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.
She´s a girl and I´m a man
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And so she guessed he was deep
She swore he'd never been to college
And was too tall to be
So as she led him to the slaughter
Thinking she'd be laughing last
Now the lady in the question is his better half
She's gotta be the stupidest girl I've ever seen
She's got a right to be
With all that's wrong with me
But she doesn't want to understand
That she's a girl, and I'm a man
He thought that women and drink would make a man out of him
But the extent of his studies left a jaded man
So as she led him to the altar, he was easily led
And when they asked him if he did
Wwell then this is what he said
She's gotta be the stupidest girl I've ever seen
She don't care who, why, where I've been
She's got a right to be
With all that's wrong with me
But she doesn't want to understand
That she's a girl, and I'm a man
Well she's a girl, and I'm a man
She's a girl, and I'm a man
She's a girl, and I'm a man
She's a girl, and I'm a man
She's a girl, and I'm a man
She's a girl
She's gotta be the stupidest girl I've ever seen
She don't care who, why, where I've been
She's got a right to be, with all that's wrong with me
But she doesn't want to understand
That she's a girl, and I'm her man
Every time she's near me
She gives me any reason to be alive
Try to get right
Yeah, she looks right through me
She says you're not cool
You're just like me
You're a stupid man
Get over here, hold my stupid hand
She's all right, yeah
You wouldn't understand
Sister is a man fan
She's gotta be the stupidest girl I've ever seen
She don't care who, why, where I've been
She's got a right to be
With all that's wrong with me
But she doesn't want to understand
That she's a girl, and I'm a man
The song "She's a Girl and I'm a Man" by Lloyd Cole and The Commotions is a commentary on gender dynamics and the misconceptions that often arise when those dynamics are misinterpreted. The song tells the story of a man who is perceived by a woman to be "deep" and "jaded" because he is not conventionally successful, despite the fact that he is actually quite unintelligent and uninspired. The woman is portrayed as being naive and uninterested in understanding the complexities of the man's life, while the man is portrayed as being too preoccupied with superficial pleasures like women and alcohol to truly grow as a person. The lyrics suggest that both parties are to blame for their unfulfilling relationship, and that they should strive to understand each other better in order to reach a more fulfilling and authentic connection.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was released as a single in 1985, but did not appear on any of the band's albums until the 1992 compilation album "1992-1986: Lloyd Cole and The Commotions - Collected Recordings". Another interesting fact is that the song was reportedly inspired by a real-life encounter that Lloyd Cole had with a woman who was dismissive of him due to his lack of conventionally successful attributes. Additionally, the song features a distinctive guitar riff that is instantly recognizable, and which is often cited as one of the defining features of the band's sound.
Chords: A, G, D, G->___ A, G, D, G (repeat)
Line by Line Meaning
She said she didn't understand
The woman expressed her confusion
And so she guessed he was deep
She assumed he was complex
She swore he'd never been to college
She claimed he never went to university
And was too tall to be
She thought he was too physically big for it
So as she led him to the slaughter
She tricked him with deceitful intentions
Thinking she'd be laughing last
Believing she would come out on top
Now the lady in the question
Refers to his partner
is his better half
She's a significant part of his life
She's gotta be the stupidest girl I've ever seen
He thinks she's foolish
She don't care who, why, where I've been
She has no interest in his past or life
She's got a right to be
She has a right to choose him
With all that's wrong with me
Despite his flaws
But she doesn't want to understand
She refuses to comprehend
That she's a girl, and I'm a man
He is asserting the obvious differences between them
He thought that women and drink would make a man out of him
He believed that drinking and wooing women was a sign of his manhood
But the extent of his studies left a jaded man
His education and life experiences left him disillusioned
And when they asked him if he did
Referring to marriage
Wwell then this is what he said
He gave his answer
Well she's a girl, and I'm a man
Reinforcing again the gender differences
She's a girl
He keeps repeating it as an emphasis
Every time she's near me
He is affected by her presence
She gives me any reason to be alive
As if she is the reason he exists
Try to get right
He's trying to do better
Yeah, she looks right through me
He feels invisible to her
She says you're not cool, You're just like me
She sees through his facade and thinks they are both ordinary
You're a stupid man
An insult to him
Get over here, hold my stupid hand
She still wants him there though
She's all right, yeah
He still thinks she's okay
You wouldn't understand
Assuming people wouldn't comprehend
Sister is a man fan
A woman who likes masculine things
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind