The Beautiful South
The Beautiful South were a British pop group formed in 1989, from the ashes… Read Full Bio ↴The Beautiful South were a British pop group formed in 1989, from the ashes of Hull, England group The Housemartins. The band was put together by lead singer, Paul Heaton, and drummer, Dave Hemingway. They were joined by Sean Welch (Bass), Dave Stead (Drums) and Dave Rotheray (Guitar). Rotheray also co-writes the songs with Heaton.
In The Beautiful South, Heaton shared the lead singer's role with Hemingway and female singer Briana Corrigan to create a trio of lead vocalists. This set-up helped to characterise the bittersweet kitchen sink dramas played out in Heaton's often-barbed songs.
The band's music might sound like bubbly, catchy, lightweight pop but Heaton's sour, savage and amusing worldview on everything and anything (alcoholism, religion, sex, politics and, mostly, the down side of relationships) is always lurking beneath the surface of the quirky melodies. The tastes and smells of the local pub are never far away either, with the band gaining a reputation for boozing. The band's first album was Welcome to the Beautiful South (1989) and spawned the hits Song For Whoever and You Keep It All In. The release of 1990's Choke album saw the band claim its only Number 1 hit to date, A Little Time. 0898 followed in 1992, with hits including Old Red Eyes Is Back.
In 1994, after Corrigan quit the band when she saw Paul's lyrics for the forthcoming album Miaow, St Helens supermarket shelf-stacker, Jacqui Abbott, was brought on board to fill in. Heaton had heard her sing at an after show party in St Helens and remembered her vocal talents.
Jacqui's first album with the band was Miaow in 1994. Hits included Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud) and a cover of Fred Neil's Everybody's Talking, previously popularised by Harry Nilsson. The end of that year saw the release of Carry on up the Charts, a "best of" compilation consisting of the singles to date plus new track One Last Love Song. The album was massively successful and it is said that 1 in 7 homes in the UK owns a copy.
Blue Is the Colour (1996), Quench (1998) and Painting It Red (2000) followed with varying success. Jacqui also quit the band in 2000. After a second Greatest Hits album Solid Bronze in 2001, they recorded Gaze in 2003 with yet another female vocalist, Alison 'Lady' Wheeler. Wheeler was still in place for 2004's Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs, an album of unusually arranged cover versions including Livin' Thing, You're The One That I Want, Don't Fear The Reaper and I'm Stone In Love With You. In 2006 the band released their tenth studio album, Superbi.
The band broke up in January 2007, releasing the statement: "The Beautiful South have split up due to musical similarities. The band would like to thank everyone for their 19 wonderful years in music."
Former members of the group have since played Beautiful South songs together as 'New Beautiful South' and more recently 'The South'.
In 2007, Mercury Records released Soup: The Best of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, a compilation album containing 7 hit singles by The Housemartins ("The Housemartins Condensed") and 15 tracks The Beautiful South ("Cream of The Beautiful South").
In The Beautiful South, Heaton shared the lead singer's role with Hemingway and female singer Briana Corrigan to create a trio of lead vocalists. This set-up helped to characterise the bittersweet kitchen sink dramas played out in Heaton's often-barbed songs.
The band's music might sound like bubbly, catchy, lightweight pop but Heaton's sour, savage and amusing worldview on everything and anything (alcoholism, religion, sex, politics and, mostly, the down side of relationships) is always lurking beneath the surface of the quirky melodies. The tastes and smells of the local pub are never far away either, with the band gaining a reputation for boozing. The band's first album was Welcome to the Beautiful South (1989) and spawned the hits Song For Whoever and You Keep It All In. The release of 1990's Choke album saw the band claim its only Number 1 hit to date, A Little Time. 0898 followed in 1992, with hits including Old Red Eyes Is Back.
In 1994, after Corrigan quit the band when she saw Paul's lyrics for the forthcoming album Miaow, St Helens supermarket shelf-stacker, Jacqui Abbott, was brought on board to fill in. Heaton had heard her sing at an after show party in St Helens and remembered her vocal talents.
Jacqui's first album with the band was Miaow in 1994. Hits included Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud) and a cover of Fred Neil's Everybody's Talking, previously popularised by Harry Nilsson. The end of that year saw the release of Carry on up the Charts, a "best of" compilation consisting of the singles to date plus new track One Last Love Song. The album was massively successful and it is said that 1 in 7 homes in the UK owns a copy.
Blue Is the Colour (1996), Quench (1998) and Painting It Red (2000) followed with varying success. Jacqui also quit the band in 2000. After a second Greatest Hits album Solid Bronze in 2001, they recorded Gaze in 2003 with yet another female vocalist, Alison 'Lady' Wheeler. Wheeler was still in place for 2004's Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs, an album of unusually arranged cover versions including Livin' Thing, You're The One That I Want, Don't Fear The Reaper and I'm Stone In Love With You. In 2006 the band released their tenth studio album, Superbi.
The band broke up in January 2007, releasing the statement: "The Beautiful South have split up due to musical similarities. The band would like to thank everyone for their 19 wonderful years in music."
Former members of the group have since played Beautiful South songs together as 'New Beautiful South' and more recently 'The South'.
In 2007, Mercury Records released Soup: The Best of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, a compilation album containing 7 hit singles by The Housemartins ("The Housemartins Condensed") and 15 tracks The Beautiful South ("Cream of The Beautiful South").
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The Beautiful South Lyrics
'Til You Can't Tuck It In Your figure like your friendship Gradually grows and grows …
10,000 Feet The part of love that I'm scared of is the actual…
10000 Feet The part of love that I'm scared of is the…
101 per cent Man I've seen these people described as mad But find men kissin…
36D Close your legs, open your mind Leave those compliments wel…
A Little Piece of Advice Guard your body with the best barbed wire And ward off…
A Little Time I need a little time to think it over I need…
A Long Day In The Field It's been a long day in the field for us…
A Minute's Silence With a minute's silence for the dead And a minute's silence…
A Way With the Blues You should be a singer I swear it's true No-one could make…
Alone Like the contents of your handbag You don't know why…
Angels Planning permission tied to post We read when we're waiting…
Artificial Flowers Alone in the world was poor little Anne As sweet…
Baby Please Go You've heard it said a thousand times But only heard his…
Bed Of Nails Don't think of what we can and can't achieve Perfection like…
Bell Bottom Tear This is the dinner prepared This is the dress that I…
Big Coin Big coin that you toss for heads or tails Big…
Blackbird On The Wire Eyes to take you dancing, Mouth to leave your wife, Legs to…
Blitzkrieg Bop They're forming in straight line They're going through a tig…
Build Build Housemartins Now That's What I Call Quite Good... Cla…
But 'til Then When you say goodbye I really want to know Everything you…
But til Then When you say goodbye I really want to know Everything you…
Caravan Of Love Are you ready Are you ready Are you ready Are…
Chicken Wings Well, I always knew You'd take the crutches and not the…
Ciao! I've been so happy since I walked away I never thought…
Closer Than Most Well I kept fantasizing your eyes were wide open And it…
Diamonds Little sister don't you cry Lay your head down, close your…
Domino Man Through ugly pints and Sunday breath Sit men whose stare…
Don Think of you with pipe and slippers Think of her in…
Don't Fear The Reaper All our times have come Here but now they're gone Seasons do…
Don't Marry Her Think of you with pipe and slippers Think of her in…
Don't Stop Moving DJ's got the party started, there's no end in sight Everybo…
Dream A Little Dream Stars shining bright above you, Night breezes seem to whispe…
Dumb It doesn't take a mathematician To add a simple sum Either y…
Especially For You Only buy this if you're lonely Only listen if you're blue If…
Everybody Everybody's talking at me I don't hear a word they're…
Everybody's Talking At Me Everybody's talkin' at me. I can't hear a word they're sayi…
Everybodys Talkin Everybody's talking at me I don't hear a word they're…
Final Spark Well the dice that I roll never seems to land…
Five Get Over Excited Fun, fun, fun (Jeremy) Me, me, me (Fifi) Take, take, take (J…
Flag Day Too many Florence Nightingales Not enough Robin Hoods Too …
Foundations Build your dream castle out of sand It's bound to…
Frank and Delores Frank loved the blue Big open skies Played an old concerti…
Free For All If this person that you see Seems a little blurred, It's '…
From Now On Water the plants, feed the cat Leave that door key under…
From Under The Covers It's 6.00am and even Big Ben Is trying to get his…
Get Here Head over heels is fine Unless you're in stilettos Love know…
Girlfriend Girl make a list Go out and find yourself a…
God Bless the Child Those that's got shall get Those that's not shall lose So th…
Good As Gold Don't know what I'm doing here I'll carry on regardless Got …
Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud) (Heaton/Rotheray) Don't know what I'm doing here I'll carry …
Half Hearted Get I've only got one real fan She is not woman, she…
Half Of Him Why forbidden fruit Always looks so sweet Hanging down lik…
Half-Hearted Get I've only got one real fan She is not woman, she…
Half-Hearted Get (Is Second Best) I've only got one real fan She is not woman, she…
Happy Hour It's happy hour again I think I might be happy if…
Have Fun Have fun And if you can't have fun Have someone…
Have You Ever Been Away Your 'fight them on the beaches' speeches make me despair…
Here It Is Again Here it is again it's so so mad Turning young and…
Hidden Jukebox Hey church I was thinking The Third World seems to…
His Time Ran Out I was about to write a song about the fear…
Hit Parade No one wrote a song for me Just instrumental not too…
Hold Me Close There's something very English about 'forever' 'Hugs and ki…
Hold On To What She'd given everything she could give Twenty years of kindne…
Hold on to What - She'd given everything she could give Twenty years of kind…
Hold On To What? She'd given everything she could give Twenty years of kindne…
Hooligans Don't Fall In Love Vagabonds don't fall in love They just wheel and they deal S…
Hot On The Heels Of Heartbreak If you could pull yourself away from that mess Surely if…
How Long's A Tear Take To Dry How long's a tear take to dry, When a woman has…
I Hate You Tables turned over and curtains ripped Bottles uncollected, …
I Hate You (But You're Inter.. (Heaton/Rotheray) Tables turned over and curtains ripped …
I Hate You (But You're Interesting) (Heaton/Rotheray) Tables turned over and curtains ripped Bot…
I Love You Birds are singing in the trees As we rise up…
I May Be Ugly With a face like a crab's bus ticket And skin like…
I Sold My Heart to the Junkman I gave my heart to you, The one that I trusted You…
I Started A Joke I started a joke Which started the whole world crying Oh h…
I Think The Answer's Yes I'm walking through these pastures I'm picking up sweet frui…
I THink The Answers Yes I'm walking through these pastures I'm picking up sweet fr…
I'll Sail This Ship Alone If, if you choose that we will always lose Well…
I'm Stone in Love With You If I could I'd like to be, a great big…
I'm Your No. 1 Fan I was handed down the looks of a man with…
I've Come For My Award This is the Awards for Industry and Free Enterprise So…
If If we crawl at two We could crawl at twenty-two And grovel…
If We Crawl If we crawl at two We could crawl at twenty-two And grovel…
Ill Sail This Ship Alone If, if you choose that we will always lose Well…
Im Your No. 1 Fan I was handed down the looks of a man with…
In Other Words I Hate You It took a few packed bags and a few slammed…
I’ll Sail This Ship Alone If, if you choose that we will always lose Well…
Just A Few Things That I Ain When you called me a useless druggie At least you got…
Just Checkin' I came in here, just to see his guilty face I'm…
Les Yeux Ouverts Ce souvenir je te le rends. Des souvenirs, tu sais j'en…
Let Go With The Flow The superfly guy that you're courting now Used to be a…
Let Love Speak Up Itself Don't whisper love and dream of wedding bells Don't do all…
Liar's Bar Don't whisper love and dream of wedding bells Don't do all…
Liars' Bar Well sitting in a bar alone Where no-one knows your…
Life Vs. The Lifeless When was the last time you felt so happy You had…
Lips Your lying lips don't cry don't cry Keep telling me…
Little Blue You can't write a novel from a briefcase You can…
Little Time I need a little time To think it over I need a…
Livin' Thing Sailin' away on the crest of a wave It's like magic Rollin'…
Look What I Found In My Beer Look what I found in my beer A couple of dancing…
Losing Things I'm losing things That's what old-fashioned love brings Lost…
Love Is... Ooh you care, you really, really care From the first 12"…
Love Wars (Cecil and Linda Womak) Love wars, Love wars Love wars, Lov…
Loving Arms If you could hear me now The one who said that She'd…
Manchester From Northenden to Partington, it?s rain From Altrincham to…
Masculine Eclipse That grand facade Will finally diminish When he breaks your …
Me And The Farmer Me and the Farmer get on fine Through stormy weather and…
Meanwhile Jack confides in Catherine That he?s filing for divorce Ca…
Mini-Correct They say always use a condom, I say always use…
Mirror They could be fat or could be thin They could…
Mother's Pride Here he comes - Mother's Pride With the first ever satchel…
Mr. Obsession A winning smile of gleaming teeth W.O. on his handkerchief …
My Book This is my life and this is how it reads For…
Never Lost A Chicken To A Fox There he stood, gun in hand At the door, the day…
Oh Blackpool I wasn't sure if it was Marx or Hitler that…
Old Red Eyes Old Red eyes is back Red from the night before the…
One God Like the toupee on a fading fame The final whistle…
One Last Love Song I once had a friend who I loved from my…
One Man's Rubbish He picks up the pieces Of long gone days Of old fashioned…
Perfect 10 She's a perfect 10, but she wears a 12 Baby keep…
Pockets Here comes Pockets His trousers hold a thousand deadly sins …
Pollard You request pollard and you get pollard You ask for pollard…
Poppy 'I fought hard in the Second World War' You hear…
Pretenders To The Throne Is it Cologne with it's great cathedral? Milan with it's gla…
Prettiest Eyes Line one is the time That you, you first stayed over…
Pretty You're kind of pretty you can cover in make-up Cover in…
Pretty Things You're kind of pretty you can cover in make-up Cover in…
Property Quiz All the secrets we have shared Have moved to a couple…
Rebel Prince (Rufus Wainwright) Where is my master, the Rebel Prince, Wh…
Right Man For The Job I hope your new man's good for you in bed Better…
Rotterdam And the women tug their hair Like they're trying to prove…
Sailing Solo Imagine sailing solo around the world Only to find you've m…
Should've Kept My Eyes Shut I should've kept my eyes shut But I had to go…
Size Do not think of me alive do not think of…
Something That You Said The perfect love song it has now words it only…
Song For Whoever I love you from the bottom, of my pencil case I…
Space If there's space out there enough for the moon Surely your…
Straight In At 37 Why don't you sing 'I need you baby'? 'Cause it rhymes…
Suck Harder If it ain't an epic Don't dust it If it ain't an…
Table This table has four sturdy legs And a heart of very…
Tattoo Sadness has filled a lonely place Before that there was…
Tättoö (Heaton/Rotheray) Sadness has filled a lonely place Before t…
Tears Tears have rolled down many good cheek So when it comes…
The Cat Loves the Mouse We’ve come a long way from the cave What, you started…
The Gates Woman goes to heaven, it's not important when 'Cause as soo…
The Last Waltz Don't feel bad if you wake up feeling suddenly old More…
The Lure Of The Sea If I walk like a fool, I've walked like that…
The Mediterranean Little seas can be big seas To the wrong or long…
The Next Verse There was a pool table there at the wedding That most…
The Opening of a New Book The opening of a new book A singular wave crashing The ope…
The Rising Of Grafton Street Yes, I saw it!…
The River Love takes time we all agree and time's not the easiest…
The Rocking Chair Here I walk, here I walk Looking for an angel's…
The Root Of All Evil If euro replaces the pound It's still likely to be shiny…
The Rose Of My Cologne Daddy was the local drunk Mommy was the loosest girl in…
The Slide When you're too old for the swings You tend to choose…
The Sound Of North America Ginger Elvis Presley looked a fraction sad Roaming the whole…
The Table This table has four sturdy legs And a heart of very…
There Is Song There's a bench in every park dedicated to Those who sat…
They Used to Wear Black Always alone when thinking hard Always alone when after dar…
Think For A Minute Something's going on, a change is taking place Children smi…
This Old Skin it was '96 in south carolina, thats the place and not…
This Will Be Our Year The warmth of your love's Like the warmth from the sun And…
Throw His Song Away Verse one, he was pissed, an excuse that you probably…
Till I Can't Take It Anymore Let's not fight it anymore Unpack the bags and close the…
Tonight I Fancy Myself She'd brought along the oranges He'd brought the tea The…
Trevor You're Bizarre When we met I got wet Just waiting for the chance To…
Tupperware Queen This reign of plastic That replaced the reign of gold Coul…
Valentine Valentine. Won't you be my valentine. And introduce your hea…
Virgin And I think that I wish I was virgin And I…
We Are Each Other There's no more little secrets we haven't yet disclosed We b…
We'll Deal With You Later Revolutions come and go but we'll just have to wait…
What You See Is What You Get Some people are made of plastic. You know some people are…
When I'm 84 Queuing with the old folk There's and old man with…
When Romance Is Dead You’ll know when romance is dead Your make up in a…
Who's Gonna Tell Who's gonna tell the orange They're actually brown Who's g…
Who's Gonna Tell? Who's gonna tell the orange They're actually brown Who's gon…
Window Shopping For Blinds One day I'm loaded, next day I'm broke Spent all my…
Without Her I spend the night in a chair Thinking she'll be there…
Woman In The Wall He was just a social drinker but social every night He…
Worthless Lie The sheets won't need changing everyday The freezer supply …
You and Your Big Ideas How do you feel? Now they've swapped that good old carthors…
You Can Call Me Leisure You look a younger more beautiful version of death But I'm…
You Just Can't Smile It Away You just can't smile it away It's much more than passion…
You Keep It All In You know your problem You keep it all in You know your…
You Play Glockenspiel I'll Play Drums There's a boy with a brace across his teeth White socks,…
You Play Glockenspiel I'll Play Drums... There's a boy with a brace across his teeth White socks,…
You're Only Jealous Perhaps it was the holiday we spent abroad last year It…
You're The One That I Want I got chills They're multiplying And I'm losing control 'Cau…
You've Done Nothing Wrong Well, you told me that you wished that things had…
Your Father And I It was the middle of winter And I drove us in…