Why is Beautiful Day considered dark?

[cobl04]

There was a thread here a while ago entitle U2's Top 10 Darkest songs. Someone mentioned Beautiful Day, and a couple of other surprisng songs. I can not see how BD is dark.

What I gathered was that it was being sung as though it was on the moon.

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

I still don't get it. Maybe it came from the verses.

The heart is a bloom, shoots up through the stony ground...etc...etc...

Adding to the fact that the logo in the booklet for this song is a spaceship circling a planet, it's obviously about the moon or outer space being a better place then earth.

Am I right or very far off?

WHY IS IT CONSIDERED DARK? IT DOES NOT SOUND DARK.

 

[Ellay]

It's far from dark, it celebrates life, and hope when there's darkness.

Bono said (sic) it was about a man who'd been through a load of crap in his life, but didn't care because he was happy with where he was now..

The song also refers to Noah, and the dove that returned to the ark (bird with the leaf in her mouth) - Ie hope after the storm.

If you watch the History Mix on the Best of DVD there is a animated section of beautiful day, which does indeed show Earth from a spaceship's perspective, however it is looking down on earth rather than away from it.

 

[Axver]

I actually think Beautiful Day is the sequel to Wake Up Dead Man.

Are you familiar with the Book of Job in the Bible? That's who I believe Bono referenced when he spoke of a man who'd lost it all but doesn't care because he's happy where he is in the here and now. From my perspective, Wake Up Dead Man is Job when he wallows in despondency and grief, and Beautiful Day is the very end of the book when he overcomes it all. What he doesn't have, he doesn't need it now.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i figured the person was being sarcastic.