2000 Great Songs #1334: Don't Marry Her
You've gotta love a song that sounds so charming yet underneath is delightfully vicious. The Beautiful South's "Don't Marry Her," from 1996's Blue Is The Colour , has the touchstones of the band's very-British sweetness woven into clever, sometimes quite biting lyrics. In this case, it's the other woman telling her dude how awful his life will be if he goes forward with the wedding--with the simultaneously engaging and jarring refrain, "Don't marry her, f*ck me." (The song was also released as a single, with the lyrics unsurprisingly revised.) It's wicked fun, though the gorgeous, melodic jangle of the tune makes it a real joy even aside from the storytelling. Live on TV 1997 (clean version): Live 2021 (Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott): Rianne Downey cover (clean): See the entire Top 2000 to date in a sortable database !
