Paula Cole
A singer-songwriter whose raw, confessional anthems of female longing and frustration defined a pivotal moment in 1990s pop music.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American singer·Birthday: April 5·Generation X
Biography
Paula Cole emerged from the Boston music scene with a voice that was both a powerful instrument and a vessel of deep vulnerability. Her breakthrough came not on record, but on stage as the sole female vocalist on Peter Gabriel's Secret World Tour, where her haunting harmonies and intense presence earned her a devoted following. Her 1996 album 'This Fire' became a cultural touchstone, fueled by the simmering frustration of 'Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?' and the cathartic roar of 'I Don't Want to Wait,' which later became the anthem for the television series 'Dawson's Creek.' Cole's success was hard-won and complex; she wrote, produced, and performed the album largely alone, a statement of artistic control in a male-dominated industry. After retreating from the spotlight to raise her daughter, she returned with a series of independent, jazz-inflected albums, proving her artistry was never confined to a single era or hit song.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Paula was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paula Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Paula's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Her album 'This Fire' earned seven Grammy Award nominations in 1998, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
- The single 'Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?' reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and became a defining song of the late 1990s.
- Performed as the featured vocalist on Peter Gabriel's acclaimed 1993-1994 Secret World Live tour and album.
- Became the first woman in Grammy history to be solely nominated for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) for her work on 'This Fire.'
Did You Know?
She attended the Berklee College of Music on a scholarship before dropping out to pursue her music career.
The song 'I Don't Want to Wait' was used as the theme song for the hit TV show 'Dawson's Creek' for its entire six-season run.
She took an eight-year hiatus from recording after 1999 to focus on raising her daughter.
She is an advocate for animal rights and has worked with PETA.
““I was a little too vulnerable and a little too honest for the business.””
