Daddy's Little Girl

Album: Speech Therapy (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is a track from British rapper Speech Debelle's debut album Speech Therapy.
  • Speech Debelle, real name Corynne Elliot, (she got her pseudonym from her grandmother) was born to a middle-class South London Jamaican family. Debelle has had little contact with her father, who abandoned her mum when Speech was a baby and has fathered eight half-siblings to six different mothers. This song addresses his absence and neglect in a direct and honest manner.
  • One of Debelle's idols as a teenager was the rapper Tupac Shakur. She explained to The Sunday Times July 26, 2009: "Someone once said about him - and I'd like to think I have that - that he had strength within his vulnerability. And I think that's what Daddy's Little Girl is. It's a really vulnerable song, but I'm not trying to hide in the corner." Debelle added: "I didn't 'hear' the words to that until I was sitting listening back to the song. My A&R was, like, 'I wonder what your dad would say', and I listened to it properly only then. I was, like, 'Oh my God.'"
  • Debelle admitted to the Guardian August 16, 2009 that she was not sure whether to include the track on the record: "I listened to it and thought this is a bit too personal, but then I thought the album is called Speech Therapy and it is about healing – so I have got to put it on there. If a young guy is listening to this and feels I don't want to be that person she is talking about, then that's good."
  • Debelle told The London Times September 10, 2009 that she "thinks" that her father has heard the album. When asked how he must he feel about this song's lyrics such as, "Hurt scarred me so deeply/I have trouble committing to any man/Cause I think he's gonna leave me"? Debelle replied: "What does he think? Look, I wouldn't say I'm not welcoming when I see him, but I'm like, 'Awright mate?' I won't pretend. I probably don't make him comfortable enough for him to come and say something to me with regards to that song."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

John Waite

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.