Vega4

Vega4 was a four-piece alternative rock band formed in London. Johnny McDaid was the band's lead vocalist and songwriter, joined on guitar by Bruce Gainsford. Gavin Fox was the band's bassist and Bryan McLellan the drummer.

McDaid is from Northern Ireland and Fox is from Ireland, McLellan is from Canada and Gainsford is from New Zealand. Vega4 was signed to Columbia Records in the UK, Epic Records in the US, and produced two albums, You and Others produced by Jacknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party) and "Satellites" produced by John Cornfield and Ron Aniello. The band played at the 2007 SXSW festival.

Vega4 premiered in the United States when its single "Life Is Beautiful" was featured in an episode of Grey's Anatomy and in the One Tree Hill episode, "Prom Night at Hater High". "Life is Beautiful" also featured in the 2010 film Streetdance, and previously in 2008's comedy film, Sex Drive.

Vega 4 also was featured on Paul Van Dyk's hit Time Of Our Lives in 2006.

Vega4's song "You and Me" was used by RTÉ 2fm to re-launch the station's new look and lineup. The band completed its first US tour in April 2007 in San Diego, California. Vega4 had been touring with Augustana for the previous several weeks. The band received much media attention in the US, with major radio support for "Life Is Beautiful" and the rumours of Gainsford's on-again, off-again romance with Scarlett Johansson. The band disbanded in 2008.

Life Is Beautiful

Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita è bella [la ˈviːta ɛ bˈbɛlla]) is a 1997 Italian tragicomic comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian book shop owner, who must employ his fertile imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. Part of the film came from Benigni's own family history; before Roberto's birth, his father had survived three years of internment at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

The film was a critical and financial success, winning Benigni the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 71st Academy Awards as well as the Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Plot

In 1939 Italy, Guido Orefice is a young Jewish man who is leaving his old life and going to work in the city where his uncle lives. Guido is comical and sharp, making the best from each situation he encounters. From the start he falls in love with a girl Dora. Later he sees her again in the city where she is a teacher. Dora is set to be engaged to a rich but arrogant man. He is a local government official with whom Guido has run-ins from the beginning. Guido is still in love with Dora and performs many stunts in order to see her. Guido sets up many "coincidental" incidents to show his interest. Finally Dora sees Guido's affection and promise and gives in against her better judgement. He steals her from her engagement party on a horse, humiliating her fiancé and mother. Soon they are married and have a son, Giosuè.

Radio Song

"Radio Song" is the fourth single released by R.E.M. from their 1991 album Out of Time, where it appeared as the opening track.

Lead singer Michael Stipe once said that he hoped everyone had enough sense of humor to realize that he was "kind of taking the piss of everyone," himself included.

Stipe also asked KRS-One, leader of Boogie Down Productions (of which Stipe was a fan), to contribute to the track. He provides some backing vocals for the track, as well as a closing rap, and appears prominently in the video.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.

US/UK/Germany 7" / US/UK cassette

UK "Collectors' Edition" CD

US/Germany CD / US 12"/maxi-cassette