Early Life & Rise to Fame
Allen was born Deborah Lynn Thurmond in Memphis, Tennessee and was strongly influenced by Patsy Cline. It was at the young age of 17, that Allen decided to pursue a country music career, and she then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, the hometown of Country music. Here, she followed the basic tradition of what most rising country stars did, and became a waitress at the local IHOP restaurant. While working here, she met Roy Orbison. Orbison liked Allen's voice, and he decided to hire Allen as a background singer. She also worked at the Opryland theme park. She soon landed a gig as a singer and dancer in Tennessee Ernie Ford's tour. It was soon evident that Allen wanted to pursue a solo career.
Allen finally got the chance to pursue a singing career in her own right. She served as an opening act for Jim Stafford. In 1979, Allen was handpicked by Jim Reeves' wife to sing on some of Reeves' unfinished duet tracks. These songs were "Don't Let Me Cross Over", "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight", and "Take Me In Your Arms and Hold Me". All three songs were released as singles for Reeves' old record company, RCA Records. "Take Me In Your Arms and Hold Me" proved to be a hit single for Allen, going all the way to #10 on the Country charts in early 1980.
[edit] The Height of Her Career In the Early 80s
In 1980, Allen was able to sign with Capitol Records. Her debut album under the label was 1980's Trouble in Paradise. Although the album wasn't too much of a success, the album did produce some minor hits for Allen, including "Nobody's Fool" and "You Make Me Wonder Why". "You Make Me Wonder Why" was Allen's highest charting single from the album, peaking at #20. She released a couple of other unsuccessful singles, including "You Look Like the One I Love" and "After Tonight". "After Tonight" only peaked at #82 on the Country charts in 1982.
Allen soon switched record companies after finding no success under Capitol. In 1983, she moved over to RCA Records, where she ended up having her biggest success. It all started with releasing the album Cheat the Night in 1983. The first single released from the album came the same year with her signature song, "Baby I Lied." On the Country charts, it was a Top 5 hit, peaking at #4. It was also a Pop chart crossover, reaching #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1984. It even went as far to become a hit on the Adult Contemporary charts. Overnight, Allen was turned into a major Country Music star, from waiting tables in Nashville, to performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Allen followed up the success of her crossover hit quite well with the Country hit "I've Been Wrong Before," which just missed topping the Country charts in the spring of 1984. Later that year, "I Hurt For You," also from Allen's breakthrough album, became her most recent top 10 country hit, reaching #10. All her hits were co-written by Allen and her husband Rafe Van Hoy, a rarity for Country Pop-styled singers. In 1984, the two continued their collaboration together, with the song "Let Me Be There First", which used electronic instrumentation. In 1984, Allen also had a minor hit with the song "Heartache and a Half".
In 1987, Allen released a single penned by the legendary singer Prince called "Telepathy". An album of the same name was also released, which showed even more electronic instrumentation. All this experimenting with electronic instrumentation led to Allen's fans lessening, and soon enough she was alienated from her Country audience. After the release of the 1987 single "You're the Kind of Trouble", RCA Records dropped Allen from the label.
[edit] Comeback & Life Today
Soon, Allen was left without a recording contract, with no way to make a living. However, Allen and Van Hoy were able to write as songwriters. Together they penned the Janie Fricke hit "Don't Worry 'Bout Me Baby" and also the Tanya Tucker hit "Can I See You Tonight", among other hits.
However, during her free time, Allen was putting together a comeback album called Delta Dreamland. She used her own time and her own money to put together the album. Soon, however, she was able to make a deal with Giant Records to release the album under their label in 1993. That same year, she had a Top 30 hit from the album with the song "Rock Me (In the Cradle of Love)". She also had one other charting single from the album. The album showed Allen as a new person, with a more sexier image and a bluesy new style. Her 1994 album, All That I Am, ended up being the same result. Since the release of her two albums, Allen remained a popular songwriter in Nashville.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
Year Title US Country US 200
1980 Trouble in Paradise
1983 Cheat the Night 10 67
1984 Let Me Be There First 52
1987 Telepathy
1993 Delta Dreamland 55
1994 All That I Am
1998 Anthology
2000 The Best of Deborah Allen
[edit] Singles
Year Title US Country Album
1976 "Do You Copy" single only
1979 "Don't Let Me Cross Over" (w/ Jim Reeves) 10 Don't Let Me Cross Over
"Oh, How I Miss You Tonight" (w/ Jim Reeves) 6
1980 "Take Me in Your Arms and Hold Me" (w/ Jim Reeves) 10
"Nobody's Fool" 24 Trouble in Paradise
1981 "You (Make Me Wonder Why)" 20 single only
"Next to You" Trouble in Paradise
1982 "You Look Like (The One I Love)" 33 singles only
"After Tonight" 82
"Don't Stop Lovin' Me" Trouble in Paradise
1983 "Baby I Lied"A 4 Cheat the Night
1984 "I've Been Wrong Before" 2
"I Hurt for You" 10
"Rockin' Little Christmas"
"Heartache and a Half" 23 Let Me Be There First
1987 "Telepathy" Telepathy
"You're the Kind of Trouble"
1992 "Rock Me (in the Cradle of Love)" 29 Delta Dreamland
1993 "If You're Not Gonna Love Me" 44
"All The Loving and Hurting Too"
1994 "Break These Chains" 66 All That I Am
1999 "Is It Love Yet" The Best of Deborah Allen
APeaked at #26 on Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
[edit] External links
Official Deborah Allen Website
Authorized Deborah Allen Baby I Lied Home Page, Founded 1998
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Allen"
I Hurt for You
Deborah Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's been denyin' and I can't blame you for feeling cheated
Being so in love and so unneeded
But, the reason you keep trying is a feelin' that I know
Oh, I hurt for you every time, he breaks your heart
Baby, I hurt for you and it's tearing me apart
To care the way I do, baby I'm a fool
So love won't work out the way you planned it
Darling, all to well I understand it but I'll be right here to console you
If that's the only chance I'll have to hold you
'Cause you're so lonely being stranded with a dream you can't let go
Oh, I hurt for you every time he breaks your heart
Baby, I hurt for you and it's tearing me apart
To care the way I do, baby, I'm a fool
I watch you long for him and I hurt for you
Oh, if you could want the one who loves you
Oh, maybe you would want me now if you could just see how
I hurt for you every time he breaks your heart
Baby, I hurt for you and it's tearing me apart
To care the way I do, baby, I'm a fool
I watch you long for him and I hurt for you
I know you long for him, but I hurt for you
In the song "I Hurt for You" by Deborah Allen, the singer expresses her sympathy for a friend who is constantly getting her heart broken by a man she loves. The singer acknowledges that she can't blame her friend for feeling cheated and unneeded because the man has been denying her love. The friend keeps trying anyway, and the singer understands the feeling of wanting to hold onto someone despite the pain they cause.
The chorus of the song repeats "I hurt for you," emphasizing the singer's empathy for her friend's situation. She feels torn apart watching her friend long for someone who isn't treating her right, knowing that her friend deserves better. The singer wishes her friend could see the love and care she has for her and perhaps give her a chance instead.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt expression of empathy and love for a friend who is struggling in a difficult relationship. The singer understands the pain of unrequited love and tries to provide comfort and support to her friend.
Line by Line Meaning
You know it kills me to see you crying, to think of all your love
He's been denyin' and I can't blame you for feeling cheated
Being so in love and so unneeded
But, the reason you keep trying is a feelin' that I know
The sight of you crying, knowing that he is denying you of all the love you have been giving him makes me sad too, and I understand why you feel cheated. It hurts to be so in love with someone who doesn't seem to need you, but I know you keep trying because of a feeling that I'm familiar with.
Oh, I hurt for you every time, he breaks your heart
Baby, I hurt for you and it's tearing me apart
To care the way I do, baby I'm a fool
I watch you long for him and I hurt for you
Whenever he breaks your heart, it hurts me too. I hurt for you because I care for you deeply, to the point that it's emotionally painful for me. I know you yearn for him, but it's a painful thing for me to watch.
So love won't work out the way you planned it
Darling, all to well I understand it but I'll be right here to console you
If that's the only chance I'll have to hold you
'Cause you're so lonely being stranded with a dream you can't let go
Love doesn't always work out the way we want it to, and I understand that very well, my dear. But, I'll always be here for you to comfort you and hold you, even if it's just as a friend. You feel lonely because you have a dream that you can't let go of, and I understand that too.
Oh, if you could want the one who loves you
Oh, maybe you would want me now if you could just see how
If you could just see the one who truly loves you, you might realize that it's me. Maybe then you would want me and see how much I care for you.
I know you long for him, but I hurt for you
I understand that you long for him, but it pains me to see you in that situation.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEBORAH ALLEN, RAFE VAN HOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind