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").
Blackbird on the Wire
The Beautiful South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mouth to leave your wife,
Legs to run away with, and you wonder why
Heart that makes you bypass every other girl
Smile that keeps you grinning at the madness of this world
And like the blackbird on the wire
I will not take prey on you,
For I'm too soft for such a thing
And like the blackbird on the wire
I just watch you by
The tears I knew I'd cry
Fall unnoticed down below.
Front to make you happy
Back to make you weep
Lips to keep you kissing
Whilst everyone's asleep
Tears to break a backbone
Laughs to win a war
And people come and ask me what I love you for
But like the blackbird on the wire
I will not take prey on you,
You wouldn't want me to
For I'm too soft for such a thing
And like the Blackbird on the wire
I just watch you by
The tears I knew I'd cry
Fall unnoticed down below
And with a tongue built from quick silver
And a character of steel
They actually come and ask me how I feel
And like the blackbird on the wire
I will not take prey on you,
You wouldn't want me to
For I'm too soft for such a thing
And like the blackbird on the wire
I just watch you by
The tears I knew I'd cry
Fall unnoticed down below,
down below,
down below,
down below.
The Beautiful South's song "Blackbird On The Wire" describes a person who is deeply in love with someone who doesn't love them back. The song is full of contradictions, with the singer highlighting how they have all the qualities their beloved desires and yet they don't reciprocate their love. The first few lines of the song suggests that the singer is physically attractive and has all the qualities that their beloved desires- “Eyes to take you dancing, mouth to leave your wife, legs to run away with, and you wonder why? Heart that makes you bypass every other girl, smile that keeps you grinning at the madness of this world.” Despite all these traits, the beloved doesn't love the singer because they are too soft and wouldn't take advantage of them.
The singer sees themselves as a blackbird on the wire, who may watch over the beloved but will never take advantage of them. The blackbird is a symbolic representation of the singer's selflessness and steadfast loyalty. Even though they are in love, they recognize that they are too soft and kind to take advantage of their beloved. The singer is fully aware that their beloved is not interested in them, and they can't change their feelings. The song's protagonist is heartbroken but doesn't act on their emotions, which is what makes their stance admirable.
Line by Line Meaning
Eyes to take you dancing
My attractive appearance will lure you into dancing with me
Mouth to leave your wife
My smooth talk and charm can make you leave your spouse
Legs to run away with
And you wonder why?
I have the physical capability to run away with you, and you are confused about why you are attracted to me
Heart that makes you bypass
Every other girl
My compassionate heart makes you ignore other women and only think of me
Smile that keeps you grinning
At the madness of this world
My smile makes you happy, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty
Front to make you happy
Back to make you weep
Lips to keep you kissing
Whilst everyone's asleep
I can bring you joy and pleasure, but also pain and sorrow, and even sneak kisses with you when no one is around
Tears to break a backbone
Laughs to win a war
And people come and ask me
What I love you for
I have the power to emotionally break you or make you feel invincible, and others question why I am enamored with you
But like the blackbird on the wire
I will not take the prey on you
You wouldn't want me to
For I am too soft for such a thing
And like the blackbird on the wire
I just watch you by
The tears I knew I'd cry
Fall unnoticed down below
Despite my abilities to manipulate or control you, I choose not to, because I am not capable of such cruelty. I am content to silently observe you, even if it causes me pain.
And with a tongue built from quicksilver
And a character of steel
They actually come and ask me
How I feel
Even with my smooth talking and unyielding personality, people still ask me about my emotions
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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