She attended Edgbaston C of E College where she gained a GCE pass in music and trained as an actress at the Old Rep Drama School in her home town of Birmingham. Toyah's father ran successful joinery businesses.
She first became well-known during the punk rock era, her appearances in Derek Jarman's 1977 film Jubilee and 1979's Who album-inspired Quadrophenia launching her as a provocative and anti-establishment figure, an image she eventually abandoned.
Fronting a band known as Toyah, her singing career was slow to take off and the band released six singles in the UK before finally hitting the charts in 1981, with "It's A Mystery" and "I Want To Be Free". These singles were also successful on an international level. In 1982, she was voted Best Female Singer at the British Rock and Pop Awards — since restyled as The BRIT Awards, or "BRITs" — and in 1986 she married UK guitarist Robert Fripp. She was one of the first acts to score regularly in the UK Singles Chart with EPs. Also in 1986, Willcox sang lead on the Tony Banks track "Lion of Symmetry". In 1987 she made the top fifty with her version of "Echo Beach".
Since then, she has become a well-known (and more conventional) face on television and in the theatre. She has played straight roles, including in Quatermass (1979) and in Shakespeare plays, and appeared as a presenter of programmes such as Songs of Praise, Holiday (BBC), and Good Sex Guide Late. In 1999, she took the lead in the children's television series, Barmy Aunt Boomerang. She also provides the voiceover for the children's television programmes, the Teletubbies and Brum. More recently, she appeared in the reality television series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! and I'm Famous and Frightened!.
Following her 2000 autobiography Living Out Loud, Toyah had a further autobiographical book published in 2005 documenting her experience of cosmetic surgery, Diary of a Facelift.
She has appeared on radio including the 2002 BBC Radio 4 series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
She continues to perform with her band, releasing a live DVD in 2005, and has a busy schedule with theatre commitments, including appearing on stage in London's West End performing the title role of Calamity Jane at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2003.
She is currently appearing in the musical 'Vampire's Rock' in theatres across the UK.
Dear Diary
Toyah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's always late, she overslept
Brings the bitchy words with her cigarettes
Left her little mind behind the last film set
Monroe-esque, a bored starlette
Who says boys don't cry
Dear diary
She's always poor but she's being kept
She's always bored, she's always tireless
While you're playing with words
She's playing with the Jet-Set
How about you, she doesn't care less
Who says boys don't cry
Who says boys don't cry
Dear Diary
Who said boys don't cry
Dear diary
It's easy if you really try
Dear diary
Tender hooks so gentle so sharp
Dear diary
Those tender hooks take you gently apart
As night arrives with impending doom
She leaves you sleepless in a litter-ridden room
You want to take her under your wing
She wants someone to make her into something
Who says boys don't cry
Who says boys don't cry
Dear Diary
Who said boys don't cry
Dear diary
It's easy if you really try
Dear diary
Tender hooks so gentle so sharp
Dear diary
Those tender hooks take you gently apart
Dear Diary
Who said boys don't cry
Dear diary
It's easy if you really try
Dear diary
Tender hooks so gentle so sharp
Dear diary
Those tender hooks take you gently apart
Dear diary
Who said boys don't cry
Dear diary
It's easy if you really try
Dear diary
Tender hooks so gentle so sharp
Dear diary
Those tender hooks take you gently apart
Who says
Dear diary
Who says
Dear diary
Who says
Dear diary
Who says
Dear diary
The lyrics to Toyah's "Dear Diary" demonstrate the singer's frustration with a woman who appears to have many negative qualities. The woman is consistently late and brings a negative attitude with her, carrying "bitchy words" along with her cigarettes. Despite being kept by someone, she always seems to be bored and tireless. The singer, in contrast, is playing with words while the woman is playing with the Jet-Set. The woman is described as Monroe-esque, giving an air of a bored starlette.
The chorus of the song presents a repeated question, "Who says boys don't cry?" The use of this question makes an interesting dichotomy with the rest of the song, which focuses on the flaws of a certain woman. It could be interpreted as a rhetorical question that challenges societal expectations of masculine strength and emotionlessness. The lines "it's easy if you really try" and "those tender hooks take you gently apart" add to this interpretation, as they seem to acknowledge that expressing emotions can be difficult but ultimately rewarding.
The singer's frustration with the woman is further highlighted in the second verse. The woman is "always poor" but being kept, and the singer implies that she doesn't care about them by saying "How about you, she doesn't care less." The latter half of the verse indicates that the woman is not interested in those who are focused on creating something, but rather those who will make her into something.
Overall, "Dear Diary" is a song that focuses on the flaws of a particular woman and makes references to societal expectations of masculinity. Though it has a primarily negative tone, the chorus seems to encourage emotional expression as something that can be both difficult and rewarding.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear diary, dear diary
Addressing the imaginary diary as if it were a person, emphasizing the personal and intimate nature of the content to follow.
She's always late, she overslept
Describing the subject's chronic tardiness and tendency to sleep in.
Brings the bitchy words with her cigarettes
Implying that smoking is correlated with the subject's nasty demeanor.
Left her little mind behind the last film set
Suggesting the subject's lack of intelligence or focus in favor of a glamorous lifestyle.
Monroe-esque, a bored starlette
Comparing the subject's personality and demeanor to that of the legendary movie star Marilyn Monroe.
Who says boys don't cry
A rhetorical question, challenging the notion that men cannot express their emotions.
She's always poor but she's being kept
Describing the subject's financial situation, which is precarious but not entirely self-sufficient.
She's always bored, she's always tireless
Suggesting that the subject is never satisfied, and always striving for more.
While you're playing with words
Implying that the artist is more introspective or artistic than the subject.
She's playing with the Jet-Set
Indicating the subject's preoccupation with high society and lavish lifestyles.
How about you, she doesn't care less
Suggesting that the subject is self-centered, and not particularly interested in the singer's perceived shortcomings.
As night arrives with impending doom
Painting a dramatic and ominous picture of the evening hours.
She leaves you sleepless in a litter-ridden room
Describing how the subject's presence can unsettle and agitate the singer.
You want to take her under your wing
Implying that the singer feels a sense of responsibility to protect or care for the subject.
She wants someone to make her into something
Indicating the subject's dissatisfaction with her current state, and desire for external validation.
Who says boys don't cry
Echoing the earlier rhetorical question, once again challenging outdated gender norms.
Tender hooks so gentle so sharp
Metaphorically describing the pain inflicted by emotional turmoil.
Those tender hooks take you gently apart
Further elaborating on the painful and emotionally damaging experience alluded to earlier.
Who said boys don't cry
Reiterating the rhetorical question, emphasizing the central theme of the song.
Who says
A partial phrase, used as a refrain to create a sense of anticipation and urgency.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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