Beautiful Day

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"Beautiful Day"
Single by U2
from the album All That You Can't Leave Behind
Released	October 9/10, 2000
Format	CD, cassette, 12"
Recorded	HQ, Windmill Lane Studios, Westland Studios and Totally Wired in Dublin, and South of France
Genre	Rock
Length	4:08
Label	Island
Producer(s)	Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno with additional production by Steve Lillywhite
Chart positions
#1 (Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK) #21 (USA Hot 100) #5 (Modern Rock Tracks) #14 (Mainstream Rock Tracks) #1 (Hot Dance Music/Club Play)
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
N/A	"Beautiful Day" (1)	"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (2)
The Best of 1990-2000 track listing
"Mysterious Ways" (2)	"Beautiful Day" (3)	"Electrical Storm" (William Orbit Mix) (4)
U218 Singles track listing
N/A	"Beautiful Day" (1)	"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (2)

"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 and is currently the most successful single. 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.

Contents 1 Composition 2 Live history 3 Music Video 4 Track listings 4.1 Version 1 4.2 Version 2 4.3 Version 3 4.4 Live Version 5 Chart positions 6 Covers 7 External links

[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. The word 'always' is used in the song twice as a background harmony sung by The Edge. According to Bono, "Beautiful Day" is about "a man who has lost everything, but finds joy in what he still has," much like Job (Biblical figure) in the Bible.^{[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.

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] 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. It was performed live in New Orleans for Super Bowl XXXVI and for the New Orleans Saints first game in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

[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 off and landing overhead.

An alternative video for the song, shot in Èze, France, was featured on the The Best of 1990-2000 bonus disc and the U218 Videos DVD.

[edit] Track listings

[edit] Version 1

1. "Beautiful Day" (Album Version) (4:06)
2. "Summer Rain" (4:06)
3. "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

1. "Beautiful Day" (Album Version) (4:06)
2. "Discotheque" (Live from Mexico City December 3, 1997) (5:10)
3. "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

1. "Beautiful Day" (Album Version) (4:06)
2. "Summer Rain" (4:06)
3. "Always" (3:46)
4. "Discotheque" (Live from Mexico City December 3, 1997) (5:10)
5. "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] Live Version

1. "Beautiful Day" (Live from Slane Castle) (4:34)

This version is a digital only release on iTunes, and it was taken off of the DVD release "U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle".

[edit] Chart positions

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Irish Singles Chart	1
Norway Top 20	1
UK Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	21
U.S. Modern Rock Tracks	5
U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks	14
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream	19
U.S. Top 40 Tracks	15
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play	1
Canadian Singles Chart	1
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	1
Dutch Top 40	1

Preceded by "On a Night like This" by Kylie Minogue	ARIA (Australia) number one single October 22, 2000	Succeeded by "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Spiller"
Preceded by "Black Coffee" by All Saints	UK number one single October 21, 2000	Succeeded by "Stomp" by Steps

[edit] Covers

• Power pop band Sanctus Real covered the song for In the Name of Love: Artists United for Africa, a collection of U2 cover songs re-recorded by Christian rock artists.

[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.