River

Album: Bishop Briggs (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Sarah Grace McLaughlin is a British musician based in Los Angeles, California who records under the name of Bishop Briggs. She was born in London to Scottish parents from Bishopbriggs, Scotland - hence her stage moniker.
  • McLaughlin moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 and recorded her debut single "Wild Horses" under the name Bishop. That song was featured in an Acura commercial.

    Briggs released her follow-up single "River" on January 19, 2016 and changed her recording name to Bishop Briggs to avoid confusion with a heavy metal band of the same name. The hard-hitting tune proved to be a breakthrough song for the British singer, climbing into the top 3 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and top 10 on the Billboard Hot Rock and Rock Airplay tallies.
  • Asked by Ones to Watch about the song's inspiration, Briggs replied; "'River' is all about staring someone in the face and pushing them to their limits - whatever those limits may be."
  • The song went viral on TikTok in 2024 with creators using the line "Like a river, like a river" in lots of videos. This came as a surprise to Bishop Briggs, who didn't realize she was trending until the song took off on the platform. The singer told Billboard she became "addicted and obsessed" with TikTok after learning about her song's popularity there.

Comments: 1

  • Olivia from Miami, FlAnd here I am thinking this song is much dirtier in meaning.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.