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").
How Long's A Tear Take To Dry?
The Beautiful South Lyrics
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When a woman has no breeze?
How long's a tear take to dry,
When a woman's, when a woman's on her knees?
How long's a tear take to dry,
When a woman hasn't sinned?
How long's a tear take to dry
When the weather, when the weather, brings no wind?
Look im sorry that I hurt you,
You look a million dollers and a dime.
Time's the greatest healer,
But love's the greatest healer of all time.
I'm so sorry,
Make it plural.
My heart's broken,
Mine's the same.
I still love you,
Make it plural.
You're so sweet,
The flowers smell sweeter,
The closer you are to the grave.
The flowers smell sweeter,
The closer you are to the grave.
How long's a tear take to dry,
When almighty brings his rain?
How long's a tear take to dry?
And do tears, and do tears really stain?
This heart was like a tardis,
I went and lost the key in a fight.
I never found a locksmith,
Will you be locksmith tonight?
Will I Shite.
I'm so sorry,
Make it plural.
My heart's broken,
Mine's the same.
I still love you,
Make it plural.
You're so sweet,
The flowers smell sweeter,
The closer you are to the grave.
The flowers smell sweeter,
The closer you are to the grave.
How long does sorry really last?
Is it tattoo'd upon your heart?(ah ha)
Or is it hung a museum,
With your mona lisa, mona lisa ex-as art?
I have no summer.
I'll buy you summer,
I'll buy July,
If December makes you cry.
A little or no trace face belies a lie of many days gone by.
A little or no trace face belies a lie of many days gone by.
The Beautiful South's How Long's A Tear Take To Dry? is a song that dives deep into the pain and difficulties that come with a breakup. The song begins with a question about how long it takes for a woman's tears to dry up when there is no breeze, implying that the pain of heartbreak lingers for a while. The next set of questions explores the idea that tears may not dry up as quickly when a woman is on her knees or when she hasn't sinned, suggesting that the pain of heartbreak may be even greater in these situations. The chorus talks about how sorry the singer is, and how time may heal wounds but love is a stronger form of healing.
The song also acknowledges the difficulties that come with apologizing, and how the act of saying sorry can be hard to do. The pluralization of the apology and the statement "mine's the same," suggest that the singer is also hurting and struggling with the breakup. The metaphor of a heart being a TARDIS alludes to the idea that there's always more to the heart than what meets the eye. The final verse of the song examines how apologies are perceived and how they're remembered over time.
Overall, How Long's A Tear Take To Dry? is a heartfelt song about the difficulties of love, heartbreak, and apologizing. It's a song that acknowledges the pain that comes with a breakup and suggests that time and love can help with the healing process.
Line by Line Meaning
How long's a tear take to dry,
When a woman has no breeze?
How long will someone's tears stay fresh, if they no longer have anything new to work through the pain?
When a woman's, when a woman's on her knees?
When someone feels completely powerless and is begging for someone else's help?
How long's a tear take to dry,
When a woman hasn't sinned?
When someone cries out of hurt, rather than regret or guilt?
When the weather, when the weather, brings no wind?
When someone is too hurt to move on until something changes externally?
Look I'm sorry that I hurt you,
You look a million dollars and a dime.
I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry - you're incredibly beautiful.
Time's the greatest healer,
But love's the greatest healer of all time.
Time makes things better, but love will always help the most.
You're so sweet,
The flowers smell sweeter,
The closer you are to the grave.
You're incredibly special and wonderful, and we should appreciate people while they're still around.
How long's a tear take to dry,
When almighty brings his rain?
How long will it take someone to move on, even with a new challenge to overcome?
And do tears, and do tears really stain?
Can the pain of loss stay with us forever, or will we be able to find relief?
This heart was like a TARDIS,
I went and lost the key in a fight.
My emotions and feelings were previously expansive (like time travel), but I lost the ability to unlock them.
Will you be locksmith tonight?
Will I shite.
Can you help me unlock my heart and emotions again? No, I won't be able to do that.
How long does sorry really last?
Is it tattooed upon your heart? (ah ha)
How long will it take for someone to truly accept and understand another person's apology?
Or is it hung in a museum,
With your Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa ex-as art?
Will the apology eventually become just another thing on display, instead of a source of forgiveness?
I have no summer.
I'll buy you summer,
I'll buy July,
If December makes you cry.
I don't have happiness, but I'll do whatever it takes to provide it for you - even if it's just temporary.
A little or no trace face belies a lie
Of many days gone by.
Someone's outward appearance doesn't always reveal the true depth of their pain or history.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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