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.
Fool You Are
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Folk don't really change
And there's always the rain
From southport beach to Sunday in the hamptons
Well I never could complain
And there's always the rain
The fool you are in manchester
The lies you tell in liverpool
Will follow you to spain
It's the fool you are
From lambeth walk to london, ontario
We'd like(love) to run away
When it looks like rain
From sunset strip to waterloo underground
The stars are just the same
And it looks like rain
The fool you are in manchester
The fool you are in maine
The lies you tell in liverpool
Will follow you to spain
It's the fool you are
It's the fool you are
Yes it is
From the sunshine state to shaftesbury avenue
Folk don't really change
And there's always the rain
And the night before in northern california
Is dawning on the thames and it looks like rain
The fool you are in manchester
The fool you are in maine
The lies you tell in liverpool
Will follow you to spain
And the morning after leicester square
Is hungover in rome
And never again in newcastle
Is one more for the road
It's the fool you are
It's the fool you are
Yes it is
It's the fool you are
It's the fool that's what you are
It's the fool you are
The lyrics to "Fool You Are" by Lloyd Cole are about the cyclical nature of life, and how no matter where you go, you can't escape certain things. The song mentions different locations, from Northerton to Northern California, and how despite the differences in geography and culture, things stay the same. The line "folks don't really change" suggests that people have certain patterns of behavior that are hard to break, even when they move to a new place.
The line "there's always the rain" is repeated throughout the song, and could be interpreted as a metaphor for the things in life that are inevitable, or that we can't control. Rain is a natural phenomenon that happens no matter what we do, just like certain patterns of behavior or emotions that we can't seem to shake.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "the fool you are," and suggests that even though we try to escape our mistakes or missteps, they will follow us wherever we go. The lines "the lies you tell in Liverpool will follow you to Spain" and "the morning after Leicester Square is hungover in Rome" imply that our actions have consequences, and that we can't just forget about them and start fresh.
Overall, the song is a meditation on the idea of change, and how sometimes it's hard to see the difference between running away from something and running towards something else.
Line by Line Meaning
From northerton to northern california
People remain largely the same, no matter where they are in the world.
Folk don't really change
People's nature and traits stay mostly consistent throughout their lives.
And there's always the rain
Life isn't all sunshine; there will always be troubles.
From southport beach to Sunday in the hamptons
I've had a good life full of luxurious experiences.
Well I never could complain
However, I still feel unsettled with my current situation.
The fool you are in manchester
You are foolish no matter where you go.
The fool you are in maine
Your foolishness stays with you no matter your location.
The lies you tell in liverpool
Your actions will catch up to you eventually, no matter where you are.
Will follow you to spain
Your past will always be a part of you no matter where life takes you.
It's the fool you are
You are a fool regardless of your location.
From lambeth walk to london, ontario
I wish to escape my current situation and start a new life.
We'd like(love) to run away
I have a strong desire to leave my current life behind.
When it looks like rain
Whenever things get difficult, I feel the urge to escape.
From sunset strip to waterloo underground
Fame and fortune doesn't change who you are.
The stars are just the same
No matter how glitzy and glamorous your life is, you will still face hardships.
And the night before in northern california
Yesterday's problems will follow you into the future.
Is dawning on the thames and it looks like rain
I am facing new problems today and it doesn't look good.
And the morning after leicester square
Even after a good night out, you still face reality in the morning.
Is hungover in rome
You can't escape your problems with a night out.
And never again in newcastle
Some experiences are only good once; you can't relive the past.
Is one more for the road
But you can always keep moving forward and make new experiences.
It's the fool that's what you are
The song is a reminder that you shouldn't try to run away from your problems.
It's the fool you are
You can't escape your past, but you can choose to learn from it and grow.
Yes it is
That's just the way life is.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lloyd Cole, Neil Clark
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sfoeric
I remember seeing Lloyd and The Negatives at Slim’s in San Francisco in the early 2000’s. Great gig.
@luizcaniza5201
From Brazil, I love this song!!
@micaelaventurini2241
I love this song!
@paulopimentelpimentel6208
Love This song!!!!!!!!
@thejessvlog3322
well said kris. thanks for this album cover post. i recently had a rebirth of lloyd cole's music and glad to hear this back after a long while. thanks again for this upload.
@hooskerdu1
Thank you for posting. I have been looking for thus certain fur quite some time. Beautiful song.
@hooskerdu1
Sorry, posting without my glasses. I'm really not from Arkansas. 😆
@robindavies9081
thats a top tune, thankyou for sharing. I dont recognise the album?
@trystero13
Love Story