Kevin Coyne (born 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK; died in his adopted home of… Read Full Bio ↴Kevin Coyne (born 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK; died in his adopted home of Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 December 2004) was an English musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. His uncompromising attitude towards showbiz fame and fortune always left him in a position of "outsider", a position he relished. The freedom to express himself without the chains of commercial considerations (although he would not have been adverse to a Number One album) helped keep his creativity alive.

Coyne was born in Derby on 27 January 1944 and educated at Joseph Wright School of Art (1957-1961) then Derby College of Art (1961-1965) where he studied graphics and painting, obtaining the N.D.D. in 1965. Early musical influences were Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and later (at art school), Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed.

Coyne's first job was a social therapist at Whittingham Hospital, Lancashire (1965-1968). In late 1968 he moved to London, starting work for the Soho project as a counsellor for drug addicts in 1969. This work was a source for many of his early songs and remains a major influence today.

In 1973 a youthful and idealistic Coyne signed as a solo artist for "Virgin Records" (after a five album spell with Siren on Dandelion Records) proceeding to make eleven LPs over the next eight years. During this period he recorded with the likes of Andy Summers, Zoot Money, Carla Bley (for her album "Silence") and Dagmar Krause. It was a productive time in his career, with tours of Australia, Europe, Canada, the U.S.A. and work in the theatre (the self-composed musicals "Babble" and "England, England"). Life was hectic. Something had to give.

A complete nervous breakdown came in 1981, the main causes being alcoholism and overwork. After leaving "Virgin Records," he created a succession of dark, brooding albums for the label "Cherry Red."

The year 1985 was one of big changes. Coyne left London and resettled in Nuremberg, Germany. The move was a good one, resulting in formation of a German group (The Paradise Band), a fresh recording career and a drastic change in life-style. He quit drinking for good in 1987. Ten albums had been recorded in Germany. The musical future continued to look bright and positive.

Kevin Coyne's writing, painting career had truly blossomed in Germany. Four books had been published with one still in print. (Two, "Show Business" and "The Party Dress", were published by "Serpent's Tail" in London) and numerous exhibition of his visual work have been mounted throughout Europe. The response to his work has often been reassuringly strong. Exhibitions in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Zurich were particularly well reviewed and attended.

Since the mid-eighties the irrepressible Coyne had instigated and been involved in numerous special projects. "Burning Head" (1992) for instance, was a limited edition of one thousand CDs, sold with an exclusive Coyne original picture for each record. "The Adventures of Crazy Frank" (1995) which evolved from a record into an improvised stage musical about the life of English comic Frank Randle featuring Coyne as Randle and Nuremberg dancer, singer Julia Kempken as his wife was performed in Germany and Austria.

"Tough and Sweet" (1993) is a free wheeling collection of over twenty rock and blues influenced songs that just happens to be the first ever Coyne album to use the talents of his musical sons, Robert and Eugene.

"Knocking on Your Brain" is a double album, recorded in Duisburg late 1996 and utilizes the writing and musical talents of top German musicians Ali Neander (Rodgau Montones, Xavier Naidoo), Tom Liwa (Flowerpornos), Ralf Gustke (Gianna Nannini) and Willy Wagner (ex Rio Reiser). Special guest on the CD is guitarist Gary Lucas, formerly with the Magic Band, Jeff Buckley, Joan Osborne (he was nominated for a Grammy Award for his writing on her record), Nick Cave, Lou Reed, and Leonard Bernstein. His slide guitar playing and arrangement of the opening track "Wonderland" is a delight, as are Kevin's vocals, lyrics and improvising. The 20 songs that make up the CD were recorded in just three days.

The years 1998 and '99 had seen Coyne recording and touring constantly. His CD, "Sugar Candy Taxi," included the playing and songwriting talents of his sons Robert and Eugene. A new touring group developed (no longer called the Paradise Band) that featured Robert Coyne on guitar and keyboards with Steve Smith on drums. The 1999 touring schedule included the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, and Holland as well as other locations. Reception was excellent throughout. The change to a new record label in 1999 - from Rockport to Ruf Records - appeared to be a very positive move. With "Sugar Candy Taxi," his first release for Ruf Records, Coyne immediately reached a larger international audience.

Beginning in 2000, the following recordings were released - some posthumously:
• Room Full of Fools (2000)
• Life is Almost Wonderful (with Brendan Croker) (2002)
• Carnival (2002)
• Donut City (2004)
• One Day In Chicago (with Jon Langford) (2005)
• Underground (2006)

Diagnosed with lung fibrosis in 2002, Coyne died peacefully at his home.
He is survived by his wife Helmi and his sons Eugene, Robert and Nico.

So Strange
Kevin Coyne Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Coyne-Ward

Funny, being with you holding and squeezing your hand
It's funny learning to love you like any man
Funny, see the band master on his stand conducting the leaves
Funny, see the old people cuddling, they know I've got everything I need
Yes it's strange, loving you, loving you is strange
Holding you tight, holding you is strange

I found you, I found you, it's strange
No mystery, I love you girl, I do, I do, I do.
Hey baby, won't you be with me for evermore, evermore
Well I love you, find a house, somewhere to live and what is more I love you for ever and ever and ever
Hey spot the sour faces as we pass by, changing into smiles
Yes it's you and me, we're altering it all, building it up, building it up, building it up
And it's strange having you, having you, is strange,
anyway it's alright, it's strange, loving you, I love you, I love you baby, I love you honey honey honey honey
Come on now we're walking, spring's in our feet, holding on,
Roll back the river, roll it back, we'll walk to the other side
I said funny funny funny funny oh I'm laughing for the very first time
Oh open me up open me up open me up open me up my whole inside is smiling
And it's strange, needing you, needing you is strange

Being here with you is strange
Oh so strange oh so strange oh so strange oh so strange

Overall Meaning

Kevin Coyne's song "So Strange" is a love song that speaks to the peculiarities of falling in love with someone. Coyne sings about how funny and strange it is to be with this person, squeezing their hand, and learning to love them like any other man. He describes the scene around him, with the band conductor conducting the leaves and old people cuddling, all with a sense of amusement and wonder at how strange it all is.

The chorus "loving you is strange, holding you is strange" emphasizes the oddity of this feeling and how unusual it is to be so drawn to someone. Coyne declares that he loves this person- there is no mystery to it, he just loves them dearly. He imagines a future with them, finding a house to live in and loving them forevermore.

The bridge of the song speaks to the transformative power of love- that when two people are together, they can change those around them as well. Coyne notes that people with sour faces change into smiles as he and his love walk by, and they are altering everything around them, building it up together.

Kevin Coyne's "So Strange" is a testament to the strange and wonderful feeling of falling in love with someone. The song is full of quirks and twists that underscore the oddity of this emotion, all while expressing the pure and intense feelings that come alongside it.

Line by Line Meaning

Funny, being with you holding and squeezing your hand
It's strange that just holding and squeezing your hand can make me happy

It's funny learning to love you like any man
It's strange that I'm able to love you like any other man would

Funny, see the band master on his stand conducting the leaves
It's strange that I can see the band master conducting the leaves around us

Funny, see the old people cuddling, they know I've got everything I need
It's strange that the old people nearby are cuddling and know that I have everything that I need in you

Yes it's strange, loving you, loving you is strange
It's strange that I love you in the way that I do

Holding you tight, holding you is strange
It's strange that it feels so good to hold you tight

I found you, I found you, it's strange
It's strange that I found you and that we're together

No mystery, I love you girl, I do, I do, I do.
It's not a mystery that I love you, I really do

Hey baby, won't you be with me for evermore, evermore
I want you to be with me forever, baby

Well I love you, find a house, somewhere to live and what is more I love you for ever and ever and ever
I love you so much that I want to find a house for us to live in together and spend forever with you

Hey spot the sour faces as we pass by, changing into smiles
It's strange that the people with sour faces change into smiles when we pass by

Yes it's you and me, we're altering it all, building it up, building it up, building it up
It's strange that we're changing everything and building a life together

And it's strange having you, having you, is strange,
It's strange having you by my side, but it feels good

anyway it's alright, it's strange, loving you, I love you, I love you baby, I love you honey honey honey honey
Anyway, it's all good and strange that I love you so much and I want you to know that I love you, baby

Come on now we're walking, spring's in our feet, holding on,
We're walking together and it feels like spring in our steps

Roll back the river, roll it back, we'll walk to the other side
Let's roll back the river and walk together to the other side

I said funny funny funny funny oh I'm laughing for the very first time
It's strange that I'm laughing so much and it feels like the very first time

Oh open me up open me up open me up open me up my whole inside is smiling
I feel so happy and joyful that it's like my whole insides are smiling

And it's strange, needing you, needing you is strange
It's strange that I need you so much

Being here with you is strange
It's strange, but amazing to be here with you

Oh so strange oh so strange oh so strange oh so strange
It's all so strange, but I wouldn't have it any other way

Contributed by Nora N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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