# Beautiful Ones

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This article is about the Suede single. For the song by Hurts, see [Beautiful Ones (Hurts song)](/source/Beautiful_Ones_(Hurts_song)). For the song by Prince and the Revolution, see [The Beautiful Ones](/source/The_Beautiful_Ones).

"**Beautiful Ones**" is a song by English rock band [Suede](/source/Suede_(band)), released as the second single from their third album, *[Coming Up](/source/Coming_Up_(album))* (1996), on 14 October 1996 through [Nude Records](/source/Nude_Records). The song became a top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight, and reached number one in Iceland for two weeks.

## Background

Featuring one of new guitarist [Richard Oakes](/source/Richard_Oakes_(guitarist))' first guitar riffs, "Beautiful Ones" became one of Suede's more popular singles. The song was originally titled "Dead Leg" after bassist [Mat Osman](/source/Mat_Osman) jokingly threatened to give Oakes a [dead leg](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dead_leg) if he was unable to write a top ten single.[1] The song charted at number eight on the [UK Singles Chart](/source/UK_Singles_Chart) in October 1996, in an era when the top 10 consisted of an eclectic mix of pop, indie and dance music.[2]

## Reception and legacy

[Larry Flick](/source/Larry_Flick) from *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))* magazine wrote, "Like a fast-mangled [Oasis](/source/Oasis_(band)) 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] Kevin Courtney from *[The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)* commented, "The Suede resurrection continues apace with this second single from the band's brilliant *[Coming Up](/source/Coming_Up_(album))* album [...] [Richard Oakes](/source/Richard_Oakes_(guitarist))'s crispy guitar intro sets the sordid scene, and Brett takes up the trashy torch with bum slapping gusto. As immediate and invigorating as, well, a good sniff of premium unleaded."[4]

Music writer [James Masterton](/source/James_Masterton) said in his weekly UK chart commentary, that the band’s follow up to "[Trash](/source/Trash_(Suede_song))" "hits similar heights with a rather fine catchy melody that is by no means instant but gradually works its way into your consciousness with repeated listens."[5] A reviewer from *[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)* gave it four out of five, adding that "the familiar strains of [Brett Anderson](/source/Brett_Anderson) ride over this strong single".[6] Alex Needham of *[Smash Hits](/source/Smash_Hits)* was mixed, giving the song a rating of two out of five. He called it: "A jovial, if hardly life-changing, bit of fluff from the nation's favourite pop spooks [...] It gains extra points for the line 'shaking their bits to the hits', but ultimately falls rather flat. The terrible truth is that Suede used to be brilliant until their old guitarist/tunesmith Bernard Butler left, and now they're just pleasantly average."[7]

In 2014, *[Paste](/source/Paste_(magazine))* 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](/source/Britpop) gem that deserves much attention."[8] In a *[Clash](/source/Clash_(magazine))* retrospective feature on *Coming Up*, Ricky Jones called the single "a [jangly pop](/source/Jangle_pop) masterpiece with one of the most melancholic sing-a-long choruses Britpop would ever produce."[9]

## Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Pedro Romhanyi, who had previously made the video for the band's third single, "[Animal Nitrate](/source/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.

## Track listings

All songs were written by [Brett Anderson](/source/Brett_Anderson) and [Richard Oakes](/source/Richard_Oakes_(guitarist)) except where noted.

- **UK CD1**[10]

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

- **UK CD2**[11]

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

- **UK cassette single**[12]

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

- **European CD single**[13]

1. "Beautiful Ones"
1. "Young Men"

- **Japanese CD single**[14]

1. "Beautiful Ones"
1. "Sound of the Streets" (Anderson)
1. "Money"
1. "Sam" (Anderson)

## Charts

### Weekly charts

Chart (1996) Peak position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 56 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[16] 1 UK Indie (Music Week)[17] 1

### Year-end charts

Chart (1996) Position Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[18] 57

## Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref. United Kingdom 14 October 1996 CD1 · cassette Nude [19] 21 October 1996 CD2 [20] Japan 20 November 1996 CD [21] United States 21 July 1997 Modern rock radio Nude · Columbia [22]

## References

1. Barnett, David (23 March 2010). ["Trash, You & Me: The Story Of Suede's Coming Up"](http://thequietus.com/articles/03949-suede-biographer-david-barnett-recalls-coming-up). *[The Quietus](/source/The_Quietus)*. Retrieved 21 March 2017.

1. Myers, Justin (20 October 2016). ["Flashback to 1996: Spice Girls hit Number 1 with Say You'll Be There"](http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/flashback-to-1996-spice-girls-hit-number-1-with-say-youll-be-there__16652/). [Official Charts Company](/source/Official_Charts_Company). Retrieved 20 June 2017.

1. Flick, Larry (2 August 1997). ["Reviews & Previews"](https://books.google.com/books?id=_AkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA79). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved 15 June 2013.

1. Courtney, Kevin (25 October 1996). "Bohemian Rapping Fandango". *[The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)*

1. Masterton, James (20 October 1996). ["Week Ending October 26th 1996"](https://chart-watch.uk/archives/1996/week-ending-october-26th-1996). *Chart Watch UK*. Retrieved 18 March 2021.

1. ["Reviews: Singles"](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-10-05.pdf). *[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)*. 5 October 1996. p. 12. Retrieved 6 September 2021.

1. Needham, Alex (9 October 1996). "Suede: Beautiful Ones". *[Smash Hits](/source/Smash_Hits)*. No. 466.

1. Stiernberg, Bonnie (11 June 2014). ["The 50 Best Britpop Songs"](https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/06/the-50-best-britpop-songs.html?a=1). *[Paste](/source/Paste_(magazine))*. Retrieved 5 June 2017.

1. Jones, Ricky (6 February 2020). ["With ‘Coming Up’ Suede Provided Britpop's Full Stop"](https://www.clashmusic.com/features/with-coming-up-suede-provided-britpops-full-stop/). *[Clash](/source/Clash_(magazine))*. Retrieved 3 July 2024.

1. *Beautiful Ones* (UK CD1 liner notes). [Nude Records](/source/Nude_Records). 1996. NUD 23CD1.

1. *Beautiful Ones* (UK CD2 liner notes). Nude Records. 1996. NUD 23CD2.

1. *Beautiful Ones* (UK cassette single sleeve). Nude Records. 1996. NUD 23MC.

1. *Beautiful Ones* (European CD single liner notes). Nude Records. 1996. NUD 663742 1.

1. *Beautiful Ones* (Japanese CD single liner notes). Nude Records. 1996. ESCA 6626.

1. ["Eurochart Hot 100 Singles"](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1996/MM-1996-11-09.pdf). *[Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media)*. Vol. 13, no. 45. 9 November 1997. p. 24. Retrieved 16 February 2020.

1. ["Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (28.11. – 04.12 '96)"](https://timarit.is/page/2948179#page/n1/mode/2up) (in Icelandic). *[Dagblaðið Vísir](/source/DV_(newspaper))*. 29 November 1996. p. 20. Retrieved 2 October 2019.

1. ["Independent Singles"](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-11-09.pdf). *[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)*. 9 November 1996. p. 31. [ISSN 0265-1548](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0265-1548). – via World Radio History.

1. ["Árslistinn 1996"](https://timarit.is/page/2949469#page/n15/mode/2up) (in Icelandic). *Dagblaðið Vísir*. 2 January 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 30 May 2020.

1. ["New Releases: Singles"](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-10-12.pdf). *[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)*. 12 October 1996. p. 31. Retrieved 2 July 2021.

1. "New Releases: Singles". *Music Week*. 19 October 1996. p. 37.

1. ["ビューティフル・ワンズ | スウェード"](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/92268/products/105479/1/) [Beautiful Ones | Suede] (in Japanese). [Oricon](/source/Oricon). Retrieved 17 January 2024.

1. "Upcoming New Releases". *[Hits](/source/Hits_(magazine))*. Vol. 11, no. 552. 19 July 1997. p. 54.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Beautiful Ones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Ones) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Ones?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.