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").
Sailing Solo
The Beautiful South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only to find you've missed a continent out
And as your happy turns choppy and tidal wave swirls
You're wondering why there's no one about
At least Captain Scott actually stood on the spot
Where he planned to put up Union Jack
And though Captain Cook cursed the map that he took
That's how it feels trying to navigate you
Even with compass and infinite time
And just when I think I've found some part that's new
I find a flag already up that's not mine
Circling you is journey minus view
Exploration without reason or reward
'Cause when I get near, you use an arrow or spear
To prevent my heart ever being shored
The earth ain't flat but it's a simple doormat
Compared to your unclimbable self
The desolate terrain, you have to cross to your brain
Just one of your slippery shelves
That's how it feels trying to navigate you
Even with compass and infinite time
And just when I think I've found some part that's new
I find a flag already up that's not mine
And if I ever get close, I'll need a banner or post
To hang it from, first there or not
So voyage may uncover a sister or brother
And a friendship that Colombus forgot
The Beautiful South's song Sailing Solo is a metaphorical description of attempting to navigate and understand someone who is complex and difficult to comprehend. The first stanza focuses on the feeling of being lost and alone while sailing solo around the world. The singer compares this feeling to trying to navigate the person they are describing, whose emotions and thoughts are like choppy waters and tidal waves. The second stanza provides historical examples of famous explorers, Captain Scott and Captain Cook, and their attempts to navigate new territories. However, the singer acknowledges that even their journeys were unsuccessful at times, whereas their attempts to understand this person are even more challenging.
The third stanza expands on the metaphorical comparison between navigating a person and exploring the world. It describes the singer's constant search for something new and different, only to find that they have already been discovered and claimed by someone else. The final stanza suggests that if the singer ever does get close to understanding this person, they would need to signal their presence with a banner or post. This could potentially lead to the discovery of a deeper connection and friendship with this person, much like the discovery of a new land or civilization.
Overall, the song conveys the frustration and complexity of trying to navigate a person who is emotionally distant or difficult to understand.
Line by Line Meaning
Imagine sailing solo around the world
Picture yourself alone on a boat, traveling the world's vast seas.
Only to find you've missed a continent out
Later, during your journey, you realize a continent has been left unexplored.
And as your happy turns choppy and tidal wave swirls
Your journey was smooth at first, but now you encounter rough waters and strong ocean currents.
You're wondering why there's no one about
You wonder why there is nobody to help or to share in your voyage.
At least Captain Scott actually stood on the spot
At least explorers like Captain Scott achieved their goals of finding and standing on new land.
Where he planned to put up Union Jack
Captain Scott managed to raise his flag where he had planned to do so.
And though Captain Cook cursed the map that he took
Even though Captain Cook had troubles with his maps and navigation.
He got near enough for native's attack
He got close enough that he was attacked by the locals.
That's how it feels trying to navigate you
This is how it feels trying to navigate the person being sung about.
Even with compass and infinite time
Even with plenty of time and resources to figure things out.
And just when I think I've found some part that's new
As soon as I think I have figured something out or discovered something new.
I find a flag already up that's not mine
I discover that someone else has already claimed what I thought was new territory.
Circling you is journey minus view
Going around in circles without anything new or interesting to see.
Exploration without reason or reward
Exploring for the sake of exploring, with no clear benefit or payoff.
'Cause when I get near, you use an arrow or spear
When I get too close, you push me away or attack me.
To prevent my heart ever being shored
To avoid the possibility of letting me in and forming a deep emotional connection.
The earth ain't flat but it's a simple doormat
Navigating open waters may be complex, but it's nothing compared to understanding this person.
Compared to your unclimbable self
Compared to how difficult it is to reach this person on a personal level.
The desolate terrain, you have to cross to your brain
It is challenging to reach the inner thoughts and emotions of this person.
Just one of your slippery shelves
This is only one of many obstacles in trying to understand or form a connection with this person.
And if I ever get close, I'll need a banner or post
To indicate my presence and intentions should I make progress in the relationship.
To hang it from, first there or not
To find a place to put my banner, even if there doesn't seem to be one available.
So voyage may uncover a sister or brother
So that the journey may also reveal new relationships and connections.
And a friendship that Colombus forgot
Friendships and connections that may have been overlooked or missed, much like how Columbus missed discovering America.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVE ROTHERAY, PAUL HEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind