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.
What A Difference A Day Made
Deborah Cox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twenty-four little hours,
Brought the sun and the flowers,
Where their used to be rain.
My yesterday was blue dear,
Today I?m a part of you dear,
My lonley nights are through dear,
Oohhh, what a difference a day makes,
Theirs a rainbow before me,
Skie's above can't bestore me,
Since that moment of bliss,
That thrilling kiss.
It's heaven when you,
Find romance on the menu,
What a difference a day,
And the difference is you.
Oohhh, what a difference a day makes,
Theirs a rainbow before me,
Skie's above can't bestore me,
Since that moment of bliss,
That thrilling kiss.
It's heaven when you,
Find romance on the menu,
What a difference a day made,
And the differemce is you.
The difference is you, ooohhh.
Deborah Cox's "What A Difference A Day Made" explores the transformative power of love through the metaphor of a day. A day may seem insignificant, but it can bring drastic changes to one's life. The song begins by acknowledging the power of time; in just twenty-four hours, the sun and flowers can replace the rain. This metaphor emphasizes the idea that love can bring joy and happiness in the midst of struggle and sadness.
The song's second verse highlights the singer's personal transformation. Yesterday was blue, indicating sadness and loneliness. However, today is different because the singer has found love. This newfound love has brought an end to their lonely nights. The chorus emphasizes that the singer's life has transformed since they found this love; there is now a rainbow before them, and the skies can't bring them down. The thrilling kiss they shared is a significant catalyst for change, marking a moment of bliss.
The last verse captures the connection between love and happiness. The singer notes that finding romance on the menu is heaven; it's a testament to the power of love to bring joy to one's life. The song concludes by emphasizing that the difference between yesterday and today is the presence of this new love in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
What a difference a day makes,
Life can change quickly, as in just one day.
Twenty-four little hours,
A day may seem like a short amount of time, but it can have a huge impact.
Brought the sun and the flowers,
A positive change can bring happiness and beauty.
Where their used to be rain.
Rain could symbolize sadness or difficulties, but things can get better quickly.
My yesterday was blue dear,
My past was filled with sadness and loneliness.
Today I'm a part of you dear,
Now I have found love and am happy to be with you.
My lonely nights are through dear,
I used to feel alone, but now I have you to keep me company.
Since you said 'you are mine'.
Your love and commitment have made a big difference in my life.
Oohhh, what a difference a day makes,
Reiterating that significant changes can happen in just one day.
Theirs a rainbow before me,
A new and bright future is ahead of me.
Skie's above can't bestore me,
Nothing can bring me down from the happiness I feel now.
Since that moment of bliss,
Referring to the moment of falling in love.
That thrilling kiss.
The moment that solidified a new love and a new beginning.
It's heaven when you,
Being with the one you love can feel like being in paradise.
Find romance on the menu,
Being in love and finding that person is like finding a sweet dish on the menu.
What a difference a day,
One day can change everything.
And the difference is you.
Referring to the new-found love that has made all the difference in life.
The difference is you, ooohhh.
Ending with the repetition of the idea that this person has made all the difference.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARIA GREVER, STANLEY ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind