Magnificent has always been a drums and bass song for me. You know, the most important part of U2. But at closer look, there is much more to this song than a great a beat. It is a very spiritual song. Apparently Magnificent was inspired by the Virgin Mary’s song of praise The Magnificat from Luke 1:46-54, “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy.”

The lyric “it was a joyful noise” from Magnificent is taken from the Psalms – it shows up all over the place. For instance, Psalm 66:1 “Make a joyful noise unto God.” As Christians, we are born to sing God’s praises. My favorite part of Magnificent is the chorus, “Justified till we die, you and I will magnify The Magnificent
.” The concept of being ‘justified’ appears throughout the Bible, particularly in Paul’s letters -as in Romans 8:30, “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Christians are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, and we “magnify the Magnificent” for all that he has done for us. We try to reflect God to other people.

Magnificent
Magnificent
I was born
I was born to be with you
In this space and time
After that and ever after I haven’t had a clue
Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise …
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent
Magnificent
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts
Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent
Magnificent