The Beloved is an English electronic group best known for the singles "Swee… Read Full Bio ↴The Beloved is an English electronic group best known for the singles "Sweet Harmony", "The Sun Rising", "Hello", "Your Love Takes Me Higher", and "Satellite".

Originally a quartet whose sound drew inspiration from psychedelia, The Beloved found its greatest success as a rave-influenced dance-pop duo. Throughout its fluid existence, the guiding force behind the group remained vocalist Jon Marsh, who formed the band The Journey Through in Cambridge, UK with Steve Waddington and Tim Havard; with the addition of Guy Gausden (November 1984), the group renamed itself the Beloved, and gradually evolved into a moody dance outfit not dissimilar to New Order.

In 1986, The Beloved issued their first single, "A Hundred Words" a series of releases (including the EP Happy Now, the double A-sided single "Surprise Me"/"Forever Dancing" and the 1987 compliation Where It Is) followed, but none garnered any significant critical or commercial success. Consequently, Gousden and Havard exited in 1987, at much the same time Marsh and Waddington were falling under the sway of London's burgeoning rave community. After first re-emerging with the ambient-styled single "The Sun Rising" the Beloved then scored an international hit with "Hello" a bubbling techno exercise which name-checked many of the group's influences.

In 1990, the duo issued a pair of albums, Happiness and Blissed Out (a remix of its sister release) which achieved significant success both in and out of clubs. A long layoff followed, however, and when The Beloved returned in 1993 with Conscience, Waddington had been ousted in favor of Marsh's wife Helena, resulting in a more pop-oriented flavour. After another three-year absence, they released X, a foray back into club culture. In 1997 they released Single File, a compilation album and a bunch of new remixes of The Sun Rising.

Jon Marsh has for some ten years been concentrating on his flourishing career as a club DJ, as well as the raising of his young family. However, a new collaboration with Steve Waddington is in the works, and while the Beloved's plans for a new album release in 2006 never came to fruition, it is apparently still in the works.

(Not to be confused with North Carolina, USA band Beloved. If you are here due to that artist, Fix your artist tags to remove "The".)

If Only
The Beloved Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Forgive me such idle repetition
But I'm not stirred by this competition
Too soft to be unmoved
But enough is enough
To have the power to do whatever I choose

Anything on offer is forbidden
I disgust myself, I'm too all-forgiving

What's enjoyment, what is perfection
When you lose sight of yourself
In your failing powers of recollection?

Tomorrow's just one day away
I said the same thing yesterday
Together whatever however forever

So why is it essential
To be calm and collected?
We all have crosses to bear
But do we all have to be resurrected?
Yes I'm sure and I try to believe
But still I want more than you would give to me

Tomorrow's just one day away
I said the same thing yesterday
Together whatever however forever
Tomorrow's just one day away
I said the same thing yesterday
Together whatever however forever

Together whatever however forever
Forever, ever, ever and ever

Overall Meaning

The Beloved's song "If Only" explores the feeling of being stuck in a cycle of wanting more but feeling guilty for wanting it. The singer acknowledges that they are repeating themselves, but can't help feeling like they're in competition with others. At the same time, they feel like they can't help but be moved by things, despite being "too soft" at times. However, they also recognize that they have the power to make choices and move on from their current situation.

The song also touches on themes of self-disgust and losing oneself in the pursuit of enjoyment and perfection. The singer questions whether it's worth sacrificing oneself in the pursuit of these things, particularly when they "lose sight of [themselves] in [their] failing powers of recollection".

Despite these struggles, the chorus of the song is optimistic and points towards the idea of togetherness and forever. The singer acknowledges that tomorrow is always just one day away and they've said the same things before, but they want to hold onto the hope of being together no matter what.

Overall, "If Only" is a song that grapples with the tension between wanting more and feeling guilty for wanting it, and the struggle of maintaining a sense of self in the pursuit of happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

Forgive me such idle repetition
I apologize for repeating myself

But I'm not stirred by this competition
I am not motivated by competition

Too soft to be unmoved
I am sensitive enough to feel emotions

But enough is enough
I have reached my limit

To have the power to do whatever I choose
I have the ability to make my own choices

Anything on offer is forbidden
I cannot have anything that is offered

I disgust myself, I'm too all-forgiving
I am disgusted with myself for being too forgiving

What's enjoyment, what is perfection
What brings pleasure, what is perfection

When you lose sight of yourself
When you forget who you are

In your failing powers of recollection?
When you cannot remember things

Tomorrow's just one day away
Tomorrow is close