Rate the Song: Beautiful Day

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Beautiful Day


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What you don't have
You don't need it now
What you don't know
You can feel it somehow

Shouted over the explosive backing, right as the song has finally crested to its rocking peak...that's one of the Great U2 Moments. Perfect pop arrangement, with the bridge right where it needs to be and with an outro more than ample for ending the song on a rocking high note. Compare it to Stand Up Comedy and notice how natural it all feels. It's more or less what I define as a well-written song, even if it is too restrained in spots and limited by glossy production.
Yes! Best part of the song. :heart:
 
I prefer Always to this. Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam were abducted sometime after recording The Ground Beneath Her Feet and Stateless. A fake U2 took their place from 2000 to 2009. This is what i like to believe.
 
What you don't have
You don't need it now
What you don't know
You can feel it somehow

Shouted over the explosive backing, right as the song has finally crested to its rocking peak...that's one of the Great U2 Moments.
Yes, I also 100% concur with this. That precise moment is utterly thrilling, and elevates this song above the rest of the album.

When I first this song, it was on the radio, and I thought it was boring as hell. Later, when I got the CD, I realized why -- the song is nothing unless you crank up the bass and drums, and then it comes to full color. So, I'm sort of baffled as to how this became a hit song, but anyway...

It's fantastic. The melody is secondary to both the rhythm and the lyrics! It's not only one of U2's best-ever lyrics, but it's one of the best pop lyrics I've ever heard/read.

Genius.
 
What you don't have, you don't need it now...

Love the video. I read recently that Bono thought he didn't seem sincere enough in it, though.
 
digitize said:
Props to the video. Definitely one of my favorite U2 music videos. But I'm a minor aviation nerd, so that partially explains it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6WMzDOh1o

Whenever we're at the airport waiting for our bags on the carousel, MrSpinHead always says "I should lay down on the belt and go for a ride around." He's never seen the video. I just give a little knowing smile and tell him that's what the cool people do.
 
I don't love this one as much as everyone else. It lacks oomph. When the bass kicks in a bit more at the "What you don't have you don't need it now" part, it feels like that's what's missing from the rest of the song.

I kind of hate that it's become such an anthemic U2 song, because ... well, it's not anthemic enough. The verses are a little too low-key, and the chorus has that choppy little rhythm that makes it hard to do your U2 Thing to, you know?

all that said, I certainly don't hate it or anything.


So perfectly said. It's a hard song to dislike, but the notion that this is on the level of Streets or Bad? No fucking way.
 
Gets a 10 from me. I get all the complaints, I do, but for some reason I'm able to see past them all (actually, this is the same for me for the entire album). Hard not to end up with a smile on your face after this song.

It's certainly not on the same level as their past "anthems" (and boy oh boy did it suck as an opener) but that don't bother me much.

U2 emerges from the dark days with a gorgeous, confident and inspired explosion of sound. Their first song on their third masterpiece, Beautiful Day may not be the best song U2 ever recorded, but it's certainly their most important, that's fairly non-debatable. The song that firmly re-established their "comeback", made them the biggest band of the world, again, won back old fans, gained legions of new ones, and and set the stage and tone for the next ten years. Just how critical this song has been to U2's career can't be overstated.

On its music merits alone, it's probably 9, but because, like One, it holds a unique place in U2's catalogue, giving this any less than a 10 is probably sacrilege.

A beautiful, green and blue, mentioning China without stocks, 10.

Man you talk a lot of shit :lol: it's extremely debatable. I'd put up Out of Control, I Will Follow, Gloria, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, the opening trio from JT and One as just as, if not more, important, which is a very vague word to use. It certainly was important in terms of their career, very important, but it is very much debatable as to whether it's their most important.

Giving it any less 10 is completely acceptable. You giving all of Pop a 2 is sacrilege.

I always found the chorus corny and the whole song musically uninteresting. It did take off live during the Elevation tour, which was where I appreciated it the most, but afterwards it just got more and more tired and uninspiring. Last but not least, it did bring about what I find by far to be the worst era in U2's music. Never liked the song that much, and my feeling about it gradually got worse - which is one of the main flaws of this album. It feels like the cheapest possible bubble gum you can find.

And to call it U2's most important song - I'm in the mood for some pot today so feel free to tell me what the fuck it is you're smoking.

6 at best.

Do you like anything? :lol:


Random circlejerk I fucked Lance's Mum in the brownie
 
I was considering giving it something lower, but then I heard it on the radio today - of course - and really, it does everything it sets out to do, and it does it well. Can't ha8.
 
It's hard for me to judge the last decade but it depends so much on my mood. I pretty much gave 10's to all of the 90's material though because I love it no matter what mood I'm in.
 
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