Paul Heaton formed The Housemartins in the early 1980s. The Housemartins released a number of singles and two studio albums, London 0 Hull 4 and The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death. Their most famous hit was an a-capella version of the Isley Brothers' Caravan of Love, which was a Christmas number one in the UK.
In 1988, Paul Heaton formed The Beautiful South from the ashes of The Housemartins. The Beautiful South released two top ten singles, Song for Whoever and You Keep It All In, which featured Irish singer Briana Corrigan on vocals. In 1989, the band released an album "Welcome to the Beautiful South" by which time Corrigan had joined the band as a full time member. The band's biggest success to date is the release of the single "A Little Time" in 1991. It reached number 1 on the charts. In 1993 the band released their third album, "0898 Beautiful South".
In 1994, Briana Corrigan left the band and a new female vocalist, Jacqui Abbott, was brought in. During the recording of the band's fourth album "Miaow", Heaton was increasingly irritated with the band and at one time told them to get their act together or he would leave. "Miaow" is some of Heaton's most depressing songwriting (only their fifth studio album, "Blue Is The Colour", is considered sadder). Heaton was going through a break-up with his girlfriend and other problems at the time. After the release of Miaow's third single, "Prettiest Eyes", the record company was worried about the band's sales, so they proposed a greatest hits release to save the band. Heaton hated the idea as he was trying to keep the band as far away from mainstream as possible, but nevertheless, "Carry on up the Charts" was released in December 1994 and it sold overwhelmingly, going platinum and becoming one of the biggest selling albums of all time in the UK.
The band returned to form a number one album, "Blue Is the Colour". Their sixth album, "Quench", also hit the top spot. In 2000, after the release of "Painting It Red", Jacqui Abbott left the band to care for her son. A second compilation album, "Solid Bronze", was released and two more studio albums with a new female vocalist, Alison Wheeler. The first, Gaze, became the first Beautiful South album to fail to reach the top 10, and the band were then dropped by Mercury Records.
The following year (2004), newly signed to Sony, they released the curiously named covers album Goldiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs, an eclectic album that featured the Beautiful South's unique take on a wide variety of tracks by the like of ELO, Blue Öyster Cult, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, S Club 7, and Rufus Wainwright. Again, despite considerable publicity and promotional TV appearances, the album failed to make the top 10.
2006 saw the release of yet another album of new material, "Superbi." Reviews were generally positive. "Superbi" has more of an alt-country sound (plenty of slide guitar, for example) than previous Beautiful South releases. The album maintains the band's trademark eccentricity, however, featuring a dobro on one song.
On the ITV documentary music series Faith & Music screened 29th October 2006, Paul talks openly and honestly about his atheism and his battle with alcoholism.
Heaton is the father of two daughters, although he has never married.
www.paulheatonmusic.co.uk
D.I.Y
Paul Heaton Lyrics
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Some lose them right at the start
Standing in line, it's a question of time
Who's gonna be the next broken heart
But my heart belonged to a love so strong
I would love him 'til the day that I die
But I didn't lose my love to the Lord above
I lost him to a D.I.Y.
D, she was so determined
to take him right out of my hands
I, if you're idle enough
they can steal from the very first dance
Y, she was young and pretty
and young and pretty is better than I
But we gave them all our kisses
Now they found another Mrs
'Cause we lost him to a D.I.Y.
Some women feel if you put her on a seal
it will keep your fella out of reach
But it ain't no soul you can grab them from below
That's a lesson every woman can teach
But my man was just the sort you could trust
You could look a fella right in the eye
If it wasn't for deceiving
But suddenly he was leaving 'cause we lost him to a D.I.Y.
D, she was so determined
to take him right out of my hands
I, if you're idle enough
they can steal from the very first dance
Y, she was young and pretty
and young and pretty is better than I
But we gave them all our kisses
Now they found another Mrs
'Cause we lost him to a D.I.Y.
L – A – D – I – E – S
Come on girls, if she's wearing a dress
T – H – I – E and F
She got high heels and couldn't care less
W – O – M – E – N
Come on girls, it'll happen again
H – I – S – T – O – R – Y
Come on folks, I'ts just an ordinary guy
D, she was so determined
to take him right out of my hands
I, if you're idle enough
they can steal from the very first dance
Y Y Y, she was young and pretty
and young and pretty is better than I
But we gave them all our kisses
Now they found another Mrs
'Cause we lost him to a D.I.Y.
The lyrics to Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott's song D.I.Y. tells the story of a woman who lost her love to another woman. The singer mentions how it's not just those women who lose their boys after years, but also those who lose them right at the start. The central idea of the song is that sometimes, love may be lost to something as unexpected as DIY. The woman's heart belonged to a love so strong that she would love him until the day she died, but unfortunately, she lost him to a younger and prettier woman, who was determined to take him out of her hands. The singer laments that they gave him all their kisses, but D.I.Y got the better of them.
The lyrics also outline some of the efforts women put into keeping their men, such as putting them on a seal, but ultimately, it's not something that can guarantee their loyalty. The singer also acknowledges that her man was the type you could trust and look in the eye, but the sudden deception from D.I.Y was enough to make him leave. The song ends with a call to women and ladies to come together and realize that it could happen again because, in the end, it's just an ordinary guy.
Line by Line Meaning
Some girls lose their boys after years
Some women lose their partners after being together for a long time
Some lose them right at the start
Some women lose their partners at the beginning of a relationship
Standing in line, it's a question of time
Who's gonna be the next broken heart
Waiting to find love is a risk, and it's uncertain who will have their heart broken next
But my heart belonged to a love so strong
I would love him 'til the day that I die
The singer had a deep, unwavering love for her partner
But I didn't lose my love to the Lord above
I lost him to a D.I.Y.
The singer didn't lose her partner because of a higher power, but because of an act of determination and effort ('do it yourself' or D.I.Y.) by someone else
D, she was so determined
to take him right out of my hands
The person (whose name starts with 'D') was very determined to take the singer's partner away
I, if you're idle enough
they can steal from the very first dance
If you're not actively showing affection or attention to your partner, someone else could come in and steal them away
Y, she was young and pretty
and young and pretty is better than I
The person who took the singer's partner was younger and more attractive than she was
But we gave them all our kisses
Now they found another Mrs
'Cause we lost him to a D.I.Y.
Even though the singer and her partner shared affection and intimacy, the person who took him away was able to do so because of their own efforts ('do it yourself' or D.I.Y.)
Some women feel if you put her on a seal
it will keep your fella out of reach
But it ain't no soul you can grab them from below
That's a lesson every woman can teach
Some women may think they can control their partners' actions or affection, but in reality, people are free to make their own choices and can't be controlled by others
But my man was just the sort you could trust
You could look a fella right in the eye
If it wasn't for deceiving
But suddenly he was leaving 'cause we lost him to a D.I.Y.
The singer's partner seemed trustworthy and genuine, but he ended up leaving her because of someone else's determined efforts ('do it yourself' or D.I.Y.)
L – A – D – I – E – S
Come on girls, if she's wearing a dress
T – H – I – E and F
She got high heels and couldn't care less
W – O – M – E – N
Come on girls, it'll happen again
H – I – S – T – O – R – Y
Come on folks, I'ts just an ordinary guy
These lines seem to be a chorus or chant that encourages women to support each other and not let men make them feel inferior or compete against each other for love. The final line suggests that men are nothing special and can be ordinary and fallible.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL DAVID HEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind