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").
Everybody
The Beautiful South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't hear a word they're saying
Only the echoes of my mind
People stopping staring
I can't see their faces
Only the shadows of their eyes
Through' the pouring rain
Going where the weather suits my clothes
Backing off of the North East wind
Sailing on summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone
I'm going where the sun keeps shining
Through' the pouring rain
Going where the weather suits my clothes
Backing off of the North East wind
Sailing on summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone
The lyrics to The Beautiful South's song "Everybody's Talkin'" are about escaping the chaos and noise of the world around you and retreating to a place where you can find peace and clarity. The repeated refrain of "Everybody's talking at me, I don't hear a word they're saying, only the echoes of my mind" speaks to the feeling of being overwhelmed by the constant chatter and opinions of others, but not truly absorbing or understanding any of it. This sentiment is reinforced by the second verse, which describes people stopping and staring, but not actually making a connection with the singer. Instead, they are reduced to mere shadows, as the singer's mind is elsewhere.
The chorus then takes us to the place where the singer is heading - somewhere that is sunny, where the weather is agreeable, and where they can sail on a summer breeze and feel free. The repetition of the first verse and chorus emphasizes the desire to tune out the noise and chaos of the world and find solace in a peaceful place.
Overall, this song speaks to the universal desire for escape and finding a place of peace amidst the noise and chaos of the modern world.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's talking at me
Everyone is trying to communicate with me
I don't hear a word they're saying
I am not paying attention or comprehending their words
Only the echoes of my mind
I am listening only to my own thoughts and perceptions
People stopping staring
Individuals are abruptly standing and gazing
I can't see their faces
I am unable to visually recognize their visage
Only the shadows of their eyes
I can only discern the shade or outline of their eyes
I'm going where the sun keeps shining
I am journeying to a place where the sun is always visible
Through' the pouring rain
Despite the prevalent heavy rainfall
Going where the weather suits my clothes
I am traveling to a place with an agreeable climate for my attire
Backing off of the North East wind
I am avoiding the push of the wind from the North East
Sailing on summer breeze
I am breezily traveling on a warm summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone
I am effortlessly traveling over the ocean like a stone thrown by hand
I'm going where the sun keeps shining
I am journeying to a place where the sun is always visible
Through' the pouring rain
Despite the prevalent heavy rainfall
Going where the weather suits my clothes
I am traveling to a place with an agreeable climate for my attire
Backing off of the North East wind
I am avoiding the push of the wind from the North East
Sailing on summer breeze
I am breezily traveling on a warm summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone
I am effortlessly traveling over the ocean like a stone thrown by hand
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FRED NEIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paulcrisp9861
Still a timeless classic in may 2021,beautifully poignant. Beautiful south what more need i say.😎❤😎❤😎❤🇬🇧🇬🇧
@williammitchell9974
Classic 🌹💯😊👌
@norahayes726
Great song well done beautifully south
@tieukhavu8832
Beautiful voice
@keithmoncaster1905
Beautiful song....great voice...
@jackiehyland4379
I love this song it’s a masterpiece in music 🎶
@dangould348
best cover of all time
@jayrox40
Class.
@md.manirulislamkhan4720
very best!!!!
@lukedaley17
Brilliant cover.