Beautiful Ones

"Beautiful Ones" is the second single from the album Coming Up by Suede, released on 14 October 1996 on Nude Records. The song became a top-ten hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight, and reached number one in Iceland for two weeks.

This article is about the Suede single. For the song by Prince and the Revolution, see The Beautiful Ones.
"Beautiful Ones"
Single by Suede
from the album Coming Up
Released14 October 1996
Recorded1996
GenreBritpop, alternative rock
Length3:50
LabelNude
Songwriter(s)Brett Anderson and Richard Oakes
Producer(s)Ed Buller
Suede singles chronology
"Trash"
(1996)		 "Beautiful Ones"
(1996)		 "Saturday Night"
(1997)

Background

Featuring one of new guitarist Richard Oakes' first guitar riffs, "Beautiful Ones" became one of Suede's more popular singles. The song was originally titled "Dead Leg" after bassist Mat Osman threatened to give Oakes a dead leg if he was unable to write a top ten single.[1] The song charted at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart in October 1996, in an era when the top ten consisted of an eclectic mix of pop, indie and dance music.[2]

The video for the song was directed by Pedro Romhanyi, who had previously made the video for the band's third single, "Animal Nitrate" in early 1993. The video features the band shot in black and white performing the song, intercut with quick edits of conceptual segments illustrating the song's lyrics in a literal fashion.

Critical reception

Billboard wrote: "like a fast-mangled Oasis song, The London Suede succeeded in making sounds of pop/rock that are definitely unique. The painfully true lyrics and vibrant sounds have already proved to be a hit in the U.K."[3]

In 2014, Paste listed the song at number 34 in its list of "The 50 Best Britpop Songs". Michael Danaher wrote: "The song is both simple and sophisticated, and it’s a true Britpop gem that deserves much attention."[4]

Cover versions
  • Kim Wilde recorded a version of the song for her 2011 album Snapshots.
  • In Chile, "Beautiful Ones" was versioned by the children show Cachureos, recalling it "Los Ancianos" (The Elder Ones).

Track listings

All songs by Brett Anderson and Richard Oakes except where noted.

Cassette

  1. "Beautiful Ones"
  2. "By the Sea" (original demo) (Anderson)

CD1

  1. "Beautiful Ones"
  2. "Young Men"
  3. "Sound of the Streets" (Anderson)

CD2

  1. "Beautiful Ones"
  2. "Money"
  3. "Sam" (Anderson)

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[5] 56
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[6] 6
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[7] 1
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[8] 10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[10] 8

Year-end charts
Chart (1996) Position
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[11] 57

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Silver 200,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Barnett, David (23 March 2010). "Trash, You & Me: The Story Of Suede's Coming Up". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  2. Myers, Justin (20 October 2016). "Flashback to 1996: Spice Girls hit Number 1 with Say You'll Be There". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  3. Flick, Larry (2 August 1997). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  4. Stiernberg, Bonnie (11 June 2014). "The 50 Best Britpop Songs". Paste. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  5. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 45. 9 November 1997. p. 24. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  6. "Suede: Beautiful Ones" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  7. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (28.11. – 04.12 '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 29 November 1996. p. 20. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  9. "Swedishcharts.com – Suede – Beautiful Ones". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  11. "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  12. "British single certifications – Suede – Beautiful ones". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 July 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Beautiful ones in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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