No matter what the music genre is in groups, every member has some solo aspirations. This theory is particularly validated in R&B; every member can sing the lead. For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to take a trip back to give some flowers to the lovely Terry Ellis of En Vogue and her debut solo single “Wherever You Are.”
The lead single from her album “Southern Gal,” “Where Ever You Are,” was released on October 17, 1995, during an En Vogue hiatus. Ellis co-wrote the song with the group’s longtime collaborators Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, who also produced it. As die-hard En Vogue fans know, the group credited Ellis with the ballad voice. Given that she was a soprano with a five-octave vocal range, a ballad was the right choice for her single.
Foster and McElroy’s production is almost angelic, with the lyrics focusing on long-distance love and the desperate desire to be with a person. In the first verse, Terry is sorry it took such a long time for her to receive good news from a family or friend. Still, the person who wrote the letter stuck to the routine things, apologizing for letting the time pass. Hence, Terry needed to be updated on their happenings and express gratitude to the person for even considering him in their time of need.
The chorus reinforces Terry’s commitment to their partner, pledging unwavering faith and support. It articulates a willingness to respond wholeheartedly should their beloved construct a runway, symbolizing readiness to be by their side. The second verse reflects on the unexpected nature of the circumstances. Terry fondly recalls a past shared with their partner and deeply yearns for their reunion. The passage of seasons and persistent contemplation of their loved one intensify Terry’s longing for their presence.
The bridge illustrates the promises of love made long ago between the speaker and a lover, whose story is that life took them on different paths. They got divorced because they were not meant to be – but it was a true love: the distance was too great to make a new life, except that Terry wanted to see the person again.
When the song came out in 1995, I repeated it as it portrays the emotional struggle of being apart from someone you deeply care about and the sincere hope of reuniting with them, no matter the distance. While “Where Ever You Are” didn’t necessarily set the stage for Terry to have a groundbreaking solo career, twenty-nine years later, it’s a fine slice of nineties R&B.
Final Grade: A
“Where Ever You Are” is available on all streaming platforms.
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