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 (1996β2001), 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 (2012β2015) 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.
In My Own Little Corner
Brandy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I hear a command I obey
But I know of a spot in my house
Where no one can stand in my way
In my own little corner
In my own little chair
I can be what ever I want to be
And the world will open its arms to me
I'm a young Egyptian princess
Or a milk maid
I'm the greatest prima donna in the land.
I'm a heiress who has always had her silk made
By her own flock of silkworms in Japan
I'm a girl men go mad for
Love's a game I can play
With a cool and confident kind of air
Just as long as I stay in my own little corner
All alone in my own little chair
I can be whatever I want to be
I'm a thief in Calcutta
I'm a queen in Peru
I'm a mermaid dancing upon the sea
I'm a huntress on an African safari
Its a dangerous type of sport and yet its fun
In the night I sally forth to seek my quarry
when I find I forgot to bring my gun
I am lost in the jungle
All alone and unarmed
When I meet a lioness in her lair
Then I'm glad to be back in my own little corner
All alone in my own little chair
The song "In My Own Little Corner" by Brandy from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Cinderella, is about a young woman who is insubordinate and feels powerless in her everyday life, but in her own space, she can be whoever she wants to be. The narrative begins with her confessing her docility, stating that whenever she hears commands, she obeys. However, she shares that she has a spot in her home where no one can disrupt her, consequently allowing her imagination to unleash.
The chorus professes the young woman's independence and freedom in her own world. She flies on the wing of her fantasies, travelling wherever her mind takes her, and the world is always welcoming, open-armed. She then proceeds to list various personas she takes on when sheβs in her own chairs or corner, such as a milkmaid who's the greatest prima donna in the land, a young Egyptian Princess or an heiress from Japan. When sheβs alone in her little corner, she can be whatever she wants to be and nothing can stop her.
The song concludes with the young woman envisioning herself on an African safari as a huntress, but in the heat of the moment, she's forgotten her gun, and she's left to fend for herself in the jungle. The daunting situation jolts her back to reality, realizing it's worth returning to her little corner, where sheβs all alone and can be whichever person she wants to be.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm as mild and as meek as a mouse
I am gentle and obedient.
When I hear a command I obey
I follow orders whenever I receive them.
But I know of a spot in my house
There is a place in my home that I know very well.
Where no one can stand in my way
Where nobody can impede what I intend to do.
In my own little corner
In my private space.
In my own little chair
In the comfortable seat that is only mine.
I can be what ever I want to be
I can manifest in any form I desire.
On the wing of my fancy I can fly anywhere
My imagination takes me wherever I choose to go.
And the world will open its arms to me
The universe will accept me as I am.
I'm a young Egyptian princess
I imagine myself as an Egyptian royalty.
Or a milk maid
Or a simple dairy farmer.
I'm the greatest prima donna in the land.
I can transform into the best female opera singer in the world.
I'm a heiress who has always had her silk made
I am an heiress who prefers custom-made silk.
By her own flock of silkworms in Japan
Procured from my own silkworm farming enterprise in Japan.
I'm a girl men go mad for
I am an alluring woman who creates obsession among men.
Love's a game I can play
I perceive romance as a form of entertainment.
With a cool and confident kind of air
I exude a calm and self-assured presence.
Just as long as I stay in my own little corner
As long as I stay within my comfort zone.
All alone in my own little chair
By myself in my cozy seat.
I can be whatever I want to be
I have the freedom to express myself in any way.
I'm a thief in Calcutta
I pretend to be a thief in the streets of Calcutta.
I'm a queen in Peru
I imagine myself as a queen in the grandeur of Peru.
I'm a mermaid dancing upon the sea
I transform into a mermaid who dances in the midst of the waves.
I'm a huntress on an African safari
I envision myself as a skilled female hunter in an African wilderness.
Its a dangerous type of sport and yet its fun
Even though it's risky, I find the thrill of the hunt amusing.
In the night I sally forth to seek my quarry
I go out to look for my prey under the cover of darkness.
when I find I forgot to bring my gun
Only to realize that I forgot to bring my weapon.
I am lost in the jungle
I am lost and confused in the jungle.
All alone and unarmed
Without anyone around to support me and without any weapon.
When I meet a lioness in her lair
Only to face a lioness in her own territory.
Then I'm glad to be back in my own little corner
I feel relieved to be back to my safe space.
All alone in my own little chair
Seated alone in my own comfortable space.
Contributed by Keira M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ashleyn1696
2019! and this song still makes me cry.
This is me as a child. A dreamer. Full of ambition and creative substance.
I was forced to fit in with society's standards and I'm now breaking out of that into being who I am meant to be. I was meant to dream big and achieve great things.
Be who you were meant to be, and don't let anybody take that away from you.
@ThAtZkOoLbEaNz
I'm as mild and as meek as a mouse
When I hear a command I obey
But I know one spot in my house
Where no one can stand in my way
In my own little corner
In my own little chair
I can be whatever I want to be
On the wing of my fancy
I can fly anywhere
And the world will open itβs arms to me
I'm a young Egyptian princess or a milkmaid
I'm the greatest prima donna in Milan
Iβm an heiress who has always had her silk made
By her own flock of silkworms in Japan
I'm a girl men go mad for
Love's a game I can play
With a cool and confident kind of air
Just as long as I stay
In my own little corner
All alone in my own little chair
I can be whatever I want to be
I'm a thief in Calcutta
I'm a queen in Peru
I'm a mermaid dancing upon the sea
I'm a huntress on an African safari
It's a dangerous type of sport and yet itβs fun
In the night I sally forth to seek my quarry
And I find I forgot to bring my gun!
I am lost in the jungle
All alone and unarmed
When I meet a lioness in her lair
Then Iβm glad to be back
In my own little corner
All alone
In my own
Little chair
@_Alimm
Being a lil black girl who has never seen a black princess this changed my life. I wish I could thank everyone who made this happen. It is so important to so many ppl.
@tanesharichardson8437
Yes so very important......
@iloverette
+AliEsteem Preach. I was forever changed when I saw this at 7 years old.
@kingspookyskeleton1820
+Tanesha Richardson
It's very important important. Your saying it like it doesn't matter
@iloverette
King Spooky SkeletonΒ I'm pretty sure she was wholeheartedly agreeing.
@tanesharichardson8437
iloverette Thank you sweetie. I saw that weeks ago but I don't respond to idiots who can't read and are obviously looking for a internet fight.
@axe4135
Growing up, this movie was amazing to me. Seeing a Cinderella the same color as me, It really makes a difference. Β I still watch this movie and I'm an adult now.Β
@manuelorozco7760
+AxΓ© Owens I feel happy for you and being an Hispanic, I'm all for racial diversity in entertainment.
@MzSouthamerica
Manuel Orozco stfu Hispanic is not race. Dont ruin her moment
@allthingschanice2485
@Lisa Menedz
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