Cornwell was born in London, England in 1949 - growing up in Tufnell Park and Kentish Town - and attended William Ellis School in Highgate, where he was friends with Richard Thompson, later a member of Fairport Convention. In the late 1960s, having obtained a degree in biochemistry from Bristol University, he embarked on postgraduate research post in Lund University, southern Sweden. Not long after his arrival he formed a band, Johnny Sox.
Cornwell did not complete his doctorate and returned to the UK, in 1974. Soon after, he formed The Stranglers with Jet Black, Hans Warmling and Jean Jacques Burnel. By 1977 they had secured a deal with United Artists records and become the highest selling band on the UK punk scene and had several hit singles and albums.
By the time Cornwell reached his thirties, the British punk scene had died down and he was prompted to start a solo career in case the Stranglers broke up. He recorded his first album away from the group, Nosferatu, in collaboration with the Captain Beefheart's Magic Band's drummer, Robert Williams, in 1979.
Shortly before his 41st birthday Cornwell decided that the band could go no further artistically. He recorded the albums 10 and Saturday Night/Sunday Morning before leaving after sixteen years in the band. He described life with the Stranglers as brilliant, but he felt he had a dark coat over him. His biographical writing attest to many conflicts within the band, particularly between Cornwell and Burnel.
Since leaving the Stranglers his solo career has continued. He has released 11 solo albums, Wolf (1988), Wired (1993), Guilty (1997), Black Hair Black Eyes Black Suit (1999), First Bus To Babylon (1999), Hifi (2001), Footprints In The Desert (2002), Mayday (2002), In The Dock (2003), Beyond Elysian Fields (2004), Dirty Dozen (2006) and three collaborations, Nosferatu (1979) featuring Robert Williams, CCW (1992) featuring Roger Cook and Andy West and Sons Of Shiva (2002) featuring Sex W Johnston.
Cornwell's book, The Stranglers: Song by Song, was published in November 2001 by Sanctuary Publishing. In it he explains for the first time the real stories behind the Stranglers extensive catalogue of songs. In October 2004 Cornwell's autobiography A Multitude of Sins was published by Harper Collins.
The Stranglers' most successful song, Golden Brown, featured on the soundtrack to Guy Ritchie's Hollywood blockbuster Snatch; whilst Peaches was used as the opening sequence of the hit film Sexy Beast as well as in a Nike TV ad for 2002's Football World Cup.
A triple live album, People Places Pieces containing 45 tracks spanning the whole of Cornwell's career has been released in 2006. It spans his time with the Stranglers from 1974 to 1990, plus his critically acclaimed solo career to date and features remarkable performances of old and new standards.
Hugh Cornwell has completed his new album Hooverdam and first film Blueprint in Toerag Studios with producer Liam Watson (White Stripes 'Elephant'). The whole “Hoover Dam” album is available to download completely FREE as high quality DRM-free MP3s from www.hughcornwell.com – and Hugh’s site is now in twelve languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Farsi, Mandarin and Japanese).
This initiative has brought Hugh’s music to a massive new audience – a fact borne out by his barnstorming show at the Glastonbury Festival which was overflowing with people wanting to catch the performance. The CD version of “Hoover Dam” includes a DVD containing feature-length documentary “Blueprint”, and vinyl LP sales have also been very strong. “Hoover Dam” has been also making a splash abroad, with fantastic US concert dates throughout September, and shows in Germany, Holland, Lithuania, France and England.
I Don't Mind
Hugh Cornwell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's you looking good saying things feeling right
That's us in that frame on that shelf what a sight
Never thought I could be riding like this tonight
Life can be a breeze or it can strike me blind
I don't mind
That's me in that plane flying over the pond
That's us making sense where it all could go wrong
Never thought that I could be so healthy so long
Meet me by the exit or under the sign
I don't mind
That's me with that axe and I'm just taking aim
That's you making plans on the practical plane
That's us having fun setting up down the lane
Never thought I could make it and not miss the train
Take the day off or open the wine
I don't mind
That's me making hay when the sun wants to shine
That's you loving rain and the difficult times
That's us making love making up solving crimes
Never thought that I'd try to start towing your line
Take me by the hand or call me a swine
I don't mind
The lyrics of "I Don't Mind" by Hugh Cornwell depict the momentous moments of life that people experience as they navigate through different stages of it. The opening line, "That's me in that car on that road in that light," reflects on how one may reflect on their memories and how they were during their youth. Similarly, the line "That's us in that frame on that shelf what a sight" represents the moments that people remember and cherish as they age. The second verse "That's me in that plane flying over the pond, That's you wondering where on earth you belong" speaks to how people often question who they are and where they belong in life. The final verse, "That's us having fun setting up down the lane, Never thought I could make it and not miss the train" reflects on the joys of life and that some may have thought that they had missed out on certain things in life, but they didn't, and they're happy about it.
Overall, "I Don't Mind" captures the different stages of life and how people perceive and experience these changes. It's a reminder that life is a journey filled with ups and downs, and it's better to accept it and enjoy the ride rather than resist it.
Line by Line Meaning
That's me in that car on that road in that light
I am driving on that road under that particular light.
That's you looking good saying things feeling right
You are looking fine and expressing yourself well, feeling positive.
That's us in that frame on that shelf what a sight
We're in that picture frame on that shelf, looking great together.
Never thought I could be riding like this tonight
I never thought I could be having such a good time right now.
Life can be a breeze or it can strike me blind
Life can be easy or it can hit me hard, unexpectedly.
I don't mind
However it goes, I don't mind.
That's me in that plane flying over the pond
I am the one flying in that plane over the pond.
That's you wondering where on earth you belong
You are contemplating where you fit in this world.
That's us making sense where it all could go wrong
We are finding sense in the midst of things going wrong.
Never thought that I could be so healthy so long
I never thought I could be this healthy for this long.
Meet me by the exit or under the sign
Let's meet at the exit or under any identifiable sign.
That's me with that axe and I'm just taking aim
I'm holding an axe and aiming it somewhere.
That's you making plans on the practical plane
You are making practical plans.
That's us having fun setting up down the lane
We are having fun as we set things up on the lane.
Never thought I could make it and not miss the train
I never thought I could make it and not feel regretful for anything missed.
Take the day off or open the wine
Either take the day off or enjoy a bottle of wine, your choice.
That's me making hay when the sun wants to shine
I am making hay while the sun shines, taking advantage of opportunities.
That's you loving rain and the difficult times
You appreciate rain and difficult moments and find beauty in them.
That's us making love making up solving crimes
We are making love, patching up things, or solving problems together.
Never thought that I'd try to start towing your line
I never thought I'd try to conform to your way of doing things.
Take me by the hand or call me a swine
Either take my hand or call me names, I'm okay with it.
I don't mind
Whatever you choose, I don't mind.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID FAULKNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind