Born in Buxton, Derbyshire, Cole grew up in nearby Chapel en le Frith and went to New Mills Grammar School. After failing in law at University College London, he later attended (but did not graduate from) the University of Glasgow where he studied philosophy and English and met the other members of band that would become The Commotions. Their 1984 debut, Rattlesnakes, contained numerous literary and pop culture references to figures like Norman Mailer, Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Truman Capote and Joan Didion. The group produced two more albums, Easy Pieces and Mainstream, before disbanding in 1989, when Cole re-located to New York to record with legendary musicians like Fred Maher and Robert Quine (as well as a then largely unknown Matthew Sweet).
This solo setting produced two acclaimed albums, Lloyd Cole in 1990 and 1991's Don't Get Weird on Me Babe. The latter was recorded in two parts: one side continued the New York rock mastered on his first solo album, while the other side featured a session orchestra, much in the style of Burt Bacharach or Scott Walker. Although some reviewers have claimed Don't Get Weird on Me Babe (the title being a quote from the American neo-realism poet Raymond Carver) to be a creative peak, it produced significantly lesser record sales, and the contract with Capitol Records ended.
Subsequently signed by Rykodisc, Cole continued redefining his sound with Bad Vibes (1993), a collaboration with producer/remixer Adam Peters using a harder, grunge and psychedelica inspired sound. Love Story (1995) established stripped-down, largely acoustic sound landscapes with the help of Stephen Street (famous for his work with Blur and The Smiths) and former Commotions Neil Clark and Blair Cowan; the album produced a minor hit with the song "Like Lovers Do".
In 2000, after years without a contract, Cole recorded a disc with the New York band The Negatives, featuring Jill Sobule and Dave Derby of the Dambuilders. He has since released solo albums on smaller independent labels. Sanctuary Records, the company responsible for the revival of Morrissey, released Music in a Foreign Language (2003) in the U.K. Recorded largely by Cole himself (including tracks recorded directly into a Mac), the songs had a stark, folk-inspired singer-songwriter style. One Little Indian, home of Björk, released Music in a Foreign Language in the U.S.; they also collected a number of outtakes (recorded from 1996 to 2000) on 2004's Etc. and released an instrumental ambient electronica album, Plastic Wood, the same year.
Cole continued to tour, playing intimate club venues in a one-man acoustic setting. In 2004, to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of Rattlesnakes, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions reformed to perform a one-off, sell-out tour in the U.K. and Ireland. An avid golfer, he is also known for playing concerts in towns suspiciously close to famous golf courses. He also shares a passion for this sport with Alice Cooper who is said to introduce the song "Only Women Bleed" claiming "not even Lloyd Cole has written a song about menstruation" when playing live.
Cole's album "Antidepressant" was released in 2006 featuring the former Commotions guitarist Neil Clark on some tracks.
The follow-up Broken Record, released in September 2010, marked a departure from his solo recordings, as it was performed by a band of longstanding friends and working partners, including Fred Maher, Joan Wasser, Rainy Orteca, Dave Derby and Blair Cowan – as well as two musicians, Matt Cullen (guitar; banjo) and Mark Schwaber (guitar; mandolin).
An album co-funded by fans, Standards, was released in June 2013.
A studio album – Guesswork – was released on July 26, 2019 by earMUSIC.
Baby
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A shadow on the riverbank
Watching my reflection go to sea
Wind in my hair
I could be most anywhere
But I do not care to know
Not where I stand
Baby, i`ve been lost without you
Since I don`t have a place to call my home
Oh, my sweet baby, must I empty my heart?
Must I take what I can get and make it my own?
As long as I love my baby
I`m only lonely
She said not to call
Said it would be best for all concerned
If I just all but disappear
She loves you best
And I love her nonetheless
So I just listen to the voice on the machine, singing
Baby, i`ve been lost without you
Since I don`t have a place to call my home
Oh, my sweet baby, must I empty my heart?
Must I take what I can get and call it my own?
As long as I love my baby
I`m only lonely
Maybe one day she`ll call me up and say
she`s wrong
And that she wants me back again
Until that day
I`ll just fade away
And listen to the voice on the machine, singing
Baby, i`ve been lost without you
Since I don`t have a place to call my home
Oh, my sweet baby, must I empty my heart?
Must I take what I can get and make it my own?
As long as I love my baby
I`m only lonely
In the lyrics of "Baby" by Lloyd Cole, the singer is lamenting the loss of a love, who has probably left him for good. He describes himself as wasting his time, watching his reflection go to sea like a shadow on the riverbank. He appears to be in a state of confusion and disorientation, wandering aimlessly with the wind in his hair, uncertain of where he stands. He sings: "I could be most anywhere, but I do not care to know/Not where I stand". It's clear that his lover is no longer with him, but he still loves her deeply, and he's still longing for her to come back to him. He feels lost without her, as he has nowhere to call his own, nowhere to find solace or comfort. He asks: "Must I take what I can get and make it my own?" This seems to suggest that he's willing to settle for any form of love or affection that he can find, even if it's just a shadow of what he once had.
The second verse of the song describes the lover's rejection of the singer. She has told him not to call her anymore, and she wants him to disappear from her life entirely. She loves someone else now, and the singer knows it. However, he still loves her nonetheless. He listens to her voice on the answering machine, hoping that she will call him back and tell him that she was wrong. But until that happens, he'll remain lost and lonely, fading away into the background. The song ends with the chorus repeating once again, emphasizing the singer's longing for his lost love.
Overall, "Baby" is a sad, melancholy song about lost love and the pain of rejection. It's a universal theme that has resonated with listeners across generations, making it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Wasting my time
I'm spending my time idly without any concrete purpose.
A shadow on the riverbank
I'm standing in the shadows by the riverbank, devoid of any real significance or importance.
Watching my reflection go to sea
As I see my reflection floating away with the current, I feel lost and unsure of where I belong.
Wind in my hair
I feel the wind blowing through my hair, making me feel free and uninhibited.
I could be most anywhere
I could be anywhere in the world, as location doesn't really matter to me right now.
But I do not care to know
I don't particularly care about where I am or where I'm going, as I'm just trying to escape my problems.
Not where I stand
I don't really know where I stand in life or what my purpose is, which makes me feel lost and adrift in the world.
Baby, i`ve been lost without you
Without my lover, I feel lost and adrift, unsure of what to do with myself.
Since I don`t have a place to call my home
Because I don't have a stable home or relationship, I feel unmoored and unanchored in the world.
Oh, my sweet baby, must I empty my heart?
Should I open up and pour out my feelings completely, even though it may lead to more heartache and pain?
Must I take what I can get and make it my own?
Do I have to settle for less than what I really want and make the best of a bad situation?
As long as I love my baby
As long as I feel love for my partner, I can endure the loneliness and uncertainty of my current situation.
I`m only lonely
Even though I have love for my partner, the lack of physical presence and companionship makes me feel alone.
She said not to call
My partner instructed me not to contact her, in order to make things easier for both of us.
Said it would be best for all concerned
She feels that it's in everyone's best interests for us to remain apart and avoid contact.
If I just all but disappear
By staying out of her life completely, I can try to lessen the pain and heartache for both of us.
She loves you best
Despite my feelings for her, she loves someone else more than me.
And I love her nonetheless
Even though she doesn't love me as much as someone else, I still have strong feelings for her.
So I just listen to the voice on the machine, singing
In order to feel close to her, I listen to her voice on the answering machine, even though it's not the same as hearing her in person.
Maybe one day she`ll call me up and say
I hold onto the hope that someday she'll change her mind and reach out to me, giving us a chance to reconcile.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: DAVID COLE, DALTON BROWNE, MICHAEL JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind