
This is the "live" release. The Australian edition also had "Last Night on Earth" (Live from Mexico City) as an extra audio track.
[edit] Version 3
- "Beautiful Day" (Album Version) (4:06)
- "Summer Rain" (4:06)
- "Always" (3:46)
- "Discotheque" (Live from Mexico City December 3, 1997) (5:10)
- "If You Wear that Velvet Dress" (Live from Mexico City December 3, 1997) (2:43)
This CD version, with almost all available B-sides, was only released in Japan.
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | Irish Singles Chart | #1 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | Norway Top 20 | #1 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | UK Singles Chart | #1 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | US Billboard Hot 100 | #21 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | US Modern Rock Tracks | #5 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | #14 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | US Top 40 Mainstream | #19 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | US Top 40 Tracks | #15 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | US Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #1 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | Canadian Singles Chart | #1 |
| 2000 | "Beautiful Day" | Ausralian ARIA Singles Chart | #1 (Debut) |
| Preceded by "Black Coffee" by All Saints |
UK number one single October 21, 2000 |
Succeeded by "Stomp" by Steps |
[edit] External links
- Discography entry at U2 Wanderer--Comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more.
- Beautiful Day's performance history at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com--Lists all concerts at which "Beautiful Day" has been performed.
