The song "BEAUTIFUL DAY" is from the U2 Album ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND (October 2000) it got to No 1 in the UK singles chart and got as far as 21 in the US singles chart. This song came out in the back drop to the Jubilee 2000 campaign that Bono was involved with. It was during the making of the "All you can't leave behind" album that Bono, who was in the US and on a crusade, experiencing a surge of optimism sat down with arch conservative Congressman Jesse Helms in Washington.
"Somehow the result of the important meeting was to hit an emotional nerve with the Congressman. The US got on board to the tune $435 million dollars in cancelled debts. Maybe the world wasn't such a bad place after all. There was hope "It's a beautiful day!" Edge reached for the Explorer - The Gibson guitar he'd used during U2's formative years - and the sound was complete. It was a shimmering triumph in more ways than one." (Niall Stokes - U2 The stories behind every U2 song -2009)
The song is a cry from the heart to open up your eyes to those who need you, and stop denying that earth has become a broken mess by human greed and get busy doing something about the brokenness.
Evidence of a broken world lies all around us. We are aware of it when we turn on the TV or read the news papers. The media is shot through with it. We are assaulted by it from all directions. Reminded about the broken fragments of human life from dawn till dusk. If we are unlucky it even haunts our dreams. Contemporary life is filled with brokenness. In many neighbourhoods people don't have to to go to far to touch the broken fragments of peoples lives. The song "Beautiful Day" reminds us of hope in the middle of the shards of broken lives. The song can be heard as a haunting prophetic voice that reminds us all of the person and the purpose of Jesus. "to seek and save the lost" The song provokes those who hear it towards hope. We are reminded of the hopeful message of Jesus to those who live life in the dirt or on the margins and at the same time the song rings out the challenging and disturbing message of Jesus to those in power.
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town
You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere
You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace
It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
You're on the road
But you've got no destination
You're in the mud
In the maze of her imagination
You're lovin' this town
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over you
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day
Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case
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
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out
It was a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Beautiful day
Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case
What you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't know you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now
Was a beautiful day
