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.
Locket
Brandy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fall on my rag top
And come down the windshield of my car
Parked on the same lane
We came a get away
And trade our kisses after dark
You were everything I want bad
When you said that you were leaving
You got my heart in a vault
You were the only one with a key
And I could'nt get free
Still locked in love
So locked in love
And I'm alone my baby's gone
I'm locked in love
So locked in love
And I gotta get free
I feel the clouds start to form
In my mind but
Rain starts to pure then lust my eyes
Maybe there's one who's heart is worth
Wanting you than the one you left behind
By throwing my quarters out
Into the water I wish that you'd meet me here
Like you use to
A heart in a mind we share
How could you take your half
And oh no but it would never be the same
You were everything I want bad
Everything I'm gonna need bad
When you said that you were leaving
You got my heart in a vault
You were the only one with a key
And I gotta get free
Still locked in love
So locked in love
And I'm alone my baby's gone
I'm locked in love
And I gotta get free Ohhhh
My baby's gone
The vault is closed
My heart is closed
And still I'm alone
Sometimes I here my heart beating beating
My hearts bleeding so freely
Won't you set me free
My hearts bleeding so freely
Won't you set me free
In this heart-wrenching song, Brandy sings about being trapped in the memories and emotions of past love. The lyrics begin with her observing the raindrops falling on her car roof, hinting at her melancholy emotions. The car is parked on the same lane where they used to meet and trade kisses after dark, reminding her of the happier times. The chorus repeats her feelings of being trapped and locked in love even though the other person has left her. She feels like her heart is in a vault, and she is powerless to free herself.
The second verse starts with Brandy realizing she needs to move on and find someone who values her heart. She throws her quarters into the water, symbolizing the hopes and dreams she had of reunification fading away, wishing for her lost love to meet her there like they used to. However, the memories shared with her ex were unique and irreplaceable, leaving her heart still bleeding and longing for freedom.
Overall, "Locket" is a heart-wrenching song about the struggle to move on from past love. It explores the feelings of being trapped in memories, and the desire to be free from the pain and obstacles that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I here the rain drops
Brandy hears the sound of raindrops falling
Fall on my rag top
The raindrops are hitting the roof of her car
And come down the windshield of my car
The raindrops are also hitting the windshield of her car
Parked on the same lane
Her car is parked on the same street as before
We came a get away
She and her lover had planned to get away from it all
And trade our kisses after dark
They would kiss each other in secret when it was nighttime
You were everything I want bad
Her lover was everything she desperately desired
Everything I'm gonna need bad
He was also everything she knew she would need in the future
When you said that you were leaving
He said he was leaving her
You got my heart in a vault
Brandy's heart was closed to everyone else but her lover
You were the only one with a key
Her lover was the only one who could unlock her heart
And I could'nt get free
She couldn't move on from him
Still locked in love
Brandy is still in love with her ex-lover
So locked in love
Her heart is completely locked in love
And I'm alone my baby's gone
She is alone now that her lover is gone
And I gotta get free
She needs to free herself from her love for him
I feel the clouds start to form
She feels sadness and depression coming on
In my mind but
This sadness is all in her head
Rain starts to pure then lust my eyes
Her tears start to mix with the raindrops
Maybe there's one who's heart is worth
Perhaps there is someone else out there with a heart that is worthy of love
Wanting you than the one you left behind
Someone who truly wants her instead of leaving her
By throwing my quarters out
She is throwing coins into a fountain, perhaps making a wish
Into the water I wish that you'd meet me here
She wishes her lover would come back to her
Like you use to
She wants things to go back to how they used to be
A heart in a mind we share
They shared a deep connection and understanding of each other
How could you take your half
She wonders how he could take his half of their shared love away
And oh no but it would never be the same
She knows things can never be the same
The vault is closed
Her heart is still closed off to others
My heart is closed
She has not moved on from her ex-lover
And still I'm alone
She is still alone without him
Sometimes I here my heart beating beating
She can feel her heart beating strongly
My hearts bleeding so freely
Her heart is breaking and hurting deeply
Won't you set me free
She is asking someone to help her move on from her past love
Contributed by Emma S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@iwjtbig2005
This song is so wonderful. When the chorus starts I just get chills.
@MikeyMike0287
"My heart's pleading, so free me. Won't you set me free?" "My heart's pleadiiiing, so free me. Won't you set me freeeeeee?"
@joejoseph69
Reminds me of my teen girlfriend,whom we got separated 3 years ago by studies. It makes me cry n' miss her
@lameppken
I feel the clouds start to form in my mind the rain starts to pour then floods my eyes :'( I love this song! The lyrics, the voice, the arrangement
@chadwicklockharte5035
Brandy runs in this song is divine
@JasonQiuMusic
Why didn't they put this song on Spotify! I'd be streaming this all day long!
@jayaseto
It’s in Apple Music though
@MikeyMike0287
One of my favorites from Human!!
@dharam149
Syrai recently shared this song on her ig story❤❤❤❤ my most favourite album of all time❤greatest vocalist of our generation ❤❤❤❤
@alpfosho
I love thus sound more than anything. I understand it & it brings years to my eyes whenever I hear it.