U2 > Discography > Album

Beautiful Day

09 October, 2000

Beautiful DayLyrics
Summer Rain
AlwaysLyrics

The first single from All That You Can't Leave Behind which became one of the biggest hits of the band's career and catalysed the worldwide success of the album. The single went on to win 'Song of the Year', 'Record of the Year' and 'Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group with Vocal' at the Grammy Awards.

The Guardian said the song 'strikes an appropriate note of putting the past behind you and getting on with the rest of your life' while Robert Hilburn of the LA Times said it was evidence that the band's music was again 'graced by the glorious textures of Edge's guitar, and [that] Bono has dropped the masks'. The song's huge popular appeal was extended for football fans when it was chosen as the theme tune for the UK's 'Match of the Day.'

It debuted on the road with the Elevation Tour in Miami in March 2001 - and has never left the set since. On U2360° in 2011, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly introduced the track each night on video, with a special message for his wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords - 'I'm looking forward to coming home. Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows.'

Released Date:

09 October, 2000

Produced By:

Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno

Engineer:

Richard Rainey

Label:

Island Records

Recorded At:

HQ Dublin

SOUNDBITES

"This tastes very sweet. You think to yourself, you're a rock band, you don't need the pop charts, but you do need the pop charts. Singles are what makes rock sharp, and we've not been great at singles. I can't tell you how excited we feel, we've been around for a while and to hear this song on the radio, it feels very special."

Bono to BBC Radio One when Beautiful Day went to No.1 in the UK

"It's good, back to their rock'n'roll days. My version is different - it's pumping funky house."

Paul Oakenfold on his dance-floor remix of Beautiful Day.

"It was actually a difficult mix, just trying to get it 'in the boat,' so to speak. It was this extraordinary, beautiful thing - like a beautiful marlin that they catch off the coast of Florida, you know? You could break your arm getting it into the boat. It was a bit like that."

Bono, on the recording of Beautiful Day

Comments

You must be a logged-in member to add comments.