Jolie Louise

Album: Acadie (1989)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Daniel Lanois was born and raised in Gatineau, across from Ottawa on the other side of the Ottawa River in Quebec. In 1961, when he was about 12, his parents split up and he and his three siblings moved with their mother to Hamilton, near Toronto. They knew very little English because Gatineau is French-speaking, so they had to learn the language quickly.

    "Jolie Louise" is a song based on Lanois' father. In the song, he has a good life working at a mill until he loses his job. He starts drinking, falls into despair, and takes it out on his wife, who leaves him, taking the kids with her.

    The details of the song that are true are the name of Lanois' father (Guy) and where he lived ("east of Gatineau"). His wife was named Jill, not Louise. Guy Lanois died in 2010 at 87.

    In a Songfacts interview with Daniel Lanois, he explained: "I wrote 'Jolie Louise' from my dad's perspective when my parents split up. I thought that would be an interesting way to address what happened, and I decided on perspective on all that."
  • The lyrics are half in French, half in English. "Jolie" means "pretty one," so the title translates to "Pretty Louise." The line, "Et pis mon nom, y est pas bon" after he loses his job means "and my name is not good," indicating his shame that leads to his madness.

    Another track on the album, "O Marie," has lyrics entirely in French.
  • This is a track from Acadie, Lanois' first solo album. At the time, he was very busy as a producer, working on The Neville Brothers' Yellow Moon album and Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy.
  • U2's rhythm section - drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. and bass player Adam Clayton – both play on this track. Lanois had co-produced the U2 albums The Unforgettable Fire (1984) and The Joshua Tree (1987).
  • The song has a cajun zydeco sound in line with the French section of New Orleans. The lead instrument is an accordion played by Ed Roth.
  • "Jolie Louise" was used in the 1990 pilot episode of the TV series Northern Exposure and included on the show's soundtrack album in 1992.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Guy Clark

Guy ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett are just a few of the artists who have looked to Clark for insightful, intelligent songs.

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Black Sabbath

Black SabbathFact or Fiction

Dwarfs on stage with an oversize Stonehenge set? Dabbling in Satanism? Find out which Spinal Tap-moments were true for Black Sabbath.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.