In 1982 while starring on the BBC TV programme "Three of a Kind", Ullman was persuaded to record an album "You Broke My Heart in 17 Places" for Stiff Records, which quickly became a #14 pop chart album hit in the UK, featuring three top ten singles.
In 1984, a follow up album, entitled "You Caught Me Out" was released. Other than a Kirsty MacColl co-produced cut, it was produced by Peter Colins, as was her debut.
Despite her success in the music biz, Ullman, a talented actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, and author, is most famous for being the host of her eponymous variety television shows. Ullman has an extraordinary ability to mimic accents, with her numerous characters rarely sounding anything like her normal accent.
Her professional entertainment career began at age 17 as a ballet dancer in Germany, and eventually she appeared in London stage productions of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Grease" etc. By 1980, she won the London Theater Critics Award and gained a foothold in television.
Her early appearances were in British TV sketch comedy shows with Rik Mayall in "A Kick Up the Eighties", and "Three of a Kind" with Lenny Henry, and the English comedian, David Copperfield. She also appeared with French and Saunders and Ruby Wax in "Girls On Top".
After some movie work, notably in Paul McCartney's "Give My Regards to Broad Street" and with Meryl Streep in "Plenty", her career skyrocketed in the USA.
in 1987 Ullman scored a coup with her own TV series on the fledgling Fox network, "The Tracey Ullman Show", which eventually won five Emmy awards and launched "The Simpsons"; the world's longest-running animated series. Ullman later unsucessfully sued to gain profits from the Simpsons own show after her Fox program was cancelled.
Tracey later found even greater success producing shows for HBO, including "Tracey Takes On...", for which she has won numerous awards. She has also appeared in many feature films.
Shattered
Tracey Ullman Lyrics
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All torn and tattered
I guess I never learn
Ashes, my dreams are ashes
Tears fall in splashes
I guess I never mattered
Here I stand in the ruins
My life before me
Can't you do something for me?
Shattered, our love is shattered
All torn and tattered
I guess I never mattered
Here I stand in the ruins
My life before me
I don't know what I'm doing
Can't you do something for me?
Shattered, our love is shattered
All torn and tattered
I guess I never mattered or you wouldn't have left me shattered
Shattered, shattered, shattered, shattered
Tracey Ullman's "Shattered" is a melancholic ballad, expressing the immense pain and heartbreak after the breakup of a relationship. The lyrics depict a shattered love, a dream reduced to ashes, and tears falling like splashes, portraying the utter despair and devastation that the singer is going through. The singer feels lost and uncertain, standing in the ruins of her life, not knowing what to do next.
The repetition of the word "shattered" throughout the song reinforces the intense emotion, emphasizing the irreparable state of the relationship. The lyrics also highlight a feeling of insignificance, as the singer wonders if she ever mattered to her partner, who presumably left her shattered. The phrase "Can't you do something for me?" further reinforces the feeling of helplessness that follows the end of a relationship.
Overall, "Shattered" is a poignant expression of heartbreak, portraying the profound impact that a failed relationship can have on a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Shattered, our love is shattered
Our love has been broken beyond repair
All torn and tattered
It is damaged and ruined
I guess I never learn
I repeat my mistakes and don't learn from them
Ashes, my dreams are ashes
My hopes and aspirations have turned to nothing
Tears fall in splashes
I am crying uncontrollably
I guess I never mattered
I feel worthless and unimportant
Here I stand in the ruins
I am in the midst of destruction and chaos
My life before me
I am contemplating my existence and my future
I don't know what I'm doing
I am lost and confused
Can't you do something for me?
I am pleading for help from someone else
I guess I never mattered or you wouldn't have left me shattered
I believe that if I had any worth, you would not have hurt me so deeply
Shattered, shattered, shattered, shattered
The repeated use of 'shattered' emphasizes the extent of the damage done
Contributed by Daniel V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.