She appeared in numerous television shows of the 1970s and 1980s, including T.J. Hooker and Lou Grant. She auditioned for the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars, and appeared in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday.
Nunn joined the New Wave, techno-pop band Berlin in 1979, but temporarily left the band the following year to pursue an acting career. In 1981, Nunn rejoined the group as the lead vocalist and would soon forge her recording career with the band. Nunn's greatest success with Berlin was the top-selling single "Take My Breath Away", the love theme from the film Top Gun, which reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since been remade in a cover version by Jessica Simpson. Other popular songs songs voiced by Nunn included "Sex (I'm A...)", "The Metro", "No More Words", and "Masquerade".
In 1985 Nunn took a brief break as lead vocalist for Berlin and recorded the song "Dancing In Isolation" for the film Better Off Dead. The song was produced by British singer and producer Rupert Hine. In 1989, Nunn performed a duet with ex-Squeeze member Paul Carrack called "Romance". The song appeared the film soundtrack to the movie Sing, starring Peter Dobson and Lorraine Bracco.
In the early 1990s Nunn sang backing vocals for the band The Sisters of Mercy. In 1992, she recorded and released a solo album entitled Moment of Truth.
Nunn briefly sang for a rock band called "Sin City" which played in smaller clubs in Los Angeles in 1996, such as the Martini Lounge (now known as the Larchmont) on 5/14/96 and the (West Hollywood) House of Blues on 12/29/96.
Nunn obtained the rights to use of the band's name when Berlin disbanded in 1987, and resurrected Berlin with new members in 1996 and resumed recording and touring. Two EPs, Fall Into Heaven and Fall Into Heaven 2, were released in 1999, followed by Berlin's first live album, Sacred and Profane, in 2000. A subsequent album featuring all new songs, Voyeur, was released in 2002. Berlin's latest album, 4Play, released in 2005, included both new songs and covers of some of the band's favorite songs by other artists. In 2006, Nunn appeared as a guest vocalist on Pamela Moore's album Stories from a Blue Room.
Once Upon A Time
Terri Nunn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stories of wonder that he would tell
Daddy said our world could be anything
A tower of glory, a street of gold
But daddy would hide from the coming rains
He closed the windows and locked the doors
Then he got high to stop the pain
Till I didn't know hi anymore
The man that I remember
He carried me through it all
Man that I remember
Whatever happened to...
Once upon a time
Somewhere in our minds
Once the dream we knew
It was true, it was true for you
Once upon a time
We left so far behind
No one to pull you through
I was lost, and I lost you
Maybe it was the sweetness of his youth
Made it all so bitter when he grew old
Maybe his words never set him free
Made all the failures so hard to hold
How long can you hide from the falling rain
Before the lies are all that you believe
He flew high above his shame
Leaving the words "It's too late for me"
The man that I remember
He loved his life above all
Man that I remember
Whatever happened to...
Once upon a time
Somewhere in our minds
Once the dream we knew
It was true it was true for you
Once upon a time
We left so far behind
No one to lead you through
I was lost and I lost you
There must be a light
There's gotta be a light out there
(why one will go on)
There must be a light
(while another will turn away)
There's gotta be light
The song "Once Upon a Time" by Terri Nunn explores the bittersweet memories of a father figure who promised the world to his young daughter, but ultimately succumbed to his vices and left her feeling lost and abandoned. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who was once full of hope and wonder, but as he aged, the weight of his failures and the pains of life became too much to bear. He would hide from the storms that raged outside, both literal and metaphorical, and turn to drugs to ease his pain. It's unclear whether he ever found redemption or made amends for his mistakes, but the relationship between him and his daughter was irrevocably damaged.
The chorus of "Once Upon a Time" reinforces the theme that the idyllic dreams of childhood often give way to a harsher reality as we grow older. The line "once the dream we knew, it was true, it was true for you" suggests that the father's promises of a perfect world may have seemed like a fantasy in hindsight. The repetition of "once upon a time" adds a sense of nostalgia to the song, as if yearning for a return to a simpler time when anything seemed possible.
Overall, "Once Upon a Time" is a poignant reflection on the complexities of family relationships and the pain of unfulfilled promises. It speaks to the universal experience of growing up and realizing that the world is not always as kind as we once believed it to be.
Line by Line Meaning
Daddy said I'd always be his little girl
My father always told me that I would remain his beloved daughter
Stories of wonder that he would tell
He narrated fascinating tales to me which gave me hope
Daddy said our world could be anything
My father believed that we could have a magnificent life, any life we wanted
A tower of glory, a street of gold
Our life could be filled with riches and unending happiness
But daddy would hide from the coming rains
However, during tough times, he would shelter himself from difficulties
He closed the windows and locked the doors
He would isolate himself from the world by preventing it from entering his space
Then he got high to stop the pain
To numb his pain, he would resort to drugs
Till I didn't know hi anymore
His addiction and depression made him unrecognizable to me
Once upon a time
There was a time in our lives
Somewhere in our minds
A memory that exists only in our thoughts
Once the dream we knew
A goal we had strongly believed in
It was true, it was true for you
It was attainable and a reality for us
We left so far behind
We left that dream behind us and moved on
No one to pull you through
We did not have anyone who could help us succeed
I was lost, and I lost you
I was unable to find my way, and hence, I lost you too
Maybe it was the sweetness of his youth
Perhaps his happy past made his miserable present bitter
Made it all so bitter when he grew old
His sorrows left a bitter taste in his life as he grew old
Maybe his words never set him free
The words he said to me or believed in were not enough to give him a better life
Made all the failures so hard to hold
He could not cope with his failures
How long can you hide from the falling rain
How long can a person avoid obstacles before they give in to them
Before the lies are all that you believe
Before a person is consumed by their self-deception
He flew high above his shame
He tried to escape his guilt by running away from it
Leaving the words 'It's too late for me'
He was surrounded by the hopelessness and despair of his addiction that he spoke words of defeat
There must be a light
There must be a way out of this darkness
There's gotta be a light
We must believe that there is a way out
Contributed by Nolan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.