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.
Good to Yourself
Vonda Shepard Lyrics
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Oh, it seemed like a romantic thing to do
Yeah, but I'm lonely, it ain't like the movies
In the old days
I saw you sittin' in the corner counting change,
Like you were counting your daydreams
Then your eyes, they suddenly hit me like a railroad train
But I can't walk away, no I can't walk away
Oh, tonight I see you're at the end of the line, well, me too
But we all gotta pay
I know you'd be good to me
I know you'd try to be good to me
But in the end, baby can't depend on no one else
When the chips are down, I have found
You better be good to yourself, good to yourself
I guess I've known you before, maybe in high school
or maybe you're just one more guy I went looking for
The boy next door
Or maybe I'm the girl with the see-through eyes
But I watch too many movies,
I get tangled in the story of someone else's life
Baby, who am I, and who are you?
Oh, sometimes I go to bed at night
And I think that I'm with you
Then I say a little prayer, 'cause I threw it all away
The other day you called up to see if I miss you
And all I could say was
I know you'd be good to me
I know you'd try to be good to me
But in the end, baby can't depend on no one else
When the chips are down, I have found
You better be good to yourself, good to yourself
Night has a clever disguise
She makes me believe that I'm lonely
I should know by now if I can make it to tomorrow
I can work it out
'cause in the end, baby can't depend on no one else
When the chips are down, I have found
You better be good to yourself, good to yourself
The song opens with the singer stopping at an all-night diner, looking for some romance. However, she realizes that her loneliness is not like how it is portrayed in movies or TV shows. As she scans the diner, counting her daydreams, she sees a guy in the corner who catches her eye. Although she thinks she might be immune to him, she is unable to resist the magnetic pull she feels towards him. She admits that they are both at the end of the line, and "we all gotta pay."
The singer seems to be cautious about the potential relationship and questions who she and the guy might be. She recalls watching too many movies, getting lost in someone else's life story, and ponders if she is too dependent on the idea of love. She reveals having slept in the hope that she was with him and prayed for another chance when he called her, realizing that when the chips are down, she must be good to herself as one can never depend on anyone else.
In summary, "Good to Yourself" is a song about the struggle of finding and maintaining love. The singer is torn between the romantic idea of love and the harsh realities of life. She acknowledges the potential love interest's goodness but realizes that she must not depend on anyone else when it comes to the crunch. The lyrics are a reminder that it's necessary to learn to take care of oneself and not place the responsibility of happiness and well-being on someone else's shoulders.
Line by Line Meaning
I stopped at an all night diner
I made a stop at a late-night diner
Oh, it seemed like a romantic thing to do
I thought stopping at the diner was a romantic gesture
Yeah, but I'm lonely, it ain't like the movies
However, I am lonely and the reality is not like the movies
In the old days
In the past
I saw you sittin' in the corner counting change,
I noticed you sitting in the corner counting change
Like you were counting your daydreams
It seemed like you were lost in your own thoughts
Then your eyes, they suddenly hit me like a railroad train
Your eyes caught my attention with an intense impact
Oh, sometimes I think I might be immune to a guy like you
Sometimes I think I am immune to someone like you
But I can't walk away, no I can't walk away
However, I cannot just leave the situation
Oh, tonight I see you're at the end of the line, well, me too
I realize that tonight you are also at the end of your rope
But we all gotta pay
However, we all have to pay the price for our decisions
I know you'd be good to me
I believe you would treat me well
I know you'd try to be good to me
I know you would make an effort to treat me well
But in the end, baby can't depend on no one else
However, ultimately I cannot depend on anyone else
When the chips are down, I have found
When things get tough, I have learned
You better be good to yourself, good to yourself
That I need to take care of myself, put myself first
I guess I've known you before, maybe in high school
I realize that I may have known you from earlier in life, perhaps high school
or maybe you're just one more guy I went looking for
Or maybe you are just another guy I searched for
The boy next door
The typical guy next door
Or maybe I'm the girl with the see-through eyes
Or maybe I am the girl who gives too much away with my eyes
But I watch too many movies,
However, I often get lost in movie-style scenarios
I get tangled in the story of someone else's life
I get caught up in someone else's story
Baby, who am I, and who are you?
Who are we and what is our connection?
Oh, sometimes I go to bed at night
Sometimes at night
And I think that I'm with you
I feel like I am with you
Then I say a little prayer, 'cause I threw it all away
Then I pray because I regret throwing it all away
The other day you called up to see if I miss you
Recently, you called to ask if I miss you
And all I could say was
And I could only respond
Night has a clever disguise
The nighttime has a cunning disguise
She makes me believe that I'm lonely
It makes me think that I am lonely
I should know by now if I can make it to tomorrow
By now, I should realize that if I can make it to tomorrow
I can work it out
I can resolve my problems
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL GORDON, VONDA SHEPARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind