It’s been said before – when John Kerry (remember
him?) used U2’s Beautiful Day to promote his 2004 campaign… as a U2 fan I
thought I’d make the point again.

You’re
on the road, but you’ve got no
destinationYou’re in the mud, in the maze of
her imaginationYou love this town, even if
that doesn’t ring trueYou’ve been all over…
and it’s been all over you

Beautiful
Day is a sad tale, the story of lost love and dark days. If you take the simple
theme of Beautiful Day – which seems to have escaped 99% of radio listeners /
advertising gurus’ – Bono tells us he’s lost everything, your wife, your lover,
your children, your money. You’ve got nothing, and you’ve never felt better. I
don’t know if that’s as funny as it seemed at the
time.The irony that a band who have
been, for the last 10 years, steeped in ironic characterture… think; massive
heeds,
Macphisto & The Fly, Bono’s goggles, lyrics like “I’m nearly great, there’s
one thing missing” or those videos “Numb” in particular. The irony is it was a
joke, at stupid people – people who take things on face-value; the biggest TV
screens in the world, the most ridiculous gold platform shoes worn by man and a
phone call to the president in an English Generals’ accent. The joke was on the
people who screamed: “well, that Bo-no – he says he cares about love, peace, God
and poverty. But look at that smile and the extensive, expensive costume
department… the stages and the tours – why isn’t he saving the word. Which he
can’t!?” Maybe the joke was on consumerists – in Pop – because we buy from the
sandwich store “with more” (more what?) and use computers that “think different”
it was a mockery of sales spiel, the stuff we
love.So – where was I? The irony that
a band who have confused so many people for so long write a song with the
simplest headline, ever, Beautiful
Day when they mean “I’m so depressed” and no
one gets it, they just buy it, now it’s in a dozen ads, a presidential campaign,
an election – it’s on your phone and it’s number one. For heaven’s sake mankind.
It’s a Terrible Day, the man’s wife has left him, he’s lost his kids – he’s
given away his wealth and he’s wandering Charles De Gaul (already a strange,
complicated place). He needs a guide, but he’s screwed him over too… this is
not a joyous call of all things green and blue, it is a genesis – but not a true
beginning. All That You Can’t Leave
Behind is the Fall, but through destruction
comes sweet, sweet revitalisation and a pretty damn good album too. Shame about
‘Atomic.

What you don’t have, you don’t need it
nowWhat you don’t know, you can feel it
somehow.What you don’t have, you don’t need
it nowdon’t need me now… Beautiful
Day?