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)
I Cover the Waterfront
Annie Lennox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm standing alone by the desolate docks
In the still and the chill of the night
I see the horizon the great unknown
My heart has an ache
It's as heavy as stone
Will the dawn coming on, make it light
I'm watching the sea
Will the one I love
Be coming back to me
I cover the waterfront
In search of my love
And I'm covered by
A starlit sky above
Here am I
Patiently waiting
Hoping and longing
Oh how I yearn
Where are you
Are you forgetting
Will you remember
Will you return
I cover the waterfront
I'm watching the sea
Will the one I love
Be coming back to me
In Annie Lennox's song, "I Cover the Waterfront," the singer portrays the image of a solitary figure standing by the docks, looking out at the sea. She is away from the city, away from the chaos and noise that comes with it. This is a recurring theme in the song. The singer's heart is heavy, their love is absent, and they are patiently waiting for their lover's return. Meanwhile, the singer covers the waterfront, searching for their beloved, watching the sea, hoping and longing for their return.
The singer's melancholic state is mirrored by the use of language throughout the song. For instance, the singer's heart aches "as heavy as stone," evoking an emotional weight that feels almost unshakeable. The use of words such as "desolate", "still", and "chill" further adds to the mood of the song. The singer's desperation is also apparent in their longing for their lover, asking whether they will remember, and if they will come back to them.
The song's theme is universal to anyone who has gone through a long-drawn-out separation from their loved one. The vastness of the sea and the open horizon also represent the unknown, the uncertainties. The singer is not sure if the one they love will come back, hence they keep watching the sea, hoping for a sign.
Line by Line Meaning
Away from the city that hurts and knocks,
I am far away from the bustling city that brings hurt and challenges.
I'm standing alone by the desolate docks
I am standing, isolated, by the empty docks.
In the still and the chill of the night
Amid the calm and cold of the night.
I see the horizon the great unknown
I gaze upon the great expanse of the horizon that holds endless possibilities.
My heart has an ache
My heart is filled with a strong emotion that causes physical pain.
It's as heavy as stone
The weight of my heartache is incredibly heavy, like a solid rock.
Will the dawn coming on, make it light
I wonder if the light of dawn will bring ease to my troubled heart.
I cover the waterfront
I spend my time watching the sea where my love might return.
I'm watching the sea
I am keeping a close eye on the vast ocean, hoping to see any sign of my love's return.
Will the one I love
I am fretting over the possible return of the person I deeply care for.
Be coming back to me
I hope that my love will find their way back to me.
In search of my love
I am searching for my lost love who might be somewhere out at sea.
And I'm covered by
I am surrounded by.
A starlit sky above
The glittering starry sky above keeps me company.
Here am I
I am here, waiting and hoping.
Patiently waiting
I am calmly waiting for my heart's desire.
Hoping and longing
I hope and yearn for my love's return.
Oh how I yearn
I am filled with a strong longing and desire.
Where are you
I am wondering where my love could be.
Are you forgetting
I question if my love has forgotten about me.
Will you remember
I hope my love will remember me and our past.
Will you return
I am eagerly waiting for my love to come back to me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EDWARD HEYMAN, JOHN W. GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind