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.
Everysong
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Think you’re really something ,now
Just because I offer you
A ride in my brand new car
When you know we’re nothing more than just
Smoke and rhetoric
And we’re barely rhyming as we are
He’s not that kind of writer
The chances are we’ll wind up in some godforsaken
cul-de-sac
Not love
No use to get sad about it
Can’t love everysong
Well let’s not lose perspective, now
Just because we spend a little time together while
we’re on our way
And sure I’ll hold you for a little while
If you ask me I can stay
At least until tomorrow
But now we’re halfway through the song and I’m still
tagging along
Surely clouds are coming soon
But as of now I can see nothing but blue
No use to go second guessing
Can’t cry everysong
Maybe the wine is going cheap at the creative retreat
Maybe our man’s smoking something
Because something’s feeling scarily like love
No need to complain
No siree Bob
Can’t cry everysong
The lyrics to Lloyd Cole's "Everysong" are a commentary on the often-precarious nature of love, and the tendency for people to read too much into relationships that are ultimately fleeting. The opening lines express a sense of frustration and exasperation with someone who is "getting too excited" after receiving a ride in the singer's new car. The singer feels that there is little substance to the relationship, as they are "nothing more than just smoke and rhetoric" and "barely rhyming".
Throughout the song, the singer urges the other person to maintain "perspective" and not "lose" themselves in the moment, as they are not in love and there is no need to get "sad about it" or "cry everysong". Yet, there is a recognition that the situation is not entirely uncomplicated. The singer admits that they are willing to hold the other person "for a little while" and that "something's feeling scarily like love". They caution against "second guessing" and suggest that the best approach is to simply enjoy the moment while it lasts.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a kind of wistful resignation to the fleeting nature of human connections, and the realization that not every relationship is meant to be long-lasting or deeply meaningful. The song is marked by a sense of both detachment and intimacy, capturing the mixed emotions that can arise in even the most casual romantic encounters.
Line by Line Meaning
Think you’re really something, now
You seem to think you're important now.
Just because I offer you
A ride in my brand new car
Don't get the wrong idea, me giving you a ride doesn't mean anything more.
When you know we’re nothing more than just
Smoke and rhetoric
We're just talking a lot of nonsense, don't read too much into it.
And we’re barely rhyming as we are
We're not even on the same wavelength.
So don’t get so excited
He’s not that kind of writer
Don't get too excited, I'm not capable of writing something you'll truly love.
The chances are we’ll wind up in some godforsaken
cul-de-sac
Not love
We're probably not going to fall in love, so adjust your expectations accordingly.
No use to get sad about it
Can’t love everysong
Don't be upset, not every song is about love.
Well let’s not lose perspective, now
Just because we spend a little time together while
we’re on our way
Let's not get too carried away, we're just hanging out for a bit while we're going somewhere.
And sure I’ll hold you for a little while
If you ask me I can stay
At least until tomorrow
I'll cuddle with you for a bit, and I can stay until tomorrow if you want.
But now we’re halfway through the song and I’m still
tagging along
Surely clouds are coming soon
But as of now I can see nothing but blue
We're halfway through the song and I'm still here, but I know it won't last. Right now, everything seems fine, but there's trouble on the horizon.
No use to go second guessing
Can’t cry everysong
Don't overthink things or try to read too much into every song.
Maybe the wine is going cheap at the creative retreat
Maybe our man’s smoking something
Because something’s feeling scarily like love
Maybe we're at some cheap, tacky music festival and everyone's getting drunk, but it's starting to feel a lot like love.
No need to complain
No siree Bob
Can’t cry everysong
Don't be negative or complain about things, because not every song is going to make you cry.
Contributed by Aaron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.