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.
Seen The Future
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sold my ass, now my trousers fit again, yeah yeah
I blew my stash on hallucinogens
You love my song, well I don't know what it means, no
Man I need t.v.
For when I got my morrissey
Have you seen the future of rock and roll
Have you seen the future of rock and roll
(Have you seen the future of rock and roll)
All my friends do the model girl thing
So I found one, now she wears my nose ring
She's really beautiful
But she's hung up on the chelsea kid
And I'm a renaissance man but she just can't dig it, no
Man I need t.v.
For when I got my morrissey
Have you seen the future of rock and roll
(Have you seen the future of rock and roll)
Have you seen the future of rock and roll
(Have you seen the future of rock and roll)
Do you believe that the war is really over
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Do you believe your coast is really clear
And your batteries clean, do you know
Come on, yeah yeah yeah
Na na na na na na na na
Yeah yeah yeah
Na na na na na na na na
Yeah yeah yeah
(Have you seen it, have you seen it)
Na na na na na na na na
(Have you seen the future of rock and roll)
Yeah yeah yeah
(have you seen it, have you seen it)
Na na na na na na na na
(Have you seen the future of rock and roll)
The lyrics to "Seen The Future" by Lloyd Cole are full of surrealist imagery and cultural references that paint a vivid picture of a society that is consumed by celebrity, materialism and displaced values. In the opening lines, the singer speaks about freeing his mind in an oxygen tent, a reference to the popular practice of oxygen therapy. The line "sold my ass, now my trousers fit again" suggests that the singer has compromised his values to fit in with societal expectations. The singer also talks about blowing his stash on hallucinogens, indicating a search for a higher meaning but ultimately leading to confusion about the worthiness of his artistic expression.
The lyrics also mention the singer's need for TV, a modern-day medium used to escape reality and create a sense of identity. The singer mentions Morrissey, a British singer known for his melancholic lyrics that often allude to social and political issues. The repetition of the line "have you seen the future of rock and roll" is an existential question about the future of music, whether it will continue to be a source of art and resistance or fall prey to capitalism and conformity.
Overall, "Seen The Future" is a critique of contemporary culture and consumerism, lamenting the loss of values and principles that once defined self-expression and creativity.
Line by Line Meaning
I freed my mind in the oxygen tent
I did breathing exercises in an enclosed space to relieve my mind from stress.
Sold my ass, now my trousers fit again, yeah yeah
I sold something valuable so that I could fit into my trousers again.
I blew my stash on hallucinogens
I spent all my drugs on mind-altering substances.
You love my song, well I don't know what it means, no
Even though my song is appreciated, I cannot understand its meaning.
Man I need t.v.
I require television entertainment.
For when I got my Morrissey
Specifically to watch Morrissey.
Have you seen the future of rock and roll
Have you witnessed the forthcoming aspects of rock music genre?
All my friends do the model girl thing
My friends are infatuated with fashion models.
So I found one, now she wears my nose ring
I discovered a fashion model to be my companion and she now wears an accessory in her nose.
She's really beautiful
She is incredibly good-looking.
But she's hung up on the Chelsea kid
She is preoccupied with someone from the Chelsea area.
And I'm a renaissance man but she just can't dig it, no
Despite my versatility and open-mindedness, she is not interested in me.
Do you believe that the war is really over
Are you convinced that the conflicts are truly resolved?
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Do you believe your coast is really clear
Do you think you're in the clear with no danger around?
And your batteries clean, do you know
Are your plans and strategies pure and without deception?
Come on, yeah yeah yeah
(Na na na na na na na na)
Yeah yeah yeah
(Na na na na na na na na)
Yeah yeah yeah
(Have you seen it, have you seen it)
Na na na na na na na na
(Have you seen the future of rock and roll)
Yeah yeah yeah
(have you seen it, have you seen it)
Na na na na na na na na
(Have you seen the future of rock and roll)
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LLOYD COLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind