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").
A Way With the Blues
The Beautiful South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I swear it's true
No-one could make them
Cry like you
Billie Holliday would pale beside you
Cos you sure got a way with the blues
See you around, dressed to thrill
If looks could kill
I bet your boyfriends don't have a clue
That you've sure got a way with the blues
Here I am
With my souvenirs
Standing in the wreckage of eight sweet years
I bet everything in your life must be brand new
Cos you've sure got a way with the blues
You should be a singer
I swear it's true
No-one could make them cry like you
Billie Holliday, Patsy Cline too
I bet even Bessie Smith would pale beside you
Cos you've sure got a way with the blues
Oooh, with the blues
The lyrics to "A Way With the Blues" by The Beautiful South speak of the talent of an unnamed woman who is compared to legendary singers such as Billie Holliday and Patsy Cline. The singer suggests that she should have pursued a career in music, as no one can evoke emotions quite like she can. The second verse describes the woman's attractiveness, and how her partners may not realize the depth of emotion she is capable of expressing. The final verse describes the singer's own situation, standing amidst ruins while the woman in question carries on with a seemingly perfect life.
The song can be interpreted in a few different ways. One could see it as the singer lamenting the loss of a relationship with the woman in question, and marveling at her seemingly effortless ability to move on while he remains in a state of heartbreak. Alternatively, the song could simply be an observation of a particularly gifted individual and the singer's recognition of her abilities.
Line by Line Meaning
You should be a singer
Your ability to express emotions is amazing and it’s like you are singing your heart out
I swear it's true
I am not lying, I am telling the truth
No-one could make them Cry like you
No one has the capability like you to express sadness and make people cry
Billie Holliday would pale beside you
Billie Holiday is a legendary singer in the blues genre, but you are still better than her
Cos you sure got a way with the blues
Your talent in expressing blues is phenomenal and undeniable
See you around, dressed to thrill
I see you often, stunningly dressed and looking amazing
Smile for me baby
Please smile for me, just once
If looks could kill
You look so attractive that if looks could kill, I would be dead now
I bet your boyfriends don't have a clue
Your boyfriends don't know how talented you are in expressing sadness
That you've sure got a way with the blues
You have a great ability to express emotions and make people feel the blues
Here I am
I am still here
With my souvenirs
I am holding memories of our past together
Standing in the wreckage of eight sweet years
I am standing amidst the ruins of the eight amazing years we spent together
I bet everything in your life must be brand new
I'm sure everything in your life is new and fresh now, including your love interests
Cos you've sure got a way with the blues
Your talent in expressing blues is phenomenal and undeniable
Billie Holliday, Patsy Cline too
Billie Holliday and Patsy Cline were both legends of the blues genre, but you are still better than them
I bet even Bessie Smith would pale beside you
Bessie Smith was one of the greatest and most successful blues singers of all time, but you still outshine her
Cos you've sure got a way with the blues
Your talent in expressing blues is phenomenal and undeniable
Oooh, with the blues
You have a great ability to express emotions and make people feel the blues
Contributed by Ellie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.