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.
Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She says a girl needs a gun these days
Hey on account of all the rattlesnakes
She looks like Eve Marie saint in on the waterfront
She reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance
She's less than sure if her heart has come to stay in San Jose
As she speeds down the freeway
As she tries her luck with the traffic police
Out of boredom more than spite
She never finds no trouble, she tries too hard
She's obvious despite herself
She looks like Eve Marie Saint in on the waterfront
She says all she needs is therapy, yeah
All you need is, love is all you need
Jodie never sleeps 'cause there are always needles in the hay
She says that a girl needs a gun these days
Hey on account of all the rattlesnakes
She looks like Eve Marie Saint in on the waterfront
As she reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance
Her heart, heart's like crazy paving
Upside down and back to front
She says "ooh, it's so hard to love
When love was your great disappointment."
The lyrics of Lloyd Cole's song "Rattlesnakes" paint a vivid portrait of Jodie, a complex woman with a troubled past and uncertain future. Jodie wears a hat even though it hasn't rained in six days because she believes a girl needs a gun these days, owing to the presence of rattlesnakes. This line is metaphorical, suggesting that Jodie feels she needs to be on guard against potential harm in a world that feels dangerous and unpredictable.
Despite her tough exterior, Jodie is also vulnerable and haunted by what might have been. She's unsure if her heart has truly come to rest in San Jose, and the memory of a never-born child still troubles her. Jodie seeks thrills by trying her luck with traffic police, but even this risks exposing her vulnerability. She tries too hard to appear strong and independent, but her efforts are transparent and ultimately self-defeating.
The song also touches on Jodie's intellectual pursuits, as she reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American context. The line "Her heart, heart's like crazy paving" adds another layer to the complexity of her character; Jodie's emotions are disorienting and uncertain, like a patchwork of jagged, irregular stones. The final lines, "She says 'ooh, it's so hard to love / When love was your great disappointment,'" suggest that Jodie is struggling to find a way forward, haunted by past loves that have left her wounded and mistrustful.
Line by Line Meaning
Jodie wears a hat although it hasn't rained for six days
Jodie wears a hat even though the weather hasn't called for it, potentially indicating her peculiar tendencies.
She says a girl needs a gun these days
Hey on account of all the rattlesnakes
Jodie feels a sense of danger in the world and believes that one should be prepared to protect themselves from it.
She looks like Eve Marie saint in on the waterfront
She reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance
Jodie has a strong sense of individuality and self-awareness, reflected in her unique appearance and choice of literature.
She's less than sure if her heart has come to stay in San Jose
And her never-born child still haunts her
As she speeds down the freeway
Jodie is unsure about her place in life and struggles with a deep sense of loss and grief, which she tries to escape by driving recklessly.
As she tries her luck with the traffic police
Out of boredom more than spite
She never finds no trouble, she tries too hard
She's obvious despite herself
Jodie has a tendency to act out of boredom, rather than genuine malice, although her attention-seeking behavior can be obvious to those around her.
She says all she needs is therapy, yeah
All you need is, love is all you need
Jodie recognizes her own emotional struggles and hopes that therapy can help her overcome them, while also referencing the famous Beatles song to highlight the power of love.
Jodie never sleeps 'cause there are always needles in the hay
She says that a girl needs a gun these days
Hey on account of all the rattlesnakes
Jodie is constantly on edge and feels the need to stay alert at all times, due to the perceived dangers in the world.
Her heart, heart's like crazy paving
Upside down and back to front
She says "ooh, it's so hard to love
When love was your great disappointment."
Jodie's emotional state is in disarray, as she struggles to come to terms with past trauma and finds it difficult to connect with others on a deeper level because of it.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LLOYD COLE, NEIL ROBERT CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Kuczynski
Here are these amazing and wonderful lyrics :
Jodie wears a hat although it hasn't rained for six days
She says a girl needs a gun these days
Hey, on account of all the rattlesnakes
She looks like Eva Marie Saint in "On the Waterfront"
She reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance
She is less than sure if her heart has come to stay in San Jose
And her neverborn child still haunts her
As she speeds down the freeway
As she tries her luck with the traffic police
Out of boredom more than spite
She never finds no trouble, she tries too hard
She's obvious despite herself
She looks like Eva Marie Saint in "On the Waterfront"
She says all she needs is therapy
Yeah, all you need is love is all you need
Jodie never sleeps because there are always needles in the hay
She says that a girl needs a gun these days
Hey, on account of all the rattlesnakes
She looks like Eva Marie Saint in "On the Waterfront"
As she reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance
Her heart... heart's like crazy paving
Upside down and back to front
She says, "Ooh, it's so hard to love
When love was your great disappointment"
Kate Walker
My dad was a single parent who raised me n my sister after our mum left for drugs. He used to sing to us and dance to this song round the front room. What an amazing song and lyrics. They don't make them like this anymore ❤❤❤
Brenton Thorogood
Rattle snakes this is real music,it's smooth and easy to listen to,not like alot of the shit music that is around now
ukuburu1972
Your dad is a hero! Praise men like him ❤
Kate Walker
@ukuburu1972 ❤️❤️❤️
RAZIELѮ†
for sure,nearly 60, love the memories of the time
Michael Mason
A real man
El diván de Louis Cypher
Not only this song, the whole album is sensational.
J RVR
What an amazing display of talent. This is one of those rare songs in which everything is exactly in its place. Lyrics, drums, bassline, guitar strums, string flourishes... A masterpiece of the genre.
FreeRadicals
This song brings back a lot of memories to the fantastic music that has been made in the 80s. Rattlesnakes is legendary.
Paul Maney
Certainly "Rattlesnakes" is one of the GREATEST debut records of all-time! It's the gift that's kept giving for three and a half decades!