In 1983, she travelled to Toronto to seek a musical career. In 1986, she founded a trio with bassist David Piltch and pianist Aaron Davis. Offered a record deal in 1989, the Holly Cole Trio released an EP, Christmas Blues, that year, which featured a version of The Pretenders' "2,000 Miles". This was followed by their first full album, Girl Talk, in 1990.
A succession of releases followed through the early 1990s. For example, 1991's Blame It On My Youth, covered songs by Tom Waits ("Purple Avenue", aka "Empty Pockets"), Lyle Lovett ("God Will"), includes show tunes such as "If I Were a Bell" (from Guys and Dolls) and "On the Street Where You Live" (from My Fair Lady), and even remakes "Trust In Me", from Disney's The Jungle Book, into a strikingly sultry and sinister song of seduction and death. Also recorded in this period was "Alison", a reinterpretation of Elvis Costello's original.
Following 1993's Don't Smoke in Bed, the trio released a CD entirely of songs by Tom Waits, called Temptation. With this 1995 release, the "Trio" was dropped from the group's name.
Cole next went into a two-album flirtation with pop music, perhaps keeping with the "diva" fad of the late 90s. These albums, Dark Dear Heart (1997) and Romantically Helpless (2000) veered further from jazz by introducing pop elements to Cole's sound.
In 2001, she returned to the Christmas jazz roots of her first CD with Baby It's Cold Outside, which included such should-be classics as "Christmas Time is Here" (from A Charlie Brown Christmas), "Santa Baby", and the title track. Swapping cold for hot, she moved to a Summer theme in 2003's Shade, this time reinterpreting Cole Porter ("Too Darn Hot"), Irving Berlin ("Heatwave"), and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson ("God Only Knows").
Cole's latest album, Holly Cole (originally entitled This House Is Haunted) was released in Canada in March 2007. It was released in the US in January 2008 and was followed by a US tour.
Cole tours frequently, particularly around the holiday season, in Canada. She was also a part of the 1999 Lilith Fair tour.
Cry
Holly Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can call my home
I've got a lot of really close friends
A new man, I'm not alone
And it's so good to be so loved
It's so nice
Then why is it not enough
Sometimes
[Chorus]
Like if I start to cry
I might never stop
I could drown the world
Yeah and lose it all
And if I let you in
I might disappear
If I start to cry
Get me out of here
Here I go again, I'm like some loser
On a TV talk show
Everybody feels sorry
For the girl, the lost soul
And it's a damn shame
I tell myself
Appreciate what you have
Or lock it up deep inside
[Chorus]
The saddest thing about this is
I don't even know what's really wrong
And the funniest thing about this
Is I'm not even sure what I want
[Chorus]
Holly Cole's song "Cry" is about the struggle of feeling lost and disconnected despite having a seemingly perfect life. The singer describes having a lovely house, close friends and a new partner, all of which should make her feel happy and fulfilled. However, she doesn't, and she looks at herself as a loser, a lost soul. The happiness she has isn't sufficient for her. The lyrics depict the internal conflict, and the singer seems to be struggling with her emotions. The lines "Like if I start to cry, I might never stop / I could drown the world, yeah, and lose it all," paint a clear picture that the singer is afraid of losing everything if she allows herself to be vulnerable and emotional. She's afraid that if she lets someone in, she'll disappear, or if she starts to cry, she might never stop.
The singer believes that she should appreciate what she has or lock up her emotions deep inside her. But, the saddest part is that she doesn't even know what's wrong with her. She's not sure what she wants, and there's no clear reason why she's feeling this way. Despite having everything that should make her happy, she's not content. The chorus suggests that crying itself can cause further isolation and emotional drowning.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a pretty little house that
I have a beautiful home that I can call my own.
I can call my home
I have a place to call my own where I feel safe and comfortable.
I've got a lot of really close friends
I have many friends that are very close to me.
A new man, I'm not alone
I have a new man in my life, and I am no longer alone.
And it's so good to be so loved
It feels amazing to be surrounded by so much love and affection.
It's so nice
I am grateful for the life that I have right now.
Then why is it not enough
Despite all this, something still feels missing in my life.
Sometimes
There are moments when I feel overwhelming sadness and despair.
Like if I start to cry
If I start crying, I might not be able to stop.
I might never stop
My sadness might consume me and never go away.
I could drown the world
My own emotions might become too much for me to handle.
Yeah and lose it all
I might lose everything that I have worked so hard for.
And if I let you in
If I allow someone to get too close to me.
I might disappear
I might lose my own identity and sense of self.
If I start to cry
If I give in to my emotions and start crying.
Get me out of here
I want to escape from my sadness and the world around me.
Here I go again, I'm like some loser
I feel like a failure and helpless against my own sadness.
On a TV talk show
I feel like my sadness is on display for everyone to see.
Everybody feels sorry
Others pity me and feel bad for what I'm going through.
For the girl, the lost soul
They see me as a lost soul in need of help.
And it's a damn shame
I feel ashamed for feeling this way despite having a good life.
I tell myself
I try to remind myself.
Appreciate what you have
I should be grateful for everything that I have in life.
Or lock it up deep inside
I try to push my emotions down instead of dealing with them.
The saddest thing about this is
What makes me the saddest about this situation is.
I don't even know what's really wrong
I don't even understand what's making me feel so sad.
And the funniest thing about this
The most ironic thing about this is.
Is I'm not even sure what I want
I'm not even sure what would make me happy again.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christopher Davies
Holly Cole (born November 25, 1963 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian jazz singer, particularly popular in Canada and Japan for both her versatile and distinctive voice, along with her adventurous repertoire, which spans such divergent genres as show tunes, rock, and country music.
In 1983, Cole traveled to Toronto to seek a musical career. In 1986, she founded a trio with bassist David Piltch and pianist Aaron Davis. Offered a record deal in 1989, the Holly Cole Trio released an EP, Christmas Blues, that year, which featured a version of The Pretenders' "2,000 Miles." This was followed by their first full album, Girl Talk, in 1990.
A succession of releases followed through the early 1990s. For example, 1991's Blame It On My Youth, covered songs by Tom Waits ("Purple Avenue," aka "Empty Pockets"), Lyle Lovett ("God Will"), includes show tunes such as "If I Were a Bell" (from Guys and Dolls) and "On the Street Where You Live" (from My Fair Lady), and even remakes "Trust In Me," from Disney's The Jungle Book, into a strikingly sultry and sinister song of seduction and death. Also recorded in this period was a reinterpretation of Elvis Costello's "Alison."
In 1993, the trio released Don't Smoke In Bed, an album produced by David Was, which included a hit single cover version of "I Can See Clearly Now". According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, "The video for the song was put into heavy rotation on MuchMusic and earned a Juno Award nomination for Best Video. The album went platinum in Canada, reached No. 7 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart, and won a Juno Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, in 1994.
Following Don't Smoke In Bed, the trio released a CD entirely of songs by Tom Waits, called Temptation. This 1995 release also dropped the "Trio" from the label.
Cole followed with two albums, Dark Dear Heart (1997) and Romantically Helpless (2000), which veered further from jazz by introducing pop elements to Cole's sound.
In 2001, she returned to the Christmas jazz roots of her first CD with Baby It's Cold Outside, which included "Christmas Time is Here" (from A Charlie Brown Christmas), "Santa Baby", and the title track. Swapping cold for hot, she moved to a summer theme in 2003's Shade, this time reinterpreting Cole Porter ("Too Darn Hot"), Irving Berlin ("Heatwave"), and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson ("God Only Knows").
Cole's album, Holly Cole (originally entitled This House Is Haunted) was released in Canada in March 2007. It was released in the US in January 2008 and was followed by a US tour.
Cole tours frequently, particularly around the holiday season, in Canada. She was also a part of the 1998 Lilith Fair tour, and her song "Onion Girl" was included on that year's live compilation album.
In 2010, Holly contributed a track for the World Jazz For Haiti charity album, recorded at Number 9 Audio Group in support of the Red Cross disaster relief fund. The album featured Canadian artists such as John McDermott, David Clayton-Thomas and George Koller.
Holly Cole's first ever live DVD + CD titled "Steal The Night: Live At The Glenn Gould Studio" was released in Canada in February 2012. It was recorded live at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto on August 11, 2011. The performance marks the reformation of the original Holly Cole Trio lineup with Aaron Davis on piano and bassist David Piltch, in addition to John Johnson (horns), Rob Piltch (guitars) and Davide DiRenzo (drums).
Holly Cole's new studio album Night was released in late 2012 on Universal Music Canada. It is her first studio album in over 5 years. The album, produced by Holly Cole and Greg Cohen, covers songs from Tom Waits ("Walk Away"), Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind"), Mort Shuman ("Viva Las Vegas"), Captain Beefheart ("Love Lies"), a James Bond theme by John Barry (“You Only Live Twice“), and a Holly Cole original ("You've Got a Secret"). Holly Cole toured in support of Night in 2012-13 to Canada, America, Germany and Japan.
Getting personal, I saw Ms Cole live and in concert at the NAC - National Arts Centre - in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, eh, at about the same time this video was made, and loved, loved, loved her.
She has a fabulous stage persona and her voice and body language are chameleon-like, adjusting to the tone, texture and the mood of every song.
She and her backup band were, like, completely in synch, I thought; I could tell just how skillful those dudes were at their respective instruments, which made the experience so much the better and richer. There being no substitute for quality, I believe.
Ya, I know that she is not a household name world wide, but then again, neither is Xi Jin Ping, and he's the president of the most populous country in the MOFO world, P.R. China!
So, WTF! "Whad are ya gonna doo?" (Channeling Tony Soprano for a minute, begging your pardon, please!)
Enjoy Holly Cole, from me to you, no charge, OK?
I simply think that she's a well kept Canadian musical singing 'secret,' but a valuable human treasure, nevertheless.
:) xx C
Anglor Bass
I found this song on one of my moms records when I was only 8 yrs old. It resonated so much I wrote down all the lyrics on paper and sang it to myself for comfort in a hostile environment. This song has gotten me through life as a survivor. It's exactly what I would have wanted someone caring and loving to say to me, so I sang it to myself and I still have those written lyrics.
Corey Judd
I played it over and over again. I couldn't believe that someone was saying the words I was so desperate to hear.
Off The Floor Studio
It is actually maybe one of the greatest songs ever. No doubt.. and performed beautiful here by Holly!
Marion Fiedler Music
One of the most defined voices in jazz, and on this earth. Her sound fascinates me and changed me. It is also thanks to her that I have become a musician.
Javier Granda Revilla
Wonderful song, wonderful performance, wonderful band, wonderful artist
Craig Martin
This is my favorite Holly Cole song and one of my favorites from the 1990s. This recording got me through some rough patches. I lost the CD years ago, and just downloaded it off iTunes today. Best 99 cents I spent all week.
David Sterry
This night was magical. I'm so happy to have found this video because the album was so fun and Holly's range is incredible in so many different ways. I need to get to know her catalog better and the comments here definitely help with that. Peace and love to you all.
PleuroDeles
This version of this song made my day so many times - 12 years ago and still today. Hollys voice, her eyelashes;), the piano player, the drumming, the song structure, the double bass playing, the lyrics... It's the perfect song, in all intents and purposes. It helped me through lots of bad life situations, and even pushed the good ones! One of the best and most memorable song versions ever... Period!:)
denise gonçaves
wonderful song. Every time I play it, it's five times at least...
JuliettaBrausewinkel
We had this song play at our wedding as I walked down the aisle. I think it is the ultimate declaration about friendship, love and how to treat someone who is down. It moves my heart deeply. Sadly, hardly anyone knows this song in Germany