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.
Restless
Toyah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well you know I've been dloating here for hours
Just like this
Suspended gently swaying like a pendulum
Look, no strings attached
There's the odd insect
It don't worry traffic control
But I just don't seem to wake up
Seen riots, yes riots in Tibet
Seen the burning monks
Crackling in pain
Saw bombs in Gibraltar
Fear in Christ's eyes
Frozen in concrete
As all of Europe fries
Wake up a mother's son
Lynched in a graveyard
Bullets in MacDonald's
Mottos born to kill
Tattoed on children's skin
And when I saw the hole in the sky
At the north pole
I really wanted to wake up
I heard the last breath of the dolphin
Behind the doors on the fourth floor
Of a Manchester morgue
Little fingers on the durex machine
God bless them,
Yes God bless them
And God bless Milton Keynes
Now I've been floating here
For thirty years
>From the mid west to the North Sea
Seen nothing but soot covered misery
Witnessed crossbreeding giving birth to
Bad dreams now I want to wake up
Now I'm floating here on the outer atmosphere
And I've brushed aside the waste paper
There's a sign,
It says
"Self destruct in 99"
Evacuate.
The song "Restless" by Toyah Willcox presents an undeniably powerful, dystopian vision of the world that demands to be interpreted. The opening lines describe the singer floating aimlessly like a pendulum, suggesting a disconnection from reality, as if she is lost in her own thoughts. The imagery of an insect buzzing around indicates that, even in the face of potential catastrophe, the world continues to turn, oblivious to the singer's inner turmoil. As the song progresses, we are taken on a journey around the world, from Budapest to the North Pole, and witness a series of disturbing and violent events. From riots in Tibet to bullets in MacDonald's, the message is clear: the world is full of chaos and senseless destruction. The singer's repeated desire to "wake up" suggests a sense of apathy or resignation, as if she wishes to be freed from her awareness of the darkness that surrounds her.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you know I've been dloating here for hours
I have been floating aimlessly in this state of limbo for a long time.
Just like this
Without any sense of direction or purpose.
Suspended gently swaying like a pendulum
I am floating in the air, swaying back and forth like a pendulum.
Look, no strings attached
There is nothing holding me in place, I am free to move as I please.
There's the odd insect
I am surrounded by small creatures, but they do not bother me.
It don't worry traffic control
All this activity around me does not affect me or my state of being.
But I just don't seem to wake up
Despite all that is happening around me, I cannot seem to snap out of this state.
I've been all the way to Budapest
I have been to many places in my life, including Budapest.
Seen riots, yes riots in Tibet
I have witnessed violent protests and unrest in Tibet.
Seen the burning monks
I have seen self-immolating monks setting themselves on fire in protest.
Crackling in pain
Their screams of pain fill the air as they burn.
Saw bombs in Gibraltar
I have seen bombings in Gibraltar.
Fear in Christ's eyes
I have seen fear in the eyes of those who would be considered holy, such as Christ.
Frozen in concrete
I have seen things that are meant to last forever be encased in concrete.
As all of Europe fries
As Europe descends into chaos and destruction, I watch from my state of detachment.
Wake up a mother's son
I pray for all the mothers out there who have lost their sons to senseless violence and war.
Lynched in a graveyard
I have seen people killed in the most horrific ways, even in places where they should be able to rest in peace.
Bullets in MacDonald's
I have seen violence even in places that should be safe, like a fast food restaurant.
Mottos born to kill
I have seen ideologies that are driven by the desire to kill and destroy.
Tattoed on children's skin
Children are being taught this hate and violence from a young age and are often helpless to resist it.
And when I saw the hole in the sky
I have seen the devastating effects of climate change and how it has impacted our world.
At the north pole
Even the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth are not immune to the effects of human activity.
I really wanted to wake up
I am desperate for a change in the world and for people to start taking action to prevent further harm.
I heard the last breath of the dolphin
I have seen firsthand the destruction of entire species and the effects of pollution on the environment.
Behind the doors on the fourth floor
Even in places where death is a constant presence, like a morgue, there is still a sense of sadness and loss.
Of a Manchester morgue
I have witnessed the grief of families and loved ones who have lost someone close to them.
Little fingers on the durex machine
Even the most innocent and vulnerable among us are not immune to the harsh realities of the world.
God bless them,
I pray for the safety and well-being of all children in the world.
Yes God bless them
And God bless Milton Keynes
I extend my prayers to this particular city, wishing for their safety as well.
Now I've been floating here
I am still in the same state of detachment as before.
For thirty years
I have been stuck in this limbo for a long time.
From the mid west to the North Sea
I have seen much of the world and the destruction that we as humans have wrought upon it.
Seen nothing but soot covered misery
Everywhere I look, there is only pain and suffering.
Witnessed crossbreeding giving birth to
I have seen the mixing of cultures and ideas, sometimes resulting in new and terrible ways of thinking.
Bad dreams now I want to wake up
I am overwhelmed by the horror of what I have seen and desperately want to be free of it.
Now I'm floating here on the outer atmosphere
I am now even more detached from the world around me.
And I've brushed aside the waste paper
Despite the terrible things I have seen, there is still useless detritus that I can easily brush aside.
There's a sign,
I have come across a warning of what is to come.
It says
Self destruct in 99
I have seen the signs of impending doom and destruction if we do not change our ways.
Evacuate.
We need to take action now to save ourselves and the world we live in.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVE SIDELNYK, TOYAH ANN WILLCOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind