Listen to Taylor Swift's rare cover of Vonda Shepard's song
Vonda Shepard skyrocketed to fame in 1997, when she was tapped to play herself in the legal dramedy “Ally McBeal.”
Shepard wrote — and sang — the show’s joyful theme song, “Searchin’ My Soul,” and performed regularly at the characters’ favorite after-work piano bar. Shepard’s powerful vocals and soulful melodies touched millions — including, it seems, a young Taylor Swift.
Shepard recently shared on Instagram that Swift covered her 1989 ballad, “Baby, Don’t You Break My Heart Slow.” 1989 notably marks the year Swift was born as well as the name of her upcoming re-recorded album, which drops Oct. 27.
"Were you today years old when you found out that @taylorswift covered a Vonda Shepard song? It’s true!" Shepard captioned a post Oct. 19.
On her Instagram story, Shepard also posted a link to a YouTube clip of Swift’s karaoke-style version.
“It’s really sweet and heartfelt,” Shepard, 60, tells TODAY.com. "You can hear how young she was."
The cover, shortened to "Baby," was released as part of Swift's 2006 three-song album "Napster Live" and is exclusive to the music platform.
Shepard says Swift, now 33, was around 11 when she attended one of the singer's shows with her parents, Scott and Andrea.
“Taylor was a big fan and and apparently my music inspired her to write her own songs, which is very cool,” she says.
It’s not surprising that Swift, the breakup anthem queen, chose to record “Baby, Don’t You Break My Heart Slow,” which is about ghosting. Lyrics include “I’d rather hear the truth and have to say goodbye / I’d rather take the blow / At least then I would know.”
“It’s a very Taylor song, right?” Shepard says, with a laugh. "Like, tell me what's going on and don't mess with me."
TODAY.com has reached out to representatives for Swift for comment.
Shepard, like Swift, was a little girl when she realized what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
“I started making demos when I was 9 years old, and I’ve been playing clubs since the age of 14,” she says, noting that there are “definitely some parallels” between herself and Swift.
Swift was 11 when she convinced her parents to take her to Nashville, Tennessee, with hopes of landing a recording contract.
“My mom waited in the car with my little brother while I knocked on doors up and down Music Row,” Swift said while speaking with Entertainment Weekly in 2008. “I would say, ‘Hi, I’m Taylor. I’m 11. I want a record deal — call me.’”
Shepard, who is on tour promoting her new album, "Red Light, Green Light," says Swift should call her about recording a studio version of “Baby, Don’t You Break My Heart Slow."
“That would just be amazing,” she says.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
