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.

In July
Vonda Shepard Lyrics

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We go city to city
The sun sets over Copenhagen
On a bus ride through heaven
Maybe we'll get in by eleven

Take a sip of inspiration
Trigger my imagination
Turn over the pages in my hand

I just wanna be in a great band

I'm waiting for July
Were we just passing by?
I'll see you in July

We go country to country
Moon rise over Barcelona
My best friends surround me
I can see how this life can own you

The lines on the road can mesmerize
Patterns go shooting under
I can hear a lullaby
Through the rain and thunder

I'm waiting for July
Will we be out of time?
I'll see you in July

Maybe we can live by the ocean
Need to quiet down the commotion
Time has stopped ticking by
Maybe it's already July

I'm waiting for July
Were we just passing by
I'll see you July

Are we out of time?
I'm waiting for July

Overall Meaning

The song "In July" by Vonda Shepard talks about the ups and downs of being on tour. The first verse talks about the excitement of traveling through different cities and countries, with the hope of arriving at their destination before midnight. The line "take a sip of inspiration, trigger my imagination" speaks to the creative energy that comes from being on the road and experiencing new things. The desire to be in a great band is a universal dream shared by musicians across the globe. The chorus, "I'm waiting for July, were we just passing by? I'll see you in July" hints at the idea that time is fleeting, and that the band's journey may end as abruptly as it began.

Line by Line Meaning

We go city to city
We travel from one city to another

The sun sets over Copenhagen
The sun goes down over Copenhagen

On a bus ride through heaven
On a very enjoyable bus ride

Maybe we'll get in by eleven
We hope to arrive before eleven

Take a sip of inspiration
Get inspired

Trigger my imagination
Encourage me to imagine things

Turn over the pages in my hand
Flipping through pages of a book or notes

I just wanna be in a great band
I want to join or form a great band

I'm waiting for July
I'm looking forward to July

Were we just passing by?
Did we just pass by quickly?

I'll see you in July
We'll meet again in July