McPhee's self-titled debut album was released through RCA Records on January 30, 2007 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. It also sold 116,000 copies in its first week. The album's first single, "Over It," was a Pop Top 30 hit and certified gold in 2008. Its second single, "Love Story," was released May 22, 2007, but failed to chart. On January 11, 2008, it was reported by Billboard.com that McPhee had been released from her RCA Records contract; a spokesperson for the label stated, "She is going to record her next album on her own." She ended up signing a new record deal with Verve Forecast Records (part of the Verve Music Group under Universal Music Group), which was announced on January 27, 2009.
McPhee's second album, Unbroken was released through Verve Forecast on January 5, 2010 and debuted at #27 on the Billboard 200. The album's first single was "Had It All" which peaked at #22 on the Billboard AC chart. She also released a holiday album titled Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You on October 12, 2010. It debuted at #11 on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart while the single "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" peaked at #16 on the Billboard AC chart.
McPhee has also established an acting career; she co-starred in The House Bunny in 2008 as the hippie sorority sister Harmony. She will also be co-starring in the upcoming NBC series Smash. On June 9, 2011, it was announced that she had signed a new record deal with Columbia Records, in conjunction with Columbia teaming with NBC to distribute the music for Smash.
Better Off Alone
Katharine McPhee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you be coming back home?
Let's think this through again, let's take a different spin
Why can't I leave you alone?
Somewhere tonight, you may be found
With some other girl you've been draggin' around
You lie to yourself, you lie to me
'Cause baby I'm tired, I'm tired of the fight
I'm tired of the lonely days and the dark endless nights
It's taken some time 'cause I didn't know if I could ever let you go
You helped me figure it out, I'm better off alone
Oh, I'm better off alone, yes, I am
I may be found somewhere tonight
Cursing the day you walked into my life
But what's done is done, I can't change time
But I'll be damned if I'm not gonna try, oh, I'm gonna try
But baby I'm tired, I'm tired of the fight
I'm tired of the lonely days and the dark endless nights
It's taken some time 'cause I didn't know if I could ever let you go
You helped me figure it out, I'm better off alone
But every now and then my heart gives in
To the hope that someday you'll change
Then alone I'll wake to my own mistakes
That it's just a foolish game
I'm tired, I'm tired of the fight
I'm tired of the lonely, lonely, lonely days and the dark endless nights
You didn't think 'cause you didn't know
That I'd find the strength to let, let you go
I finally figured it out, oh, I'm better off alone
Oh, I'm better off alone, yeah
One thing before I go
Something I've got to know
Boy, did you ever love me?
The lyrics of "Better Off Alone" by Katharine McPhee speak to the struggles of leaving a relationship, despite knowing you are better off without it. The song starts off with the singer questioning whether her ex-boyfriend will come back to her once he runs out of friends. She asks why she can't leave him alone, indicating that, despite everything, she still has feelings for him. However, she acknowledges that he lies to himself and to her, and that the truth is often his enemy. She is tired of fighting and spending lonely days and nights, but she also admits that her heart occasionally gives in to the hope that he will change.
As the song progresses, she realizes that what's done is done, and that she can't change time. However, she vows to try and move on and curses the day he walked into her life. She acknowledges that it will take some time to let him go, but that the relationship helped her figure out that she is better off alone. She admits to occasionally waking up and realizing that her hope was just a foolish game. The song ends with her asking her ex-boyfriend if he ever loved her, indicating that she needs closure before she can fully move on.
Line by Line Meaning
One thing I'm wonderin' when you run out of friends
I'm curious if you'll come back to me when you're alone
Will you be coming back home?
Will you come back to the relationship we had?
Let's think this through again, let's take a different spin
Let's reconsider our relationship and approach it differently
Why can't I leave you alone?
Why am I so attached to you even though our relationship is unhealthy?
Somewhere tonight, you may be found
You may be with someone else tonight
With some other girl you've been draggin' around
You have a history of leading other women on
You lie to yourself, you lie to me
You're in denial about your actions and how they affect me
It seems like the truth is your worst enemy
You have trouble facing the reality of the situation
'Cause baby I'm tired, I'm tired of the fight
I'm exhausted from trying to make this relationship work
I'm tired of the lonely days and the dark endless nights
I'm unhappy and feel isolated in this relationship
It's taken some time 'cause I didn't know if I could ever let you go
I was unsure if I was capable of leaving this relationship
You helped me figure it out, I'm better off alone
You made it clear that I'm better off without you
Oh, I'm better off alone, yes, I am
I'm happier being single than being in a bad relationship
I may be found somewhere tonight
I might be out tonight
Cursing the day you walked into my life
Feeling regretful that I ever got involved with you
But what's done is done, I can't change time
There's nothing I can do to change what happened in the past
But I'll be damned if I'm not gonna try, oh, I'm gonna try
Even if it's difficult, I'm going to try to move on
But every now and then my heart gives in
Sometimes I have moments of weakness and want to be with you
To the hope that someday you'll change
I hold onto the hope that you might change and become a better person
Then alone I'll wake to my own mistakes
I realize that I made mistakes by staying in this relationship for too long
That it's just a foolish game
Our relationship was a mistake and should have ended sooner
You didn't think 'cause you didn't know
You didn't realize how much I was suffering because of our relationship
That I'd find the strength to let, let you go
I was able to find the courage to end our relationship
I finally figured it out, oh, I'm better off alone
I've come to the realization that I'm happier being single than being in a bad relationship
Oh, I'm better off alone, yeah
Being single is much better than being in a bad relationship
One thing before I go
Before I leave, there's something I need to know
Something I've got to know
I have a question that I need an answer to
Boy, did you ever love me?
Did you ever truly love me?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AUSTIN CARROLL, SUSAN MARSHALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind