Heather Nova is the Bermudian Songwriter who grew up on a boat in the Caribbean and went on to sell over 2 million albums in her 15 year career to date. She has released seven albums and has opened for artists like Van Morrison and Neil Young as well as performed with artists like Sarah McLachlan. She has also had hit records with co-writes featuring artists like ATB (Renegade), and Eskobar (Someone New).Her brother is the Reggae singer Mishka.
By the end of the 1980s, after leaving RISD, Heather moved briefly to New York City (where she unsuccessfully tried to interest some major labels in a demo including Columbia , who rejected her, only to sign her five years later ), before moving to London, England. She has British citizenship due to her Bermudan origin. In 1990, she released her first recording, an EP called 'Heather Frith' — she had not yet changed her name by then. The name change came a year or so later after several gigs in the Netherlands, where, after finding out that the Dutch have trouble pronouncing "Frith," she chose a name that would be easily pronounceable in every European language, "Nova," her Canadian mother's maiden name.
The new name debuted in 1993 with her second EP 'Spirit in You' and her first full album, 'Glow Stars'. The success of the album led her to record and release her first live album, 'Blow', the same year, which she supported by a tour of Europe. A year later in 1994 she released what many consider to be her finest work to date, the emotional yet jagged album 'Oyster', for which she toured for almost two years. Another live album, 'Live from the Milky Way', was released in 1995, and after its release she toured for nearly three years straight, twice joining Sarah McLachlan and others on the North American Lilith Fair, which is a music festival with only female performers. Heather is also a frequent performer at European music festivals such as Roskilde.
In 1998, the long-awaited follow up to 'Oyster' was released. After the release of 'Siren', Heather took a break while various television show and film soundtracks licensed some of her songs and her record company (Sony Records/The WORK Group) released various singles from the album, which received only moderate play on America's MTV2, Europe's MTV and Canada's MuchMusic and on mainstream radio, although she was popular on college radio. Also during this time, she recorded a version of the often covered Billie Holiday song, 'Gloomy Sunday', for the German WWII drama Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod. In 2000, she released yet another live album, called 'Wonderlust'.
Over the years, Heather has written and recorded over a hundred songs, so that her albums are selected from work that has often already been performed live, rather than being conceived during rushed songwriting sessions. Half the songs on 'Siren' had been written during the 'Oyster' sessions and were frequently played live prior to being committed to a studio session, and most of the songs for 2001's 'South' were written between 1999 and 2000 while she was on hiatus from touring. With the release of 'South', she returned to the international spotlight with an appearance on the soundtrack of the John Cusack movie "Serendipity", a couple of music videos, and a collaboration with Swedish band Eskobar, for a song called "Someone New", also released as a video, which proved so popular that it was played primarily on America's MTV, not just MTV2 (which is normally reserved for less-popular songs). 'Storm', Heather's fifth studio album, was released in late 2003 on Big Cat Records, as was 'Redbird', released in 2005.
In 2002, she self-published 'the sorrowjoy', a 72-page book of her poetry and drawings. An album of the same name was released in March 2006, which featured Nova reading the poems from her book set to ambient music. The album has only been available for purchase at concerts beginning with the Intimate Evening tour, from the fan-run websites, HeatherNova.Net and HeatherNova.De, and from the official website, www.heathernova.com.
The album Storm was released in 2003. It was a more refined album, using Mercury Rev as Heather's backing band. The album was Top 5 in Germany and Top 10 across Europe. It was an album of dark ballads, marking a step away from the polished sound of South. It was also Heather's first release on her own record label, Saltwater Records. Despite being pregnant, she toured hard with a new line up and band, before returning home to Bermuda. (A live DVD was made of these concerts (live at the Union Chapel)
Light Years
Heather Nova Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Big motion like a bird
Strangest song I ever heard
Now, now that you're here
Stay with me light years
Light years, light years
In the trees where frogs sing
I brought lilies for you
Thinking of all the things we're gonna do
Now, now that you're here
Stay with me light years
I give you a thousand hours
Making love in the tall sunflowers
I give you a thousand feet
Down where the water's deep
Sleepy storm, sleepy head
Limb for limb on my bed
Now, now that you're here
Stay with me light years
Light years, light years
Light years, light years
Stay with me
Stay with me
Stay with
Stay with
Stay, stay
The song "Light Years" by Heather Nova refers to the theme of love and being separated by distance. The song starts off with the singer mentioning how they were drifting and feeling lost until they met the person they love. The reference to "big motion like a bird" depicts a sense of freedom and being at peace after finding someone special. The next line "strangest song I ever heard" could represent the uniqueness and beauty of their love.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about how being with their partner makes them feel like they are light years away from their problems. The line "no paper, no ring" could mean that the relationship is not based on materialistic values but on love and commitment. The mention of "lilies" and "tall sunflowers" could represent the beauty of nature and how the couple wants to make memories together surrounded by it. The line "Down where the water's deep" could mean taking risks together and exploring new things.
The chorus "Now, now that you're here, stay with me light years" suggests that the singer wants the person they love to stay with them forever and that their love transcends time and distance. The reference to "Sleepy storm, sleepy head, limb for limb on my bed" depicts the intimacy and closeness the couple shares.
Overall, the song "Light Years" is a beautiful representation of love and how it can transcend distance and time.
Line by Line Meaning
You found me drifting
I was lost and uncertain until you came into my life
Big motion like a bird
Your arrival was significant and breathtaking, like that of a soaring bird
Strangest song I ever heard
Your unique presence and influence on me is unlike anything I've ever experienced before
Now, now that you're here
My life has been forever changed by your arrival
Stay with me light years
Please stay with me for a long time, beyond just the mere distance of light years
No paper, no ring
Our love does not require material possessions or tangible symbols of commitment
In the trees where frogs sing
We can find peace and joy in the simple and natural things of life
I brought lilies for you
I have thought about you and wanted to make you happy by bringing you something beautiful
Thinking of all the things we're gonna do
I am excited about our future together and all the experiences we will share
I give you a thousand hours
I am willing to invest a significant amount of time into our relationship
Making love in the tall sunflowers
I want our physical intimacy to be surrounded by natural beauty and serenity
I give you a thousand feet
I am willing to travel long distances and make sacrifices for you
Down where the water's deep
My love for you runs deep and is unwavering
Sleepy storm, sleepy head
Even in moments of calm and peacefulness, my love for you is present and strong
Limb for limb on my bed
I want to be physically close to you and share intimate moments together
Stay with me
I don't want to let you go
Stay
Please stay
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HEATHER NOVA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind