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").
Let Love Speak Up Itself
The Beautiful South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't do all the talking, let love speak up itself
Let love speak up itself
So when you feel a little tatty and unhappy with your face
Let it breathe into us and put you back in place
Let it breathe, let it breathe
From the day it came into us till the day it wants to leave
And it will not say goodbye just like it didn't say hello
There will not be a send-off, a funeral or mass
Just a pathetic little vodka from a dirty little glass
'To the world's greatest mum
From the oldest swinger in town'
Let love speak up itself
Let love speak up itself
Let it rise up in the morning and take us for that walk
Let it do the talking when we're too tired to talk
When we're too tired to talk
And when you feel unhappy that I'm not the one I was
Let love rot inside and let love palm you off
Let it rot, let it rot
Let it take your feelings and tie them in a knot
In a knot, in a knot
Let it take your feelings and tie them in a knot
Hang them from a cleaver and say 'Look what we've got
A man and a woman and guess what they forgot'
'To the world's greatest mum
From the oldest swinger in town'
Let love speak up itself
The Beautiful South's song "Let Love Speak Up Itself" is a commentary on the importance of letting love do the talking instead of relying solely on words or societal expectations. The first verse urges against whispering love and dreaming of wedding bells, suggesting that love should be allowed to speak for itself. The chorus repeats this message and emphasizes the need for love to rise up and take action, especially in moments when verbal communication may not be possible or desirable. The second verse addresses the inevitable changes and challenges that come with time, encouraging listeners to allow love to breathe and steer them back to a sense of balance when things feel unsettled.
The bridge takes a melancholy turn, acknowledging that love cannot be held onto forever and will ultimately fade away without fanfare. It contrasts this with the empty gesture of toasting to "the world's greatest mum" and "the oldest swinger in town", highlighting the absurdity of clinging to petty displays of affection in the absence of genuine love. The final verse returns to the theme of letting love guide and comfort us through the ups and downs of life, including those moments when we may feel disappointed or disillusioned. Overall, the song celebrates the power of love to transcend language and societal norms, and encourages listeners to trust in its ability to shape their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't whisper love and dream of wedding bells
Don't just talk about love and marriage, but let your actions and love itself speak for your relationship
Don't do all the talking, let love speak up itself
Don't try to force the relationship to be something it's not, but let love naturally take its course and reveal itself
Let love speak up itself
Trust in the power of love to guide your relationship without trying to control it
So when you feel a little tatty and unhappy with your face
When you feel insecure and unhappy about yourself or your appearance
Let it breathe into us and put you back in place
Let love uplift and rejuvenate you, bringing you back to a better state of mind and body
Let it breathe, let it breathe
Let love flow freely, without being stifled or suppressed
From the day it came into us till the day it wants to leave
Love is present throughout the course of a relationship, from beginning to end
For it will, it will go
Love will inevitably come to an end at some point
And it will not say goodbye just like it didn't say hello
Love's departure may be sudden and unexpected, just as its arrival may have been
There will not be a send-off, a funeral, or mass
There may not be any formal or ritualized way of acknowledging the end of a relationship
Just a pathetic little vodka from a dirty little glass
The end of a relationship may be marked by something small or insignificant
'To the world's greatest mum
From the oldest swinger in town'
The vodka toast may be unrelated to the end of the relationship, and instead a tribute to someone else's mother or lifestyle
Let it rise up in the morning and take us for that walk
Allow love to motivate you to start each day with purpose and positivity
Let it do the talking when we're too tired to talk
Let love be the driving force behind your actions and interactions, especially when you are feeling drained or unmotivated
When you feel unhappy that I'm not the one I was
When you feel disappointed or dissatisfied with your partner's changing self or behavior
Let love rot inside and let love palm you off
Let your love for your partner deteriorate to the point where you no longer care about the relationship or its future
Let it rot, let it rot
Let love wither away, without any effort to revive or repair the relationship
Let it take your feelings and tie them in a knot
Let love's deterioration lead to emotional turmoil and confusion
Hang them from a cleaver and say 'Look what we've got
Display your emotional distress for all to see, rather than dealing with it privately
A man and a woman and guess what they forgot'
Despite being in a heterosexual relationship, the couple may have forgotten the importance of communication and mutual respect
'To the world's greatest mum
From the oldest swinger in town'
The vodka toast may still be unrelated to the relationship's issues, highlighting the randomness and unpredictability of life
Let love speak up itself
Emphasizing again the idea of trusting in love's organic progression, rather than trying to control it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVE ROTHERAY, PAUL HEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fasttrack70
One of the most underrated songs from one of the most underrated bands
@chrisolagrim3597
Paul Heaton poet, genius, romantic
@Banjo_Dave
100% agree
@margaretcrowe8047
0
@billycraigers309
Totally
@jono55
Of course
@kevlewis6129
Best songwriter of the last 40 years - never tire of listening to them
@daletomlinson1185
So criminally underrated. One of the best British bands of all time. Every single song is a banger and this one if my favorite!
@tattskink9589
Dale Tomlinson agree completely
@freakodeluxe
One of my favourite love songs of all time, period