"Song for Whoever" is a song by English music group the Beautiful South, written by band members Paul Heaton and David Rotheray. The first and highest-charting single from their debut album, Welcome to the Beautiful South, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in July 1989 and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in August 2024. Considered typical of the band's gently subversive, self-reflexive signature style,[2] it is sung from the point of view of a cynical songwriter who romances women solely to get material for love songs.
| "Song for Whoever" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Beautiful South | ||||
| from the album Welcome to the Beautiful South | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 1 June 1989[1] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Go! Discs | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | Paul Heaton | |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Hedges | |||
| The Beautiful South singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video
editThe music video for the song features a blancmange as the main character. Heaton said, "The blancmange is probably the best thing that's happened to the band so far. The idea is that there's this conveyor belt and all these pop stars come down it and get rejected by the record company people that then choose a blancmange. The blancmange goes on to be a big star but it all pretty much ends up in blancmange misery."[3]
Track listings
editCharts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
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Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[1] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "British single certifications – Beautiful South – Song for Whoever". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear, Part 1: Love". The Guardian. 14 March 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ^ Blackie, Victoria (10 June 1989). "Beauty Without Cruelty" (PDF). Record Mirror.
- ^ Song for Whoever (UK 7-inch single sleeve). The Beautiful South. Go! Discs. 1989. GOD 32.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Song for Whoever (UK cassette single sleeve). The Beautiful South. Go! Discs. 1989. GOD MC 32.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Song for Whoever (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). The Beautiful South. Go! Discs, London Records. 1989. P00L 40018.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Song for Whoever (UK 12-inch single sleeve). The Beautiful South. Go! Discs. 1989. GODX 32.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Song for Whoever (UK CD single liner notes). The Beautiful South. Go! Discs. 1989. GODCD 32.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The Beautiful South – Song for Whoever" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "The Beautiful South – Song for Whoever" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9099." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 28. 15 July 1989. p. IV. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Song for Whoever". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 33, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "The Beautiful South – Song for Whoever" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Beautiful South – Song for Whoever" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "Year-End Charts '89 – Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 3 March 1990. p. 16.
