Signed to Polydor in 1984, the band was known for combining Clark's twangy guitar style with Cole's low-key singing style. Particularly notable were Cole's literary lyrics (he was studying Philosophy at the University of Glasgow when the band started) and name-dropping the likes of Norman Mailer, Arthur Lee, Grace Kelly, Truman Capote, Eva Marie Saint, Simone de Beauvoir, and Nancy Sinatra.
For a period in the mid 1980s the band was one of the most successful indie acts in Britain, vying with The Smiths. The band broke up in 1989 amid reports of personality clashes between members, and Cole moved to New York City to pursue a successful solo career. The band reformed in 2004 to perform a 20th anniversary tour of the UK and Ireland.
Band members
Lloyd Cole (born 31 January 1961) - vocals, guitar, lyricist
Blair Cowan (born 1960?) - keyboards
Lawrence Donegan (born 13 July 1961) - bass guitar
Neil Clark (born 3 July 1955) - guitar
Stephen Irvine (born 16 December 1959) - drums
Perfect Skin
Lloyd Cole and The Commotions Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm up on the pavement, they're all down in the cellar
With their government grants and my I.Q.
They brought me down to size, academia blues
Louise is a girl, I know her well
She's up on the pavement, yes she's a weather girl
And I'm staying up here so I may be undone
She's inappropriate, but then she's much more fun and
My eyes go out in vain
She's got perfect skin
Shame on you, you've got no sense of grace, shame on me
Ah just in case I might come to a conclusion
Other than that which is absolutely necessary
And that's perfect skin
Louise is the girl with the perfect skin
She says turn on the light, otherwise it can't be seen
She's got cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin
And she's sexually enlightened by cosmopolitan and
When she smiles my way
My eyes go out in vain
For her perfect skin
Yeah that's perfect skin
She takes me down to the basement to look at her slides
Of her family life, pretty weird at times
At the age of ten she looked like greta garbo
And I loved her then, but how was she to know that
When she smiles my way
My eyes go out in vain
She's got perfect skin
Up eight flights of stairs to her basement flat
Pretty confused huh, being shipped around like that
Seems we climbed so high now we're down so low
Strikes me the moral of this song must be there never has been one
In Lloyd Cole's song, "Perfect Skin", he opens by stating that he is very picky with whom he associates himself with. He is an intellectual and his friends, who are all below where he thinks they should be, are lower class and have no government grants. He feels discounted by his IQ and "academic blues" are creeping in. His attraction to Louise seems to be a rebellion. She is a 'weather girl' on TV and even though she is considered sexually provocative, he prefers her to his intellectual companions. Her perfect skin is a distant, stark contrast to the academia blues he feels.
Louise is an enigma. She requests him to turn on the light so she can be seen better. She has arch-shaped cheekbones that correspond with geometry and eyes that feel like sin. She's cosmopolitan and her comprehensive knowledge of human sexual behavior opened his eyes. She takes him down to her basement to show him slides of her bizarre family history. She resembled Greta Garbo at the age of ten and he loved her even then.
This song seems to be about a man who is bored with his current status in life and wants to find some excitement elsewhere. He does this by finding a woman outside of his intellectual circle, in Louise, who intrigues him with her perfect skin, sexual openness, and unusual family history. The song may also be understood as a warning about the dangers of conformity and the advantages of breaking out of one's comfort zone.
Line by Line Meaning
I choose my friends only far too well
I am highly selective about the people I associate myself with
I'm up on the pavement, they're all down in the cellar
My friends are not as successful as I am
With their government grants and my I.Q.
My friends are not as intelligent as I am
They brought me down to size, academia blues
My friends have a way of making me feel insecure about my intelligence
Louise is a girl, I know her well
I am familiar with a girl named Louise
She's up on the pavement, yes she's a weather girl
Louise is a successful weather girl
And I'm staying up here so I may be undone
I am staying at a distance to avoid falling for her
She's inappropriate, but then she's much more fun
She may be inappropriate, but she is more enjoyable to be around than my other friends
And when she smiles my way
When she smiles in my direction
My eyes go out in vain
I become infatuated with her looks
She's got perfect skin
Louise possesses attractive, flawless skin
Shame on you, you've got no sense of grace, shame on me
You lack grace, and I am ashamed for being attracted to you
Ah just in case I might come to a conclusion
I am not sure how I feel about her
Other than that which is absolutely necessary
I only want to think about what is necessary to avoid falling for her
And that's perfect skin
I cannot stop thinking about her attractive skin
She says turn on the light, otherwise it can't be seen
Louise asks me to turn on the light to appreciate her beauty
She's got cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin
Louise's cheekbones are striking, and her eyes are mesmerizingly alluring
And she's sexually enlightened by cosmopolitan
She has a cosmopolitan view on sex
And when she smiles my way
When she smiles in my direction
My eyes go out in vain
I become infatuated with her looks
For her perfect skin
I cannot stop thinking about her attractive skin
She takes me down to the basement to look at her slides
Louise shows me slide photographs of her family in her basement
Of her family life, pretty weird at times
The slide photos of her family can be strange
At the age of ten she looked like greta garbo
Louise resembled Greta Garbo at age ten
And I loved her then, but how was she to know that
I was in love with Louise as a child, but she never knew
Up eight flights of stairs to her basement flat
Louise's basement flat is located eight floors above ground level
Pretty confused huh, being shipped around like that
Louise may have experienced confusion being moved around so often
Seems we climbed so high now we're down so low
It appears that we have fallen from a high place
Strikes me the moral of this song must be there never has been one
It seems that this song lacks a moral
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LLOYD COLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jonhart7630
Lloyd got more musical talent in his right thumb than the 'pop stars' today. He wrote rattlesnakes when he was just 21/22.
@VJDadoKeller
😊👍✨
@alexnoir4327
That's insane
@Pcrimson1
I forgot all about this song. What a lost gem! This will go into heavy rotation on my playlists. Thx!
@hunterbennett3591
same !
@VJDadoKeller
Thanks 😊👍✨
@jonleary4166
This has given me chills since it came out.
@VJDadoKeller
😊👍✨
@user-bx7wi2pq1y
Love love love this song
@VJDadoKeller
😊👍🎶✨