The Cost of Loving

The Cost of Loving is the third studio album by the English band the Style Council, released on 7 February 1987 by Polydor Records. The album was recorded over a period of three months in 1986, at Solid Bond Studios in London (owned by their lead vocalist, Paul Weller). The album is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of the band's later work. The album peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, and achieved gold status from the BPI. It featured the singles "It Didn't Matter" and "Waiting", which had corresponding music videos. "It Didn't Matter" reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, however "Waiting" failed to make the top 40, which was a first for any Style Council single.

On release, The Cost of Loving received mixed reviews from music journalists. Today, the album is generally seen as a turning point in the band's career, leading to the sounds later explored on Confessions of a Pop Group (1988) and Modernism: A New Decade (1998), whilst also signalling the start of the band's declining commercial and critical success. The band themselves have been quite vocal in being less satisfied with the album.