Lloyd Cole (born in Buxton on 31 January 1961) is an English-born singer an… Read Full Bio ↴Lloyd Cole (born in Buxton on 31 January 1961) is an English-born singer and songwriter, known for his role as lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and for his subsequent solo work.

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.

Too Much Of A Good Thing
Lloyd Cole Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If it's good for me
And it's good for you
Won't you stay with me
And I will stay with you, baby

Do you ever wonder
'Bout the way you move
You know what it does to me

You've got nothing to prove
Do you ever think about
Your natural grace
And how it is that it came to you
And landed on your sweet face

Ooh, ahh
Now every day that I go without you baby
Is a rainy day
I'm gonna get up in the morning
I'm gonna work all day
If that's what it takes
To be with you

If it's good for me
And it's good for you
Won't you stay with me
And I will stay with you
If it's good for me
And it's good for you
Won't you say to me
I want to stay with you, baby

Do you ever think about
The way that you move me
You know what it does to me
You've got nothing to prove to me
Do you ever think about
Your natural grace
And how it is that it came to you
And landed on your sweet face

Ooh, ahh
Now every day that I go without you baby
Is a rainy day
I'm gonna get up in the morning
I'm gonna work all day
If that's what it takes
To be with you

If it's good for me
And it's good for you
Won't you stay with me
And I will stay with you
If it's good for me
And it's good for you
Won't you say to me
I want to stay with you, darling

Waking up is hard to do
Except when I'm lying next to you baby

If it's good for me
And it's good for you
Won't you stay with me
And I will stay with you
If it's good for me
And it's good for you

Won't you say to me
I want

Overall Meaning

to stay with you, baby

Lloyd Cole's song "Too Much of a Good Thing" appears to be an ode to a romantic partner, imploring them to stay with the singer because their relationship is good for both parties. The lyrics of the song suggest that the subject of the song moves the singer emotionally and physically, with the latter being referred to with lines such as "Do you ever wonder 'bout the way you move/You know what it does to me/You've got nothing to prove." Furthermore, the singer seems to appreciate the natural grace that the subject possesses, highlighted by lines like "Do you ever think about/Your natural grace/And how it is that it came to you/And landed on your sweet face."

The chorus of the song, "If it's good for me/And it's good for you/Won't you stay with me/And I will stay with you," appears multiple times, punctuated by a bridge that exclaims, "Waking up is hard to do/Except when I'm lying next to you, baby." The focus of the song is on the bond between the singer and their partner, which seems to be mutually beneficial, hinted by lines like "If it's good for me/And it's good for you."

Overall, the song seems to be a straightforward declaration of love and admiration for a partner, with a focus on the physical and emotional connection between the two people involved.

Line by Line Meaning

If it's good for me
If this feeling is beneficial for my well-being

And it's good for you
And if it's beneficial for your well-being as well

Won't you stay with me
Would you stay with me so we can continue feeling this way together

And I will stay with you, baby
And I will stay with you, my dear, because I want to experience this feeling together

Do you ever wonder
Have you ever thought

'Bout the way you move
About how your movements affect me

You know what it does to me
You know the impact it has on me

You've got nothing to prove
You don't need to prove anything to me

Do you ever think about
Do you ever reflect on

Your natural grace
The innate elegance and poise that you possess

And how it is that it came to you
And how you acquired it