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.
Impossible Girl
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Couldn't stand it anymore
She said so
Another planet for the girl
Another boy against the world
Who almost prayed
And when she says
Don't lose your head
It couldn't possibly be true
She's the impossible girl
Girl impossible
Bloody Monday afternoon
You want to blame it on the moon
But she says "No, no"
Because there isn't any fair
Because there is no antidote
To her
She calls collect
You cancel everything and yet
Friday she's not there
She's the impossible girl
Girl impossible
She's impossibly beautiful
And she's impossibly something else
Is that her lipstick on your shirt?
Hell, your so mannish, it must hurt
..Another planet for the girl
Another boy against the world
Who almost said
I think I fell in love with you
And then again, my friend
It couldn't possibly be true
She's the impossible girl
Girl impossible
Absolutely sweet impossible girl
Another planet for the girl
Another boy against the world
The lyrics to Lloyd Cole's song Impossible Girl are an exploration of the contradictions and complexity of the titular girl. The song begins with the girl lying on the floor, unable to cope with some unknown situation. She longs for another planet, perhaps as a means of escape from the harsh realities of life on Earth. In the second verse, the song takes on a more bittersweet tone, as the girl is revealed to be impossibly beautiful but also impossibly something else - perhaps complicated or difficult to understand. The singer seems to have fallen for her despite the challenges she presents, but ultimately realizes that it couldn't possibly be true.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "impossible girl" multiple times, emphasizing the idea of someone who is both alluring and unattainable. The final verse returns to the idea of escape, with the girl as "another planet" and the boy as "against the world." The song leaves open the question of whether the girl is truly impossible, or if she simply requires more effort and understanding than the typical person.
Line by Line Meaning
So she lay down on the floor
She was so frustrated that she just collapsed onto the ground.
Couldn't stand it anymore
She had reached her limit and couldn't take the situation anymore.
She said so
She expressed her feelings out loud for everyone to hear.
Another planet for the girl
She feels like she doesn't fit in with the rest of the world and would be better off on another planet.
Another boy against the world
She feels like she's the only one who is fighting against the challenges and difficulties of the world, but there might be others like her.
Who almost prayed
She was in such a difficult situation that she was on the verge of praying for help.
And when she says
I want you, boy
Don't lose your head
It couldn't possibly be true
When she expresses her desire for someone, he shouldn't take it too seriously because she might not be able to commit.
She's the impossible girl
Girl impossible
She is a girl who seems impossible to understand or be with.
Bloody Monday afternoon
You want to blame it on the moon
But she says "No, no"
She had a difficult day, and somebody tried to blame it on the full moon, but she didn't agree.
Because there isn't any fair
Because there is no antidote
To her
She doesn't believe that life is fair and that there's no cure or solution to her problems.
She calls collect
You cancel everything and yet
Friday she's not there
She asked for a call, and someone rearranged their schedule for her, but she didn't show up.
She's impossibly beautiful
And she's impossibly something else
Is that her lipstick on your shirt?
Hell, your so mannish, it must hurt
She is incredibly gorgeous, but there's something else about her that is hard to put a finger on. The artist wonders if another person has been with her, and they must be extremely masculine to handle it.
..Another planet for the girl
Another boy against the world
Who almost said
I think I fell in love with you
And then again, my friend
It couldn't possibly be true
She feels like she's alone in her struggles, but there might be others who feel the same way. She's had feelings for someone, but she's not sure if they're real or just a fleeting thought.
She's the impossible girl
Girl impossible
Absolutely sweet impossible girl
She's the girl who seems unattainable, but also incredibly sweet at the same time.
Contributed by Micah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jmmypaddy
credit for me finding this song goes to ricky gervais and stephen merchent
@Oasislistenup
just came here cos of this haha
@gleam6370
Josh Harris same
@jackspnc
Same here, loved the first and last 3 seconds haha
@kellychesnut7534
Precious Man. Hope to listen to you at another time Mr. Cole.
@bartdaems4233
this is still one of my all time favourit albums
@PAPI67
very nice song,
@andregamearqueiro
The first music i had listen on my life omgg
@jacquesf73
reminds me of "The boy with a thorn in his side"
@leid33
Been looking for this for so long.... brings back a lot of my childhood memories.. thank you! :))