"Song for Whoever" is a song by The Beautiful South

The Beautiful South

The Beautiful South were an English alternative rock group formed at the end of the 1980s by two former members of Hull group The Housemartins, Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway. The duo were initially joined by Sean Welch , Dave Stead and Dave Rotheray , all of whom stayed with the group throughout...

, written by band members Paul Heaton

Paul Heaton

Paul David Heaton is an English singer-songwriter. He was a member of The Housemartins, who disbanded in 1988, and a member of The Beautiful South, who disbanded in 2007. He is currently pursuing a solo career....

 and David Rotheray. The first and highest-charting single from their debut album, Welcome to the Beautiful South

Welcome to the Beautiful South

Welcome to the Beautiful South is the debut album by The Beautiful South released in August 1989. Three singles were released from the album: "Song for Whoever" , "You Keep It All In" and "I'll Sail This Ship Alone" ....

, it peaked at number 2 in the UK charts

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 in 1989. Considered typical of the band's gently subversive, self-reflexive signature style, it is sung from the point of view of a cynical songwriter who romances women solely to get material for love songs.

Track listing