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."
Gone Be Fine
Monica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A whole lot of superstars
On this stage here tonight we have, we have
We have, we have we have, we have
We have, we have we have (Say what?)
A whole lot superstars
On this stage here tonight
A whole lot superstars
Can't believe you would leave me this way
Feelin' kinda bad from the last
Things we said today
Can't believe you would turn and walk away
I know we would do this again and again
You say you love me, I'll come back with
"I hate you"
Only takes me a day to realize
I'm in love with you
You say, "Oh, see ya", I'll
Come back with, "Just stay, boy"
If you don't want my love
Then I have no choice this time yeah, yeah
Tell me, baby, what to do
I ain't trippin' over you
Any, any other time
Remember, I'm gone be fine
I, I remain the same
I don't know what's with you
Any, any other time
Remember, I'm gone be fine
You said you didn't mean it, that's fine
You wanna take it back 'cause you're
Havin' a change of mind
Sometimes sayin' sorry won't do
And some days, I can't do without you
You say you love me, I'll come back with
"I hate you"
Only takes me a day to realize
I'm in love with you
You say, "Oh, see ya", I'll
Come back with, "Just stay, boy"
If you don't want my love
Then I have no choice this time yeah, yeah
Tell me, baby, what to do
I ain't trippin' over you
Any, any other time
Remember, I'm gone be fine
I, I remain the same
I don't know what's with you (Up with you)
Any, any other time
Remember, I'm gone be fine
Tell me, baby, what to do (What to do)
I ain't trippin over you
(Over you, you, you) any, any other time
Remember, I'm gone be fine
I, I remain the same (I'm gonna be fine)
I don't know what's up with you
Any, any other time
Remember, I'm gone be fine
Yeah, yeah better roast the milkman
Delivered this every day on the schedule
Ain't good use in cryin' over spilled
Lactose when you got these vegetables
Four food groups ain't nothin'
But fo' ways to keep fo' families paid
Oprah Winfrey wa'n't lyin' when
She was tellin'
Y'all silly ass 'bout them steaks
Yeah, so for one, girl, when I met you
I'mma say this, you was fine (Fine)
We traveled around the block
I let you drive the 'Lac one time
Maybe your heart's at stake
Some of the people 'round you actin' fake
Cut your cake up, wake up, fix ya make-up
'Cause you gon' be straight - like that
(Tell me, baby, tell me, baby, tell me)
Tell me, baby, what to do
I ain't trippin' over you
(I ain't trippin', baby)
Any, any other time
(Tell me, baby, tell me, baby, baby, baby)
Remember, I'm gone be fine
I, I remain the same (Baby)
I don't know what's up with you
Any, any other time (Any other time)
Remember, I'm gone be fine
(I'm gonna be fine)
Tell me, baby, what to do (Oh oh)
I ain't trippin' over you
Any, any other time (I)
Remember, I'm gone be fine
I, I remain the same
(How do I remain the same?)
I don't know what's up with you
(I don't know what's up with you, baby)
Any any other time (But it's gonna be fine)
Remember, I'm gone be fine (Gonna be fine)
Tell me, baby, what to do (Oh yes, baby)
I ain't trippin' over you
(oh yes i will baby)
Any any other time (What I say to you, baby)
Remember, I'm gone be fine
(It's gonna be fine)
I, I remain the same (Fine, baby)
I don't know what's up with you
In Monica's song "Gone Be Fine," the lyrics depict the confusion and pain felt by someone who has been left by a loved one. The first verse expresses disbelief at the abruptness of the breakup and the finality of the words exchanged. The second verse shows the back and forth of conflicting emotions, going from love to hate in a matter of moments. The chorus is a reminder to the departing lover that the singer is resilient and strong, able to move on without them.
The verse featuring a rap interlude by Outkast's Big Boi draws a parallel between the four food groups and how they relate to the four ways of life that in turn lead to making a living. The lines also touch upon the idea that some people may be compelled to act in a certain way due to factors beyond their control. The chorus repeats a few times and ends with the same resolute message of being able to cope without the need for further guidance.
Overall, "Gone Be Fine" is a relatable song that addresses the anger, desperation, and courage that often occur in the aftermath of a failed relationship. Its catchy beats and R&B vocals add allure to a powerful message about self-assurance and the will to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't believe you would leave me this way
I am shocked that you would abandon me like this
Feeling kinda bad from the last things we said today
I am upset about the hurtful words we exchanged earlier
Can't believe you would turn and walk away
I am surprised that you would reject me and leave
I know we would do this again and again
I am aware that our relationship is marked by repetitive cycles of breaking up and getting back together
You say you love me
You express affection towards me
I'll come back with I hate you
I respond with anger by saying I despise you
Only takes me a day to
It only takes a short time for me to
Realize I'm in love with you
Recognize that I have deep feelings of love for you
You say 'Oh, see ya'
You tell me goodbye with apparent ease
I'll come back with 'Just stay, boy'
I plead with you to stay and not leave
If you don't want my love
If you don't desire my affection
Then I have no choice this time
I will not pursue you any further if that is the case
Tell me baby what to do
Ask for advice on how to proceed
I ain't trippin' over you
I am not overly concerned with your actions
Any, any other time
In any other circumstance
I, I remain the same
I maintain my current temperament
I don't know what's up wit you
I am unsure of what is going on with you
Remember I'm gone be fine
Keep in mind that I will be okay on my own
You said you didn't mean it that's fine
You claimed that you did not intend to hurt me, which is acceptable to me
You wanna take it back cause your havin' a change of mind
You regret your previous statement and wish to retract it because of your shifting thoughts
Sometimes saying sorry won't do
Apologizing is not always sufficient
Then somedays I can't do without you
There are times when I cannot imagine my life without you
Yo, yo
Hey, hey
Across the way
In the vicinity
The milkman delivered this
This is something that came about unexpectedly
Everyday on schedule
It happens regularly and predictably
Ain't good use to cry over spilled lactose
It is pointless to lament over something that cannot be changed or fixed
When you got these vegetables
When you have other options or opportunities
The four food groups
A reference to the traditional food pyramid
Ain't nothing but
It is simply
Four ways to keep four families paid
It serves as a means of livelihood for four different households
Oprah went from one line to
A comparison to Oprah's rise to success from humble beginnings
Telling y'all silly ass rock upstate
Becoming wealthy and successful, and leaving behind her previous hardships and struggles
So for one, girl
So let me tell you, girl
When I met you
The first time we encountered each other
I'ma say this
I will admit this
You's was fine
You were attractive
You traveled around the block
You have a reputation for being promiscuous
I let you drive the 'Lac one time
I trusted you and gave you a chance to take control of something important to me
Maybe your hearts at stake
Perhaps your emotions are on the line
Some of the people around
Some of the individuals in our lives
You act of fate
You behave as if our relationship is predetermined and beyond our control
'Cuz you can't
Because you are unable to
Cake up, wake up
Get rich and become aware of the reality of the world
Picture make up
Create an ideal vision of the future
Straight up like that
That is the truth, without any embellishment or pretense
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOSEPH WARD SIMMONS, DARRYL MATTHEWS MCDANIELS, JASON WILLIAM MIZELL, DAVID FRANKLIN REEVES, DALLAS L. AUSTIN, ANDRE BENJAMIN, JOSEPH HENRY COLE, ANTWAN PATTON, OTTO SIEBEN, RODNEY HYLTON SMITH
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