She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired debut album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000), which was a critical and commercial success that spawned two top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light". The first of the two singles won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Furtado's introspective folk-heavy 2003 second album, Folklore, explored her Portuguese roots. Its singles received moderate success in Europe, but the album's underperformance compared to her debut was regarded as a sophomore slump.
Furtado's third album, Loose (2006), was a smash hit and became her bestselling album, with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, also making it one of the bestselling albums of the 2000s. Considered a radical image reinvention, Furtado continued to explore her Portuguese heritage while leaning heavier into hip hop. The album spawned four successful number-one singles worldwide; "Promiscuous", "Maneater", "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)".
She released her first Spanish-language album, Mi Plan, in 2009, which won her a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. In 2012, Furtado released her nostalgia-inspired fifth album The Spirit Indestructible. Furtado split with her management and went independent thereafter, releasing her indie-pop sixth album, The Ride, in 2017 under her own label Nelstar Entertainment.
She has won many awards throughout her career, including one Grammy Award from seven nominations, one Latin Grammy Award, ten Juno Awards, one BRIT Award, one Billboard Music Award, one MTV Europe Music Award, one World Music Award, and three Much Music Video Awards. Furtado has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, and was awarded Commander of the Order of Prince Henry on February 28, 2014, by Aníbal Cavaco Silva, the then-President of Portugal.
Be OK
Nelly Furtado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time to be with you
You were always there but I never cared
Until you went away
Thinking back to then
What I should have done
To show you my love
I can't believe I let you
[Chorus]
Are you gonna be OK?
I've been doing so much thinking about you
Fall asleep and I start dreaming about you
Are you gonna be OK?
I've been doing so much thinking about you
Fall asleep and I start dreaming
You were always mine then there came a time
You needed to be free
I didn't understand it wasn't in the plans
But I let you be
They say that if they love you and you let them go
They'll fly back one day
I can't believe I let you
I can't believe I let you slip away
[Chorus]
You always were so carefree in your way
You never let it get to you that way
And now you are so far
You're so far away
I hope you know what to do
I'll be thinking about you
Thinking about you
[Chorus: x3]
The lyrics to Nelly Furtado's song "Be OK" speaks about regret and longing for a lost love. The opening lines convey the singer's inability to balance their priorities and take out time for their partner while they were in a relationship. The next verse reveals that the partner demanded freedom and space eventually, and the singer wasn't equipped to understand why it was necessary. The subsequent line about "letting go" signifies that the relationship ended, and the singer is consumed with regret for not holding on.
The chorus is where the singer asks the partner if they would be okay after the breakup. They reveal that they've been thinking a lot about the partner, so much so that they dream about them. The bridge talks about how carefree and independent the partner was and that they're far away now. The repetition of the chorus after the bridge is to emphasize the singer's constant worry and love for the partner.
In conclusion, the song's central theme is regret for not understanding the partner's needs and not fighting for the relationship. The chorus and the bridge provide a melancholic tone that highlights the singer's sadness and longing for the lost relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I was on the grind I could hardly find
I was very busy with work and couldn't find much free time
Time to be with you
To spend time with you
You were always there but I never cared
You were around, but I didn't appreciate you
Until you went away
I didn't realize how important you were to me until you left
Thinking back to then
Reflecting on the past
What I should have done
Regretting not doing things differently
To show you my love
Expressing affection towards you
I can't believe I let you
Feeling regret for not valuing you
I can't believe I let you slip away
Feeling remorseful for losing you
Are you gonna be OK?
Worrying about your well-being
I've been doing so much thinking about you
Your absence is on my mind a lot
Fall asleep and I start dreaming about you
Your presence is in my dreams
You were always mine then there came a time
You were once mine, but then things changed
You needed to be free
You needed space and independence
I didn't understand it wasn't in the plans
I didn't comprehend your desire for freedom
But I let you be
I allowed you to do what you needed to do
They say that if they love you and you let them go
There's a saying that if you love someone and set them free
They'll fly back one day
They may return in the future
You always were so carefree in your way
You had a relaxed attitude
You never let it get to you that way
You didn't let things bother you
And now you are so far
You've gone away and are distant
You're so far away
You're very far from me
I hope you know what to do
I trust that you'll make good decisions
I'll be thinking about you
You'll be on my mind
Chorus x3
Repeats the chorus multiple times
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DYLAN MURRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
golarkandu
great song, love the lyric video!
Max Schmidt
What a really good song ! continue you're really talented, happy new year from france. :)
PABLO:CUPIDBXY
AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL SONG!!!
ucbo452
This song always touches me. Dylan, give me back my diary!
Danni Sol
Such a beautiful song a video! Thank You!
Rishabh Bharadwaj
Criminally underrated