Her 1995 self-titled debut album provided her first country hit, "Just My Luck", as well as the follow-up "Those Words We Said". Her follow-up album, 1996's Bitter Sweet featured a more pop-oriented sound.
She has also had significant success as a songwriter for others. She collaborated with Radney Foster on "Nobody Wins" and co-wrote Trisha Yearwood's hit "Believe Me Baby (I Lied)" (Yearwood also covered Richey's "Those Words We Said"). Maura O'Connell and Brooks & Dunn covered her song "Every River". Patty Loveless, Mindy McCready, The Greencards, Terri Clark, Cyndi Thomson, and other country artists have recorded covers of her songs.
Richey provided backing vocals on "Come Pick Me Up" on the 2000 debut album Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams.
In 2004 her track, "A Place Called Home", was featured in episode 16 of season 5, "Shells", of the Angel television series. The song later appeared on the Angel soundtrack, Live Fast Die Never.
On 7 July 2007, she performed in Washington at Live Earth.
Her album, "Edgeland," was released in 2018.
In 2020 she released A Long Way Back: The Songs of Glimmer, based on new versions of the 14 songs on her 1999 album Glimmer, in a more acoustic style. Reviewing the album for the Seattle PI, Jon Sobel says "Richey's mapley voice, always unmistakeable, has developed a sheen of gravitas it didn't possess in 1999. Just as important, the songs hold up. The slighter ones ("So It Goes," "Good at Secrets," "Gravity") carry more weight in their new, more airy settings, thanks partly to Doug Lancio's artful and sensitive production. The strongest ("Didn't I," "Can't Lose Them All," the sublime "Come Around") feel cooler, or more studied, and somehow at the same time hotter, the emotions more precisely sketched."
http://www.kimrichey.com
The Circus Song
Kim Richey Lyrics
Jump to: Line by Line Meaning ↴
The circus came to town
It was like nothing I had ever seen
Spun my head around.
Maybe it was all those crazy lights
But I stepped right up and paid the price
Fool me once, that's okay
All those death-defying feats
Glued me to the edge of my seat
I can't let go
No, I can't let go.
The car pulled up, and the clowns poured out,
They put out the house of fire
And we held our breath while the man in the vest
Went dancing down the wire.
Cotton candy, apple sweet
I can't get enough of what's bad for me, oh
Satisfaction guaranteed
By the greatest show on earth.
Little dogs they danced around
Flying ladies, they never touched down
They can't let go
No, they can't let go.
I'm saying I can't let go
No, I can't let go.
Back around, I came back around
And all I found was an empty lot
And a ticket stub said "Thanks a lot."
Thanks a lot.
--- Instrumental & sound effects ---
And when the circus blows through here next time,
Bet I'll be the first in line
'Cause I can't let go
No, I can't let go
I'm saying I can't let go
No, I can't let go.
Mmmm... Aaaah ...
No, I can't let go, I'm saying I can't let go
No, I can't let go...
I remember way back when
I recall a time in the past
The circus came to town
A traveling circus arrived in our local area
It was like nothing I had ever seen
The experience was completely new and unfamiliar to me
Spun my head around
It overwhelmed and confused me
Maybe it was all those crazy lights
Perhaps the overwhelming spectacle was due to the extravagant lighting
But I stepped right up and paid the price
I eagerly participated and willingly paid the cost of admission
Fool me once, that's okay
If I was deceived or misled once, I can accept it
Fool me twice, I like it that way
If I am deceived or misled multiple times, I find enjoyment in it
All those death-defying feats
The performances involving great risk and danger
Glued me to the edge of my seat
Kept me captivated with excitement and anticipation
I can't let go
I am unable to release my grip or detach myself
No, I can't let go
Emphasizing the previous statement that I am determined to hold on
The car pulled up, and the clowns poured out
A vehicle arrived, and a group of clowns emerged from it
They put out the house of fire
The clowns extinguished a fire in a building
And we held our breath while the man in the vest
We anxiously watched the individual wearing a vest
Went dancing down the wire
He skillfully traversed a tightrope in a joyful manner
Cotton candy, apple sweet
Delicious treats like cotton candy and sweet apples
I can't get enough of what's bad for me, oh
I crave and indulge in things that may have negative consequences
Satisfaction guaranteed
An assurance of fulfillment or contentment
By the greatest show on earth
Provided by the most exceptional and remarkable spectacle
Little dogs they danced around
Small dogs performed a dance routine
Flying ladies, they never touched down
Women suspended in the air didn't make contact with the ground
They can't let go
Those performers are incapable of releasing their grip or detaching themselves
No, they can't let go
Emphasizing the previous statement that the performers are determined to hold on
Back around, I came back around
Returning to a previous point or situation
And all I found was an empty lot
The only thing I discovered was a vacant area of land
And a ticket stub said "Thanks a lot."
A ticket remnant sarcastically expressed gratitude
And when the circus blows through here next time
In the future, when the circus passes through this place again
Bet I'll be the first in line
I am willing to wager that I will be at the front of the queue
'Cause I can't let go
Because I am unable to release my grip or detach myself
No, I can't let go
Reiterating that I am determined to hold on
Mmmm... Aaaah ...
Vocalizations without a specific meaning, possibly indicating pleasure or satisfaction
No, I can't let go, I'm saying I can't let go
Affirming once again that I am unable to release my grip or detach myself
No, I can't let go...
Continuing to assert that I am determined to hold on
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: BILL BOTTRELL, KIMBERLY RICHEY, MICHAEL A HANSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind