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").
36D
The Beautiful South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leave those compliments well behind
Dig a little deeper into yourself
And you may find
Come over here just sit right down
Needn't comb your hair, needn't pout or frown
I hear you've turned our young men
Into dribbling clowns
36D so what (D) so what
Is that all that you've got?
36D so what (D) so what
Is that all that you've got?
Make their day and go ahead
Remove your clothes lie on their bed
Just a last gasp chance or an outside bet
To the easily led
And before you do just what you do
Here' one thought for you to chew
The men who run the business that you sell
They screw you too
36D so what (D) so what
Is that all that you've got?
36D so what (D) so what
Is that all that you've got?
You're just another 365 night stand
But you're so handy, you're so handy
You cheapen and you nasty every woman in this land
But you're so handy, you're so handy
Your picture's hanging pretty on the squaddies' walls
You're Steven's, Andy's, you're Ian's, you're Paul's
Your body's through of fondly in the rugby mauls
But you want more
36D so what (D) so what
Is that all that you've got?
36D so what (D) so what
Is that all that you've got?
36D so what (D) so what
Is that all that you've got?
36D so what (D) so what
Is that all that you've got?
He was trying to save his job
He was, he was trying to save his job.
The song "36D" by The Beautiful South is a satirical commentary on the objectification and commodification of women in society. The opening lines of the song - "Close your legs, open your mind / Leave those compliments well behind / Dig a little deeper into yourself / And you may find" - suggest that women need to focus on their intelligence and inner qualities rather than their physical appearance in order to be respected and valued. The chorus repeatedly asks "Is that all that you've got?" in response to the fixation on women's breast size.
The verses describe how women are often used and exploited by men who see them only as sexual objects. The line "Come over here just sit right down / Needn't comb your hair, needn't pout or frown / I hear you've turned our young men / Into dribbling clowns" suggests that men are easily manipulated by women's physical attributes, and that this can have negative consequences for both parties. The song also criticizes the business of pornography and prostitution, with the lines "The men who run the business that you sell / They screw you too."
Overall, "36D" is a sharp social commentary that challenges traditional gender roles and stereotypes, and encourages women to value themselves for more than just their physical appearance.
Line by Line Meaning
Close your legs, open your mind
Don't base your worth on your body, but rather your mind and what you bring to the table
Leave those compliments well behind
Don't let flattery get to your head
Dig a little deeper into yourself
Take the time to explore who you are as a person
And you may find
You'll discover qualities about yourself that you didn't know were there
Come over here just sit right down
You don't need to try hard to impress someone, just be yourself and relax
Needn't comb your hair, needn't pout or frown
Physical appearance isn't as important as being genuine and comfortable in your own skin
I hear you've turned our young men
Many men are attracted to superficial qualities, such as physical appearance, and it can affect their behavior
Into dribbling clowns
Men can become foolish and lose their self-respect when they put too much value on a woman's body
36D so what (D) so what
Having big breasts doesn't determine your worth as a person
Is that all that you've got?
There's more to a person than their physical attributes
Make their day and go ahead
Some women may use their bodies to manipulate or get something they want
Remove your clothes lie on their bed
Selling yourself short or using your body to get ahead isn't worth it
Just a last gasp chance or an outside bet
Taking shortcuts or using superficial qualities to get ahead may be tempting, but it's not a reliable long-term strategy
To the easily led
Those who are vulnerable or easily manipulated by others
And before you do just what you do
Think twice before using your body to get ahead
Here's one thought for you to chew
It's worth considering how the people who profit off of women's bodies may also exploit them
The men who run the business that you sell
Pimps, marketers, and others who profit off of women's bodies
They screw you too
Even those who make money off of selling women's bodies don't value or respect them
You're just another 365 night stand
People who use their bodies to get ahead are seen as temporary and not worth investing in
But you're so handy, you're so handy
Using your body for gain may seem useful in the short-term, but it's not a healthy or sustainable strategy
You cheapen and you nasty every woman in this land
By devaluing your worth and using your body as a commodity, you bring down not only yourself but all women
Your picture's hanging pretty on the squaddies' walls
Soldiers or other men may objectify and drool over women's bodies
You're Steven's, Andy's, you're Ian's, you're Paul's
You're not an individual person to those who only see you as a sexual commodity, but rather interchangeable and disposable
Your body's through of fondly in the rugby mauls
Women's bodies may be objectified and fetishized, even in traditionally masculine spaces such as sports
But you want more
Using your body as a commodity may seem like a means to an end, but deep down you know there's more to life than that
He was trying to save his job
The final line may be interpreted as a sarcastic commentary on men in power who exploit women for their own gain, using 'he' as a stand-in for such individuals who may justify their actions as 'just business.'
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVE ROTHERAY, PAUL HEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@seansmith-hv1gz
Still a great song in 2021.
You don't get lyrics like this today.
@Symon2099
Fortunately.
@bonkeydollocks1879
@@Symon2099shush
@1furiousfuchsia
Someone needs to play this for all the Kardashians.
@ronaldnevels7474
I saw them in Atlanta, GA back in 1996 while in college. It was my first time seeing a band that was famous. Drove in some crazy hot humid traffic on my motorcycle to get there. This has always been my favorite of their songs. I can't believe that I can't find an official release music video of this song anywhere.
@EcclesOfficial
https://youtu.be/ptzB88IMEA8 is this what you mean?
@gustavobrambila9118
Masterpiece !!
@NIGHTSKYE1
one of my favorite songs
@-jessicaplayz-gacha6466
Wow I absolutely love this song!!❤️❤️
@matthewgartell6380
masterpiece!!