Other albums / songs he has worked on:
Shakira โ "The One" (2001)
Dave Matthews Band โ Everyday (2001)
Crashed... (2001)
Christina Aguilera โ Stripped (2002) (co-wrote The Voice Within)
Lisa Marie Presley โ To Whom It May Concern (2003)
Elisa โ Pearl Days (2004)
Alanis Morissette โ Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (2005)
O.A.R. โ Stories of a Stranger (2005)
Anastacia โ Anastacia (2004)
Goo Goo Dolls โ Let Love In (2006)
P.O.D. โ Testify (2006)
Annie Lennox โ Dark Road (2007)
Carina Round โ Slow Motion Addict (2007)
Emmy Rossum โ Inside Out (2007)
Annie Lennox โ Songs of Mass Destruction (2007)
Anouk โ Who's Your Momma (2007)
A Hero Comes Home (2007)
Idina Menzel โ I Stand (2008)
Anna Vissi โ Apagorevmeno (2008)
Wilson Phillips โ Christmas in Harmony (2010)
Stevie Nicks โ "In Your Dreams" (2011) (produced tracks with Dave Stewart)
I Wonder Why
Glen Ballard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That burns in my soul
But you never notice the pain
Love is an anchor
That won't let me go
I reach out to hold you
But you push me away
You always convince me to stay
And I wonder why
We hold on with tears in our eyes
And I wonder why
We have to break down to just make
Things right
And I wonder why
I can't seem to tell you goodbye
Yeah, I wonder why
I'm no angel
With my selfish pride
But I love you more every day
Love is an anger
That builds up inside
As the tears of frustration
Roll down my face
Why does love always have to turn
Out this way
I don't want to fight again tonight
About the little things please baby
I just want to find my way
Back to love
And I'll meet you there, baby
The lyrics to Glen Ballard's song "I Wonder Why" explore the pain and confusion that sometimes come hand in hand with love. The song opens with the assertion that love is a powerful, all-consuming emotion that burns in the soul of the singer, but isn't acknowledged by the person they love. This lack of affection causes great pain for the singer, who likens love to an anchor that won't let them go, even though the person they're in love with keeps pushing them away. Despite this mistreatment, the singer finds it difficult to let go of their love and wonders why this is the case.
The second verse of the song reveals that the singer is no perfect angel themselves, as they admit to being prone to selfishness and anger. However, despite their flaws, they still love the other person more with each passing day. They feel a deep sense of frustration and sadness at the way love seems to always turn out this way - full of anger and tears. They don't want to fight anymore and just want to find their way back to love.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Wonder Why" capture the pain and confusion that can come from loving someone who doesn't reciprocate your feelings. Despite the ups and downs, the singer can't seem to shake their love for the other person.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is a hunger
Love is a strong desire that someone feels.
That burns in my soul
The feeling of love is intense and emotional for me.
But you never notice the pain
Despite my intense feelings, you don't seem to see the pain that it causes me.
Love is an anchor
Love is a strong force that keeps me grounded and connected to you.
That won't let me go
My love for you is so strong that I can't let go of it.
I reach out to hold you
I try to show my love by reaching out and holding you.
But you push me away
You don't seem to want my love and push me away.
You always convince me to stay
Despite this, you always convince me to stay with you and try again.
And I wonder why
I think about the reasons why we continue to hold on to each other despite the pain we feel.
We hold on with tears in our eyes
We continue to stay together even though we cry and feel sad about the state of our relationship.
We have to break down to just make things right
Our relationship seems to only improve after going through tough times and facing problems.
I can't seem to tell you goodbye
Despite everything, I can't seem to say goodbye to the relationship and to you.
I'm no angel
I am not a perfect person, and have my own flaws and weaknesses.
With my selfish pride
Sometimes, I let my ego get in the way of our relationship and am selfish in my actions.
But I love you more every day
Despite my flaws, my love for you grows stronger each day.
Love is an anger
Sometimes, my strong love for you turns into anger and frustration when things don't go well.
That builds up inside
This anger and frustration continues to build up within me as I struggle to save our relationship.
As the tears of frustration roll down my face
I become overwhelmed with emotion and sadness as I try to keep our relationship together.
Why does love always have to turn out this way
I wonder why love is always so difficult and painful, instead of being easy and happy.
I don't want to fight again tonight about the little things please baby
I don't want to argue with you about small and unimportant things that don't matter in the long run.
I just want to find my way back to love
I want us to find a way to be in love again, without any anger or sadness.
And I'll meet you there, baby
I am willing to work together to find a way for us to come back to being in love, if you are willing to meet me halfway.
Lyrics ยฉ Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: CURTIS STIGERS, GLEN BALLARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Johnny P Rake
What an amazing voice. Not many get better with time but Curtis surely has....
wesboundmusic
I've loved that tune to pieces the moment it was published. Never found this magnificient version until now. It's a perfect example of why it is that a great tune will work in any setting and instrumentation! Here with a sparse Jazz "kit" and it still transports all the emotion, all the pain, all the agony and bliss of the original and the story told in the lyrics. Amazing, amazing! I salute you, Mr. Stigers!
LDuffy cdns
Was so lucky to see Curtis perform this version during the year when he came to Dublin. Looking forward to his next gig, already! โ
Diane Carter
Me too, loved this song forever!
Marie Eakins
Absolutely beautiful, a truly timeless song.
Curtis Stigers
Are you also one of my music fans out there?
rob clarke
Effortless....the king of class gets better with age... the grape to the wine ... you cannot make a star....a star evolves and Curtis has earned his status as a musical legend
Mario Loibner
the song has lost none of its magic... I Loved it when i was a Teen, i Still Love it...
wesboundmusic
Same here, Mario. Must have a few years on you as I was an early twen or something. But yes, a powerful tune!
Sharlene Morris
He's as beautiful as ever โค