She's a River explained

"She's a River" is the first single released from Scottish rock band Simple Minds' 11th studio album, Good News from the Next World. Written by band members Charlie Burchill and Jim Kerr, the song was inspired by Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha, a book about self-discovery. Released on 11 January 1995, "She's a River" reached number three in Canada and Italy, number seven in the Flanders region of Belgium, and number nine on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it peaked at number six on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.

Background

According to guitarist/keyboardist Charlie Burchill and vocalist Jim Kerr, the song was inspired by Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha, which contains themes of self-discovery. Kerr explained, "As [a] younger man I relied so much on this book (among many others) to guide me through my own chaos. That need continues, as does the need to have inspirational music driving me on further still."^[1] Kerr went on to describe the storyline near the end of the book that inspired him the most:

"She's a River" was the first single released by the band featuring Mark Schulman on drums. Kerr called his performance "brilliant" and one-of-a-kind.^[1]

Chart performance

"She's a River" reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's eighth top-10 hit on that chart, and number five in their native Scotland. Throughout mainland Europe, the song reached number three in Italy, number seven in Flemish Belgium, and the top 40 in several other nations, including Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number 12 during its second week on the chart. In Australasia, "She's a River" reached number 29 in Australia and number 21 in New Zealand.

In Canada, "She's a River" debuted at number 61 on 30 January—the highest debut of the week—and peaked at number three five weeks later, on 13 March.^[2] The song stayed on the RPM Top Singles chart for 12 more weeks, and it ended 1995 as Canada's 30th best-selling single. In the United States, the single peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Simple Minds' first hit in the country since "See the Lights", which reached number 40 in 1991. It also reached number six on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, number 10 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number 33 on the Mainstream Top 40.

Track listings

• UK CD1^[3]

1. "She's a River" (edit)
2. "She's a River" (instrumental)
3. "E 55"

• UK CD2^[4]

1. "She's a River" (edit)
2. "She's a River" (Duo mix)
3. "Celtic Strings"

• UK 7-inch and cassette single^{[5] [6]}

European CD single^[7]

Japanese mini-CD single^[8]

1. "She's a River" (edit)
2. "E 55"

• European and Australian maxi-CD single^[9]

1. "She's a River" (edit)
2. "She's a River" (instrumental)
3. "E 55"
4. "Celtic Strings"

• US CD and cassette single^{[10] [11]}

1. "She's a River" – 4:29
2. "She's a River" (LP version) – 5:32
3. "She's a River" (Duo mix) – 4:25
4. "E 55" – 5:07

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12]	12
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[13]	12
Italy (Musica e dischi)[14]	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[15]	91
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16]	30

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
Japan	11 January 1995	Mini-CD	Virgin	[17]
United Kingdom	16 January 1995			[18]
	23 January 1995	CD2		[19]

Notes and References

1. Web site: She's a river. simpleminds.org. 11 January 2019.
2. Top RPM Singles: Issue 2722. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 11 January 2019.
3. She's a River. Simple Minds. 1995. UK CD1 liner notes. Virgin Records. VSCDG 1509, 7243 8 92697 2 7.
4. She's a River. Simple Minds. 1995. UK CD2 liner notes. Virgin Records. VSCDX 1509, 7243 8 92696 2 8.
5. She's a River. Simple Minds. 1995. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Virgin Records. VS 1509, 7243 8 92696 7 3.
6. She's a River. Simple Minds. 1995. UK cassette single sleeve. Virgin Records. VSC1509, 7243 8 92696 4 2.
7. She's a River. Simple Minds. 1995. European CD single liner notes. Virgin Records. VSCDE 1509, 7243 8 92704 2 6.
8. She's a River. Simple Minds. 1995. Japanese mini-CD single liner notes. Virgin Records. VJDP-10223.
9. She's a River. Simple Minds. 1995. European & Australian maxi-CD single liner notes. Virgin Records. VSCDT 1509, 7243 8 92703 2 7.
10. Web site: Simple Minds – She's a River [US CD'' Overview|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=11 January 2019].
11. She's a River. Simple Minds. 1995. US cassette single sleeve. Virgin Records. 4KM-38467.
12. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 11. 6. 13. 11 February 1995. 21 November 2019.
13. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.3 '95 – 10.3 '95). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 24. 4 March 1995. 1 October 2019.
14. Top National Sellers. Music & Media. 11. 6. 15. 11 February 1995. 21 November 2019.
15. Web site: Rapports annuels 1995. Ultratop. fr. 27 May 2020.
16. RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 11 January 2018.
17. Web site: シーズ・ア・リバー シンプル・マインズ. She's a River Simple Minds. Oricon. ja. 13 September 2023.
18. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. 14 January 1995. 4 June 2021.
19. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. 21 January 1995.