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.
Love Me
Toyah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A dissolute city screams sublime obscenities at me
You, you won't love me
If you won't pursue me through your streets
Please abuse me, throw my body to the floor
I don't want to be alone no more
Deep, dark, empty corridors
In the city
Is the city alive tonight?
Or am I alone as always is?
In the night
If you, you won't love me
If you won't pursue me through your streets
Please abuse me
You're gonna throw my body to the floor
I don't wanna be alone tonight
Touch me
Talking morals
A dissolute city bleeds me
Makes me feel paranoid
?
Illuminated booth ?
You abuse me
Throw my body to the floor
You abuse me
Throw my body to the floor
Don't you like my bird shape
Don't you like my body no more?
??
The lyrics of Toyah's song "Love Me" convey a feeling of loneliness, longing, and desperation for love and attention. The opening line, "Standing alone on a treacherous landscape," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is in a dissolute city where people scream obscene things at her, making her feel alienated and lost. She pleads with someone to love her and pursue her, even if it means abusing her or throwing her body to the floor. She doesn't want to be alone anymore. The second verse emphasizes the emptiness of the city and the singer's isolation. She wonders if the city is alive tonight or if she is alone as always. She continues to beg for love and attention, asking to be touched, even though she feels paranoid and bleeding.
Overall, the lyrics of "Love Me" evoke a sense of yearning and vulnerability. The singer is willing to do anything to be seen and loved, even if it means subjecting herself to abuse or humiliation. The imagery of the dissolute city and the empty corridors reinforces the feeling of isolation and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing alone on a treacherous landscape
I feel isolated and vulnerable in this dangerous environment
A dissolute city screams sublime obscenities at me
This city is corrupt and immoral, and I feel as though it's mocking me
You, you won't love me
I'm feeling unloved and rejected by you
If you won't pursue me through your streets
I need you to show me that you care by actively pursuing me
Please abuse me, throw my body to the floor
I would rather have any attention, even if it's negative, than be ignored
I don't want to be alone no more
I'm tired of feeling lonely and want to be with someone
Deep, dark, empty corridors
I am in a place that feels spooky and abandoned
Swimming prisms full of light
I see the light reflecting off of the water, creating a beautiful, swirling pattern
In the city
I am in the heart of the urban landscape
Is the city alive tonight?
I wonder if the city is bustling with activity and energy
Or am I alone as always is?
Despite being in a busy city, I still feel alone as usual
In the night
It's dark outside, and I am consumed with my thoughts
Touch me
I want physical affection and intimacy with someone
Talking morals
People are having discussions about what is right and wrong
A dissolute city bleeds me
This morally corrupt city is emotionally draining me
Makes me feel paranoid
I am becoming anxious and fearful in this environment
Illuminated booth ?
I see a brightly lit booth, but I'm not sure what it's for
You abuse me
You mistreat and take advantage of me
Don't you like my bird shape
I am feeling self-conscious about my appearance and questioning if you find me attractive
Don't you like my body no more?
I am insecure and worried that you are no longer attracted to me physically
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIC MARTIN, ERIC LEE MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind