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

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.