The New Seekers were a British / German / Australian pop group, formed in 1… Read Full Bio ↴The New Seekers were a British / German / Australian pop group, formed in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music had rock as well as folk influences.

The most familiar line-up included Eve Graham, Lyn Paul, Marty Kristian, Peter Doyle and Paul Layton. In addition to having several big hits, the group represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972, finishing in second place. Author & Historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, that they got the biggest cheer of the night from the live audience in Edinburgh. They were hot favourites to represent the UK again in 1980 (albeit with only Paul & Marty still in the line up) with the song "Tell Me" but it was disqualified shortly before the televised final of A Song for Europe. Had they appeared in the 1980 UK contest, the group would have been up against their former lead singer Danny Finn who had recently married Eve Graham and was now the lead singer of the winning group Prima Donna. In addition, Mick Flynn and Donna Jones, two members of the current (2007) line up of The New Seekers were also in the field, competing under the group name Pussyfoot.

Their hit single "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", adapted from an advertising jingle for Coca-Cola, appeared 81st on the list of the UK's best-selling singles issued in 2002. It sold just under one million copies in the United Kingdom alone. The version used in the Coca-Cola television commercials was credited to The Hillside Singers, as many people of various backgrounds and cultures sang the song, holding Coca-Cola bottles on a hillside in the commercial. "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" was so firmly connected with the Coca-Cola product that it eventually became known as "The Coke Song". The song was relaunched in Coca-Cola commercials in 2005.

Other hit singles by The New Seekers included "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma", "Beautiful People" and "The Nickel Song", all of which were written by Melanie Safka. The New Seekers went on to sell over 35 million records worldwide, equalling the eight UK Top Twenty entries by The Seekers. Indeed, they released four albums during 1972 alone.

They also performed the title track to the now-legendary Marlo Thomas television special, "Free to Be... You and Me", a landmark program designed to teach kids how to express themselves and be independent through a series of vignettes which was rebroadcast on the cable network TV Land in late 2006 as a special add-on to their initial run of the classic series, THAT GIRL. Since the special was first broadcast in 1973 the song itself has since become a pop cult classic in its own right.

The New Seekers have continued to perform over the decades with an inevitable personnel changes which included Peter Oliver, Danny Finn, Caitriona Walsh, Nicola Kerr and Vikki James. The New Seekers toured in 2006 and 2007 with the established line up of: Paul Layton, Donna Jones, Francine Rees, Mick Flynn and Mark Hankins. A CD of the 2006 tour was released which includes all of the group's hits along with covers of 'Reflections', 'Run to Me' and 'Strangest Dream'. 2006 was completed with a Royal Variety performance at St. James Palace, London for HRH Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and an appearance on ITV's This Morning. The group are currently managed by Nic Culverwell.

The group's official website is at www.thenewseekers.com and myspace at www.myspace.com/thenewseekersofficial

Beautiful People
The New Seekers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Beautiful people
You live in the same world as I do
But somehow I never noticed
You before today
I'm ashamed to say

Beautiful people
We share the same back door

And it isn't right
We never met before
But then
We may never meet again
If I weren't afraid you'd laugh at me
I would run and take all your hands
And I'd gather everyone together for a day
And when we gather'd
I'll pass buttons out that say
Beautiful people
Then you'd never have to be alone
'Cause there'll always be someone
With the same button on as you
Include him in everything you do.

Beautiful people
You ride the same subway
As I do ev'ry morning
That's got to tell you something
We've got so much in common
I go the same direction that you do
So if you take care of me
Maybe I'll take care of you

Beautiful people
You look like friends of mine
And it's about time
That someone said it here and now
I make a vow that some time, somehow
I'll have a meeting
Invite ev'ryone you know
I'll pass out buttons to
The ones who come to show
Beautiful people
Never have to be alone
'Cause there'll always be someone
With the same button on as you
Include him in ev'rything you do
He may be sitting right next to you
He may be beautiful people too
And if you take care of him
Maybe I'll take care of you

And if you take care of him
Maybe I'll take care of you

Overall Meaning

The New Seekers' song Beautiful People is a message of unity and inclusivity, urging listeners to recognize the beauty in every individual and to come together as a community. The first verse expresses a sense of regret and shame for not noticing these people before, despite sharing the same world and back door. The second verse highlights the commonalities that exist between people, such as riding the same subway every morning. The chorus emphasizes the need for connection and solidarity, promoting the idea that we should take care of each other and actively seek out those who may feel alone or isolated.

The bridge of the song describes a hypothetical gathering where the singer would pass out buttons to everyone who comes, reading "beautiful people." This would provide a simple yet powerful way for individuals to recognize and connect with one another, and to never feel alone because there will always be someone with the same button on as you. The final verse reinforces the idea that these "beautiful people" could be anyone, even someone sitting right next to you, and that by taking care of each other, we can create a more compassionate and caring world.

Overall, Beautiful People is a hopeful and optimistic song that encourages listeners to recognize their shared humanity and to come together in solidarity. By promoting inclusivity and compassion, the song offers a powerful message that still resonates today.

Line by Line Meaning

Beautiful people
Addressing all the beautiful people in the world.

You live in the same world as I do
We all share this beautiful planet as home.

But somehow I never noticed you before today
I have failed to recognize the beautiful people around me.

I'm ashamed to say
I feel guilty for not acknowledging you earlier.

We share the same back door
We live close together and share a communal space.

And it isn't right
It is unfair that we haven't met before.

We never met before
Though we live so close, our paths have never crossed.

But then we may never meet again
Life is unpredictable and we may never have another chance to meet.

If I weren't afraid you'd laugh at me
I would love to introduce myself, but I fear rejection.

I would run and take all your hands
I wish to connect with all of you and form friendship.

And I'd gather everyone together for a day
I hope to organize a gathering for all of us to get to know each other.

And when we gathered
When we get together, we'll have fun and connect.

I'll pass buttons out that say Beautiful people
I'll give everyone buttons that proclaim our beauty.

Then you'd never have to be alone
You won't be lonely because you'll always have someone to talk to.

'Cause there'll always be someone with the same button on as you
You'll know who to speak with because they'll be wearing the same button as you.

Include him in everything you do.
Involve others and make them feel valued and welcomed.

You ride the same subway as I do every morning
We may travel together every day but never say a word.

That's got to tell you something
We have so much in common, yet we remain strangers.

We've got so much in common
We share similar experiences and challenges in life.

I go the same direction that you do
We are both headed towards the same destination.

So if you take care of me
If we look out for each other, we'll feel less lonely and more connected.

Maybe I'll take care of you
If we help each other, we'll eventually form meaningful friendships.

You look like friends of mine
I feel like I already know you and could be friends with you.

And it's about time that someone said it here and now
It's time to acknowledge how amazing you are right now.

I make a vow that sometime, somehow
I promise to make an effort to connect with you in the future.

I'll have a meeting
I'll plan an event to get everyone together.

Invite everyone you know
Let's bring more people together to form new friendships.

I'll pass out buttons to the ones who come to show
Everyone who shows up will get a button to celebrate their beauty and participation.

He may be sitting right next to you
Your future friend might be sitting right next to you without you realizing it.

He may be beautiful people too
That stranger next to you is also someone with unique beauty and value.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MELANIE SAFKA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

shyman99

3y↑15

The 2nd of 3 straight singles the New Seekers released that were written by Melanie (we recently enjoyed the first one on this channel). While not as successful as the prior single, it still made the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also peaked at #11 on the AC chart. Gorgeous.