History YMMV / PaulaCole

* TearJerker: Oh so many...
** "Hush, Hush, Hush" is a lullaby sung by a father to his gay son, who is dying of AIDS.
** "I Don't Want to Wait" is most certainly one, even if you remember its connection to a [[Series/DawsonsCreek certain teen drama]].
** As {{Anvilicious}} as "Be Somebody" is, the opening verse, about a young boy seeing his father's killer and realizing his decision to tell the police what he saw will mean his own death, hits you in the gut. Too bad the rest of the song is so filled with upper-middle-class liberal pretension that it can't sustain the momentum of the opening.
** With a title like "She Can't Feel Anything Anymore" you know it's going to be a downer, but my ''GOD''!

** "I Don't Want to Wait" is most certainly one if you can listen to it without remembering its connection to a [[Series/DawsonsCreek sappy high school drama]].

** With a title like "She Can't Feel Anything Anymore" you know it's going to be a downer, but My ''GOD''!

* SignatureSong: "I Don't Want to Wait", thanks to ''Series/DawsonsCreek''.

** "Hush, Hush, Hush" is a lullaby sung by a farther to his gay son, who is dying of AIDS.

** As {{Anvilicious}} as "Be Somebody" is, the opening verse, about a young boy seeing his father's killer and realizing his decision to tell the police what he saw will mean his own death, hits you in the gut. Too bad the rest of the song is so filled with upper-middle class liberal pretension that it can't sustain the momentum of the opening.

* SignatureSong: "I Don't Want to Wait".

* EarWorm: "I Don't Want to Wait".[[note]]''For our liiiiives to be OV-EEERRRR...''[[/note]]

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The full-length version of "I Don't Want to Wait", especially the verse that was cut from the radio version.

* EarWorm: "I Don't Want to Wait".[[note]]''For our liiiiives to be OV-EEERRRR...[[/note]]

* EarWorm: "I Don't Want to Wait".

* LesYay: "Carmen."

* SignatureSong: "I Don't Want to Wait"

** "I Don't Want to Wait" is most certainly one if you can listen to it without remembering it's connection to a [[Series/DawsonsCreek sappy high school drama]].

* NightmareFuel: The unexpected backmasking at the end of "Tiger."[[note]]It's just the first few lines of the song played backwards.[[/note]]

** "I Don't Want to Wait" is most certainly one if you can listen to it [[FanonDiscontinuity without remembering]] it's connection to a [[Series/DawsonsCreek sappy high school drama]].

* NightmareFuel: The [[HellIsThatNoise unexpected backmasking]] at the end of "Tiger."[[note]]It's just the first few lines of the song played backwards.[[/note]]

** This was largely the reason why her album ''Amen'' bombed. Many people didn't like how Anvilicious the album was.

** "I Don't Want to Wait" is most certainly one if you can listen to it [[FanonDiscontinuity without remembering]] it's connection to a [[DawsonsCreek sappy high school drama]].

** "Hilter's Brothers". If your song title breaks GodwinsLaw, it's already pretty Anvilicious, however Cole doesn't stop there, following it up by graphically describing [[BirthOfANation a KKK]] cross burning, a racially motivated gang rape, and the [[ChainedToARailway particularly gruesome]] lynching of a Hispanic man. The bridge of the song is Hitler giving a speech.

* MagnumOpus: Many people consider ''This Fire'' to be this.

* {{Signature Song}}s: "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" and "I Don't Want to Wait".

** With a title like ''She Can't Feel Anything Anymore'' you know it's going to be a downer, but My ''GOD''!

** "Hitler's Brothers". If your song title breaks GodwinsLaw, it's already pretty Anvilicious, however Cole doesn't stop there, following it up by graphically describing [[BirthOfANation a KKK]] cross burning, a racially motivated gang rape, and the [[ChainedToARailway particularly gruesome]] lynching of a Hispanic man. The bridge of the song is Hitler giving a speech.

** "Hush, Hush, Hush" is a lullaby sung by a father to his gay son, who is dying of AIDS.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: On ''Amen'', Cole learned the hard way that rhythm and blues and white bourgeoisie liberalism just don't mix that well.

** "Hilter's Brothers". If your song title breaks GodwinsLaw, it's already pretty Anvilicious, however Cole doesn't stop there, following it up by graphically describing [[BirthOfANation a KKK]] cross burning, a racially motivated gang rape, and the [[ChainedToARailway particularly gruesome]] lynching of a Hispanic man. The bridge of the song is Hitler giving a speech.

** "Hush, Hush, Hush" is a lullaby sung by a farther to his gay son, who is dying of AIDS.

** "Be Somebody" starts with the line "I want to be somebody / I want to make a difference" and manages to invoke gang violence, MalcolmX, and police brutality before it gets done.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Most of her political songs are this to some degree, but special mention must be made of the following
** ''Hilter's Brothers'': If your song title breaks GodwinsLaw, it's already pretty Anvilicious, however Cole doesn't stop there, following it up by graphically describing [[BirthOfANation a KKK]] cross burning, a racially motivated gang rape, and the [[ChainedToARailway particularly gruesome]] lynching of a Hispanic man. The bridge of the song is Hitler giving a speech.
** ''Be Somebody'': this song starts with the line "I want to be somebody / I want to make a difference" and manages to invoke gang violence, MalcolmX, and police brutality before it gets done.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The full-length version of ''I Don't Want to Wait'', especially the verse that was cut from the radio version.

** And don't even try to offer an interpretation of ''Nietzsche's Eyes'' if you're not familiar with the titular figure's work.
** Subverted by ''Chiaroscuro.'' Cole apparently felt the word was so obscure that the liner notes include a definition separate from the song lyrics.

** ''Hush, Hush, Hush'' is a lullaby sung by a farther to his gay son, who is dying of AIDS.
** ''I Don't Want to Wait'' if you can listen to it [[FanonDiscontinuity without remembering]] it's connection to a [[DawsonsCreek sappy high school drama]].
** As {{Anvilicious}} as ''Be Somebody'' is, the opening verse, about a young boy seeing his father's killer and realizing his decision to tell the police what he saw will mean his own death, hits you in the gut. Too bad the rest of the song is so filled with upper-middle class liberal pretension that it can't sustain the momentum of the opening.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Rhythm and blues and white bourgeoisie liberalism just don't mix that well it turns out.

* EarWorm: "I Don't Want to Wait". Woe betide you if you cry in public while singing this song...

** ''I Don't Want to Wait'' if you can listen to it [[FanonDiscontinuity without remembering]] it's connection to a sappy high school drama.

** ''I Don't Want to Wait'' if you can listen to it [[DisContinuity without remembering]] it's connection to a sappy high school drama.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Rhythm and blues and white bourgeoisie liberalism just don't mix that well it turns out.

* GeniusBonus: One needs to have a least a passing familiarity with New Left thought and identity politics to get a few of the references in Cole's first album.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Rhythm and blues and white bourgeoisie liberalism just don't mix that well it turns out.
* YourMileageMayVary: A brilliant and strong Grammy-winning female artist, or a [[DoesNotLikeMen man-hating]] StrawFeminist? And then there are the people who don't have anything against her but just don't think she's very good.