Jones settled in LA at the age of nineteen, doing the classic waiting tables stuff until she landed a recording contract with Warners. Her self-titled debut album in 1979 was a big success, as was the single, Chuck E.'s in Love, about her musician friend Chuck E. Weiss. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, she won a Grammy for Best New Artist, and also received four more nominations: for Record of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female; and Song of the Year (for "Chuck E.'s in Love"). While none of her subsequent recordings achieved the same level of commercial success, Jones has continued releasing critically acclaimed albums that have explored a variety of sonic terrain from jazz standards to trip hop influenced works.
Jones' pursuit of jazz standards led to the recording of "The Moon Is Made of Gold" and "Autumn Leaves" for Rob Wasserman's album Duets in 1985. The latter track earned her another Grammy nomination. And in 1990, her duet with Dr. John, a cover of "Makin' Whoopee", earned the artist her second Grammy Award, this time in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group.
At the time of recording her debut album, Jones was in a romantic relationship with Tom Waits; she is the girl draped over the car on the cover of his 1978 album Blue Valentine.
Early in her career, Jones was known for her drinking and substance abuse. She eventually tempered those demons, and came to terms with herself, and her own uncertain spirituality, and has maintained respect of her musical peers.
She's devoted to her talents, beyond music, one of which is raising her teenage daughter, and has even run her own political website and made music critiquing the Bush administration. She is involved in left-wing politics and community activism, partly through her web community, Furniture for the People (http://www.furnitureforthepeople.com/).
A greatest hits collection on Rhino called The Duchess of Coolsville was released in 2005.
In 2007 she signed to New West Records releasing The Sermon On Exposition Blvd, a record exploring lyrical territory inspired by Lee Cantelon's 1991 book The Words, which attempted to translate Christ's teachings into a more accessible contemporary format. Cantelon's friend, Guitarist Peter Atanasoff was instrumental in the creation of the eventual record.
Discography
1979: Rickie Lee Jones – Warner Bros.
1981: Pirates – Warner Bros.
1983: Girl at Her Volcano (EP) – Warner Bros.
1984: The Magazine – Warner Bros.
1989: Flying Cowboys - Geffen
1991: Pop Pop - Geffen
1993: Traffic From Paradise - Geffen
1995: Naked Songs - Reprise
1997: Ghostyhead – Warner Bros.
2000: It's Like This - Artemis
2001: Live at Red Rocks - Artemis
2003: The Evening of My Best Day – V2
2005: Duchess of Coolsville - Rhino
2007: Sermon On Exposition Boulevard - New West
2009: Balm in Gilead
It Must Be Love
Rickie Lee Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It must be love that we keep trying to hear
'Cause I imagined this kind of wonderful choice
I imagine you hear the very same voice
When I speak to you
You say "That's just my imagination"
Oh no, no, no
It Must Be Love
Perhaps one girl who was moving in a fine line
Finds one boy in back
That she can always stand behind
And it's you and me
'Cause that's where we want to be
Oh, It Must Be Love,
It Must Be Love
People look through everything they see
'Cause there's so many other things to be
I have seen you walking in the rain
I wanted to know why you were crying
I want to fix what's wrong
It must be love the sailor sails for
Must be love that drives a bottle to the bottom of the ocean floor
Because I imagine all kinds of wonderful water
I would have you there wherever I'll go
Way from the seventh sea,
He brings the bottle back to me
Oh, It Must Be Love
Oh, It Must Be Love
People look through everything they see
There's so many other things to be
I have seen you walking in the rain
I want to know why you were crying
Baby, let me fix what's wrong
It must be love that fathoms the moonlight
Must be love that shallows
The deepest part of the night
So you can show them with your eye
The things that make them cry,
Because that Must Be Love
It Must Be Love
And the way you are
Must Be Love
And the things you Feel
Oh, It Must Be Love,
Oh, It Must Be Love
Must Be Love
The lyrics of "It Must Be Love" describe a profound love that speaks to the heart and soul. The song implies the presence of a strong connection between two lovers that goes beyond just physical attraction. The opening lines talk about love literally whispering in one's ear, suggesting a deep spiritual communication between two individuals. The lines "when I speak to you, you say 'that's just my imagination'" highlights the idea that love may be something intangible, beyond comprehension, that can only be experienced and felt, not explained.
Later in the song, Jones describes how love can make one want to fix everything that is wrong in their partner's life. The repeated lines "I have seen you walking in the rain, I wanted to know why you were crying, I want to fix what's wrong" express the idea that love can move us to be more empathetic and caring towards our partners. The final lines about "fathoming moonlight" and "shallowing the deepest part of the night" suggest that love can be powerful enough to overcome even the darkest moments in life and find beauty in them.
Overall, Rickie Lee Jones's "It Must Be Love" is a profound and soulful exploration of love that goes beyond the physical realm, speaking to the unexplainable connections that exist between two people in love.
Line by Line Meaning
It must be love that whispers in my ear
There's a feeling that I can't describe, but it's love that's telling me everything will be okay
It must be love that we keep trying to hear
Love is elusive and we're constantly searching for it
‘Cause I imagined this kind of wonderful choice
Love is a choice and I imagined it to be wonderful
I imagine you hear the very same voice
Our feelings for each other are so strong, we must be hearing the same things
When I speak to you
When I communicate with you
You say 'That's just my imagination'
Your response is always based on the logical, but my feelings can't be explained by logic
Oh no, no, no
My feelings are too strong to be dismissed as imagination
It Must Be Love
It's definitely love
Perhaps one girl who was moving in a fine line
There's one girl who is reserved and just goes through life
Finds one boy in back
But she finds one boy who is also reserved, and they complement each other
That she can always stand behind
She can always count on him to be there for her, even if he's not in the front lines
And it's you and me
You and me, we fit together like two puzzle pieces
‘Cause that's where we want to be
We both desire to be together
I have seen you walking in the rain
I noticed you when you didn't think anyone was looking
I wanted to know why you were crying
I'm concerned about you, and want to comfort you
I want to fix what's wrong
I want to make things better for you and for us
It must be love the sailor sails for
Love is what drives a sailor to be away from home and still continue sailing
Must be love that drives a bottle to the bottom of the ocean floor
There's nothing that's going to come between us, not even the depths of the ocean
I would have you there wherever I'll go
I want you with me, wherever we go or however we get there
He brings the bottle back to me
No matter what we go through, we'll always come back to each other
Must Be Love
This feeling we have must be love
People look through everything they see
People look but don't really see what's in front of them
There's so many other things to be
There are so many things that can distract us from really experiencing love
Baby, let me fix what's wrong
I want to help you fix whatever's wrong in your life
It must be love that fathoms the moonlight
Love is what makes even the moonlight feel magical
Must be love that shallows the deepest part of the night
Love is what makes even the darkest parts of the night feel less intimidating
So you can show them with your eye
Love is what allows us to share our emotions and feelings with others
The things that make them cry
It's what makes us vulnerable and emotional
And the way you are
The way you are, it must be love
And the things you Feel
The feelings you evoke in me, it must be love
Oh, It Must Be Love
Everything about us points to it being love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICKIE LEE JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Felice Marie Berkley
One of my fav. songs..!