Cope grew up in Tamworth, Staffordshire in the English Midlands. He attended the City of Liverpool College of Higher Education . Cope's musical career began as bass player with a band known as Crucial Three, which also featured Ian McCulloch (future guitarist and singer for Echo and the Bunnymen) and Pete Wylie (later of Wah!). The band lasted for little more than six weeks and disbanded without any public performances or formal recordings, although the song "Books" was later recorded by both Cope's and McCulloch's subsequent bands. Cope went on to form other short-lived bands before first achieving fame and success as the singer, original bassist and primary songwriter of The Teardrop Explodes.
After The Teardrop Explodes disbanded in late 1982 following the completion of three albums, Cope returned to live close to his hometown of Tamworth, settling in the nearby village of Drayton Bassett, and soon began recording. In 1983 he recorded some tunes for John Peel's show. He re-worked these introspective works for his first solo album, World Shut Your Mouth, released in 1984. This was soon followed by Fried, which featured a sleeve with Cope clad only in a turtle shell. Cope's third solo album was the well-received Saint Julian and produced the single "World Shut Your Mouth", which became his biggest solo hit, reaching the UK Top 20 in 1986.
Cope was extremely displeased with his fourth solo album, My Nation Underground, which spawned a Top 40 single in "Charlotte Anne". He recorded his next album, the low-fi Skellington, in secret during the course of a single weekend, playing in the same studio used for My Nation Underground. His management had no desire to release Skellington, and Cope refused to record any other material while he feuded with them to try to get his new work released. This was to become the first of many feuds with his record companies. He also released by stealth an album in aid of Roky Erickson entitled Droolian, and his ongoing battle with those he referred to as "greedheads" eventually saw him turn his back on the music industry. In the course of one of his stand-offs, Cope began to write his first autobiographical book, Head-On which primarily covered the years 1976 to 1982, focusing on Cope's time before and during the life of The Teardrop Explodes and ending with the break-up of the band. This was followed a few years later by Repossessed, covering the years 1983 to 1989 and the recording of Cope's first series of solo albums, as well as the writing of Head-On. The books were republished in one volume in 2000, titled Head-On/Repossessed. Peggy Suicide and JehovahKill, both recorded in the early 1990s, reflected his interest in the occult, animal rights, the goddess and ecology. In 1995, Cope released 20 Mothers spawning the single "Try, Try, Try". These three albums all achieved UK Top 20 status.
In addition to his two volumes of autobiography, Cope has written four other books of nonfiction. Krautrocksampler, released in 1996 and now out of print, covers the German krautrock musical movement. Reviews at the time were ecstatic, Rolling Stone citing it as "a work of real passion and scholarship". NME agreed: "This is a superb book ... this is an extraordinary book." Mojo went further, writing: "Brilliantly researched, Krautrocksampler abounds with revelations, and Cope's enthusiasm verges on the lethal ... a sort of lysergic Lester Bangs." In the Sunday Times, the reviewer wrote: "German 1970s minimalism is invading the British rock scene ... an Englishman is to blame ... Krautrocksampler is a lively history of a fascinating period, half encyclopedia, half psychedelic detective story." Before the publication of this book the genre itself had all but disappeared off the musical map; both the phrase and the genre are now firmly ingrained and have subsequently been heralded in the likes of Mojo and The Wire. The book was also the subject of fierce controversy due to Cope's outspoken remarks that Can's Bel-Air was a 'shambles'.
1998 saw the release of the widely-acclaimed bestseller The Modern Antiquarian, a large and comprehensive full-colour 448-page work detailing stone circles and other ancient monuments in the British Isles, which sold out of its first edition of 20,000 in its first month of publication and was accompanied by a BBC Two documentary. The Times called the book: "A ripping good read ... it is deeply impressive ... ancient history: the new rock 'n' roll." The Independent called it: "A unique blend of information, observation, personal experience and opinion which is as unlike the normal run of archaeology books as you can imagine." The renowned archaeologist Ronald Hutton went further, calling the book: "the best popular guide to Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments for half a century." The Modern Antiquarian was followed in 2004 with an even larger 484-page study of similar monuments across Europe entitled The Megalithic European, the most extensive study of European megalithic sites to date. In addition to his books on prehistoric monuments, Cope hosts a community-based Modern Antiquarian website that invites contributors to add their own knowledge of the ancient sites of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Cope has lectured nationally on the subject of prehistory, and also at the British Museum on the subjects of Avebury and Odin.
In October 2007, Japrocksampler was released, subtitled How the post war Japanese blew their minds on rock and roll. This much larger hard back book (304 pp) was written in a similar style to Krautrocksampler, but was a far more detailed study and took in the years 1951-78. It has been translated into Italian and Japanese.
Cope has opted out of the mainstream in recent years, releasing and promoting his music himself, rather than working with a major record label. He continues to record new material both under his own name and with regular collaborators under the band names Brain Donor - his proto-metal power trio, and Queen Elizabeth, an ambient two-piece. Most of his more recent releases are available either primarily or exclusively through Cope's extensive and interactive website, Head Heritage.
Cope has continued to perform live in the UK (including an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2003) and other parts of Europe in recent years. He has not toured beyond Europe for several years. In 2005, he dropped attempts to plan a tour of the United States because a work visa could not be secured through the INS.
Laughing Boy
Julian Cope Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A vision of the glorious sea
The wind that follows down from there
Incarcerates the sea
The waking hours are the loneliest ones
For the sinister boys like me
Travelling east, straight *line* through the past
I'm happy in morality
Oh no don't cast me out of here (repeat)
Oh no don't cast me out
I said No I got no place to go
The King and Queen of my estates
My Real Estates are real
The King and Queen have offered me
The estate of *Robert Peel*
Is it talent you need
Like the talent you see
Like the talent clear for me
And the sign that says
** In ** the carpet *made*
Like a carpet I rolled away
Oh no don't cast me out of here (repeat)
Oh no don't cast me out
I said No I got no place to go
The wind it plays upon your hair
So ever so gloriously
So be content
With the apples spent
On the William Tell *on/ of* me
As the faces they bleed
Watch them dull and recede
Won't you help to keep my spirit clear
Stay a week and a day
And never go away
Be forever in my presence dear
The song Laughing Boy by Julian Cope starts off with a beautiful imagery of the wind playing with hair and creating a vision of the glorious sea. However, the beauty is soon interrupted when the wind that follows the vision incarcerates the sea. It feels like the singer is talking about a dream or a memory that is slowly losing its charm and purity. The waking hours, which are usually peaceful and refreshing for most people, are the loneliest ones for the singer who is a sinister boy. The fact that he refers to himself as sinister is interesting as it brings up the question of why he thinks that way. Is it because of something he's done or something that's been done to him that has made him feel that way?
The singer then talks about travelling east in a straight line, perhaps an allusion to his journey in life. He's happy in his morality but doesn't want to be cast out. He repeats this twice, perhaps indicating his fear of abandonment or rejection. The mention of the estate of Robert Peel seems metaphorical. Robert Peel was a British statesman who is known for founding the modern police force. Could it be that the singer is using Peel's estate as a symbol for something that he desires, protection or justice, perhaps? He questions the need for talent, probably referring to the music industry and how it's often more about connections than skill. The imagery of the sign in the carpet that's rolled away is intriguing. Perhaps the singer is implying that he's hiding something or wants to leave a situation behind.
The last few lines of the song seem to be an invitation or plea to someone to stay close to him. He talks about the faces bleeding and dulling and how he wants someone to help keep his spirit clear. It's unclear who this person is or why the singer wants them to stay forever in his presence. Perhaps it's a lover or a friend, or maybe it's just his desire to not be alone that's showing through. Overall, the song seems to be a mixture of beautiful imagery, metaphors, and underlying emotions that are not always clear but add depth to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
The wind it plays upon your hair
The wind gently moves your hair and sets a beautiful scene
A vision of the glorious sea
You can see and imagine the grandeur and beauty of the ocean in your mind
The wind that follows down from there
The wind that originates from the same direction as the sea
Incarcerates the sea
The wind holds the sea in a captive embrace
The waking hours are the loneliest ones
The early hours of the morning are the most isolating for nefarious individuals like myself
For the sinister boys like me
I am one of these disreputable individuals
Travelling east, straight *line* through the past
I am making a journey due east, following a path through history
I'm happy in morality
My current moral compass and ethical beliefs make me happy
Oh no don't cast me out of here (repeat)
I implore you, please don't force me to leave this place
I said No I got no place to go
I am expressing the fact that I have nowhere else to go
The King and Queen of my estates
The rulers of my possessions
My Real Estates are real
My properties are tangible and genuine
The King and Queen have offered me
They have presented this opportunity to me
The estate of *Robert Peel*
I have been offered the property that belongs to Robert Peel
Is it talent you need
Are you in search of a certain skillset?
Like the talent you see
Perhaps you are hoping for a certain type of proficiency, like the one you see in front of you
Like the talent clear for me
Just as there is something very evident and clear about my unique talents
And the sign that says
Indicating that this is something meaningful and significant
** In ** the carpet *made*
Perhaps there is some hidden message or symbol within the design of the carpet
Like a carpet I rolled away
Like a carpet that is easily removed or cast aside
So ever so gloriously
In such an enchanting and splendid manner
So be content
Thus, be happy and content with what you have
With the apples spent
Despite having exhausted my resources
On the William Tell *on/ of* me
After having played the game of William Tell using me as a target
As the faces they bleed
As they become increasingly agitated and panicked
Watch them dull and recede
I witness as their expressions become less animated and impassioned
Won't you help to keep my spirit clear
Can't you assist me in maintaining my mental clarity and fortitude?
Stay a week and a day
I entreat you to remain in my company for a little over a week
And never go away
And to never depart from me
Be forever in my presence dear
My desire is for you to remain with me always
Writer(s): JULIAN COPE
Contributed by Leo I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ClydeJarrod37UK
neoconvers ** words I am unsure of in asterisks** Hope this is correct : )
The wind it plays upon your hair
A vision of the glorious sea
The wind that follows down from there
Incarcerates the sea
The waking hours are the loneliest ones
For the sinister boys like me
Travelling east, straight *line* through the past
I'm happy in morality
Oh no don't cast me out of here ( repeat)
Oh no don't cast me out
I said No I got no place to go
The King and Queen of my estates
My Real Estates are real
The King and Queen have offered me
The estate of *Robert Peel*
Is it talent you need
Like the talent you see
Like the talent clear for me
And the sign that says
** In ** the carpet *made*
Like a carpet I rolled away
Oh no don't cast me out of here ( repeat)
Oh no don't cast me out
I said No I got no place to go
The wind it plays upon your hair
So ever so gloriously
So be content
With the apples spent
On the William Tell *on/ of* me
As the faces they bleed
Watch them dull and recede
Won't you help to keep my spirit clear
Stay a week and a day
And never go away
Be forever in my presence dear
Chorus
Rush Shukla
One of life's biggest mysteries is why Fried didn't sell. It's the best album ever made and his most profound musical statement. If there's only one album of his you must own it's Fried.
Zinc Ubuz
Well the video alone will put most people off listening to this track
dunce funce
The. Best. Album. Ever. Made.
OK, dude.
dunce funce
@Zinc Ubuz I think the video is great
Alex Fenton
Wow!!! This must have influenced Verve’s early album. So hypnotic and beautiful 😍
James Ferns
This is exactly what I've always thought! I'm so glad somebody else has said it.
Dave Humphreys
Genius - the world needs more Julian Cope
Blue Greenglue
I feel honored to be of the generation that can wake up at 3 a.m. with this song in their heads.
Linda Grant
Iwad 14 and watched bthis from afar so wanted ro talk to them but was so scared to approach them
Linda Grant
I was a 16yr old cope fan watching this from afar saw it all but didnt want to interrupt