Lennox embarked on a solo career in 1992 with her debut album, Diva, which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". The same year, she performed "Love Song for a Vampire" for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Her 1995 studio album, Medusa, includes cover versions of songs such as "No More "I Love You's"'" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale". To date, she has released six solo studio albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009). With eight Brit Awards, which includes being named Best British Female Artist a record six times, Lennox has been named the "Brits Champion of Champions". She has also collected four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2002, Lennox received a Billboard Century Award; the highest accolade from Billboard. In 2004, she received the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Lennox's vocal range is contralto. She has been named "The Greatest White Soul Singer Alive" by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2012, she was rated No. 22 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music. In June 2013 the Official Charts Company called her "the most successful female British artist in UK music history". As of June 2008, including her work with Eurythmics, Lennox had sold over 80 million records worldwide. As part of a one-hour symphony of British Music, Lennox performed "Little Bird" during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London. At the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards, Lennox was made a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (The Ivors Academy), the first woman to receive the honour. Lennox and her Eurythmics partner Dave Stewart were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020, and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS as it affects women and children in Africa. She founded the Sing campaign in 2007 and founded a women's empowerment charity called The Circle in 2008. In 2011, Lennox was appointed an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her "tireless charity campaigns and championing of humanitarian causes". On 4 June 2012, she performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace. In 2017, Lennox was appointed Glasgow Caledonian University's first female chancellor.
Studio albums
Diva (1992)
Medusa (1995)
Bare (2003)
Songs of Mass Destruction (2007)
A Christmas Cornucopia (2010)
Nostalgia (2014)
Big Sky
Annie Lennox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna hurt you
Big sky
You'll remember this
Big sky
Up above the rain
How can I ever put a stop to it
Look you in the face again
Big sky
I'll never let you go
Big sky
Baby I told you so
Big sky
Look at this swollen pride
I got so busy looking out for you
When were you by my side
When I'm breathin'
When I'm sleepin'
I cant think of nothing else
All my longing all my waiting
All the things you never felt
All my weeping all my wailing
All my standing on the shelf
How am I ever gonna get through this
Back to myself again?
Big sky
I never knew you
Big sky
Let me down again
Big sky
I'm giving you the blame
How can I ever put a stop to this
Look you in the face again
Wont you say it isn't so?
Watch me fallin'
See me fallin'
I slip through the vortex of the sky
Darkness and light
Is what's inside
Darkness and light
It's what's inside
The lyrics of "Big Sky" by Annie Lennox are filled with emotion and despair. The song appears to be about a rocky relationship between the singer and an unnamed person referred to as "Big Sky." The opening line, "Big sky, I'm gonna hurt you," suggests that the singer is anticipating a confrontation or breakup. The recurring line "How can I ever put a stop to it/Look you in the face again" indicates that there has been some breach of trust or communication breakdown in the relationship that the singer is struggling to repair.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses her feelings of hurt and abandonment, regret for neglecting her own needs while focusing on the other person, and a sense of powerlessness in her efforts to keep the relationship afloat. The repeated line "All my weeping, all my wailing" conveys the depth of pain and grief that she is experiencing, while the line "Darkness and light/Is what's inside" suggests that the singer is also grappling with some inner turmoil or duality.
Overall, "Big Sky" is a poignant portrayal of a relationship in turmoil, with Lennox's powerful vocals and haunting melody capturing the raw emotions of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Big sky
Addressing the vastness of the sky in comparison to the singer’s own struggles
I'm gonna hurt you
The singer's desire to take on the challenge of the big sky
You'll remember this
Acknowledging that overcoming the big sky will leave a lasting impression
Up above the rain
Referring to the sky as a place of beauty and peace above earthly troubles
How can I ever put a stop to it
Expressing the difficulty of facing such a daunting challenge
Look you in the face again
Confronting the challenge head-on
I'll never let you go
The singer's determination to persevere and overcome the big sky
Baby I told you so
Recalling past conversations and affirming confidence in the artist's ability to succeed
Look at this swollen pride
Acknowledging the artist's previous overconfidence and inability to recognize their own weaknesses
I got so busy looking out for you
Focusing too much on the challenges of the big sky, neglecting personal growth and improvement
When were you by my side
Reflecting on the idea that personal growth and improvement is an individual journey
When I'm breathin'
The emotional weight of the challenge is all-consuming
When I'm sleepin'
Unable to escape the challenge in dreams
I cant think of nothing else
The challenge dominates the singer's thoughts and emotions
All my longing all my waiting
The singer's desire to overcome the challenge paired with the frustration of waiting for progress
All the things you never felt
Expressing frustration that the big sky is an incomprehensible experience for others to understand
All my weeping all my wailing
The emotional toll of the struggle to overcome the big sky
All my standing on the shelf
Feeling stagnant and trapped, unable to progress
How am I ever gonna get through this
Expressing doubt and questioning the ability to succeed
Back to myself again?
Wondering if the person who emerges from the challenge will truly feel like themselves
I never knew you
Realizing the enormity of the big sky challenge and that it's impossible to fully know or comprehend it
Let me down again
Feeling disappointed or defeated by the continued struggle with the big sky
I'm giving you the blame
Projecting blame onto the challenge as a coping mechanism
Wont you say it isn't so?
Desperately seeking reassurance that the challenge can be overcome
Watch me fallin'
Acknowledging the possibility of failure
See me fallin'
Feeling exposed and vulnerable in the face of potential failure
I slip through the vortex of the sky
Describing the feeling of being lost or overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge
Darkness and light
Suggesting that the challenge contains both positive and negative aspects
Is what's inside
Emphasizing that the true challenge lies within the artist themselves
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANNIE LENNOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind