Vonda Shepard (born July 7, 1963) is a rock singer. She appeared regularly … Read Full Bio ↴Vonda Shepard (born July 7, 1963) is a rock singer. She appeared regularly in the television show Ally McBeal in which she played a resident performer at the bar where the show's characters drank after work. She plays piano, guitar, and bass.

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.

Gyroscope
Vonda Shepard Lyrics

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You live in cool greys
Hiding in the middle
You shine right through the haze
Undoing my riddle

Straighten me when I'm tilted

You spin me round and round

Untwisted this tornado
When I'm lost I'm really found
Turn my heart to play-dough

Straighten me when I'm tilted
Water me when I'm wilted

You're my gyroscope
Levelling out my fear
Making the blurry clear
Make the far seem near
You're my gyroscope
When I burn to bright
You try to dim my light
But I won't let you no, no

I used to be too shiny
For your darker shades of black
But you let my ray of light shine
Through the armour through the crack

Straighten me when I'm tilted
Water me when I'm wilted

You're my gyroscope
Levlling out my fear
Making the blurry clear
Make the far seemnear
Hey you're my gyroscope
When I burn too bright

You try to dim my light
But I won't let you no, no, no

Overall Meaning

In "Gyroscope," Vonda Shepard talks about a person who is her stabilizer, who levels out her fear and makes the blurry clear. She talks about being lost but found, untwisted like a tornado, and the difference of living in cool grays and shining through the haze. The person she is singing about straightens her out when she is tilted, water her when she is wilted, and is her gyroscope. The gyroscope theme is significant throughout the lyrics, with its ability to stabilize and maintain direction amidst movement and change. Shepard sings about feeling the need to dim her light for someone in the past who couldn't handle her brightness. However, her current partner allows her to shine brightly while going through the ups and downs of life. Overall, the song is about having someone who is a stabilizer through the ups and downs of life, and how important that is.

Line by Line Meaning

You live in cool greys
You exist in a state of emotional detachment and indifference.

Hiding in the middle
You prefer to blend in and avoid drawing attention to yourself.

You shine right through the haze
Despite your reserved nature, your true self is still visible to me.

Undoing my riddle
You help me unravel the complexities in my life.

Straighten me when I'm tilted
You provide support and guidance when I am feeling unstable or uncertain.

You spin me round and round
You bring excitement and energy into my life.

Untwisted this tornado
You calm the chaos in my life and help me see things more clearly.

When I'm lost I'm really found
You help me find direction and purpose in my life.

Turn my heart to play-dough
You make me feel vulnerable and open to love.

Water me when I'm wilted
You nurture and care for me when I am feeling weak or vulnerable.

You're my gyroscope
You are my stabilizing force and bring balance to my life.