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
Gossip
Paul Heaton Lyrics
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Had been breathing into chest
A poison that would shortly hit their blood
And on these hypodermic streets
Ain't nothin' quite so sweet
As that tempting pull to do no bleedin' good
It's an alleyway so so narrow
That any opportunity is oh-so-slim
And for slim ready hardly any
Not a cent and not a penny
Just a chance to watch walls come caving in
Finally penny drops
The eighth was just the cops
That man had devised a cunning plan
Take the ravenously poor
And mix with the unsure
Then make them think the other works for the man
Powerless they saw
The eighth take each ones jaw
And crush it 'til it only spoke of pity
'Til grip got so much tighter
And knuckles so much whiter
And the ash of crumbled chin blew around the city
And on this methadonic road
The only folk you ever knowed
Was the needle of that eighth and damage done
And lightbulb 'bove the head
Of already and almost dead
Was just too late because the eighth had gone and won
The seven deadly sins
Had all been taken in
Didn't realise the full extent of (the) con
With the shrapnel of poverty
On the minefield of gullibility
The eighth just turned that place into the somme
The lyrics of "Gossip" by Paul Heaton delve into the themes of envy, pride, and the toxic effects of gossip and manipulation within society. The first verse describes how these negative emotions have seeped into people's lives, poisoning their thoughts and actions. The imagery of a poison spreading through the bloodstream highlights the destructive nature of these feelings.
The mention of "hypodermic streets" suggests a sense of addiction or compulsion to engage in harmful behavior. The allure of doing something rebellious or harmful is portrayed as seductive, with the temptation to not do any good being strong. This sets the stage for the darker narrative that unfolds in the subsequent verses.
As the lyrics progress, they paint a stark picture of a society in which deception and manipulation reign. The metaphor of a poisoned arrow and a narrow alleyway symbolize the slim chances for escape or redemption in a world where opportunities are scarce. The idea of watching walls come caving in conveys a sense of impending doom and inevitability.
The narrative takes a sinister turn as the eighth character is introduced, a figure who devises a cunning plan to exploit the vulnerable and sow discord among them. The use of power dynamics and manipulation is evident as the eighth preys on the ravenously poor and the unsure, leading them to believe that others are working against them. This manipulation leads to the crushing of individual spirits and the spread of misery throughout the city.
The imagery of the methadonic road and the reference to the seven deadly sins further underscore the moral decay and destruction wrought by the eighth character. The consequences of poverty and gullibility are depicted as a minefield, with the eighth orchestrating chaos and devastation akin to the horrors of war. Ultimately, the lyrics serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of succumbing to negative emotions and the manipulative tactics of those who seek to exploit and control others.
Line by Line Meaning
So envy, pride and the rest
Various negative emotions were being fueled within them
Had been breathing into chest
Those emotions were deeply affecting them
A poison that would shortly hit their blood
The negative emotions would soon have serious consequences
And on these hypodermic streets
In this dangerous, needle-filled environment
Ain't nothin' quite so sweet
There's nothing quite as alluring
As that tempting pull to do no bleedin' good
As the temptation to do wrong
It's a bow with poisoned arrow
It's a situation fraught with danger
It's an alleyway so so narrow
It's an extremely restrictive and risky place
That any opportunity is oh-so-slim
Where chances are very slim
And for slim ready hardly any
And for those ill-prepared, almost none
Not a cent and not a penny
No money at all
Just a chance to watch walls come caving in
Just an opportunity to see everything collapse
Finally penny drops
Finally they realized
The eighth was just the cops
That the eighth person was actually the cops
That man had devised a cunning plan
The man had come up with a clever scheme
Take the ravenously poor
Target the desperately poor
And mix with the unsure
And combine them with the uncertain
Then make them think the other works for the man
Then make them believe the others were working for the man
Powerless they saw
Helpless, they witnessed
The eighth take each ones jaw
The eighth person taking control of each one
And crush it 'til it only spoke of pity
And suppressing it until it could only express pity
'Til grip got so much tighter
Until the grasp became stronger
And knuckles so much whiter
And the knuckles grew paler
And the ash of crumbled chin blew around the city
And the remains of a fallen chin scattered through the city
And on this methadonic road
And on this dangerously addictive path
The only folk you ever knowed
The only people you ever knew
Was the needle of that eighth and damage done
Were the consequences brought by the eighth person's influence
And lightbulb 'bove the head
And the realization in their minds
Of already and almost dead
Of those who were already or nearly defeated
Was just too late because the eighth had gone and won
Arrived too late as the eighth had already succeeded
The seven deadly sins
The seven major vices
Had all been taken in
Had all been deceived
Didn't realise the full extent of (the) con
Didn't understand the complete deception
With the shrapnel of poverty
With the effects of poverty
On the minefield of gullibility
Within the area of vulnerability
The eighth just turned that place into the somme
The eighth person turned the situation into a chaotic battleground
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Paul Heaton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind