Williams has garnered considerable critical acclaim but her commercial success has been moderate. She has a reputation as a perfectionist and as a slow worker when it comes to recording; six years passed between the release of her second and third albums. However, she frequently makes guest appearances on other artists' albums and contributes to compilations and soundtracks. She has recorded with Elvis Costello, Nanci Griffith, John Prine, Leftover Salmon, and Steve Earle, among others. She has also opened concerts for artists such as Neil Young.
Early life
Williams was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the daughter of poet and literature professor Miller Williams. Her father worked as a visiting professor in Mexico and Chile as well as different parts of the American South, before settling at the University of Arkansas. His daughter showed an affinity for music at an early age, and was playing guitar at 12.
Career
By her early 20s, Williams was playing publicly in Austin, Texas and Houston, Texas, concentrating on a folk-rock-country blend. She moved to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1978 to record her first album, for Smithsonian/Folkways Records. Titled Ramblin', it was a collection of country and blues covers. She followed it up in 1980 with Happy Woman Blues, which consisted of her own material. Neither album received much attention.
In the 1980s Williams moved to Los Angeles, California (before finally settling in Nashville, TN), where -- performing both backed by a rock band and in acoustic settings -- she developed a following and a critical reputation. Nevertheless, it was not until 1988 that Rough Trade Records released the self-titled Lucinda Williams. The single "Changed the Locks", about a broken relationship, received radio play around the country and gained fans among music insiders, including Tom Petty, who would later cover the song.
Its follow-up, Sweet Old World (Chameleon, 1992), was a melancholy album dealing with themes of suicide and death. Williams's biggest success during the early '90s was as a songwriter. Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded a cover of "Passionate Kisses" (from Lucinda Williams) in 1992, and the song became a smash country hit for which Williams received the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994.
Williams had garnered considerable critical acclaim, but her commercial success was moderate. Emmylou Harris said of Williams, "She is an example of the best of what country at least says it is. But, for some reason, she's completely out of the loop. And I feel strongly that that's country music's loss."
Williams also gained a reputation as a perfectionist and slow worker when it came to recording; six years would pass before her next album release, though she appeared as a guest on other artists' albums and contributed to several tribute compilations during this period.
The long-awaited release, 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road was Williams' breakthrough to the mainstream. Containing the single "Still I Long for Your Kiss" from the Robert Redford film The Horse Whisperer, the album received wide critical notice and soon went gold. It received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. She toured with Bob Dylan and on her own in support of the album.
Williams followed up the success of Car Wheels with Essence (2001). This release featured a less produced, more stripped-down approach both musically and lyrically, and moved Williams further from the country music establishment while winning fans in the alternative music world. She won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Rock performance for the single "Get Right With God", an atypically uptempo gospel-rock tune from the otherwise rather low-key release. The title track was co-written and co-recorded with alternative country musician Ryan Adams.
Her seventh album, World Without Tears, was released in 2003. A musically adventurous though lyrically downbeat album, this release found Williams experimenting with talking blues stylings and electric blues.
In 2006, Lucinda recorded a version of the John Hartford classic "Gentle On My Mind," which played over the closing credits of the Will Ferrell filmTalladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
Williams was a guest vocalist on the song "Factory Girls" from Irish punk-folk band Flogging Molly's 2004 album, "Within a Mile of Home", and appeared on Elvis Costello's The Delivery Man. She duetted with Steve Earle on the song "You're Still Standin' There" from his album I Feel Alright from 1996.
Williams released the album "West" on February 13, 2007, to mostly good reviews. The material is highly personal, chronicling the death of her mother and the breakup of a turbulent relationship.
Lucinda released her ninth studio album, "Little Honey", on October 14th.
Jambalaya
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me gotta pole the beruea down the bayou
My Yvonne sweetest one me oh my
Son of a gun we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
[Chorus: x2]
Jambalaya craw fish pie fillet gumbo
Cause tonight I'm gonna see my cher-mio
Son of a gun we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
Fondaonknow, thiloboxa, the place is buzzing
Kinfolk come to see yvonne by the dozen
Dress in style go hog wild me oh my
Son of a gun we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
Settle down far from town get me a peiro
And I'll catch all the fish on the bayou
Spend my mon to buy my gun for the need-o
Son of a gun we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
[Chorus]
The song Jambalaya by Lucinda Williams is all about having a good time in the bayou while indulging in some of the local Louisiana specialties. The opening lines "Good-bye joe me gotta go me oh my, Me gotta pole the beruea down the bayou" sets the scene of someone leaving and taking a boat down the bayou to have some fun. The next lines show that this person is leaving to meet Yvonne, "My Yvonne sweetest one, me oh my, Son of a gun we're gonna have big fun on the bayou." The chorus of the song repeats the idea of having fun by indulging in local dishes, "Jambalaya, crawfish pie, fillet gumbo" and being merry.
The second verse, "Fondaonknow, thiloboxa, the place is buzzing, Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen" shows that Yvonne is a popular person and the place where they are meeting is buzzing. The line "Dress in style go hog wild me oh my" shows the spirit of the party where people are dressed up and having a wild time. The next verse talks about settling down away from town and catching fish in the bayou.
The overall message of the song is to let loose, indulge in good food and have a good time. The song's intention is to capture the fun-loving spirit of Louisiana and its people.
Line by Line Meaning
Good-bye joe me gotta go me oh my
Farewell Joe, I must leave now, that's for sure
Me gotta pole the beruea down the bayou
I have to steer the boat down the bayou with a long pole
My Yvonne sweetest one me oh my
My beloved Yvonne, the sweetest one, oh my
Son of a gun we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
We are going to have a great time on the bayou, that's for sure
Jambalaya craw fish pie fillet gumbo
We'll have jambalaya, crawfish pie, filé gumbo, and more
Cause tonight I'm gonna see my cher-mio
Because tonight I'll see my dear friend
Pick guitar fill fruit jar and be gay-o
I'll play guitar and we'll enjoy ourselves, that's for sure
Fondaonknow, thiloboxa, the place is buzzing
Families and friends are gathering in Fondaonknow and Thiloboxa
Kinfolk come to see yvonne by the dozen
Relatives are arriving by the dozen to see Yvonne
Dress in style go hog wild me oh my
We'll dress up nicely and have a great time, oh my
Settle down far from town get me a peiro
I'll settle down outside of town and get myself a boat
And I'll catch all the fish on the bayou
I'll catch all the fish in the bayou for food and fun
Spend my mon to buy my gun for the need-o
I'll spend my money to buy a gun for whatever I need it for
Son of a gun we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
We are going to have a great time on the bayou, that's for sure
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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