Doiron started playing guitar (later switching to bass) in Eric's Trip at age 18, having joined the band under the insistence of her then-boyfriend, Rick White, also of Eric's Trip. Shortly before the band's break-up in 1996, she released a solo album under the name Broken Girl, which followed two previous 7" EPs under that name. All of her subsequent material, however, has been released under her own name.
In 1999, Doiron recorded an album with the Ottawa band Wooden Stars, the first time she had worked with a band since the end of Eric's Trip. She was honoured with a Juno Award for Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars in March of 2000. She has also appeared as a guest musician on albums by The Tragically Hip, Gordon Downie and Herman Düne, and has also released a split record co-credited to the alternative country band Okkervil River.
Although most of her solo material has been written and performed in English, she has also released an album of French language material, Désormais.
Apart from her musical career, Doiron is an avid photographer, having published a book of her photographs entitled The Longest Winter with words by Ottawa writer Ian Roy. She often does her own promotional photos and cover artwork along with her husband, painter Jon Claytor.
You Look So Alive
Julie Doiron Lyrics
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It makes you look so alive.
And your eyes tell me we've made a mistake
And we'll pass on the streets. I won't look away
If you don't look away. I won't look away.
But I can't get over how the sun looks on your face.
It makes you look so alive.
And we'll pass on the streets. I won't look away
If you don't look away. I won't look away.
When we pass on the streets, I won't look away
If you don't look away. I won't look away.
If you don't look away. I won't look away.
The lyrics of "You Look So Alive" by Julie Doiron depict a person deeply in love with another, despite the emotional turmoil and pain that this love has caused. The singer cannot help being enchanted by their lover's appearance, particularly when the sun is shining on their face. This causes them to look "so alive," breathing energy and vitality into a world that often feels grey and stagnant. Despite this, the singer knows that their relationship is flawed, and that they have made some terrible mistakes. They can sense this in the way their lover's eyes seem to speak more than their words ever could.
The chorus offers some hope, though, that perhaps the two can move past their issues and heal their broken relationship. The singer is determined to face their lover head-on when they pass each other on the streets. They will not turn away, and they hope their partner will do the same. This refusal to look away signifies a willingness to confront the issues that plague their love and attempt to work through them. The entire song radiates with a sense of longing and vulnerability, as the singer wrestles with the pain and beauty of loving someone who may never love them back in the same way.
Line by Line Meaning
But I can't get over how the sun looks on your face.
The sun shining on your face is something that I cannot stop thinking about and it is amazing.
It makes you look so alive.
Seeing the sun shining on your face makes it seem like you are full of life.
And your eyes tell me we’ve made a mistake
I can tell from the way you are looking at me that we have done something wrong.
And we’ll pass on the streets. I won’t look away
When we cross paths on the streets, I won’t avoid your gaze.
If you don't look away. I won't look away.
If you are willing to maintain eye contact, I am willing to do the same.
When we pass on the streets, I won't look away
During our chance encounter on the streets, I will not shy away from looking at you.
If you don't look away. I won't look away.
I will maintain eye contact as long as you are willing to do the same.
Contributed by Kennedy B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.