"My mother had a psychic premonition that I’d be a singer like Orpheus," Orfeh once explained in an interview. "She didn’t know what gender I’d be, but she said, ‘Boy or girl, the name is Orfeh.’ I love it when people think I came up with it—like I chose to call myself this unpronounceable word. That’s a name only a mother could come up with!"
Growing up in the city, Orfeh attended New York City public schools. Immediately after graduation from a performing arts high school, she landed a record deal with EMI Records, headlining the early-1990s dance group Or-N-More. Life suddenly became a whirlwind of coast-to-coast concerts, music video shoots and press appearances for Orfeh as the group's self-titled album and single "Everyotherday" were released. Although the Top 40 album swiftly went gold and the single climbed to 1 on the club music charts, Orfeh soon watched her life play out like a bad episode of Behind the Music.
"My recording career went wrong," she has said. "Really, really wrong. We had the business manager that stole all the money, the hit record that was about to become a mega-hit record and suddenly the rug was pulled out from under us. After being on the road for years and devoting my life to recording, I found myself at home saying, 'What do I do now?'" Even if Or-N-More may have been no more, Orfeh's talents as a songwriter earned her a much coveted publishing deal with Warner/Chappell and she has written and produced songs for other artists. She also remains a member of NARAS, which gives her nominating and voting privileges for the Grammy Awards.
Thanks to the success of Rent, hip and funky belters like Orfeh were in vogue in musical theater and Broadway soon came calling. Although Orfeh made her Broadway debut in the fall of 1998 as understudy to all the female leads in the original company of Footloose, she was soon sought after for more prominent stage roles. As part of the ten-member company of The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm, Orfeh belted out modern interpretations of Gershwin classics alongside talents like Adriane Lenox, Sara Ramirez and Patrick Wilson. Although the revue closed after just 17 performances, Orfeh already had her next gig lined up.
A hit from London, the stage version of the John Travolta disco film classic Saturday Night Fever arrived on Broadway in a flurry of press and ticket sales. In fact, by the time it opened on October 21, 1999 at the Minskoff Theatre, it hardly mattered that critics mostly dismissed it. What they definitely didn't dismiss was the work of Orfeh as Tony Manero's jilted sidekick Annette, especially singling out her powerhouse rendition of the disco smash "If I Can't Have You" in the first act. She also caught the eye of Rosie O'Donnell, who immediately booked Orfeh on her popular talk show to sing the song. Saturday Night Fever went on to run for 15 months on Broadway, with Orfeh missing no performances.
Saturday Night Fever brought Orfeh more than just a pile of good reviews. When a tall, good-looking Broadway newcomer took over the role of Joey in the show, she was smitten. His name was Andy Karl and by the end of the Broadway run of the show, he was hers. A few weeks later, in early 2001, they eloped in Miami. The married Karls call Manhattan home.
Andy has since made a name for himself as an original cast member of the off-Broadway smash Altar Boyz, and Orfeh has been lucky to perform alongside her husband on several occasions since Saturday Night Fever. In Me and Mrs. Jones at the Prince Theater in Philly, they got to sing soul classics alongside Lou Rawls. Later, they returned to the Prince to co-star in the musical adaptation of Bright Lights, Big City. With Legally Blonde, they finally get to play off each other in a big way. Orfeh is Paulette, the unlucky-in-love Bostonian hairdresser who becomes best friends to Elle Woods, and Karl is Kyle, the UPS man of her dreams. Needless to say, Orfeh is thrilled to get to bend-and-snap for her husband eight times a week on Broadway.
She's also been seen on the Broadway stage in highly-touted Actors' Fund of America benefit concerts of Dreamgirls and Hair and in two off-Broadway musicals: as rock icon Janis Joplin in Love, Janis and as trailer park stripper Pippi in The Great American Trailer Park Musical.
On TV, Orfeh's played a tough chick from Staten Island on Sex and the City, a sassy secretary on Chappelle's Show and a grieving working class widow on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She can be seen on the big screen in Julie Taymor's upcoming movie musical Across the Universe.
Orfeh balances her theater work with an adventageous side career as one of the top voiceover artists around. She can also be heard on video games Max Payne 2, Grand Theft Auto/San Andreas and The Warriors and is one of the primary female voices heard on MTV and VH1.
In addition to her acting work, Orfeh continues to work on her music and hopes to release many solo albums in the future.
Dirt
Orfeh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You swear, she's sure, it was him kissin' on her.
I'd love to know why you felt you had to mention.
If not to hurt my heart then what was your intention.
Take the truth and add some lies.
Everybody does it.
Trashing other peoples' lives.
Chorus:
Playing with dirt
Doesn't matter who gets hurt.
Cutting like a knife with words.
Talking 'bout he, talking 'bout she
Talking 'bout me.
Playing with dirt
Spreading little lies you've heard
Believing every single word
Talking 'bout he, talking 'bout she
Talking 'bout me.
You say we're friends and you're trying to protect me.
But then again, you knew it only would upset me.
You say it like it's fact but you didn't see it.
No proof and just like that you want me to believe it.
So who cares if it's not true?
Everybody does it.
Long as they're not talking 'bout you
Don't you just love it?
Chorus
He said, she said that her best friend's cousin
Saw him dancing with a girl who wasn't me
And she was rubbing up against him
And was whispering in his ear.
So he called her and she talked to his cell phone
Left a message on the service
And she told them and they told you
And now you're standing here and telling me.
Take the truth and add some lies.
Everybody does it.
Trashing other peoples' lives
Don'tcha just, don'tcha just love it?
Chorus X2
The song "Dirt" by Orfeh speaks about developing a negative and gossipy attitude. The first verse is about someone informing the singer about her guy being seen with another girl. In the second verse, the person who informed her defends himself by saying that he was just trying to protect her. However, the singer can't accept the information because there's no proof, and the person who informed her did that only to break her heart.
The chorus of the song talks about playing with dirt and the idea that it doesn't matter who gets hurt when people spread rumors or gossip. The line "cutting like a knife with words" shows how harmful words can be. The second part of the chorus highlights how people believe every word they hear without considering whether the rumor is true.
The second verse explains a particular incident where a person informed the singer that her guy was seen dancing with someone else. In this case, the singer realizes that it's all hearsay with no evidence. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, highlighting how rumors and negative gossip can create mistrust and lead to hurt feelings.
Overall, "Dirt" is a song that speaks to our judgmental nature and the harmful impact of rumors and gossip. It encourages people to be careful with their words and avoid spreading negativity about others.
Line by Line Meaning
You say she saw my guy out with another.
You claim that somebody saw my partner with someone else.
You swear, she's sure, it was him kissin' on her.
You say that the person is certain they saw my partner kissing another person.
I'd love to know why you felt you had to mention.
I am curious as to why you felt compelled to bring this up.
If not to hurt my heart then what was your intention.
If your intention was not to cause me pain, then what was it?
Take the truth and add some lies.
People tend to embellish the truth with false information.
Everybody does it.
This is a common practice among people.
Trashing other peoples' lives.
Spreading rumors and gossip can seriously harm other people's lives.
Don'tcha just, don'tcha just love it?
Despite the potential harm it causes, some people seem to enjoy gossiping and spreading rumors.
Playing with dirt.
Gossiping and spreading rumors is the equivalent of playing in the dirt, it's unclean.
Doesn't matter who gets hurt.
People tend to not consider the impact of their actions on others when they spread rumors and gossip.
Cutting like a knife with words.
The harm caused by gossip and rumors can often be very painful, much like the cut of a knife.
Talking 'bout he, talking 'bout she, talking 'bout me.
People tend to talk about others, including myself, when spreading gossip and rumors.
Spreading little lies you've heard, believing every single word.
People tend to believe everything they hear, even if it's a small lie or a rumor.
You say we're friends and you're trying to protect me.
You claim that you're my friend and you're trying to protect me from the truth.
But then again, you knew it only would upset me.
However, you knew that hearing this would only upset me.
You say it like it's fact but you didn't see it.
You state it as if it's a fact, but you didn't witness it yourself.
No proof and just like that you want me to believe it.
Despite the lack of evidence, you expect me to believe it based on your word alone.
He said, she said that her best friend's cousin
The story is a game of telephone, with multiple people involved in spreading the rumor.
Saw him dancing with a girl who wasn't me
The rumor involves my partner dancing with someone who isn't me.
And she was rubbing up against him and was whispering in his ear.
The rumor involves physical contact between my partner and someone who isn't me, along with whispered conversation.
So he called her and she talked to his cell phone, left a message on the service.
Someone involved in the rumor attempted to contact my partner, but only left a message on their voicemail.
And she told them and they told you and now you're standing here and telling me.
The rumor spread from person to person, eventually reaching you and causing you to tell me.
Chorus X2
The chorus calls attention to the harm caused by gossip and rumors and how easily they spread without regard for the people involved.
Contributed by Jordan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.