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").
The River
The Beautiful South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and time's not the easiest to cheat
The water changes one degree
When will the shiver
of this river
turn to sea
The river does no good, no harm
Lover's shanty, devil's psalm
Goddamn this river
and its shiver
and its charm
If you've got love's A to Z
Don't go dredging river bed
Use your fins and use your head
This river's hooked the floating dead
Our lives go bounding down the strewn
When will we realise minnow dreams
The frustration eating you and me
Our only wish
to be the fish
that meets the sea
We cannot tell a he or she
But us fish can tell a we
We know the seed we know the tree
When will my conker
conquer thee
The cheaper woman and myself
We've both got ladders in our tights
When you've been left on the top shelf
You've got those ladders in your sights
The Beautiful South's song, The River, is a hauntingly beautiful tune with some deeply thought-provoking lyrics. The opening lines of the song clearly suggest that love takes time and it's not easy to manipulate or control time. The lyrics go on to say that the river changes its temperature by one degree, which is something that's hard to notice, yet it's still changing. The singer's question 'when will the shiver of this river turn to sea' speaks to his longing for a change in the situation. He wants the river, which represents the unfulfilled desires and yearnings, to end and turn into the sea, which represents a place of fulfillment and satisfaction.
The song then goes on to talk about how the river is both a source of temptation and danger. The comparison to pirates is particularly poignant, suggesting that the river can be both alluring and dangerous. The singer is aware of this and curses the river for its charm and the shiver that runs through it. The river is a metaphor for the human condition, and the shiver is the undefinable feeling of longing that we all experience.
The song concludes with an appeal to live life to the fullest and not to waste our time pursuing unattainable dreams. The metaphor of the fish is particularly powerful in this context, as it suggests that we should not be content with merely surviving in the river but should strive to reach the ocean. The singer is frustrated with life, with its endless frustrations and disappointments, and his only wish is to be the fish that meets the sea.
Line by Line Meaning
Love takes time we all agree
Everyone understands that love requires time and patience
and time's not the easiest to cheat
It's hard to fake or rush a genuine connection
The water changes one degree
Even the slightest shift in our emotions can alter our relationship
When will the shiver
The uncertain nature of our love
of this river
Our relationship
turn to sea
When will our love become something more stable and deep?
The river does no good, no harm
Our relationship doesn't positively or negatively affect anyone else
Tempts us like pirates to its calm
Our love feels exciting and adventurous
Lover's shanty, devil's psalm
Our love is both beautiful and dangerous
Goddamn this river
We're frustrated with the unpredictability of our relationship
and its shiver
Our uncertain feelings
and its charm
Our love's allure and beauty
If you've got love's A to Z
If you have a complete understanding of love
Don't go dredging river bed
Don't search through past relationships for answers
Use your fins and use your head
Approach your relationship with intuition and intelligence
This river's hooked the floating dead
Past relationships are over and shouldn't be revisited
Our lives go bounding down the strewn
Our lives are scattered and chaotic
When will we realize minnow dreams
When will we understand our small aspirations and desires?
The frustration eating you and me
Our collective irritation with our lack of direction
Our only wish
Our one true desire
to be the fish
To have freedom and control in our relationship
that meets the sea
To reach a point of stability and lasting love
We cannot tell a he or she
Fish can't be differentiated by their gender
But us fish can tell a we
Even though we're all the same, we can feel connected and attuned
We know the seed we know the tree
We understand the source and intricacies of our relationship
When will my conker
When will my heart
conquer thee
Take control of my feelings and lead me towards love
The cheaper woman and myself
The woman I'm with and I
We've both got ladders in our tights
We both have our imperfections and flaws
When you've been left on the top shelf
When you've been neglected or overlooked
You've got those ladders in your sights
You're more aware of your flaws and willing to work on them
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVE ROTHERAY, PAUL HEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind