Shortly after high school, Juice and her band Silver Spur were signed to RCA Records. They released three albums and had only one charted single, "Love Is a Word". Juice signed with Capitol in 1978, dropping the Silver Spur name (though they would remain the backup band). That year, she had her first country top-40 single in Let's Keep It That Way, followed by the single It's a Heartache, which was quickly overshadowed by Bonnie Tyler's version. The 1980 album Take Heart featured five more charted singles, including the covers of the '60s Elvie Sands hit Any Way That You Want Me and the 1972 John Edwards classic Sunshine. The latter became her second top-40 single on the country charts.
In 1981, Juice's breakthrough album, simply titled Juice, was released. It spawned her biggest country hits so far, each crossing over into the pop top 10: Angel of the Morning (a hit for Merrilee Rush in 1968, written by Chip Taylor), Queen of Hearts, and a song recycled from 1975, The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known), which earned her her first country #1. A fourth top-40 country hit Ride 'em Cowboy was released from her 1984 Greatest Hits (And More) collection. Juice sold over a million copies in the US and 300,000 in Canada.
In 1982, Juice released the successful follow-up, Quiet Lies which went gold in the US and platinum in Canada. From it came the pop top-40 hits "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard On Me", "Break It to Me Gently" (which stayed at #1 on the Adult Contemporary for three weeks, hit #2 on the Billboard country charts and won her a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance), and "Heart of the Night".
The direction for Juice's third (and final) Capitol album Dirty Looks was decidedly more rock than usual, as evident on her #27 pop hit "Tell Her No" (a '60s hit for the Zombies) and the title track. The country-oriented single "Stranger at My Door" had a very brief appearance on with the country charts, while the title track only hit #90. The album was a moderate success and went gold in Canada.
Juice left Capitol to return to RCA in 1984. Her first album Can't Wait All Night continued with a more rock sound. First single "A Little Love" and the title track became her final Top 40 pop singles reaching #42 and #66 respectively while "Restless Heart" made it to 57 on the country chart. The following year, Juice had her most successful country album yet in Old Flame, featuring five top-10 country hits (including the #1s "You Make Me Want to Make You Mine" and "Hurt"). In 1986, she dueted on "Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)" with Eddie Rabbit, giving her another country #1. She continued her top-10 streak the next year with "Tell Me True" from Emotion while another single "First Time Caller" peaked at 24. However, her final album of the decade "Ain't Gonna Cry", released in 1989, didn't chart but did spawn her final Top-40 country hit, "When Love Comes around the Bend".
Juice recorded a duet album in the early 90s but it was met with legal issues, resulting in a very low-impact release of the Platinum & Gold Series of duets. Juice spent the next 9 years touring, horseback riding, and focusing on family life. She returned in 1998 with "the Trouble with Angels," a collection of re-recorded favorites and several new tracks. Followed by American Girl in 1999, which featured tracks written by Queen and Tom Petty. Every Road Leads Back to You (consisting of live material) in 2002, and American Girl Vol. II which is available only at her shows. In 2005 she appeared on the TV show "Hit me Baby One More Time" where she performed Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces of You" and "Queen of Hearts" which online voters selected as the best performance of the night.
Newton continues to tour extensively.
River Of Love
Juice Newton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To drink from the river 'til the river ran dry
He drank so long and he drank so hard
The river ran dry and it broke his heart
River of love, river of love
Drink from the river, fly like a dove
The river runs long, the river runs free
Many are the times that he called his love
Called her to his side 'til he had enough
Then came a wind to blow her away
Never did he drink from the river that day
River of love, river of love
Drink from the river, fly like a dove
The river runs long, the river runs free
But the river of love never runs to me
Pricked by a thorn and heart will bleed
Red as a rose for the world to see
Chained by time to the river side
A fool will drink 'till the river runs dry
River of love, river of love
Drink from the river, fly like a dove
The river runs long, the river runs free
But the river of love (never runs)
River of love, river of love
Drink from the river, fly like a dove
The river runs long, the river runs free
But the river of love never runs to me
The song "River of Love" by Juice Newton tells the story of a man who tries to drink from the river of love until it runs dry. He drinks for such a long time that the river runs out of water, breaking his heart. The river, which represents love, is described as something that is free-flowing, limitless and abundant, yet it never runs to the man, no matter how much he tries to drink from it. This represents the idea that love can be elusive and difficult to obtain, even when sought after with great effort.
The singer in the song calls his love to come to his side, but eventually sends her away after he's had enough of her. The line "Then came a wind to blow her away" suggests that the love he had was fleeting and not meant to last. He never gets to drink from the river because of his own actions and shortcomings.
The lyrics also touch on the idea that love can be painful and can leave one's heart bleeding like a pricked thorn. The metaphor of being chained to the river's side suggests that the man is stuck in his pursuit of love and is unable to move on. Overall, the song expresses the notion that love can be elusive and difficult to grasp, and trying too hard to obtain it can lead to heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to the story 'bout the man who tried
Hear about a man who attempted to drink from the river until it dried up
To drink from the river 'til the river ran dry
He kept drinking from the river until it was completely empty
He drank so long and he drank so hard
He consumed the water from the river for an extended period of time and with great intensity
The river ran dry and it broke his heart
When the river eventually ran out of water, it caused him intense emotional pain
River of love, river of love
Metaphor for the idea of love being like a river
Drink from the river, fly like a dove
If you're able to drink from the river of love, you'll feel as light and free as a bird
The river runs long, the river runs free
The river of love flows plentifully and without restriction
But the river of love never runs to me
However, despite its abundance, the artist is unable to access and experience love
Many are the times that he called his love
The man frequently reached out to his beloved
Called her to his side 'til he had enough
He asked her to be with him until he felt satisfied
Then came a wind to blow her away
Eventually, something (symbolized by the wind) caused the woman to disappear from his life
Never did he drink from the river that day
As a result, he was never able to partake in the love that he sought
Pricked by a thorn and heart will bleed
If you encounter difficulty in love, it can cause you physical and emotional pain
Red as a rose for the world to see
The pain is evident to others, much like the color red is visible on a rose
Chained by time to the river side
The singer feels like they've been stuck in one place for a long time, unable to move forward
A fool will drink 'till the river runs dry
Despite the impossibility of drinking all the water from the river, someone who is foolishly determined may try anyway
But the river of love never runs to me
Just as the man earlier was unable to access the river of love, the artist now finds themselves in the same position
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JUICE NEWTON, OTHA YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind