Raised on George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris, she sang harmonies as a toddler, eventually thinking she'd make a career of it. Following the murder-suicide of her parents (perpetrated by her father) in 1986, she moved into her aunt and uncle's home.
Not long afterwards, sister Shelby Lynne moved to Nashville for a career in music, and after her high school graduation, Moorer followed. She sang harmonies with her sister for a while but returned to Alabama to earn a degree in public relations. She skipped the graduation ceremony to move back to Nashville.
Her song "A Soft Place to Fall" was tapped for Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer in 1998, and she also appeared in the movie. Because the ballad earned her an Academy Award nomination, she performed it on the 1999 Oscars ceremony. However, none of her singles from her debut "Alabama Song" or its follow-up "The Hardest Part" received much radio airplay, nor achieving chart success though both projects were highly praised by critics.
When Brown moved from MCA to sister label Universal South, Moorer followed. Her 2002 album "Miss Fortune" earned more raves, but didn't meet sales expectations. She almost got another big break by recording the duet "Picture" with Kid Rock after Sheryl Crow had bowed out. However, Crow changed her mind, and the Rock/Crow-version became a huge radio hit. Yet, the song was credited on the charts to both Crow and Moorer. In addition, the CD single featuring Moorer sold 500,000 copies and is certified Gold by the RIAA. Her ballad "Tumbling Down" (from Miss Fortune) was featured on the soundtrack of the popular 2002 film The Rookie.
Her live album album "Show"(2003) was recorded in one night (two performances) at the 12th and Porter in Nashville and despite popular belief, it features the first recorded collaboration by both Moorer sisters.
After releasing Show and a DVD on Universal South, Moorer moved to independent label Sugar Hill Records. With a slightly rougher edge than past efforts, The Duel was released in April 2004.
After a divorce between Moorer and Primm, she eventually married Steve Earle, after serving as his opening act on a European tour. Earle produced her 2006 album, "Getting Somewhere". Moorer wrote all the songs, with the exception of one co-written with Earle. She and Earle were nominated for a Grammy award in the category Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, for the song "Days Aren't Long Enough" from Earle's "Washington Square Serenade".
Moorer released the Buddy Miller-produced "Mockingbird" in February 2008; an album mainly of covers of songs by female singer/songwriters including her sister, Shelby Lynne.
Her latest studio album "Crows" (2010), features her first departure from the Contemporary Country style of her earlier albums, instead changing to a Pop and Contemporary Singer/Songwriter style.
http://allisonmoorer.com
I'm Doing Fine
Allison Moorer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That cigarette burn by the bedroom
Well it ain't there anymore
Tried to call my mama I forgot she was gone
Guess I let the last thing you said run through my head too long
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
Well the neighbors came a-running said they heard somebody scream
I just looked them in the eye and told them I got any idea what you mean
So I turn the music up loud enough it could drown out anything
It might shake through the windows and the walls
I'll believe what I want to believe
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
Everything's ok everything's alright
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
Doing fine, doing fine, I'm doing fine, I'm doing fine fine, fine
I finally change the sheets on time sleeping on the floor
If you want your old guitar it's sitting out on the porch
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
Everything's ok everything's alright
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
The song "I'm Doing Fine" by Allison Moorer may seem like a happy-go-lucky song, but it's actually a song about dealing with grief and moving on after a relationship ends. The first verse is about the singer trying to rid herself of memories by cleaning the hardwood floor and realizing that the cigarette burn left by her lover isn't there anymore. She then tries to call her mother for comfort but the realization that her lover is gone hits her. The singer is haunted by the last thing her lover told her and it's taking a toll on her.
The chorus of the song is a statement of self-assurance - the singer wants her ex-lover to know that she's doing okay, that she's moving on. However, the second verse hints at the fact that the singer is not really okay. The neighbors claim to have heard her scream, but she denies it convincingly. Instead, she turns up the music to drown out any potential screams. She'll believe whatever she wants to believe and pretends that everything is okay when really it isn't. The final verse is a message to her ex-lover - she's changing the sheets on time and is moving on. She leaves their old guitar out on the porch for him to retrieve.
Overall, "I'm Doing Fine" is a song that shows how people try to mask their pain after a breakup. The singer may say that she's doing okay, but her actions and the lyrics suggest otherwise. She's putting on a brave face and trying to convince others and herself that she's okay.
Line by Line Meaning
I scrub the varnish off the hardwood floor
I'm trying to keep myself busy by doing household chores like cleaning the floors.
That cigarette burn by the bedroom
I'm trying to erase your memory by getting rid of everything that reminds me of you, like the cigarette burn in our bedroom.
Well it ain't there anymore
After some hard work, I've successfully erased the last remnants of our life together.
Tried to call my mama I forgot she was gone
I'm feeling so alone that I tried to call my mother, but I remembered that she passed away.
Guess I let the last thing you said run through my head too long
I can't stop thinking about the last thing you said to me, and it's really affecting my ability to move on.
Well the neighbors came a-running said they heard somebody scream
The neighbors think I'm in trouble because they heard me scream, but I'm really just trying to cope with the pain of losing you.
I just looked them in the eye and told them I got any idea what you mean
I'm pretending everything is okay and that I have no idea what they're talking about.
So I turn the music up loud enough it could drown out anything
I'm trying to block out the world by turning up the music as loud as I can.
It might shake through the windows and the walls
The music is so loud that it's shaking the entire house.
I'll believe what I want to believe
I'm in such a dark place that I'll believe anything that makes me feel better, even if it's not true.
I finally change the sheets on time sleeping on the floor
I'm trying to get my life back on track by doing simple things like changing the sheets and sleeping on the floor.
If you want your old guitar it's sitting out on the porch
I don't want any reminders of our life together, so if you want the guitar you left behind, it's outside on the porch.
I just wanna let you know that I'm doing fine
I'm telling myself and others that I'm doing just fine, even though I'm really struggling.
Everything's ok everything's alright
I'm trying to convince myself that everything is okay, even though it's not.
Doing fine, doing fine, I'm doing fine, I'm doing fine fine, fine
I keep repeating that I'm doing fine to try and believe it myself, but it's not true.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALLISON MOORER, ZAC MALOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind