lifeblood: songs: backgrounds: baby don't you break my heart slow

1999-02-28: vonda shepard's playing it close to the jacket, the los angeles times

inspiration and support are no problem with jacket records, which is run by her manager, gail gellman. with "by 7:30," due in stores april 20, shepard fulfilled a longtime ambition of working with producer mitchell froom (los lobos, suzanne vega). and the first single will be "baby don't you break my heart slow," a duet with emily saliers of the indigo girls.

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1999-04-15: 'baby' is getting a workout, the atlanta journal constitution:

vonda shepard might just hold a doctorate in getting dumped. the normally subdued singer, songwriter and "ally mcbeal" star laughs uproariously at the idea, but admits she's had similar thoughts.

"i was actually just talking to my therapist about that," shepard told us. "a lot of my songs do focus on the downsides of relationships. people are constantly getting their hearts broken, though. we decided that's just my destiny!" indeed, as calista flockhart's musical alter ego on the hit series, shepard routinely provides the soundtrack for ally's beau woes.

on saturday, atlantans will get a sneak preview of the vocalist's latest single, "baby, don't you break my heart slow," a collaboration with indigo gal emily saliers. they'll perform it at "miracles can happen," a benefit for chastain horse park. shepard also will perform the song on monday's "ally" (9 p.m. fox). her fifth album, "by 7:30," arrives in stores tuesday.

"i first met emily a few years ago at an indigo girls show in los angeles," shepard said. "i wasn't even famous and she sees me, runs down the hall toward me, going, 'oh my god, are you vonda shepard?' ('baby. . .') had been on my first album and she told me how much she liked it so i decided to re-record it for my new album with her."

the busy singer has a soft spot for atlanta. her first big gig was music midtown in 1998. "it was amazing. i walked out on stage and everyone was screaming," she said. "i thought madonna was behind me!"

on saturday night, shepard will share the stage with actor christopher reeve.

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1999-04-15: vonda shepard will perform at record release party, pr newswire:

singer/songwriter vonda shepard will celebrate the release of her new album, by 7:30, with entertainment industry celebs. and friends at a very special record release party.

considered by many to be "the voice of ally mcbeal," vonda is a cast member of the hit show and sings the show theme as well as much of each episode's music. her soundtrack record from the show has gone triple platinum and the first single from her new record, "baby, don't you break my heart slow" will premiere on tv in the april 19th ally mcbeal episode, the night before the album's release.

the single is a duet with emily saliers of the indigo girls, who will make a very special appearance at the party to perform the song with vonda. billboard magazine will also make a special presentation to vonda that evening.

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1999-07-25: fair crowd suits 'ally's' vonda shepard, the santa rosa press democrat:

taking its name from the manifest ultimatum: "by 7:30 you'll fall in love with me," her latest cd weaves a tight-knit diary of introspective songs wavering mellifluously between overblown independence and recurring vulnerability. almost a throwback to carole king, shepard's pulpit is the white blues piano confessional, revolving around a desperate need for human contact ("no girl is an island," she sings) and the weight of hollow, spent relationships. the most polished radiogroomed song on the cd parades as the catchy duet with indigo girls' emily saliers, "baby, don't you break my heart slow."

when she met the indigo girls backstage before a show at los angeles' greek theatre, "emily came running up to me and said, 'oh my god, i love that song "baby don't you break my heart slow" on your first album.' she said, 'will you do it in our show tonight?' i had never met her, and she asked me to sing it by myself in front of 8,500 people."

shepard wound up playing "the wildest times of the world" that night, but later, while opening for the indigo girls on tour, she and saliers often belted out the "baby don't you break my heart slow" together.

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1999-09-30: trouble - it's alright, southern voice:

and for saliers and ray - a duo that's been making music together longer than many of us have been able to make even romantic relationships last - that love also means offering each other the freedom to experiment and grow away from the group.

both have long had their own outside projects, from ray's daemon records label to saliers' partnership in watershed, a restaurant in decatur.

now they're working on separate musical projects as well. saliers sang with vonda shepard on the hit "baby don't you break my heart slow," while ray has announced plans to record a solo album.

but saliers is quick to quell any fears that indigo girls might consider breaking up.

"we still love playing together, we love this record, and we love our new band, and we love each other," she says, laughing. "amy's a great person, and if we want to do separate things, that just fuels us further creatively, and we're both for that. i think we've reached a mature stage in our relationship."

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2000-08-12: true-blue duo, the cleveland plain dealer:

"we don't spend time together at all off the road, except to practice. we have separate lives. but we're very close. emily and i bring different things to the table, as far as talents and motivations. for some reason, it works. we've known each other 25 years and we've been playing together about 20 years. there's no thought on the horizon of not playing together."

nonetheless, these folk-rockers have been pursuing individual interests. ray is recording a solo album and encouraging saliers to do the same.

"we give each other a lot of freedom," ray said, noting that saliers teamed up with vonda shepard of "ally mcbeal" fame last year for the top 40 hit "baby don't you break my heart slow."

"that was cool," said ray. "those experiences just bring us closer."

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2020-11-09: true-blue duo, emily's patreon e-mail list:

remake 2020! baby don't you break my heart slow

so, the original version and video of this song came out in 1999!

vonda recently invited me to join her in a home-made social distanced remake version of this incredibly beautiful song, one of my very favorites. vonda co-wrote this song with james newton-howard.

she recorded hers live at home in la, and i did my part in ga.