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.
You & Me
Vonda Shepard Lyrics
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And part of me wants to leave it exactly how it stands
Part of me wants to roll the dice
And part of me wants to leave them curled up in my hands
Where they will be safe and no one will know
How I really feel and I'll never be real
And I'll roll with the punches that I'll never feel
It's you and me and you're nowhere to be found
I'm rolling on the ground
It's me and you and I'm nowhere to be found
Part of me wants to break these chains
And part of me wants to keep them locked up tight
Part of me wants to stop these rains
And part of me wants them to fall all night
Fall on my head just to wake me up
Anything to drench my half-empty cup
And I'm sorry, baby, I've had enough
I'm tired of your promises, tired of my love
It's you and me and you're nowhere to be found
I'm rolling on the ground
It's me and you and I'm nowhere to be found
You will be safe and no one will know
How you really feel, you'll never be real
And you'll roll with the punches that you'll never feel
And you'll have a heart that I'll never steal
It's you and me and you're nowhere to be found
I'm rolling on the ground
It's me and you and I'm nowhere to be found
It's you and me and you're nowhere to be found
It's you and me and you're nowhere to be found
The lyrics of Vonda Shepard's song "You & Me" delve into the conflicting desires of an individual in a romantic relationship. The person is torn between taking a risk, breaking the ice, rolling the dice, and breaking the chains, and the opposite urge of keeping things the way they are, safe and secure. The singer's fear of vulnerability is apparent in lines like "Where they will be safe and no one will know / How I really feel and I'll never be real." They want to avoid feeling hurt and pretend that everything is okay by "rolling with the punches." The song's chorus describes a sense of isolation and disappointment in the relationship, as they are "rolling on the ground" alone, unable to find the person they crave.
The imagery of rain is used in the second verse to show how the singer is partly inclined to let negative emotions flow out while simultaneously wanting to keep them locked up inside. They express frustration with their partner, who has not kept their promises, leaving them feeling drained and hopeless. The final stanza reveals that the partner may have the same fears and inhibitions as the singer, leading them both to a state of emotional detachment and separation.
Line by Line Meaning
Part of me wants to break the ice
One part of me wants to initiate things and start interacting with you
And part of me wants to leave it exactly how it stands
While another part of me is fearful of spoiling what we already have by risking change
Part of me wants to roll the dice
One side of me wants to take a chance
And part of me wants to leave them curled up in my hands
While the other side wants to hold on to them and keep them from moving at all
Where they will be safe and no one will know
I'll keep my emotions hidden and contained, so that no one else can see
How I really feel and I'll never be real
And it'll prevent me from being genuine and true to myself
And I'll roll with the punches that I'll never feel
I'll go along with whatever happens without really being affected by it
And I'll have a heart that no one can steal
I'll keep my heart locked up and inaccessible to anyone else
It's you and me and you're nowhere to be found
I'm trying to make this connection work, but you're not available to help me
I'm rolling on the ground
I'm struggling and in pain, but there's no help to be found
Part of me wants to break these chains
One part of me wants to escape from the restrictions that are holding me back
And part of me wants to keep them locked up tight
But another part of me is just too afraid of the unknown to take that risk
Part of me wants to stop these rains
One part of me wants to stop the emotional turmoil that I'm dealing with
And part of me wants them to fall all night
But another part of me knows that I could use a good, cleansing cry
Fall on my head just to wake me up
I need a jolt to help me see things more clearly
Anything to drench my half-empty cup
Anything that will fill up the emptiness that I'm feeling inside
And I'm sorry, baby, I've had enough
And I'm really sorry, but I can't deal with this anymore
I'm tired of your promises, tired of my love
I'm done with empty promises and tired of feeling this way about you
You will be safe and no one will know
Your emotions are also kept under lock and key, safe from being exposed to others
How you really feel, you'll never be real
You'll always be wary of showing your true, authentic self to anyone else
And you'll roll with the punches that you'll never feel
You'll continue to just go along with things without ever truly being in touch with your emotions
And you'll have a heart that I'll never steal
Your heart will remain untouchable and unattainable to me
It's you and me and you're nowhere to be found
We're not quite on the same page here, and you're not around to help sort it out
It's you and me and you're nowhere to be found
We're still in this together, even if we're not physically near each other right now
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dolores Mary O'Riordan, Noel Hogan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind