U2 have shared the re-written lyrics to ‘Beautiful Day’ that Bono and The Edge wrote for Glen Hansard’s funeral yesterday (August 4).
The Oscar-winning star of Once, frontman of The Frames and one half of The Swell Season died following a motorcycle crash in Dublin on July 29. He was 56 years old.
The funeral saw figures from across the music world assemble at Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral yesterday, including Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder, Hozier, Imelda May and his Once co-star and Swell Season bandmate Markéta Irglová.
At the event, Bono played a voice message that Patti Smith had sent after hearing of Hansard’s death, in which she sang a lullaby for his family. He then delivered the re-written ‘Beautiful Day’ as a spoken-word piece alongside The Edge and encouraged the congregation to join in at its conclusion.
U2 have now posted the re-written lyrics to the 2000 song on Instagram alongside a poignant painting of Hansard by Colin Davidson.
The new words include references to Dublin’s McDaid’s pub and Hansard’s early days as a busker and his breakout success with Once. They are:
“See those eyes flashing landing light blue
Seven towers holding up the sky for you
Arrivals and departures, this is what we do
You write your life ‘til the story becomes true
Ginger cake smile, a movie star too
If the street be your stage how come there’s thousands in the queue
McDaid’s feels like a stadium but there’s only me and you
You left a hangover from hell, of this there is no doubt
But as you wake up in heaven, all the angels will shout”
Elsewhere at the service, Vedder joined Irglová and members of The Frames to perform ‘The Song Of Good Hope’, while Lisa O’Neill sang ‘Old Note’. Mourners left the cathedral to a performance of Bob Dylan‘s ‘Forever Young’ led by Liam Ó Maonlaí, Vedder, Bono and others.
Hansard formed The Frames in 1990 and later released three albums with Irglová as The Swell Season. The pair won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2008 for ‘Falling Slowly’, which featured in John Carney’s touching musical drama Once, in which they both starred.
Footage has also emerged of Hansard’s final live performance, which took place at The Wren’s Nest pub in Chapelizod, Dublin just hours before his death.
