"Beautiful World" is a song by American new wave band Devo, written by Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh. It appears on their fourth studio album New Traditionalists.
| "Beautiful World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Devo | ||||
| from the album New Traditionalists | ||||
| Released | October 14, 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Devo | |||
| Devo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Most of the songs on New Traditionalists are darker and more direct than on previous Devo albums. The exception to this is "Beautiful World," whose message seems optimistic at first but changes as the song progresses. This is made even clearer by the song's promotional video.
Record World called it a "positive pop piece" that is "a polished, multi-format rocker."[1]
In addition to the standard 7-inch single, "Beautiful World" was also released as a picture disc. This version features the same image of a paper mask of a cosmonaut's face as the standard single sleeve and is cut in the shape of the cosmonaut's head. The picture disc version also includes a different B-side: the spoken word "Nu-tra Speaks (New Traditionalist Man)."[2][better source needed]
Promotional music video
editThe music video was inspired by the works of experimental film collagist Bruce Conner.[3][4] The video features the character Booji Boy prominently, as he initially watches scenes of beautiful women, futuristic cars and other happy elements, which by the end of the song have been replaced by images of race riots, the Ku Klux Klan, World War I, famine in Africa, car crashes and nuclear explosions, which puts a much darker slant on the song's lyrics, especially as Casale pointedly sings, "It's a beautiful world, For you / It's a beautiful world, Not me."
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beautiful World" | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Enough Said" | 3:25 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beautiful World" | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Nu-tra Speaks (New Traditionalist Man)" | 2:16 |
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1981–1982) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100[5][6] | 102 |
| Australia ARIA Top 100[7] | 14 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Top 50[8] | 15 |
Cover versions
edit- Indie rock band Harvey Danger[9]
- Synth-pop band Information Society, with vocals by Gerald Casale of Devo.[10]
- Rap rock group Rage Against the Machine on their final studio album Renegades[11]
References
edit- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 7, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ Devo - Beautiful Word (1981, Vinyl)|Discogs
- ^ Bruce Conner - Intro / THREE SCREEN RAY - Art + Music - MOCAtv - The Museum of Contemporary Art on YouTube
- ^ Devo - The Complete Truth About De-Evolution - DVD Talk
- ^ "allmusic ((( Devo > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. Bubbling Under Singles & Albums (1998): 64
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 88. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "charts.nz - Discography Devo". © 2006-2010 Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ Harvey Danger's official YouTube channel
- ^ Information Society's official YouTube channel
- ^ Beautiful World by Rage Against the Machine - Topic on YouTube