In 1976, Chapman played with a rock and pop group called "Harmony" in Montgomery, Alabama, effectively replacing Tommy Shaw who had just left to join Styx. She played acoustic guitar and piano as well as providing vocals for the group in a locally-popular bowling alley bar called Kegler's Kove and has returned to play in the area on an infrequent basis ever since.
Chapman has had several popular songs on the Adult-Contemporary charts in the 1990's, such as "I Keep Coming Back To You", "Walk My Way", "The Moment You Were Mine" and "All I Have". In 1993, she sang a popular duet with Paul Carrack, "In The Time It Takes". In early 2010 Chapman's "Back To Love" album was #1 on the UK itunes country charts.
Co-songwriter of Faith Hill's hit song, "This Kiss", many other singers have interpreted her songs: Trisha Yearwood ("Down On My Knees"), Martina McBride ("Happy Girl"), Willie Nelson (“Nothing I Can Do About it Now”), Tanya Tucker (“Strong Enough to Bend”), Lorrie Morgan (“Five Minutes”), Mary Chapin Carpenter (“Almost Home”), Bette Midler ("The Color of Roses") and others.
Bonnie Raitt has sung background vocals on several songs, including "Shake My Soul".
Chapman's husband Ernest Chapman died of cancer in 1994. In 2000, Beth experienced her own battle with breast cancer. The song "Sand And Water" was written after Ernest's death; Elton John performed this song during his 1997 World Tour.
Discography
* Hearing It First (1980)
* Beth Nielsen Chapman (1990)
* You Hold the Key (1993)
* Sand and Water (1997)
* Greatest Hits (1999)
* Deeper Still (2002)
* Hymns (2004)
* Look (2005)
* Prism (2007)
Emily
Beth Nielsen Chapman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I like what you've done to your hair
I've been fine, yeh these boys are mine
That must be your little girl there
Some friendships grow distant with time
And it's no wonder, Emily, so much can change
We're too far to visit, too busy to write
Best friends are made through smiles and tears
And sometimes that fades over miles and years
But I knew right away when I saw you again
Emily, we'll always be friends
I still sing now and then
Mostly at weddings for friends
And I just bet you still get
A yearning to paint now and then
They tore down our whole street
Now there's a bank where the house was we shared back in school
Remember we both have each other to thank
For all the boyfriends we're not married to
"Stay as you are and you'll go far"
You signed my yearbook
"Don't forget me when you're a big star"
We can't stay, it's gettin' late
And they said not to let you get tired
We'll just be up the street
The number's right here by your side
Oh no, it's no trouble
I don't want to hear about how all this changes my plans
I'll see you tomorrow
Call me tonight, Emmy, please let me do what I can
Best friends are made through smiles and tears
And sometimes that fades over miles and years
But I knew right away when I saw you again
Emily, we'll always be friends
The song "Emily" by Beth Nielsen Chapman is a touching reflection on the endurance of friendship despite the passage of time and physical distance. The lyrics paint a picture of two lifelong friends, catching up after years apart over the course of an evening. The singer graciously acknowledges how much her friend's daughter has grown and compliments her nostalgically, also conveying a sense of admiration for her friend's current life.
As they chat, it becomes apparent that they have not had the opportunity to keep in touch as frequently as they may have liked. Both are busy with their respective lives and seem to have encountered their fair share of challenges. However, their friendship has not been eroded by these difficulties entirely. They both agree that true friendships are grounded on a foundation of shared experiences, highs and lows alike. Emily interjects with spontaneous compliments about the singer's singing career, and it becomes clear that the two have a deep sense of understanding and respect for one another.
The song concludes with the singer urging Emily to call her if ever she needs anything, and the promise that nothing will change their friendship. The words express a depth of love and commitment that is rare in today's world, wherein friends are often easily discarded with little thought. Overall, "Emily" is a touching tribute to a special friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
My oh my, time sure flies
Time passes quickly and it's hard to believe how much time has gone by since we were last together.
I like what you've done to your hair
I think your new hairstyle looks nice and it suits you well.
I've been fine, yeh these boys are mine
I've been doing well, and yes, I have boys in my life.
That must be your little girl there
I assume that the child with you is your daughter.
Some friendships grow distant with time
As time passes, some friendships become more distant and less frequent.
And it's no wonder, Emily, so much can change
It's not surprising that this has happened, Emily, because so much has changed since we last saw each other.
We're too far to visit, too busy to write
We live too far apart to visit each other, and we're both too busy with our lives to keep in touch as much as we'd like to.
But a closeness between us remains
But despite the distance and time, we still feel emotionally close to one another.
Best friends are made through smiles and tears
Close friendships are built on shared experiences of both happiness and sadness.
And sometimes that fades over miles and years
Sometimes, even the closest friendships can fade away when people live far apart and lose touch over time.
But I knew right away when I saw you again
However, when I saw you again, I immediately knew that our friendship was still intact.
Emily, we'll always be friends
Emily, our friendship will always remain strong no matter how much time passes or how far apart we are.
I still sing now and then
I still like to sing occasionally.
Mostly at weddings for friends
I mostly sing at weddings of my friends.
And I just bet you still get
I bet that you still have a yearning for something that you loved doing in the past.
A yearning to paint now and then
I think you still have the desire to paint occasionally.
They tore down our whole street
Our entire street was demolished.
Now there's a bank where the house was we shared back in school
Now, where our old house once stood, there is an establishment of a bank.
Remember we both have each other to thank
Remember that we can both thank each other for the fact that we never ended up marrying any of our boyfriends.
For all the boyfriends we're not married to
We never ended up marrying the boys we dated.
"Stay as you are and you'll go far"
The advice you gave me in my yearbook was, "Stay true to yourself and you will succeed."
You signed my yearbook
You wrote that message in my yearbook in our school days.
"Don't forget me when you're a big star"
You also told me to remember you when I become famous.
We can't stay, it's gettin' late
We need to leave now because it's getting late.
And they said not to let you get tired
Other people told me not to tire you out or let you stay up too late.
We'll just be up the street
We'll be staying somewhere nearby.
The number's right here by your side
Here's the phone number in case you need to contact us.
Oh no, it's no trouble
It's not a problem at all.
I don't want to hear about how all this changes my plans
I don't want to hear about how this might disrupt or change my schedule or plans.
I'll see you tomorrow
I'll be able to meet you again tomorrow.
Call me tonight, Emmy, please let me do what I can
Please contact me tonight and let me know what I can do to help, Emmy.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind