Vonda Shepard was born in New York but her family relocated to California when she was fairly young. She played piano from an early age. Her father is Richmond Shepard, a mime and improv actor. Vonda has three sisters: Rosetta, Luana, and Brianna. Her mother left the family when Vonda was ten, and her father raised the four girls by himself.
After performing as a backing singer for many years she was eventually given her own recording contract. Shepard's first chart appearance was in 1987 when she recorded a duet with Dan Hill entitled 'Can't We Try'. She released her first self-titled album in 1989 with little fanfare. The album did yield one chart single, Don't Cry Ilene, a mid-tempo, piano-driven jazz-RnB flavored song dealing with the break-up of a relationship between a black woman and a white man, arising from adult peer pressure. The track is sung from the perspective of the woman's white female friend, who harbors a desire to have the man for herself, but keeps her distance out of respect for her friend. The song peaked at 17 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart and stayed on the charts for 12 weeks.
After her third album, Shepard was signed up to appear on Ally McBeal after being spotted by the show's creator David E Kelley. While on the show she recorded two full soundtrack albums and was featured on two other Ally McBeal compilations. The songs Shepard recorded for Ally McBeal soundtrack albums were mainly covers of old songs with lyrics that paralleled what was happening in the title character's life onscreen. Since appearing in the show, Shepard has released two more studio albums and a live album.
Shepard is married to music producer Mitchell Froom and they had their first child, Jack Froom, on 15 April 2006.
Alone Again
Vonda Shepard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promise myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower
And climbing to the top will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to whoever
What it's like when you're shattered
Left standing in the lurch at a church
"she stood him up"
"no point in us remaining"
"we may as well go home"
As i did on my own
Alone again, naturally
To think that only yesterday
I was cheerful, bright and gay
Looking forward to, who wouldn't do?
The role i was about to play?
But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about god in his mercy
Who, if he really does exist,
Why did he desert me?
In my hour of need
I truly am indeed
Alone again, naturally
It seems to me that there are more hearts
Broken in the world that can't be mended
Left unattended
What do we do? what do we do?
(instrumental interlude)
Alone again, naturally
Looking back over the years
And whatever else that appears
I remember i cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old
My mother, god rest her soul
Couldn't understand why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start with a heart so badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally
Vonda Shepard’s song "Alone Again (Naturally)" is a mournful tune about the feeling of loneliness and despair. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is experiencing a deep sense of isolation and abandonment. The verses explore the singer’s emotions at two different points of their life: first, when they were stood up at a wedding and left feeling "shattered" and abandoned by everyone around them; and second, when they lost both their parents and were left with nobody to turn to for comfort.
The lyrics are full of angst and are deeply introspective. The singer is left pondering life's most challenging questions, including the meaning of their existence, the role of God, and why bad things happen to good people. The song is a moving elegy that captures the essence of vulnerability and the enduring nature of human loss. The song is an honest and relatable reflection on the fragility of our lives and the ways people cope with tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
In a little while from now
In the near future
If I'm not feeling any less sour
If I'm not feeling any better
I promise myself to treat myself
I promise to do something good for myself
And visit a nearby tower
And visit a tall structure
And climbing to the top will throw myself off
I will commit suicide by jumping from the top
In an effort to make it clear to whoever
To make it clear to any onlookers
What it's like when you're shattered
What it feels like when you're completely broken
Left standing in the lurch at a church
Left alone and unsupported at a church
Where people saying: "my god, that's tough"
Where people comment on how difficult the situation is
"she stood him up"
She didn't show up for their date
"no point in us remaining"
There's no reason for us to stay
"we may as well go home"
We might as well leave
As i did on my own
Like I did by myself
Alone again, naturally
I'm alone again
To think that only yesterday
To think that just yesterday
I was cheerful, bright and gay
I was happy and optimistic
Looking forward to, who wouldn't do?
Excited about what was to come
The role i was about to play?
The part I was about to act in
But as if to knock me down
But as if to make me feel worse
Reality came around
The harsh truth set in
And without so much as a mere touch
And without any warning
Cut me into little pieces
Completely destroyed me
Leaving me to doubt
Making me question everything
Talk about god in his mercy
Talk about God's kindness and compassion
Who, if he really does exist,
If he is real
Why did he desert me?
Why did he abandon me?
In my hour of need
When I needed him the most
I truly am indeed
I really am
Alone again, naturally
Alone again
It seems to me that there are more hearts
It appears that many more people
Broken in the world that can't be mended
Are broken and cannot be fixed
Left unattended
Left without help or care
What do we do? what do we do?
What can we do to fix this?
Alone again, naturally
Alone again
Looking back over the years
Reflecting on my past
And whatever else that appears
And whatever else comes to mind
I remember i cried when my father died
I remember crying when my father passed away
Never wishing to hide the tears
Not wanting to hide my grief
And at sixty-five years old
And at the age of 65
My mother, god rest her soul
My mother, who has passed away
Couldn't understand why the only man
Couldn't comprehend why the person she loved
She had ever loved had been taken
Had died and left her alone
Leaving her to start with a heart so badly broken
Leaving her with a broken heart
Despite encouragement from me
Despite me trying to console her
No words were ever spoken
We never talked about it
And when she passed away
And when she died
I cried and cried all day
I cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Raymond Edward O'Sullivan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
scorpions 15
OMG what a great rendition ..I love the voice of Vonda very nice!!
Kathleen Gethings
Written and sang by Gilbert o Sullivan. Through the 60s, 70s and80s Gilbert wrote so many great songs.
SoapsNthings
AWESOME!!
I heard the original last week, and in the back of my mind I recalled Vonda Shepard's version on "Ally McBeal". Did a search, and I'm glad I wasn't mistaken.
Bridgette aoki
after listening to this song, i can't stop the tears flowing from my eyes..
Eirin Iofiel Ibarra
my favorite singer.... I really love her voice....!
joy kanazawa
Everytime I hear this song makes me so sad, Remembering my dad died 2006 and my mom left alone.She says it's hard to be alone. Mom was thankfulul to God, she had us her children, now many grandchildren.
WhirledPeasFursure
omg, Vonda is so wonderfully beautiful.. so heartfelt, it had me in tears,, love this version and song.. Thank you.......................
Marc Cervantes
Incredible, I love it, the better version of this song
CMillward
I really relate to this song. In my experiences I am 28 which makes me feel old and even though I don't like to admit this but I have autism and I really do struggle with general life, initiative, and being completely afraid of personal things but I mostly resent the fact that I feel that loads of certain people (celebraties or people young than me) have successed to have certain things that I truly want but I can never have it because I don't know how to do it and I always feel like this complete outsider who doesn't belong. I'm sorry its sounds all self pitying junk but I am only describing what it is like that is all.😭😭😞😞💔💔
hudson same
I understand you , buddy
Never give up ,young man !