|
 |
|
|
|
|
"Edge's guitar solo in 'Love Is Blindness' is a more eloquent prayer than anything I could write." -- Bono |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Edge's guitar solo in 'Love Is Blindness' is a more eloquent prayer than anything I could write." -- Bono |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Like a Song: Beautiful Day
@U2,
November 08, 2008
[Ed. note: This is the 27th in a series of personal essays by the @U2 staff about songs and/or albums that have had great meaning or impact in our lives.]
 For some of you it may have been the opening chimes of "Where the Streets Have No Name." For others the haunting chords of "One." For some of you it may have been the gut-wrenching scream at the start of "New Year's Day," and for those of us lucky enough to be there from the beginning, perhaps it was the brooding bass line of "Out of Control." It is that moment we have all experienced, that beautiful, ecstatic moment when just from hearing a song for the first time, you know that you have fallen in love with something special for the rest of your life. For me, the moment was a series of opening surreal beats that could have been played on a synth, piano, or guitar, and the song was "Beautiful Day." First, before I say anything else about this song, the best part of "Beautiful Day" is not its awe-inducing lyrics or its now-famous introduction. The best part, like so many songs, has very little to do with its meaning and a great deal to do with its initial impact -- simply, how fun it is to listen to. Anybody that calls themselves a U2 fan and yet does not "air guitar" to the opening pace-maker-esque beats may quite simply be lying. Second, don't be taken in by the metaphors, Biblical imagery and references to love. "Beautiful Day" is not a complex song. References to "Bedouin fires" and images of heart-shaped flowers may demonstrate Bono's adept ability with flowery language, but they all fundamentally serve a point -- and that point is thus: stop being a grumpy sod, smile, and get over it. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the key thing about "Beautiful Day" is that it is one of those magical songs in U2's repertoire that captures a snapshot of life perfectly -- I'm talking about the same way in which "Streets" captures an image of the transcendent, and how "One" perfectly summarises the trials of love. It is a song that, like the very best of U2's songs, should tell us something about our own lives and teach us something new. There can be no denying that first and foremost, "Beautiful Day" is a hell of a tune. The sheer joy emanating from Edge's fingers is enough to make us all envy a certain belly-dancer, and the pounding rhythm coming from Adam and Larry, complete with a "I have no right to be sounding like this in my middle-age" vocal from yer man, and what we've got is a veritable serving of a glorious, U2 flavoured, musical banquet. However, it's not the great rhythm that is the most captivating and enjoyable part of listening to "Beautiful Day." It's the simple message of the song. I haven't had a particularly bad life. Sure, there are things I've had to go through that I'd rather not have experienced, but it's the same with everyone. And at the end of it all, I sleep in a warm bed, I have plenty of food and drink (and, judging by my alarmingly-expanding waistline, perhaps too much of the former), lots of great friends and a lovely girlfriend, and I have the opportunities to do whatever I want to do with my life. And yet, do I moan. Oh God, do I moan. If there were an Olympic sport for moaning, I'd have won it in a triathlon, alongside the sports of bitching and whining. But here's the thing that "Beautiful Day" forces me to confront: when it boils down to it, just exactly what the hell is so bad? After several frustrated attempts to find a problem, like a teenager who's had a go at a teacher for no apparent reason, I am forced to admit that things aren't so bad and that the strop should cease immediately. The truth is, as "Beautiful Day" forces me to admit, that the "pressure of modern life" (or as it's also known, being lucky) seems tiny compared to some of the beauty in the world. Countless times I've listened to that song after a crap day/break-up/personal loss and every time I've come out of it feeling better. And that for me is the ultimate test of any song. A song that can really affect your life, that can grab you by the bassline, pull you up by your bootstraps and really lift the soul -- that's a song that should be enjoyed, and like many U2 songs, it's often quickly devoured by fans as a tasty appetiser, rather than them taking the time to savour the succulent dish that it is. And that's the point of "Beautiful Day." So often in life I've rushed through days, ignoring sights, sounds, places, and people that mean everything to me in order to hurry to achieve everything now! Then I discovered one thing which enriches the song further than anything else ever could. Let me share it with you -- whenever you're feeling a bit down, see if you can come up with eight things, close to you, to fit in the eight "See the..." lines. Bet you come up with more than eight. © @U2/Tighe, 2008.
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
