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."
Now I'm Gone
Monica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know I was wrong, but I think we can work it out
Just try to hear me out
Nah, you hear me out
I gave you so much love, but you had to play with my affections
My heart was in your hands, but you had to play with all my feelings
Cause I'd rather be all alone
Away from all these silly games
[Chorus]
I gave you no reason why
Just said do your thing on the side
But now I'm gone
Cause it will never be the same
You were busy kicking it with your boys
Instead of taking care of your girl
But now I'm gone
Gone away from you
I thought I knew you well
But you ran away, didn't care about me
You told so many lies
Thought you could run away from this thing called reality
But I'm long gone, I got to go on
There's someone waiting for me
To love me honestly
I gave you no reason why
Just said do your thing on the side
But now I'm gone
Cause it will never be the same, yeah
Your were busy kicking it with your boys
Instead of taking care of your girl
But now I'm gone
I'm gone away from you, oh my boy, hey
I gave you no reason why
Just said do your thing on the side
But now I'm gone
Cause it will never be the same, naw
You were busy kicking it with your boys
(You shoulda been taking care of your girl)
Instead of taking care of your girl
But now I'm gone
But now I'm gone, oh now I'm gone,
Now I'm gon' away from you
You see, the things you did to me back then,
I'm long gon' from it now
Baby I gotta go my own way
They say (they say)
That you never (miss a good thing)
Until it's gon' (Until it's gone away)
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Monica's song "Now I'm Gone" tell a story of a girl who has had enough of being played with, lied to, and neglected by her lover. The song starts with an apology from the lover, who wants to work things out, but Monica is done trying to make things work. She accuses the lover of playing with her affections and feelings, expressing her disappointment and frustration with the situation. Monica then states that although she gave the lover space to do what he wanted, she is still leaving because she cannot deal with the same old games anymore.
The chorus of the song consists of Monica repeating that she gave the lover no reason for leaving, and that now she is gone and things will never be the same. She blames the lover's neglectful behavior for her leaving and expresses her desire to be loved honestly. The song ends with Monica saying that she has to go her own way and that the lover will never miss her until she is gone.
The song is an empowering breakup anthem that many people can relate to, as it speaks to the pain of being taken for granted and ignored by someone who claimed to love you. Monica's powerful vocals and emotional delivery add to the rawness and authenticity of the lyrics, making it a timeless track that still resonates with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
Monica baby, I'm sorry
Apologizing for mistakes committed in the relationship
I know I was wrong, but I think we can work it out
Acknowledging wrongdoing, but hopeful for a second chance
Just try to hear me out
Asking for a chance to explain and be heard
Nah, you hear me out
Refusing to listen to the other person's perspective
I gave you so much love, but you had to play with my affections
Expressing hurt at being toyed with emotionally despite giving love
My heart was in your hands, but you had to play with all my feelings
Feeling betrayed and used by the other person's actions
You got your mack on, but now I'm gone
Calling attention to the other person's attempts to flirt with others while in the relationship, and choosing to leave because of it
Cause I'd rather be all alone
Preferring solitude over a toxic relationship
Away from all these silly games
Desiring a relationship based on honesty and respect
I gave you no reason why
Calling attention to not cheating on the other person despite being hurt
Just said do your thing on the side
Allowing the other person some freedom and independence, but not expecting them to cheat
But now I'm gone
Choosing to leave despite giving space and freedom
Cause it will never be the same
Realizing that trust has been broken and it's hard to go back to how things were before
You were busy kicking it with your boys
Feeling neglected and unimportant due to the other person prioritizing hanging out with friends over spending time with their partner
Instead of taking care of your girl
Expecting the other person to show love, care, and attention as a partner
I thought I knew you well
Feeling misled and deceived by the other person's actions
But you ran away, didn't care about me
Feeling abandoned and uncared for despite investing time and emotions into the relationship
You told so many lies
Feeling like the other person has been dishonest and untruthful
Thought you could run away from this thing called reality
Feeling like the other person was living in a fantasy world and not addressing real issues in the relationship
But I'm long gone, I got to go on
Choosing to move on from the relationship, letting go of hurt feelings and grudges
There's someone waiting for me
Feeling hopeful about finding love and companionship in the future
To love me honestly
Desiring a partner who is truthful and faithful
You see, the things you did to me back then,
Recalling past hurt and pain caused by the other person in the relationship
I'm long gon' from it now
Having moved on and leaving the past behind
Baby I gotta go my own way
Emphasizing the importance of individual agency and self-discovery
They say (they say)
Referring to common wisdom or sayings about love and relationships
That you never (miss a good thing)
Suggesting that the other person may regret losing a good partner like Monica
Until it's gon' (Until it's gone away)
Implying that the other person may not have appreciated Monica until she has moved on and is no longer in their life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BOB ROBINSON, TIM KELLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind