Red Light, Green Light

Album: Red Light, Green Light (2022)
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Songfacts®:

  • "This song pulled from a relationship I had long ago, involving unrequited love," Vonda Shepard explained in a Songfacts track by track. "The character in the song leads me on and can't make up his mind, so I would never know who/what to expect - Red Light? Green Light? Are we on or off? But the truth is that this relationship never actually fully manifested to the degree I write in this song. My character in the song feels slighted, even though 'you were never mine.'"
  • The powerful piano ballad is the title track of Shepard's ninth studio album, which was produced by her husband, Mitchell Froom. According to the singer, Froom - who's also helmed projects for Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, and Los Lobos - wanted the album opener to have a modern edge: "This is probably the most modern production on the album, and Mitchell felt strongly about going in that direction. It worked!"
  • The album's September 2022 release coincides with the 25th anniversary of Ally McBeal, which featured Shepard's "Searchin' My Soul" as its theme song and gave her a regular gig on the show as a lounge singer.

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