Just thought of a new insight into "Beautiful Day"

[Joshua_Tree_Hugger]

I was listening to "Beautiful Day" just moments ago and it occured to me that the beating 'german drum' (the name I believe Bono gave to it) at the start of the song strongly resembled a heartbeat.

This would tie in with a lot of the song, particularly the opening line "the heart is a bloom".

What do you think?

 

[AJT123]

Yeah, I've always noticed the sound (and liked it), but I never thought of it that way.

 

[FallingStar]

I realized that thing with the heart beat as well. It's so cool.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Yes, it is supposed to be a heartbeat. Bono once described 'Beautiful Day' as the DNA of the album, and so in this light, the metaphor extends nicely. It also goes nicely with the heart in a suitcase theme that accompanies the Elevation Tour. Really, the whole album is about the heart, but in a very different sense than, say, Achtung Baby. This album is about love, itself -- not the consequences thereof.

 

[ishkash]

For me that heartbeat sound relates to a certain nervousness that comes from the lines "the heart is in a bloom".I always thought Beautiful Day was about ending the life.I wont use the word that describes it, but I am pretty sure its about closing something which you can't re-open.The whole lyrical develpment of the song is based on this patter.The way song progresses from misery(no space to rent in this town) and then to a hope that a new unkown would be better (see the world...) and finally having the courage to end it.This is reaffirmed in the lines (what you dont have...) and finally the critical point...." Was a Beautiful Day".

It certainly is about a different kind of adventure that Bono has taken.If we place this song back to back with Wake Up Dead Man, it puts lot of things in perspective and kind of relates to each other.If we follow ATYCLB from this perspective, it becomes U2's best and perhaps the darkest album.

 

[tackleberry]

For me that heartbeat sound relates to a certain nervousness that comes from the lines "the heart is in a bloom".I always thought Beautiful Day was about ending the life.I wont use the word that describes it, but I am pretty sure its about closing something which you can't re-open.The whole lyrical develpment of the song is based on this patter.The way song progresses from misery(no space to rent in this town) and then to a hope that a new unkown would be better (see the world...) and finally having the courage to end it.This is reaffirmed in the lines (what you dont have...) and finally the critical point...." Was a Beautiful Day".

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on that one. Yes, the song is about "ending a life," but also beginning a new one. Not so much of finishing up on this planet, but rather about looking forward to the rest of it and being so thankful for every little waking second.

"The heart is a bloom, it shoots up through the stony ground" is a metaphor for the heart being a sort of growing flower that keeps on rising even through the "hardest" times. And I think all of those lines of misery are zen thought, how losing everything, having the worse day of your life, can turn out to be the best because you look at the world in a different perspective. Its a hopeful song that says you can keep on living with in the most difficult of times as long as you have a positive attitude and a certain afinitty for going with the flow that life has delt you.

 

[ishkash]

but I am pretty sure its about closing something which you can't re-open.

The most fundamental reason that I dont post here is this.U2 songs dont have one meaning and thats why I dont disagree with you.It could be what you said, perhaps it is what you said.But I think it has that abstractness to it, through which we can derive our own conclusions based on our belives and state of mind.This is why I am so mad about them, cause no other band gives me this freedom.

 

[Lilly]

ahh the beauty of compromise

i really liked what ishkash said actually, and it shed a new light on the song altogether for me. then i read what tackleberry said in response. and i see it as a halfway between your theories.

something has to grow to die right? what ishkash was saying about the development of the lyrics just helps out what you were saying about the "the heart is a bloom, shoots up from the stony ground" lyric. it shoots up...blooms, and fades away. but it left its mark..its memorable. it WAS a beautiful day.

 

[worldofmaya]

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on that one. Yes, the song is about "ending a life," but also beginning a new one. Not so much of finishing up on this planet, but rather about looking forward to the rest of it and being so thankful for every little waking second.

"The heart is a bloom, it shoots up through the stony ground" is a metaphor for the heart being a sort of growing flower that keeps on rising even through the "hardest" times. And I think all of those lines of misery are zen thought, how losing everything, having the worse day of your life, can turn out to be the best because you look at the world in a different perspective. Its a hopeful song that says you can keep on living with in the most difficult of times as long as you have a positive attitude and a certain afinitty for going with the flow that life has delt you.

I believe Bono once said this could be seen as a modern Christmas song, and in that way I agree with you - it is about hope and overcoming difficulties. We sang it on our Christmas concert with my choir, it was a really nice moment... You can listen to that here if you'd like YouTube - Beautiful Day choir version by Organum

 

[Galeongirl]

I understand you're new, but in the future could you please look at the date of the last post in a thread(that's in the dark blue bar above the post itself) before replying? This thread is now 8 years old.

 

[digitize]

I understand you're new, but in the future could you please look at the date of the last post in a thread(that's in the dark blue bar above the post itself) before replying? This thread is now 8 years old.

Best thread-bump ever.

 

[whackjester]

I never understood what's wrong with bumping a thread if you have a legitimate comment? Is it just me?

 

[Galeongirl]

A comment to a DEAD discussion that has been dead for 7 or more years is not legitimate.

And I do believe this wasn't any form of a legitimate reply, this was just shameless self promotion.

 

[last unicorn]

Wake up dead thread

 

[whackjester]

A comment to a DEAD discussion that has been dead for 7 or more years is not legitimate.

And I do believe this wasn't any form of a legitimate reply, this was just shameless self promotion.

I do agree with you in this case that it obviously looks like this reply was self promotion and that the bumping of the thread was silly.

On the other hand, in other situations, I really don't see anything wrong with making a comment on a "dead" discussion if you really have something to say. I mean, we are on a music related forum here. Music, in many ways, is a timeless subject. Now, I can totally agree that it's ridiculous if someone bumped a thread from 2003 about how cool their second gen Ipod is (a topic that clearly can't be built on in this day and age), but in cases of people's opinions about songs, the band, etc. I think it's okay.

Long story short, I feel like it should be okay to bump a thread if the ideas shared about the subject could still be pertinent in this space and time.

Edit: And that will be my last comment in this thread so that I don't bump it anymore