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.
Wild Orphan
Lloyd Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the worst hotel that you've ever dreamed
A frayed linoleum paradise
Where you walk on cash and you calloused heels and
Oh, to count the cost of no returning
No, when innocence is lost
You just keep turning wild
My orphan child
My orphan wild in the wilderness
And you look a little like Jodie Foster
12 years old but your eyes are 35
And that's no joking matter
You've got no body hair and nobody cares
But no, you know it all
I can't deny it
Cute, with razor blade in pocket
Well, I don't buy it
And so when I see you smile
It only makes me want to cry
My wild orphan child
My orphan wild in the world
I saw you, babe, at the Mirabelle
Feeding oysters from the half shell
Oh, but you're such a busy girl
You say
I know where the real money is found
Inside of a hopelessness and yearning
Yes, and cold is what to be
To touch the burning flame I see
The lyrics to Lloyd Cole's "Wild Orphan" paint a picture of a young girl who has been forced to grow up too quickly. She's standing in the corridor of a run-down hotel, where the linoleum is frayed and money is the only thing that walks with ease. We learn that she's lost her innocence and her childhood, and that she's turned wild as a result.
The singer compares her to Jodie Foster, who famously played a twelve-year-old prostitute in the film "Taxi Driver." The girl in the song has the eyes of someone much older than her actual age, and she doesn't seem to care about her lack of bodily hair. The singer can't deny that she's cute, but he also sees the razor blade in her pocket and recognizes the danger that she represents.
Line by Line Meaning
You're standing out in the corridor
The song starts by describing a scene where the singer is standing alone in a hotel hallway.
Of the worst hotel that you've ever dreamed
The hotel is not nice, and the singer finds it difficult to be there.
A frayed linoleum paradise
The hotel is in bad condition, but it has a flawed charm.
Where you walk on cash and your calloused heels
The floor is tiled with cash, and the artist's feet have become damaged from walking on it.
Oh, to count the cost of no returning
The artist is contemplating the price of adventuring beyond a point of return where they can never go back to where they were.
No, when innocence is lost
The singer knows that there is no going back once their innocence is lost.
You just keep turning wild
Once the singer has lost their innocence, they start to become wild and uncontrollable.
My wild orphan child
The artist is referred to as a wild orphan child, which reflects their unchecked and vulnerable state.
My orphan child
The artist is alone and unprotected, like an orphan.
My orphan wild in the wilderness
The song describes the artist as wild and alone in the midst of a broader wilderness or society.
And you look a little like Jodie Foster
The singer is compared to a famous actress, Jodie Foster.
12 years old but your eyes are 35
Despite being only 12 years old, the artist has experienced more than most people do by age 35.
And that's no joking matter
The singer's premature maturity is not amusing.
You've got no body hair and nobody cares
The singer is undersized, underdeveloped, and overlooked.
But no, you know it all
The singer is not naive despite their youth.
I can't deny it
The artist is aware that the artist is aware of their situation.
Cute, with razor blade in pocket
The artist is physically cute but has the potential to become dangerous (a razor in their pocket).
Well, I don't buy it
The singer is skeptical of the singer's cute and innocent facade.
And so when I see you smile
The singer is affected when they see the singer's smile.
It only makes me want to cry
The artist is upset when they see the artist affected by a world that is too big and too cruel for them.
I saw you, babe, at the Mirabelle
The artist recalls seeing the artist at a specific restaurant called Mirabelle.
Feeding oysters from the half shell
The artist is enjoying luxury food, like oysters.
Oh, but you're such a busy girl
Despite being young, the singer is continuously active or very preoccupied with something.
You say
The artist is speaking.
I know where the real money is found
The singer knows where to find the most crucial, most significant reward in life.
Inside of a hopelessness and yearning
The singer believes that the real money, the real prize, is found within the depths of despair and longing.
Yes, and cold is what to be
The singer recognizes that they must remain cold and detached to obtain the emotional and material reward they are looking for.
To touch the burning flame I see
To attain the reward, the artist must make it past something or someone extremely dangerous (burning flame metaphor).
Contributed by Caroline R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.