Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow

Album: Vonda Shepard (1989)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Shepard first released this song on her 1989 debut album, but it was a duet version 10 years later with Indigo Girls' Emily Saliers that brought the song to the forefront. By 1999, Shepard had a regular gig playing herself in the hit TV series Ally McBeal, and she continued to record and perform during that time.

    Shepard tells us that the duet with Saliers didn't come quietly; it came screaming at her down the hallway of the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Vonda had just arrived at the theater for an Indigo Girls show, she explained in our interview.

    "And Emily came running down the hall, literally, like, 'Vonda f--king Shepard!' She said, 'Oh my God! I love you! I love the song 'Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow,' she recalled.

    That night, Shepard took the stage with the Indigo Girls during their first encore to perform another song, "The Wildest Times of the World."

    Shepard and Saliers quickly bonded and ended up recording "Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow" as a duet for the former's albums By 7:30 and Heart and Soul: New Songs from Ally McBeal (both released in 1999).
  • Many of Shepard's songs are based on the many complicated Ally McBeal-like relationships she went through with various guys. Sometimes they are composites of ex-boyfriends, but this song was about one particular guy, and Shepard tells us that it was the only song she wrote about him. (Here's the full Vonda Shepard interview.)

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.