She began singing for TV commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows with the help of her mother. She performed in nightclubs, and began to write music around the same time. Cox entered the music industry in the early 1990s, performing as a backup vocalist for Celine Dion for six months.
In 1995, label executive Clive Davis signed Cox to Arista Records, and she released her self-titled debut album the same year.
After middling success, Cox released a non-album single for the soundtrack to the 1997 movie "Money Talks", titled "Things Just Ain't The Same". A dance mix of that song topped the U.S. dance charts and was included on her second album, "One Wish" in 1998. The first single from that album, "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", spent 14 weeks at #1 on the Hot R&B charts in the USA, as well as eight consecutive weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album went platinum, becoming Cox's biggest-selling album to date. Cox then recorded a new song, "Absolutely Not", for the soundtrack to Dr. Dolittle 2. Remixes of the song repeated the success of One Wish's singles on the dance charts, and the Chanel mix of "Absolutely Not" was included on her third album.
Cox's third album "The Morning After" was released in November 2002 on J Records.
On February 17, 2004, she made her Broadway debut in the Elton John-Tim Rice musical Aida, returning to recording only to release a dance remix of "Easy As Life" as a single.
Cox also has been involved in a number of movies and soundtracks. In 2000, she played Niko Rosen in Love Come Down. In 2001, her hit song "Absolutely Not" was featured in Dr. Dolittle 2. In 2005, in the movie Blood of a Champion she played the role of Sharon, and again in 2005, her voice was featured in the movie Hotel Rwanda in the song "Nobody Cares".
She released a dance single titled "House Is Not a Home" on Nervous Records in January 2006. Later in the year, the song "Definition of Love" was used in the movie Akeelah and the Bee, but was not released as a single.
Between 2005 and 2006 Deborah recorded her fourth album, called "Destination Moon". It is a tribute to jazz singer Dinah Washington and was released on June 19, 2007.
Cox contributed the song "This Gift" to the soundtrack of the 2008 movie "Meet the Browns" and was part of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour 2008.
She has also starred in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" along side Golden Brooks and Darius McCrary.
In early 2008, Cox and Stephens created the Deco Recording Group, her very own independent label, which is distributed through Image Entertainment.
Her fifth R&B studio album, "The Promise", was released on November 11, 2008. The first single "Did You Ever Love Me" was released to radio on August 26, 2008 and peaked at #69 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. The song "Beautiful U R" has been released digitally to iTunes and Amazon.com on September 16, 2008. It has recently reached #3 on the Canadian Radio Chart becoming her most successful single in nearly ten years. It also peaked at #3 on the Canadian Hot AC Chart (January, 2009 Chart) and hit #1 on the US Dance chart becoming her tenth song to do it.
The song was certified gold for digital downloads in January, 2009. "Saying Goodbye" was sent to Urban/AC radios in February, while "The Promise" is scheduled to be released as a single in July. Cox joined forces with Kenny Lattimore for the "Timeless Promise Tour" in July 2009.
In April 2009, she was featured on the single "Leave The World Behind". The house track was produced by four DJs — Axwell, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and Laidback Luke. It peaked at #40 on the US Dance chart.
In September 2009 it was announced she would be joining Kelly Price and Tamia to form the super group The Queen Project. In a February 2012 interview with Seattle Gay News, Cox confirmed that those plans were on hold, due to scheduling issues. "Each of us has moved on and we are all doing our own projects now." She also noted that she is currently working on a dance album. "My fans have been hounding me about another 'remixed' album."
In December 2011 Deborah achieved her 11th number 1 with "If It Wasn't For Love".
On September 7, 2012 Cox gave her inaugural performance as Lucy the female lead in a revival of the musical Jekyll & Hyde starring Constantine Maroulis: after premiering in La Mirada CA this production toured North American for twenty-five weeks playing at twenty locales, then began previews for its Broadway run April 5, 2013 officially opening its planned limited engagement Broadway run of thirteen weeks on April 18, 2013. Despite Cox herself receiving good reviews, the production did not enjoy strong Broadway box-office and subsequent to its non-showing in the 2013 Tony Awards list of nominees announced April 30, 2013 Jekyll & Hyde was announced to be playing its final show May 12, 2013. Cox had a new track "Higher" issued in the autumn of 2012, and in May 2013 stated she was planning to record a dance version of the Jekyll & Hyde number "Someone Like You". Also, in April 2013 Cox stated that a projected Broadway musical in which she'd play Josephine Baker, which had been workshopped in 2011, was still planned, the production being dependent on an available venue.
In 2014, she was one of the performers at the opening ceremonies of WorldPride in Toronto, alongside Melissa Etheridge, Tom Robinson and Steve Grand.
Cox provided vocals for the 2015 Whitney Houston biopic, Whitney, directed by Angela Basset. The same year, she released the deep house-influenced "Kinda Miss You", as well as the ballad "More Than I Knew" as singles. In 2016, Cox played the lead role of Josephine Baker in the Broadway-bound musical Josephine, which chronicled the singer's life between the years of 1939 and 1945, and starred as Rachel Marron in the North American Tour of the musical The Bodyguard based on the 1992 film of the same name. In support of the musical, Cox released the EP I Will Always Love You on Deco and Broadway Records, containing cover versions of seven Whitney Houston originals as well as Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You."[31] In June 2017, she released an uptempo dance single "Let the World Be Ours Tonight" during LGBTQ pride season on Radikal Records and Galactic Media. It marked her 13th single to top Billboard's Dance Club Songs.
In June 2019, she performed at Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019. In November 2019, Cox released the Rico Love-produced single "Easy Way" through Deco Entertainment. The song is expected to lead her seventh studio album, which is expected to be released in late 2020. In February 2020, Cox starred opposite Roger Guenveur Smith in the BET+ television thriller Influence, an adaption of Carl Weber's same-tited 2018 novel, portraying a big-name celebrity singer accused of killing her husband. Also in 2020, she appeared as a guest host in an episode of Canada's Drag Race and started webseries titled COXtales with Deborah Cox during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Deborah Cox was added to the BET series First Wives club during Season 2, playing the musician "Regina". In addition, she stars in a minor role as Wendy on the limited HBO TV series, Station 11.
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven
Deborah Cox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it
Well that was then and this is now
And I want you back
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry
How can something so good go so bad
How can something so right go so wrong
But I want you back
How many times can I say I'm sorry
You can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me
I only wanted someone to love
But something happened on the way to heaven
It got a hold of me and wouldn't let go
And I want you back
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry
You can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me
They say you can't take it with you
When you go
And I believe it
But taking what I've got or being
here with you, you know
I'd rather leave it
You can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me
The lyrics to Deborah Cox's "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" are about regret and wanting to make amends after a relationship has ended. The opening lines describe a past love, suggesting that everything seemed fine, but the singer didn't appreciate it until after it was gone. The chorus asks a series of questions about how something so good can go so bad and how something so right can go so wrong, without a clear answer. However, the singer knows they want their lover back and is willing to apologize continuously for what has happened in the past.
The second verse talks about how the singer is willing to fight for their love, even if their partner is trying to hide or run away from them. They recognize that they've had problems in the past but promise to be on their partner's side if they believe in them. The bridge of the song introduces the idea that material possessions don't matter as much as being with the one you love, and the singer would choose to be with their love over anything else.
Overall, the lyrics to "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" express the universal theme of regret and a longing to make things right with someone you love. It's a classic love song that showcases the emotive power of Deborah Cox's vocals.
Line by Line Meaning
We had a life, we had a love,
We used to have a wonderful relationship and happiness.
But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it
It's hard to appreciate what we have until it's gone.
Well that was then and this is now
Things were different before, but they're not any longer.
And I want you back
I still want to be with you even after all that's happened.
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry
I'm remorseful for what I've done, and I'm willing to apologize as many times as it takes for you to forgive me.
How can something so good go so bad
How could we have been so happy and in love, but now everything has fallen apart?
How can something so right go so wrong
It seems like everything we did was right, but somehow it all turned out very wrong.
I don't know, I don't have all the answers
I wish I had all the answers, but I don't.
You can run, and you can hide
You may try to avoid me or the situation, but I won't leave until we work it out.
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
I won't leave you alone until we sort things out and try to fix our relationship.
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
We've been going through a rough patch, but I'm still here and supporting you.
You're all I need, please believe in me
You're the only one I want and need in my life, and I hope you can trust and have faith in me.
I only wanted someone to love
All I ever wanted was someone to love and care for.
But something happened on the way to heaven
Something unexpected happened in our life when we least expected it.
It got a hold of me and wouldn't let go
This unexpected event continues to affect me, and it's hard for me to let go of it.
And I want you back
Despite what's happened, I still want you back in my life and by my side.
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry
I regret what's happened, and I'm willing to continually apologize for as long as it takes to earn your forgiveness.
They say you can't take it with you
People say that when you pass on, you cannot take anything physical with you.
When you go
When you pass on.
And I believe it
I agree with this statement.
But taking what I've got or being here with you, you know
Even though you cannot take anything with you, I would prefer to stay with you over taking anything else.
I'd rather leave it
I would prefer to start from scratch and rebuild our relationship than leave it all behind.
Lyrics © Takwene LLC, BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Phillip David Charles Collins, Daryl Stoermer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind