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
Real Hope
Paul Heaton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She dragged it off down to the smoke
Where she went on a show where they turn dreams to gold
And give real people false hope
She needed the comfort she needed the cheer
Her children had all flown the nest
She desperately wanted to change her career
To the thing that she felt she did best
Giving real hope to false people
Telling the world it can sing
False hope to real folk
You can sing you can sing you can sing
He worked in a shop where they hated his guts
Lived in a house just the same
And all that he ever requested in life
Was no swear word prefix in his name
He wanted the glory he wanted the fame
In limelight he wanted to soak
So he saved up the money and boarded the train
To where they give plastic people real hope
Giving real hope to false people
Telling the world it can sing
False hope to real folk
You can sing you can sing you can sing
Take heed if your dreams are a staring
Dreamboat can end up on the rocks
That road paved with gold is just one block away
From the rear end of Top Of The Pops
From the rear end of Top Of The Pops
If you want it don't tell us about it
And if you don't get it don't cry
Just do as they say and follow your dreams
A fool is a weight of a fly
A fool is a weight of a fly
Giving real hope to false people
Telling the world it can sing
False hope to real folk
You can sing you can sing you can sing
Giving real hope to false people
Telling the world it can sing
False hope to real folk
You can sing you can sing you can sing
The song "Real Hope" by Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott is a storytelling song that tells the story of two individuals who are chasing fame and fortune. The first character is a woman who has already lived a long life and raised her children, but she still wants to be famous. She heads to London to audition for a show that promises to turn dreams into gold and give people hope. However, in reality, the show only gives false hope to real people, leading them to believe that they can be famous and successful when only a few of them do.
The second character is a man who works in a shop and lives a mundane life. He is tired of his life and wants to be famous, so he saves up his money and heads to London to audition for the same show. However, he also discovers that the show is not all that it seems, and the road to fame and fortune is paved with false promises.
Overall, the song is a commentary on our society's obsession with fame and fortune and the false promises that many people believe they can achieve. It highlights the fact that chasing fame and fortune often leads to disappointment and empty promises.
Line by Line Meaning
She wanted her face to be famous
She craved fame and attention for herself
She dragged it off down to the smoke
She left her hometown to pursue fame and fortune
Where she went on a show where they turn dreams to gold
She participated in a talent show that promised to make her dreams come true
And give real people false hope
The show gave people hope, but often made false promises
She needed the comfort she needed the cheer
She needed encouragement and support
Her children had all flown the nest
Her children had grown up and moved out of her house
She desperately wanted to change her career
She wanted to pursue something different than her current job
To the thing that she felt she did best
She wanted to pursue something she was passionate about
Giving real hope to false people
Promising success to those who don't truly deserve it
Telling the world it can sing
Encouraging people to pursue their dreams of fame and fortune
False hope to real folk
Selling unrealistic dreams to people who have real struggles
You can sing you can sing you can sing
Encouraging people to believe they have what it takes to be famous
He worked in a shop where they hated his guts
He had a job where he was not well-liked
Lived in a house just the same
He lived an average life and had no fame or fortune
And all that he ever requested in life
He only desired one thing in life
Was no swear word prefix in his name
He wanted to be respected and not made fun of because of his name
He wanted the glory he wanted the fame
He yearned for recognition and admiration from others
In limelight he wanted to soak
He wanted to bask in the attention of the public
So he saved up the money and boarded the train
He worked hard and saved money to pursue his dreams
To where they give plastic people real hope
He went to a place where fake people can still succeed
Take heed if your dreams are a staring
Be careful when pursuing your dreams
Dreamboat can end up on the rocks
Your dreams can turn into a disaster
That road paved with gold is just one block away
Success is not as far away as it may seem
From the rear end of Top Of The Pops
The showbiz industry is not always glamorous or successful
If you want it don't tell us about it
Keep your ambitions to yourself
And if you don't get it don't cry
Accept failure and move on
Just do as they say and follow your dreams
Believe in yourself and don't give up
A fool is a weight of a fly
Don't let negative comments bring you down
Giving real hope to false people
Promising success to those who don't truly deserve it
Telling the world it can sing
Encouraging people to pursue their dreams of fame and fortune
False hope to real folk
Selling unrealistic dreams to people who have real struggles
You can sing you can sing you can sing
Encouraging people to believe they have what it takes to be famous
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Paul David Heaton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trevor Johnson
We know Paul heaton is great but what about Jacque abbots voice unreal man 👍👍👍👍xxx
Michael O'Brien
TWO OF THE MOST CLEVER, UNDERRATED PEOPLE IN BRITISH POP MUSIC 🎶.
stephen harper
I completely agree with the lyrics!
Fantastic video!
Well done everyone involved in this production.
Janice Southwell
Paul and Jackie - you are simply the BEST!
kevin tyrrell
Paul and Jacqui......well,wtf can anyone say other than Genius!
Thank you both for making music.
eyers10
amazing, paul Heaton and jacquie abbott are just on fire at the moment, best stuff I've heard in years! lets get this to xmas number one
Cerys Mcmillan
"FOREVER FAN!! "THANKYOU VERY MUCH TO YOU BOTH! "ABSOLUTLEY BRILLIANT!! "FANTASTICLY SANG!! "WE GOT VERY TRUTHFUL LYRICS!! "PLEASE ALL SHARE PUBLICY ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA! "LETS GET@"No"1"CHARTS "DESERVES!!
norbertpaxman
Pure genius,nothing else to say !
Banshee
A perfect 10 out of 10!
kev241
Fantastic song, really catchy tune, this should be no1 for Christmas Well done Paul & Jacqui.