Rising to fame in late 2002, Cole was selected to become a member of girl group Girls Aloud on ITV's reality television programme Popstars The Rivals. Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's Heartbreaker in 2008. She was picked to appear as a dancer in the video after taking streetdancing classes during the filming of the ITV2 series The Passions of Girls Aloud, in which the members of the band achieve something they had always wanted to do, other than sing. She was later asked, by will.i.am, to sing additional vocals on the track.
In April 2009, Cole started working on solo material. Her debut album, 3 Words, was released in the UK on 26 October 2009. Cole was reunited with will.i.am for the album, in addition to collaborating with Fraser T. Smith, Syience, Danish production team Soulshock & Karlin, singer-songwriter Taio Cruz, Wayne Wilkins, and Steve Kipner. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Cole mainly collaborated with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, the executive producer of 3 Words. It crosses from contemporary R&B, dance pop, house and a more general pop sound.
3 Words spent two weeks at number one. On 6 November 2009, BPI certified the album Platinum, denoting shipments of over 300,000 units. It later tripled this feat. The first single from the album, Fight for This Love, was written by Andre Merritt, Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins, and produced by Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins. According to Cole, it was released as the lead single because she "connected with the song so well". Following a performance on The X Factor live results show, Fight for This Love became the fourth best-selling single of 2009 in the UK. It charted at number one on both the Irish and UK Singles Chart. In 2010, Fight For This Love went to number one in Denmark, Norway and Hungary. The single was later certified platinum in the UK. Cole's second single 3 Words, which features will.i.am, went to number 4 in the UK and seven in Ireland. In 2010, the single was released in Australia and charted at number 5 and was certified platinum. The third single, Parachute, charted in the top five in both the UK and Ireland. The single was certified silver in the UK. From May to July 2010, Cole was the opening act for The Black Eyed Peas at the British shows (as well as some European dates) of The E.N.D. World Tour. Chris Johnson of the Daily Mail wrote, "she was supposed to be the support act. But as it turned out, Cheryl Cole ended up being the main event".
In March 2010, Cole stated that she had begun working on a follow up album to 3 Words, which she hoped to release "later on in the year". Cole's second solo album, titled Messy Little Raindrops, was released on 1 November 2010. The album's first single, Promise This, was released on 24 October 2010 and became her second number-one hit in the UK. The album was largely produced by Wayne Wilkins, but Cole also reunited with will.i.am, with collaboration from J. R. Rotem, Starsmith, Al Shux, and Free School for the first time. The album also features guest vocals from August Rigo, Dizzee Rascal, Travie McCoy, and will.i.am. The album's lead single, Promise This, went straight to number 1 in the UK, selling 157,000 in its first week. A week later, Messy Little Raindrops was released, charting at number 1 in the UK, 2 in Ireland and 7 in Europe.
puzzle
Cheryl Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See too fly, minute to hour, and my revelation
Oh, you keep yourself so far
I can't explain my part.
We fell together and now I don't feel we are
You don't even notice like a puzzle we are broken
Lying in pieces on the floor
All the cracks are showing, like a puzzle we are broken
Lying in pieces on the floor
I can't touch you anymore
You don't even notice like a puzzle we are broken
It's hard to hear this, now, of complication
Word for word, we knew they'd heard, this is the convocation
Time has worn down this shack
How could you be so blind
We fit together but now I don't think are
You don't even notice like a puzzle we are broken
Lying in pieces on the floor
What are you waiting for?
All the cracks are a showing like a puzzle we are broken
Lying in pieces of the floor
I can't touch you anymore
They won't stop now, it goes all around
I can still hear you
Almost broke the cold
We came to close
I can not feel you
They won't stop now
It goes all around
I can still hear you
Almost broke the cold
We came so close
I can not feel you
Like a puzzle are broken lying in pieces on the floor
What are you waiting for?
All the cracks are showing like a puzzle we are broken, lying in pieces on the floor
I can't touch you anymore
You don't even notice, like a puzzle we are broken
You don't even notice, like a puzzle we are broken
The lyrics of Cheryl Cole's song "Puzzle" seem to be describing the disintegration of a relationship. The singer seems to be expressing their frustration that their partner doesn't seem to be aware of how their relationship is falling apart. The use of the metaphor of a puzzle is particularly apt in this context - just like a jigsaw puzzle that doesn't quite fit together, this relationship is fragmented and difficult to piece back together.
The first verse hints at the initial attraction between the two, where they fell for each other quickly. However, the singer seems to be suggesting that the other person has since become distant, which has caused the relationship to break down. In the chorus, the metaphor of the puzzle is used more explicitly, as the singer laments how they are "lying in pieces on the floor" and can't put themselves back together again. The second verse continues this theme by implying that the two of them used to fit together perfectly but now they don't, and the partner is oblivious to how their relationship is crumbling.
The bridge of the song seems to introduce an element of nostalgia - the singer is remembering a time when things were better between the two of them, but now they can no longer touch each other emotionally or physically. The repeated phrase "They won't stop now" seems to suggest that whatever caused the relationship to break down is still ongoing, and they can't escape it. The song ends on a poignant note, with the singer repeating the refrain that "you don't even notice, like a puzzle we are broken" - it seems that the relationship is doomed to remain fractured and incomplete.
Line by Line Meaning
You had to win this this, transformation
You were determined to change and succeed
See too fly, minute to hour, and my revelation
I saw how fast you changed and it was surprising to me
Oh, you keep yourself so far
You distance yourself emotionally
I can't explain my part.
I can't understand what I am doing wrong
We fell together and now I don't feel we are
We used to be connected, but now I feel a disconnect between us
You don't even notice like a puzzle we are broken
You don't realize how broken we are like a puzzle with missing pieces
Lying in pieces on the floor
Our relationship is shattered and lying in pieces on the floor
What are you waiting for?
Why aren't you doing anything to fix us?
All the cracks are showing, like a puzzle we are broken
Our flaws are apparent, and we are like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle
I can't touch you anymore
I can't reach out to you emotionally anymore
It's hard to hear this, now, of complication
It's difficult to admit the complexity of our situation
Word for word, we knew they'd heard, this is the convocation
We both heard the same things and knew what was coming
Time has worn down this shack
Our relationship has deteriorated over time
How could you be so blind
How could you not see the problems in our relationship?
We fit together but now I don't think are
We used to complement each other, but now things have changed
They won't stop now, it goes all around
The rumors and gossip won't stop circulating
I can still hear you
I can still hear your voice in my head
Almost broke the cold
We were almost able to overcome the distance between us
We came to close
We were almost able to save our relationship
I can not feel you
I can no longer feel your love or connection
You don't even notice like a puzzle we are broken
You are unaware of the extent of our relationship problems
Like a puzzle are broken lying in pieces on the floor
Our relationship is shattered and incomplete
Contributed by Sophie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
B
Cheryl should have released this, amazing!
Dnerysdragons
I LOVE THIS SONG AND I LOVE HER!!!
Eric Bennett
I wish she'd recorded this demo. It would've fit her voice PERFECTLY. and wouldve sounded great in the context of all the Messy Little Raindrops tracks.
Thaísa
I love this song, can't believe it's just a Cheryl's demo. :(
Jessica B.
This is not cheryl. It's a cheryl demo, the lady singing meant to sound like cheryl so cheryl can imagine what it would sound like for her to record. It should have been recorded by her.. It's brilliant
smn camourion
You don't even notice like a puzzle we are broken Lying in pieces on the floor What are you waiting for? All the cracks are showing, like a puzzle we are broken Lying in pieces on the floor I can't touch you anymore You don't even notice like a puzzle we are broken
lisa walsh
this is definately cheryl singing id know her voice anywhere :-) xxxx <3
Hollie Delaney
It's not Cheryl, it's a demo :) She's never sang this
Queen Victoria
@ItsSamMartin I agree :/ Still love the song though
Max Leigh
this doesn't sound like her...