Born in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist for teen groups. After signing with Atlantic Records in 1993, she released her self-titled debut album, Brandy, the following year, which sold six million copies worldwide. Norwood ventured into acting with the UPN sitcom Moesha (1996–2001), which won her an NAACP Image Award, and resulted in numerous other roles, such as the titular character in the television film Cinderella (1997) and Karla Wilson in the slasher film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). Her musical breakthrough came with the wildly successful single "The Boy Is Mine" (1998), a duet with fellow R&B contemporary Monica, which went on to become one of the best selling female duets of all time. Her second album, Never Say Never, won Norwood her first Grammy Award. In 2002, Norwood starred in the reality series Brandy: Special Delivery, documenting the birth of her daughter. Her third and fourth albums, Full Moon (2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), were released to critical success.
Norwood served as a judge on the first season of America's Got Talent before being involved in a heavily publicized car accident in 2006. Norwood's fifth album, Human (2008), was released to positive reviews, although it was a commercial failure. In 2010, she returned to television as a contestant on the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars and starred in the reality series Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business. She was a series regular in the BET series The Game (2012–2015) and released her sixth album Two Eleven (2012) thereafter, both earning her critical praise. In April 2015, Norwood made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. She starred in and executive produced a sitcom titled Zoe Ever After on BET which premiered in January 2016. In July 2020, Norwood released her seventh studio album, B7, also her first project as an independent artist, to critical acclaim. In 2021, Norwood starred alongside Naturi Naughton, Eve and Nadine Velazquez in American Broadcasting Company's music drama series Queens to critical acclaim.
In June 2022, Norwood announced her major label return after signing with Motown Records under which she is expected to preprare her eighth studio album.
A Cappella
Brandy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm running out of things to do to get you off my mind, oh
All I have is this picture in a frame (oh, ah)
That I hold close to see your face everyday
With you is where I'd rather be
But we're stuck where we are
It's so hard, we're so far
I wish that you were here with me
But we're stuck where we are
It's so hard, we're so far
This long distance is killin' me
It's so hard, it's so hard, where we are, where we are
You're so far, this long distance is killin' me
It's so hard, it's so hard, where we are, where we are
You're so far, this long distance is killin' me
Now the minutes feel like hours
And the hours feel like days (whoa, oh)
While I'm away (away)
You know right now I can't be home (ah)
But I'm comin' home soon (ah)
Coming home soon (ah)
All I have is this picture in a frame (ah)
That I hold close to see your face everyday.
With you is where I'd rather be (where I'd rather be)
But we're stuck where we are (oh, oh)
It's so hard (oh, ah), we're so far (oh, ah)
This long distance is killin' me
I wish that you were here with me (you were here with me)
But we're stuck where we are (ohh)
It's so hard (oh, ah), we're so far (oh, ahh)
Can you hear me crying?
Oh (oh ah, oh ah)
Can you hear me crying? (oh, ah)
Oh (oh ah, oh ah)
Can you hear me crying? (oh, ah)
Oh (oh ah, oh ah)
Oh, woah (oh, ah)
Oh, no (oh ah, oh, ah)
With you is where I'd rather be (where I'd rather be), whoa
(But we're stuck where we are) oh
(It's so hard) so hard (we're so far), so far
This long distance is killin' me
I wish that you are here with me (you are here with me)
(But we're stuck where we are) stuck where we are, so hard, so far
This long distance is killin' me
It's so hard, it's so hard, where we are, where we are
You're so far, this long distance is killin' me
It's so hard, it's so hard, where we are, where we are
You're so far, this long distance is killin' me
There's only so many songs that I can sing to pass the time
In this song, Brandy laments the difficulty of being in a long-distance relationship. She acknowledges that she is running out of ways to distract herself from missing her lover, who is far away. All she has is a picture of him, which she holds close to see his face every day. Brandy wishes that her lover were with her because the distance between them is causing her so much pain. The minutes feel like hours, and the hours feel like days while she is away from him. She cries out to her lover to hear her crying, illustrating how the distance is causing her emotional anguish. Despite her pain, she acknowledges that she cannot be home right now, but she is coming home soon. With a heartfelt desire, Brandy wishes that her lover were by her side.
This song captures the essence of the struggle of long-distance relationships. It resonates with people who are experiencing the same situation or have experienced it in the past. The lyrics paint a picture of the longing and pain that come with being separated from a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
There's only so many songs that I can sing to pass the time
I have run out of things to do to distract myself from thinking about you, and I am limited to a certain number of things I can do to keep busy, and they are no longer working.
And I'm running out of things to do to get you off my mind, oh
I cannot stop thinking about you, and I have depleted all the things I can do to make you go out of my thoughts.
All I have is this picture in a frame (oh, ah)
The only tangible thing I have of you is a photo I keep on display that I look at every day.
That I hold close to see your face every day
I frequently gaze at the picture to maintain my connection with you.
With you is where I'd rather be
I crave to be with you as you are the one I want to be close to.
But we're stuck where we are
We cannot be together for some reason, and it's out of our control.
It's so hard, we're so far
The distance between us is so great, and it's making things so difficult.
This long distance is killin' me
Being distant from you is causing me immense emotional pain, and it feels like it's slowly taking my life away.
I wish that you were here with me
I desperately desire your physical presence with me, and I am heartbroken that it's not happening.
Now the minutes feel like hours
Time has become sluggish, and it feels like it's taking too long to pass by.
And the hours feel like days (whoa, oh)
The time we spend apart appears to be endless, and it feels like days stretch unendingly.
While I'm away (away)
While I'm distant from you.
You know right now I can't be home (ah)
I regretfully am not able to be with you presently, and I wish I could.
But I'm comin' home soon (ah)
I promise to be with you again soon and it's the only thing driving me to keep going.
Can you hear me crying?
I am emotionally distraught, and I feel like I am screaming into the void.
It's so hard (oh, ah), we're so far (oh, ah)
Our distance is incredibly tough for me, and it's hard to bear, and I can't do anything about it.
You are here with me
I desperately want to share physical proximity with you.
Stuck where we are, so hard, so far
We are separated regardless of the circumstances, and it's challenging for both of us, and it's not improving.
This long distance is killin' me
The absence of you alongside the distance is draining all my energy, leaving me feeling bereft and sad.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Peter Gene Hernandez, Philip Lawrence, Jeff Bhasker, Rodney Jerkins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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