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").
Space
The Beautiful South Lyrics
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Surely your little heart can make some room
If there's room in the hemisphere for so many stars
There's surely a satellite we can name ours
They're building brand new centres, brand new bars
Shoving lonely people into boots of cars
If you want to share the failure or you want to share the flop
And if there's ever time in life for genuine mistake
Surely then you got the means to make it
And if you'd like one final slip before you get it right
This moon's asleep, you got the means to wake it
So left alone we're just simple bricks
No more than the stone that the child kicks
But as soon as we're together we are wall
And the stone the child kicks is bouncing ball
They're building brand new motorways, brand new roads
But when travelling on your own that road is closed
I'll be your co-driver and together we'll be tank
And watch as “no through road” sign slowly sank
And they're building brand new hospitals
Building brand new wards
Insure your heart with everything you can afford
No need going private
I will save my bed for you
As I quietly wait my turn in public queue
The Beautiful South's song "Space" is an ode to the idea of making room in one's heart for love, no matter how small that space may seem. The song opens with the singer suggesting that if there is enough space in the universe for the moon, then there must be enough space in a person's heart for love. The lyrics go on to explore the idea that being alone is like being a simple brick, but when two people combine to form a relationship, they become a wall, and the bond between them becomes unbreakable.
Throughout the song, the lyrics also criticize the way that society values individualism and promotes isolation, suggesting that there is a greater value to be found in connecting with others. The lines "they're building brand new centres, brand new bars / shoving lonely people into boots of cars" suggest that people are being pushed away from each other and towards empty consumerism. The song also speaks to the idea of making mistakes and taking risks in relationships, with lyrics like "if you'd like one final slip before you get it right / this moon's asleep, you got the means to wake it."
Overall, "Space" is a beautiful and hopeful song that encourages listeners to open their hearts and connect with others, even if it may be scary or challenging to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
If there's space out there enough for the moon
If there's enough room in the whole universe for the moon, there must be enough space for you to let someone into your heart.
Surely your little heart can make some room
Your heart is small but it has the ability to make space for someone you love.
If there's room in the hemisphere for so many stars
There is so much space for countless stars in the sky, so surely there's a place for the satellite that represents our love.
There's surely a satellite we can name ours
We can name a satellite that represents our love since there's a place for it in the universe.
They're building brand new centres, brand new bars
Developers are building new places to go, but these places often leave people feeling lonely and neglected.
Shoving lonely people into boots of cars
Those left out of these developments are often forced into their cars, left feeling isolated and alone.
If you want to share the failure or you want to share the flop
If you want to share your failures or shortcomings with someone, I'll gladly join you.
We'll both go in the boot right off the top
We'll ride in the trunk of the car if it means we can be together, even if we're left out of the new places being built.
And if there's ever time in life for genuine mistake
If you make a genuine mistake in life, there's still time to fix it and learn from it.
Surely then you got the means to make it
You have the ability to rectify a mistake you made, especially if it's a genuine one.
And if you'd like one final slip before you get it right
If you want to make one last mistake before getting it right, I'll be there to support you.
This moon's asleep, you got the means to wake it
The moon is a mere object, you, on the other hand, have the power to change things.
So left alone we're just simple bricks
Individuals on their own are unimportant and insignificant.
No more than the stone that the child kicks
Like a stone that a child tosses around, individuals on their own are useless.
But as soon as we're together we are wall
Working together, we are capable of creating powerful things that can make a difference.
And the stone the child kicks is bouncing ball
A stone can be transformed into something fun and exciting, just like we can create something great together.
They're building brand new motorways, brand new roads
New roads are being constructed all the time but sometimes the journey should be taken with someone else.
But when travelling on your own that road is closed
If you choose to travel alone, you may miss out on the experiences that come with having someone by your side.
I'll be your co-driver and together we'll be tank
I'll be your partner in the journey of life and together we'll be unstoppable.
And watch as “no through road” sign slowly sank
We'll push through obstacles and barriers that would normally stop us.
And they're building brand new hospitals
New hospitals are being built all the time, with advanced medical treatments and state-of-art facilities.
Building brand new wards
Hospitals are expanding by building new wards to cater to more patients and illnesses.
Insure your heart with everything you can afford
Take care of your heart by investing in your own emotional wellbeing.
No need going private
You don't need to pay for expensive private care when you have someone who cares for you.
I will save my bed for you
I'll always leave a space for you to rest and recover when you need it.
As I quietly wait my turn in public queue
I'll wait patiently and quietly for my turn to receive assistance, even if it means standing in line in a public hospital.
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVE ROTHERAY, PAUL HEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind