After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album Buckingham Nicks to little success, Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, helping the band to become one of the best-selling music acts of all time with over 120 million records sold worldwide. Rumours, the band's second album with Nicks, became one of the best-selling albums worldwide, being certified 20× platinum in the US.[2]
In 1981, while remaining a member of Fleetwood Mac, Nicks began her solo career, releasing the studio album Bella Donna, which topped the Billboard 200 and has reached multiplatinum status.[3] She has released eight studio solo albums and seven studio albums with Fleetwood Mac, selling a certified total of 65 million copies in the US alone.[2]
After the release of her first solo album, Rolling Stone named her the "Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll".[4] Nicks was named one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time[5] and one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time[6] by Rolling Stone. Her Fleetwood Mac songs "Landslide", "Rhiannon", and "Dreams", with the last being the band's only number one hit in the US, together with her solo hit "Edge of Seventeen", have all been included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[7] She is the first woman to have been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: first as a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1998 and then as a solo artist in 2019.[8]
Nicks has garnered eight Grammy Award[9] nominations and two American Music Award nominations as a solo artist. She has won numerous awards with Fleetwood Mac, including a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978 for Rumours.
The albums Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, and Bella Donna have been included in the "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums" chart by Billboard.[10] Furthermore, Rumours was rated the seventh-greatest album of all time in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[11] as well as the fourth-greatest album by female acts.[12]
Love Is Like a River
Stevie Nicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I used to call you friend
They say your life is wild
Compared to what lifestyle
You must have many things to remember
Cause nothing else in your life has really changed
Everything is almost like it was before
And I don't want to do this anymore
When you lose your sight
Love is like a river
And there's nothing to see
Love is like a river
She was just like me
Love is like a river
And suddenly the day comes
Some call it love
Some say they're above that
Well I believed in love
I called it worth it
Some call me all the time
Love is like a river
Well love is like a river
Love is like a river
And when you lose your sight
And suddenly the day comes
Everything all around me is electric now
But I haven't burned a candle in a real long time
And only when your heart says it's over does it die
Well love is like a river running
Straight back to the sea
Some call it love
Some say they're above it above that
Well I believed in love
I called it worth it worth it
Well some call me all the time
Love is like a river
I say you can't stay home and give up the fight
Love is like a river
I think you're uptight lady ooh, out of sight
That's just what I wanted to hear ooh, out of sight
You know you can't stay home
In the middle of the night
Love is like a river
You can't say no in the middle of the night
Love is like a river
I think you're uptight lady ooh, out of sight
And you can't say no in the middle of the night
Love is like a river
Well I think you're uptight lady uptight lady
Ooh, out of sight out of sight, baby
The song "Love Is Like a River" by Stevie Nicks tells a story of two people who used to be close but have grown apart. The chorus suggests that when you lose sight of things, love is like a river - it keeps flowing, even if you can't see it. The verses indicate that the singer is feeling stuck in a cycle with the other person, where despite their differences and distance, they keep coming back to each other.
The first verse opens with the line "You used to call me wicked, I used to call you friend," indicating a dynamic that has now shifted. The second line is a reference to how others perceive the other person's wild and adventurous lifestyle, compared to the singer's more settled one. The singer acknowledges that this person must have many memories and experiences to look back on while they are feeling stuck in the same routine. The final line of the verse, "And I don't want to do this anymore," suggests that the two are caught in a cycle that the singer wants to break free from.
The chorus describes how love is like a river and continues to flow even when you can't see it. The lines "And suddenly the day comes" and "She was just like me" suggest that the singer is reflecting on how much has changed since they were close with this person, but also how much has stayed the same.
Overall, the song "Love Is Like a River" appears to be about the ebb and flow of relationships, and how they can endure even when things seem hopeless. It also acknowledges that sometimes relationships can be cyclical and that breaking free from them can be difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
You used to call me wicked
In the past, you used to see flaws in my character, but now we have grown distant.
I used to call you friend
Despite our differences, we used to be close friends.
They say your life is wild
Compared to what lifestyle
You must have many things to remember
Cause nothing else in your life has really changed
Everything is almost like it was before
And I don't want to do this anymore
Rumors suggest that you live a wild lifestyle, but you haven't changed much besides that, and I'm tired of this stagnant relationship.
When you lose your sight
Love is like a river
And there's nothing to see
Love is like a river
She was just like me
Love is like a river
And suddenly the day comes
When you close yourself off from love and become blinded to its possibilities, it is like a river that is easy to miss until it suddenly washes over you. The person you fall for might even remind you of yourself.
Some call it love
Some say they're above that
Well I believed in love
I called it worth it
Some people believe that love is too much or not worth the effort, but I think it's worth risking everything for.
Well some call me all the time
Love is like a river
Well love is like a river
Love is like a river
And when you lose your sight
And suddenly the day comes
People might constantly seek my advice about love, but ultimately it is like a river that you might not notice until it sweeps you away.
Everything all around me is electric now
But I haven't burned a candle in a real long time
And only when your heart says it's over does it die
Well love is like a river running
Straight back to the sea
I feel like the world is full of excitement and possibilities, but my love life has been stagnant for a while. Only when both parties have given up on the relationship does it truly end, and love is like a river that flows back to its source after leaving its mark.
You know you can't stay home
In the middle of the night
Love is like a river
You can't say no in the middle of the night
Love is like a river
I think you're uptight lady ooh, out of sight
And you can't say no in the middle of the night
Love is like a river
Well I think you're uptight lady uptight lady
Ooh, out of sight out of sight, baby
Love demands that we take risks and be open to opportunities when they arise. Saying no is like trying to stop the flow of a river, and I think you are too cautious and missing out on the excitement.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: NICKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind