The U2 song Michael Stipe was jealous of: “It makes me angry”
When talking about the giants of 1980s rock, R.E.M. and U2 feel like they come from two opposite sides of the spectrum. Although both may have found their roots in playing to audiences an alternative to the mainstream, the leading voice behind both bands had different things to say, whether that be Bono making a call to arms to people around the world or Michael Stipe spouting out nonsense for minutes on end. Although Stipe did have his unique lane as a lyricist, he did admit that U2 outdid him on one song.
Then again, R.E.M. and U2 also fit the bill of artists that are the epitome of a slow burn. Although U2 may have hit the ground running with songs like ‘I Will Follow’ off their debut album, it would take them years to refine their palette in the studio, earning their most significant accolades after years in the game with albums like The Joshua Tree and the massive pivot on Achtung Baby.
On the other hand, R.E.M. were also thrust into the limelight in the 1980s, only to cultivate themselves over time to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world in the 1990s. By the time they had hit albums like Out of Time and Automatic for the People, Stipe had practically become the elder statesman of the grunge movement, playing the ironic card years before it was considered cool to do so.
While Bono played up the ironic sentiment of gigantic rock stars with ‘The Fly’, there was only so long that could go on. After going through a disastrous turn into dance pop with the album Pop, the band regrouped to create one of their most potent albums since their glory years on All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
From the start, the band were looking to talk about the perils that afflict getting older, with Bono writing touching tributes to his friends that have come and gone on songs like ‘Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of’. While the band already had their mainstream audience under control with a ballad, ‘Beautiful Day’ would become the cornerstone track of the album, featuring the signature cascading sounds of The Edge’s guitar playing.
While the song was wide open, The Edge thought the lyric was perfect for what the band needed to say, recalling, “The moment it got exciting was when Bono hit on the lyric: ‘It’s a beautiful day.’ It seems in some ways such a banal sort of lyric, but combined with the music, something wild happened, and we all recognised it”.
When listening to the song at the time, Stipe’s first reaction was jealousy, later recalling, “I love that song. It makes me angry that I didn’t write it”. Though Stipe meant the jab in jest, the U2 song has all the hallmarks that could make a great R.E.M. track as well.
Despite the straightforward lyrics, the marriage of words and melody is so open to interpretation that they could pretty much be about anything, which was what Stipe had always prided himself on. Regardless of the massive stadium rock that U2 had cultivated over the years, they had to hit on something potent if one of the alternative rock scene’s leaders gave his approval.
