In 1991, at the age of eleven, Monica was discovered by music producer Dallas Austin at the Center Stage auditorium in Atlanta performing Whitney Houston 1986's Greatest Love of All. Amazed by her voice, Dallas offered her a record deal with his Arista Records-distributed label Rowdy Records and consulted rapper Queen Latifah to work as Monica's first manager. Shortly afterwards Dallas and then staff producers Tim & Bob entered the studio with Monica to start writing and producing her debut Miss Thang which was eventually released in July 1995 and scored number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number seven on the Top R&B Albums chart. It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies and produced three top ten singles, including debut single Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days) and Before You Walk out of My Life both of which made Monica the youngest artist ever to have two consecutive chart-topping hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. Miss Thang subsequently won Monica a Billboard Music Award and garnered her an American Music Award nomination in the Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist category.
After a label change to Clive Davis's Arista Records, Monica mainstream success was boosted, when Diane Warren-written For You I Will, from the Space Jam soundtrack, became her next top ten pop hit. The following year she was asked to team up with singer Brandy and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins to record The Boy Is Mine, the first single from both of their second albums. Released in May 1998, surrounding highly publicized rumors about a real-life catfight between both singers, the duet became both the biggest hit of the summer and the biggest hit of 1998 in general in America, spending record-breaking thirteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It earned the pair a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and garnered multi-platinum sales (to date, it remains as one of the top twenty most successful American singles in history based on Billboard chart success).
Jermaine Dupri, David Foster and Austin consulted on the album The Boy Is Mine, which was released later that year and eventually became Monica’s biggest-selling album, becoming certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies. It yielded another two U.S. number-one hits with The First Night and Angel of Mine, a cover of Eternal's 1997 single, as well as a remake of Richard Marx' Right Here Waiting. Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed it as "closer to soul's source... hearking back past hip-hop songbirds like Mary J. Blige and adult-contemporary sirens like Toni Braxton," while Allmusic called the album an "irresistible sounding [and] immaculately crafted musical backdrop [...] as good as mainstream urban R&B gets in 1998."
In 2000, Monica contributed chorus vocals for I've Got to Have It, a collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and rapper Nas. Released as the Big Momma's House theme song, the song saw minor success in the United States only. The following year, she released the Ric Wake production track Just Another Girl, recorded for the Down to Earth soundtrack, as a single.
A year later, Arnold channeled much of her heavily media-discussed experiences into the production of her third studio album, All Eyez on Me, her first release on mentor Clive Davis newly-founded J Records label. "I just wanted to give the people back something that had personal passion, instead of just, 'Oh, let's dance to this record'," she said about the issues worked into the tracks. The first single All Eyez on Me a Rodney Jerkins-produced R&B-dance track, saw minor to moderate success on the international charts but failed to enter the higher half of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. A follow-up song, Too Hood, also got a lukewarm response and as a result, the album's tentative release was pushed back several times. "I don't think people wanted to hear a big fun record from me, after knowing all the things that I had personally experienced," Monica second-guessed her new material which saw both early and heavy bootlegging via internet at that time.
After the Japan-wide release of All Eyez on Me Monica was asked to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers, and as a result the singer re-entered recording studios to start work with songwriters Kanye West, Jazze Pha, Andre "mrDEYO" Deyo, Bam & Ryan and Dupri-replacing executive producer Missy Elliott. Finally released in June 2003, After the Storm debuted at number one on Billboard`s Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and on top of the official Billboard 200, with sales of 186,000 copies emerging as Monica's first and only number-one album to date. It eventually received a gold certification, and has sold over one million copies domestically. Media reception of the CD was generally enthusiastic, with the Allmusic saying the album "has all the assuredness and smart developments that should keep Monica's younger longtime followers behind her — all the while holding the ability to appeal to a wider spectrum of R&B and hip-hop fans." The album's lead single, Elliott-penned So Gone, was one of Monica's biggest commercial successes in years, becoming her first top ten single since 1999's Angel of Mine. In addition, it reached the top position of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks and Hot Dance Club Play charts. Subsequently, After the Storm spawned another three singles, with final single U Should've Known Better reaching number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 2005, Monica appeared on the Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman soundtrack. The track was one of Monica's last production by Dallas Austin.
Returning from yet another musical hiatus, Arnold's fourth studio album The Makings of Me was released in October 2006. Titled after Curtis Mayfield's 1970 recording The Makings of You, the album saw her particularly reuniting with producers Elliott, Dupri, and Bryan Michael Cox, all of whom had previously contributed to After the Storm (2003). The Makings of Me received a positive reception from most professional music critics, with Allmusic calling it a "concise and mostly sweet set of songs," and Entertainment Weekly declaring it "a solid addition" to Monica's discography. While it debuted at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number eight on the official Billboard 200, it received a domestic sales total of 328,000 copies, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors and became the singer's lowest-selling effort to date. Singles such as snap-influenced Everytime Tha Beat Drop featuring Atlanta hip hop group Dem Franchize Boyz and Elliott-produced A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me) failed to reach the top forty of the regular pop charts.
In 2009, Arnold lent her voice to the ballad Trust a duet with Keyshia Cole, that peaked in the top five on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The recording of Arnold's sixth studio album Still Standing was chronicled by her BET reality series of the same name. Featuring production by Stargate, Ne-Yo, and Polow da Don, it was released in March 2010 and garnered a generally positive response by critics, who perceived its sound as "a return to the mid-'1990s heyday" of contemporary R&B, The album debuted atop on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 184,000 copies, becoming the singer's second highest-charting debut since 2003's After the Storm. The leading single Everything to Me scored Monica her biggest chart success since 2003's So Gone, reaching the top position of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks charts for seven weeks. The album was certified gold by the RIAA with domestic shipments of 500,000 copies within a single month. With it success, the album and Everything to Me was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, presented at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011. In August 2010, Arnold joined Trey Songz on his Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour, her first North American concert tour in ten years.
The New Life (Intro) Songfacts reports that New Life was Monica's debut release with RCA, following the disbandment of her former label, J Records in October 2011. The album was dropped on April 10, 2012 in the US. She explained the meaning of its title on Twitter: "A good word goes a long way. Life is hard enough. Me and my followers believe in God, love, strength, family, unity and growth [...] Don't be afraid of new things, new people, new opportunities or new love. It just may give you a New Life."
Daddy's Good Girl
Monica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shopping sprees might make me smile for now but
What about later?
And I don't mean to put you through it
I just wanna know I'm caring for
I wanna know you there boy
And if you love me, tell me that you love me
My baby, baby
I make it easy, baby I just want you to need me
I gotta feel your touch, taste your kiss
Hear your voice in my head
And I promise to be good, daddy's good girl
You ain't gonna hear nothing bout me
Hanging late up in these streets
Promise to be good, daddy's good girl
Daddy's good, girl
Long as I know you got that love for me
I'ma be g-o-o-d, I'ma be g-o-o-d
And I swear you found the truest
No need to question it, I hold you down
Cause I've had plenty takers
And a few times you almost blew it baby
But you showed me I was cared for
So I'll be here boy
And if you love me, tell me that you love me
I need to hear those words, before I go to bed
My baby, baby
I make it easy, baby I just want you to need me
I gotta feel your touch, taste your kiss
Hear your voice in my head
And I promise to be good, daddy's good girl
You ain't gonna hear nothing bout me
Hanging late up in these streets
Promise to be good, daddy's good girl
Daddy's good, girl
Long as I know you got that love for me
I'ma be g-o-o-d
All a good girl needs is loving, g-o-o-d
And I bet you make her smile baby
And she won't leave you for, for nothing
Nothing in this world could take her love away
And if you love me, tell me that you love me
I wanna to hear those words, before I go to bed
My baby, baby
I make it easy, baby I just want you to need me
I gotta feel your touch, taste your kiss
Hear your voice in my head
And I promise to be good, daddy's good girl
You ain't gonna hear nothing bout me
Hanging late up in these streets
Promise to be good, daddy's good girl
Daddy's good, girl
Long as I know you got that love for me
I'ma be g-o-o-d, I'ma be g-o-o-d
The song Daddy's Good Girl by Monica is a dedication to a lover who has proven to be reliable and committed to their relationship. The lyrics reflect a sense of gratitude towards this person, as the singer mentions she has had many takers before, but this person has shown her that she is cared for. The singer expresses that material things, such as shopping sprees, do not make her happy in the long run. Instead, she wants to feel loved and needed by her partner. She promises to be a good girl for her "daddy," as long as he continues to show her love.
The chorus of the song reflects the singer's desire to hear her partner express his love to her. She wants to know that she is loved and cared for before she goes to bed at night. She also wants to feel his touch, taste his kiss, and hear his voice in her head. Overall, the song conveys a sense of appreciation for a partner who has shown love and commitment to their relationship and the desire to maintain a healthy and loving connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes just won't do it
Small gestures or occasional attention is not enough to sustain a relationship.
Shopping sprees might make me smile for now but
Material things can bring temporary happiness, but they are not a substitute for genuine caring and affection.
What about later?
It is important to consider the future and think about what will happen beyond the present moment.
And I don't mean to put you through it
I do not want to burden you or cause you any stress.
I just wanna know I'm caring for
I want to feel like I am taking care of you and making you happy.
I wanna know you there boy
I want to feel like you are present and involved in our relationship.
And if you love me, tell me that you love me
Hearing your words of love and affirmation is important to me.
I need to hear those words, before I go to bed
Knowing that you love me helps me to feel secure and sleep peacefully.
My baby, baby
Endearing term for a beloved partner or significant other.
I make it easy, baby I just want you to need me
I do not need grand gestures or elaborate displays of affection, just knowing that you need me is enough.
I gotta feel your touch, taste your kiss
Physical connection and intimacy is an important part of our relationship.
Hear your voice in my head
Thinking of you and hearing your voice gives me comfort and happiness.
And I promise to be good, daddy's good girl
I pledge to be faithful and devoted to you, my beloved partner.
You ain't gonna hear nothing bout me
I will not cause trouble or give you reason to worry or be suspicious of me.
Hanging late up in these streets
Spending time out late in public places, possibly engaging in risky behavior or activities.
Long as I know you got that love for me
As long as I feel loved and supported by you, I will be happy and faithful to you.
I'ma be g-o-o-d
I will be a good and committed partner to you.
And I swear you found the truest
I believe that you are the most genuine, sincere and loving partner I have ever had.
No need to question it, I hold you down
I will always support and be there for you, no matter what challenges we may face.
Cause I've had plenty takers
I have been in relationships where my partners took me for granted or did not treat me well.
And a few times you almost blew it baby
There have been times when you made mistakes or did things that hurt me, but I still love and forgive you.
But you showed me I was cared for
You have proven your love and devotion to me in ways that make me feel valued and appreciated.
So I'll be here boy
I will stay by your side and be a loyal partner to you, always.
All a good girl needs is loving, g-o-o-d
A loving partner who is committed and devoted is all that a good girl needs to be happy.
And I bet you make her smile baby
I believe that you are capable of making any woman happy with your love and affection.
And she won't leave you for, for nothing
If you continue to love and appreciate your partner, they will have no reason to leave you.
Nothing in this world could take her love away
True love is enduring and lasting, nothing can come between two people who truly love each other.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DANIEL MORRIS, EARL JOSEPH HOOD, RICO LOVE, ERIC GOUDY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind