Always bringing more of the biggest UK chart hits of 25 years ago every Thursday at 9am, this is The Story of Pop: 1998. This week: a quirky little number about finding love at any shape or size…
- Artist: The Beautiful South
- Song: Perfect 10
- Released: 21/09/1998
- Writers / Producers: Paul Heaton / Dave Rotheray / Jon Kelly
- Highest UK Chart Position: #2
- Weeks On Chart: 14
There are certain bands who are usually identified by a select group of about several key songs, even with an illustrious back catalogue behind them. The Beautiful South are undoubtedly one such band. Formed in 1988 by former Housemartins members Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway, they had enjoyed success since their debut in 1989.
And they had of course, also had hits aplenty – biggest of which being “A Little Time”, their first and only UK number one hit in 1990. But sometime around the mid 90s, they enjoyed a bit of a purple patch that started with the release of their 6 x Platinum greatest hits collection, Carry On Up The Charts, in 1994.
This was then quickly followed in 1996 by one of their most successful studio albums, Blue Is The Colour (certified 5 x Platinum), which featured the predominant lead vocals of Jacqueline Abbott on the album’s two biggest singles: “Rotterdam (Or Anywhere)” (#5 in September 1996) and “Don’t Marry Her” (#8 in December 1996).
It was against this backdrop that expectations were high for the release of Quench, their sixth studio album, in the autumn of 1998. Leading off its release was the first single, “Perfect 10”, which positioned both Paul and Jacqueline on joint lead vocals.
It’s not hard to see why this one caught on so much; it’s distinctive looping bass line that runs throughout the song and slight feel of jazzy funk was offset by lyrics with their typical wry social commentary, that spoke of how two lovers know what they love about each other in a world expecting so much physical perfection: “She’s a perfect 10 / But she wears a 12 / Baby keep a little 2 for me / She could be sweet 16 / Bustin’ out at the seams / And still love in the first degree / When he’s at my gate / With a big fat 8 / You wanna see the smile on my face / And even at my door / With a poor poor 4 / There ain’t no man can replace”.
It was little surprise then, when “Perfect 10” not only caught on at radio, but also became one of their biggest sales hits upon its release in late September 1998, entering and peaking in the UK charts at #2, with the Quench album becoming their third consecutive number one album when it was released a few weeks later in October 1998.
A few more top 20 singles from the album – “Dumb” in December 1998, and “How Long’s A Tear Take To Dry?” in March 1999 – followed. But it would be the last such time that having hits on this scale would look so easy for The Beautiful South, as their next few albums until their eventual split in 2007, would see them, in some cases, barely trouble the top 40.
Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott of course, still tour and record together, with their most recent albums – 2020’s Manchester Calling and 2022’s N.K Pop – both reaching the top of the UK album charts. And “Perfect 10” is still one of many of their classics from their time with the band which finds its way into their live sets.
Don’t forget to follow our brand new playlist on Spotify – updated weekly so you never miss a song from the story of pop in 1998. And you can leave your memories of the songs below in the comments, Tweet us or message us on Instagram, using the hashtag #StoryofPop1998.
The Niche Reference 