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.
Obsolete
Toyah Lyrics
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Obsolete
We're the obsolete
In the dawn
Where fire and darkness meet
The electric chair
And death will greet
To obviate
We'll always exist
We're death denied
Penetrate your walls and slip inside
We'll split your persona
See your mind divide
Pull you apart
Take your mind for a ride
Boy child
Girl child
Discover their lips
Discover scent
What makes life tick
Boy child
Girl child
Discover new tricks
New reason for fun
Another law to run from
We scanned their skies
With stardust eyes
And kissed their rainbow minds
So we jumped right down
And played the clown
To their glittering kind
They clapped and cheered
It was mighty weird
But we had to go back home
So we went to the ship
For our cosmic trip
Right through their Dome
Boy child
Girl child
Discover their lips
Discover scent
What makes life tick
Boy child
Girl child
Discover new tricks
New reason for fun
Another law to run from
With reference to the futures
We're just time troubled creatures
With reference to the futures
We're just God's forgotten sons
With reference to your mothers
We're the Devil's wanton beasts
With reference to your brothers
Your sister's pretty neat
Obsolete
We're the obsolete
In the dawn
Where fire and darkness meet
The electric chair
And death will greet
To obviate
The obsolete
Obsolete
We're the obsolete
In the dawn
Where fire and darkness meet
The electric chair
And death will greet
To obviate
The obsolete
The song "Obsolete" by Toyah explores the concept of being outdated, of being an unwanted presence in a world that constantly evolves, and of never truly dying. In the opening lines of the song, Toyah sings "We're the obsolete, in the dawn where fire and darkness meet, the electric chair and death will greet to obviate the obsolete." These lines suggest that the singer and those like her are being pushed out, forcibly removed from a world that has outgrown them. However, they remain present, existing in some form, ready to penetrate the walls of those who remain.
The song goes on to explore the idea of being outsiders, of being different from those around you. The lines "Boy child, girl child, discover their lips, discover scent, what makes life tick" suggest a sense of exploration, a desire to learn and grow. However, this is tempered with the knowledge that their difference marks them as threats, as something to be feared. As the song progresses, the singer notes that they have "scanned their skies with stardust eyes", yet remain ignored and forgotten by those they seek to understand. Ultimately, the song suggests a sense of isolation, of being alone and forgotten in a world that has moved on.
Overall, "Obsolete" is a song about difference and the fear that comes with it. It explores the idea of being unwanted, of being cast aside by society, and ultimately left to exist outside of it. Through these lyrics, Toyah encourages her listeners to acknowledge the pain of others and to work towards building a world where everyone can belong.
Line by Line Meaning
We're the obsolete
We are no longer needed or useful in society
In the dawn
Where fire and darkness meet
At the beginning of something, when chaos and violence collide
The electric chair
And death will greet
To obviate
The obsolete
Symbols of punishment and finality await those who are no longer needed
We'll always exist
We're death denied
Penetrate your walls and slip inside
We will persist, even if we are unwanted. We have the ability to get in your head
We'll split your persona
See your mind divide
Pull you apart
Take your mind for a ride
We will cause you to doubt yourself, question your reality, and drive you crazy
Boy child
Girl child
Discover their lips
Discover scent
What makes life tick
Exploring the physical and emotional sensations of life
Boy child
Girl child
Discover new tricks
New reason for fun
Another law to run from
Experimenting with new experiences, finding new ways to enjoy life, and breaking the rules
We scanned their skies
With stardust eyes
And kissed their rainbow minds
We examined their thoughts and emotions, and found beauty in them
So we jumped right down
And played the clown
To their glittering kind
We tried to fit in and be liked by them
They clapped and cheered
It was mighty weird
But we had to go back home
We were accepted, but ultimately couldn't stay
So we went to the ship
For our cosmic trip
Right through their Dome
We left and traveled to another world
With reference to the futures
We're just time troubled creatures
With reference to the futures
We're just God's forgotten sons
We are lost and unsure of what will happen next
With reference to your mothers
We're the Devil's wanton beasts
With reference to your brothers
Your sister's pretty neat
We are seen as evil by some, but admired by others
We're the obsolete
In the dawn
Where fire and darkness meet
The electric chair
And death will greet
To obviate
The obsolete
We are no longer valued, and punishment and death await us
Obsolete
We're the obsolete
In the dawn
Where fire and darkness meet
The electric chair
And death will greet
To obviate
The obsolete
Repeating the idea that we are no longer needed, and we will face punishment and death
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BURTON C. BELL, CHRISTIAN OLDE WOLBERS, DINO A.M. CAZARES, RAYMOND HERRERA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind