Song for Whoever
{{Short description|1989 single by The Beautiful South}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Song for Whoever
| cover = The Beautiful South - Song For Whoever.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = the Beautiful South
| album = Welcome to the Beautiful South
| B-side =
- "Straight in at 37"
- "You and Your Big Ideas"
| released = {{start date|1989|6|1|df=y}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length =
- 6:10 (album version)
- 4:00 (single version)
| label = Go! Discs
| composer =
| lyricist = Paul Heaton
| producer = Mike Hedges
| next_title = You Keep It All In
| next_year = 1989
}}
"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,{{cite news|title=1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear, Part 1: Love|newspaper=The Guardian|url =https://www.theguardian.com/music/table/2009/mar/14/love-1000-songs-everyone-must-hear|date=14 March 2009|access-date=8 April 2009}} it is sung from the point of view of a cynical songwriter who romances women solely to get material for love songs.
Music video
The 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."{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/89/Record-Mirror-1989-06-10.pdf|title=Beauty Without Cruelty|last=Blackie|first=Victoria|magazine=Record Mirror|date=10 June 1989}}
Track listings
{{tracklist
| all_lyrics = Paul Heaton
| all_music = Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray
| headline = 7-inch, cassette, and mini-CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Song for Whoever|others=The Beautiful South|year=1989|type=UK 7-inch single sleeve|publisher=Go! Discs|id=GOD 32}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Song for Whoever|others=The Beautiful South|year=1989|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Go! Discs|id=GOD MC 32}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Song for Whoever|others=The Beautiful South|year=1989|type=Japanese mini-CD single liner notes|publisher=Go! Discs, London Records|id=P00L 40018}}
| title1 = Song for Whoever
| length1 =
| title2 = Straight in at 37
| length2 =
}}
{{tracklist
| headline = 12-inch and CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Song for Whoever|others=The Beautiful South|year=1989|type=UK 12-inch single sleeve|publisher=Go! Discs|id=GODX 32}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Song for Whoever|others=The Beautiful South|year=1989|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=Go! Discs|id=GODCD 32}}
| title1 = Song for Whoever
| length1 = 4:00
| title2 = Straight in at 37
| length2 = 4:25
| title3 = You and Your Big Ideas
| length3 = 4:15
}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1989–1990) !Peak |
| {{single chart|Austria|30|artist=The Beautiful South|song=Song for Whoever|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 March 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Flanders|22|artist=The Beautiful South|song=Song for Whoever|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 March 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|87|chartid=9099|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 March 2019}} |
| scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1989/M&M-1989-07-15.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100|magazine=Music & Media|volume=6|issue=28|page=IV|date=15 July 1989|access-date=20 July 2020}}
|8 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Ireland2|5|song=Song for Whoever|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 March 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|17|year=1989|week=33|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 March 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|22|artist=The Beautiful South|song=Song for Whoever|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 March 2019}} |
| {{single chart|UK|2|date=19890708|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 March 2019}} |
| {{single chart|West Germany|21|artist=The Beautiful South|song=Song for Whoever|songid=12447|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 March 2019}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1989) !Position |
| scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC){{cite magazine|title=Year-End Charts '89 – Top 100 Singles|periodical=Music Week|publisher=Spotlight Publications|location=London, England|page=16|date=3 March 1990}}
|47 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Beautiful South|title=Song for Whoever|award=Gold|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|id=6094-1846-1|access-date=3 August 2024|refname="bpi"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{The Beautiful South}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:The Beautiful South songs
Category:Song recordings produced by Mike Hedges