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.
Things Just Ain't The Same
Deborah Cox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I almost lost my mind
I remember the things we did
I can't believe it's a waste of time
And sometimes I want to cry
And sometimes I want to die
Please help me understand
Why can't my heart just lie
Things just ain't the same
He could never be you
You should know the pain I feel
Understand what I'm going through
I'm still in love with you
And I know that you feel it too
But I feel that I can't go on
I just want you to come back home
I'm so ashamed of me
My heart is not complete
I know you walked away
My heart wants you to stay
Things just ain't the same
He could never be you
You should know the pain I feel
Understand what I'm going through
The water's in my eyes
Can't hide what I feel inside
I said the tears keep falling down
I can feel it when you're not around
I've lost control of me
Yet your love's a shame to see
I just cannot help myself
I don't want nobody else
In Deborah Cox's song "Things Just Ain't the Same," the singer expresses her desperation and pain after seeing her ex-partner, who she still loves deeply. The lyrics convey the emotions of longing, grief, and confusion that arise after a relationship ends. The singer reminisces about the past, recalling the good times they shared, and laments the loss of what they had. The chorus, "Things just ain't the same, he could never be you, you should know the pain I feel, understand what I'm going through," emphasizes how much the singer feels that no one can replace or compare to her former partner.
The second verse expresses the singer's internal battle between still loving her ex and feeling like she needs to move on. She feels incomplete without her partner, and while she wants them to come back home, she is also ashamed of her dependency on them. She recognizes that her love is a "shame to see" and admits that she has lost control of herself. But ultimately, she maintains her loyalty and love for her ex, insisting, "I don't want nobody else."
Line by Line Meaning
I saw you the other day
I recently saw you in person.
And I almost lost my mind
Your presence caused an emotional reaction in me.
I remember the things we did
I look back on our shared past experiences.
I can't believe it's a waste of time
I regret that it seems like our relationship ended in vain.
And sometimes I want to cry
My sorrow over the situation makes me emotional.
And sometimes I want to die
I feel hopeless and overwhelmed.
Please help me understand
I seek clarity and answers.
Why can't my heart just lie
I wish my heart didn't miss you so much.
Things just ain't the same
My life and emotions have changed since we parted ways.
He could never be you
No one else can replace the unique connection we once shared.
You should know the pain I feel
I hope you empathize with the hurt I experience.
Understand what I'm going through
I hope you have some understanding of my situation.
I'm still in love with you
My feelings for you haven't faded with time.
And I know that you feel it too
I believe that you also have lingering feelings for me.
But I feel that I can't go on
It feels unbearable to continue living without you by my side.
I just want you to come back home
I hope you'll return to me.
I'm so ashamed of me
I'm embarrassed by my inability to move on.
My heart is not complete
I feel like a part of me is missing without you here.
I know you walked away
I acknowledge that you chose to end our relationship.
My heart wants you to stay
Despite everything, my heart still wants you to be with me.
The water's in my eyes
I'm crying over you.
Can't hide what I feel inside
My emotions are too overwhelming to conceal.
I said the tears keep falling down
I continue to cry even when I don't want to.
I can feel it when you're not around
Your absence is palpable in my life.
I've lost control of me
My emotions have become too much to handle on my own.
Yet your love's a shame to see
Our failed relationship is something I'm embarrassed by.
I just cannot help myself
My feelings for you are too strong to ignore.
I don't want nobody else
I don't desire anyone else romantically.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOM BELL, LINDA CREED, NICOLE RENEE HARRIS, ANDRE L. EVANS, ALFRED ANTOINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MusicBlue22
this version should have been on the one wish album instead of the dance version, this original is the better one to me I love it
Josh L McCall
Absolutely Agree!
Dante Del Valle
This version appears on the money talks soundtrack
Cesar Vasquez
Agree bro.
KingAlone
The song was made for the Money Talks soundtrack. They only put the remix on the album because it blew up on the dance charts around the time she was getting ready to release the album.
Tinker B
I remember being so confused why only the remix was on the album with no original.
Jordan's HypnoticZ
Beautiful classic! This is back when music made sense and had meaning.
Justice
😏
Camilla Phehane
Okaiii thank u lol :)
smh
I agree