Deborah Allen (born Deborah Lynn Thurmond on September 30, 1953 in Memphis,… Read Full Bio ↴Deborah Allen (born Deborah Lynn Thurmond on September 30, 1953 in Memphis, Tennessee), is an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist. She is best-known for her smooth Country Pop-styled hits of the early 1980s. Her best known recording is the crossover hit "Baby I Lied".

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 will always love you
Deborah Allen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I should stay
Well, I would only be in your way
And so I'll go, but yet I know
That I'll think of you each step of my way
And I will always love you
I will always love you
Bitter-sweet memories

That's all I have, and all I'm taking with me
Good-bye, oh, please don't cry
Cause we both know that I'm not
What you need

I will always love you
I will always love you

And I hope life, will treat you kind
And I hope that you have all
That you ever dreamed of
Oh, I do wish you joy
And I wish you happiness
But above all this
I wish you love
I love you, I will always love

I, I will always, always love you
I will always love you

I will always love you
I will always love you

Overall Meaning

The song 'I Will Always Love You' by Deobrah Allen is a song about letting go of a loved one due to the realization that they were not meant to be together. The song starts with her saying that even though she wants to stay with her lover, she is aware that she is not what they need and would only be a burden for them. Therefore, she decides to leave, but not without letting them know that she will always love them. She expresses her love with the hope that the memories they created together will never fade away.

The song continues with the singer reminiscing on the bittersweet memories she has shared with her lover. She acknowledges that she cannot take her lover with her when she leaves but assures them that they will always be in her thoughts. She hopes that life will treat them kindly and that they will achieve all they have ever hoped for. Most importantly, she wishes them love. This is a poignant moment in the song as she repeats the phrase "I will always love you," emphasizing her unending love for them.

The chorus repeats three times, serving as a reminder that her love will always remain. The song ends with her assertively repeating the phrase "I will always love you" and hoping that her lover is well.

Overall, the song conveys a beautiful message that tells of the depth of true love that exists between two people even when they must part ways.

Line by Line Meaning

If I should stay
In the event of my presence being an intrusive fact for you

Well, I would only be in your way
My existence would cause inconvenience in your life

And so I'll go, but yet I know
Therefore, I will leave, although I acknowledge

That I'll think of you each step of my way
That I'll be reminded of you at every moment on my path

And I will always love you
I will perpetually hold affection for you

I will always love you
I will always love you

Bitter-sweet memories
There are fond and joyous recollections, but at the same time it's bittersweet

That's all I have, and all I'm taking with me
I possess only memories that I'll take with me

Good-bye, oh, please don't cry
Farewell, please don't reflect over it much

Cause we both know that I'm not
Since we both comprehend that I'm not