Day #65 – Love And Luck
Day #65 – Love And Luck
Of course, Jimmy spent time in his early career in New Orleans, and the eclectic culture of that unique city leaves an imprint. In my original post, I touched briefly on the term gris gris, which is included in Love And Luck’s song lyrics. It is usually tied to voodoo, hoodoo or root magic and it seems to have originated with west African culture that migrated to the Caribbean and gulf coast areas, and then was adapted into the greater culture. In this sense, it means a talisman, an amulet, a charm, a spell, or an incantation believed capable of warding off evil and bringing good luck to oneself or of bringing misfortune to another. Mostly, it’s seen as a good luck charm!
But while looking a little deeper into the word, I find that in Cajun or creole terminology, a gris gris can also mean to put a curse on someone, commonly used in reference to voodoo or black magic, but is mostly used in jest. Sometimes it can be a bad luck curse!
In the case of this song, I think the lyrics clearly work with the idea of a good luck charm, but I appreciate that language and culture is complicated and things can certainly mean different things to different people. I think it brings a fun vibe to the song, as well as a nice nod to New Orleans culture.
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Original post from 11/5/2023
Day #65 – Love And Luck
Love And Luck was released on JB’s 1992 anthology Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads, which included my much-loved Parrothead Handbook.
Most of the music was previously released but there were a handful of new recordings. Love And Luck was one of the new songs, and it was included on the Boats record. A live version would also be released on Jimmy’s album, Tuesdays, Thursdays And Saturdays in 1999.
“Better days are in the cards I feel, Feel it in the changin’ wind, I feel it when I fly…”
It’s a feel-good song, up tempo, and it appeals to the superstitious person that I am. Even if you aren’t superstitious, it’s got a positive message.
Kolé Séré is a French Caribbean Creole term that loosely translates to “love and luck” and is also the name of a 1986 song with lyrics written by Jocelyn Beroard and music composed by Jean-Claude Naimro. It’s in the Zouk style of music, with a fast tempo and percussion and horn driven sound made popular in the French Antilles, especially in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Jimmy loved Caribbean music and enjoyed merging it with his own gulf coast and country sound. Love And Luck is his homage to both the song Kolé Séré and the Zouk sound.
“Everybody needs a little good luck charm, A little gris gris keeps you safe from harm, Rub yours on me and I’ll rub mine on you, Luckiest couple on the avenue…“
Jimmy also had a strong connection to New Orleans and its combined ethnic culture. A “gris gris” is a Voodoo term for a charm bag intended to bring good luck.
“With a little love and luck, You will get by, With a little love and luck, We’ll take the sky...”
Please enjoy Love And Luck. It’s another fun, uplifting song. I have included the link in the comments below.
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I love the idea of sharing good luck with each other. I love that this song touches on that concept, and how perhaps we can influence each other for the better. Looking at the few more lines of lyrics give us, “I’ve been around enough to know, That there’s more than meets the eye…” as well as, “Mystery, Don’t ever try to change ’em, We’re just players in this game…”, so while the song touches on perhaps some deeper concepts that don’t seem to have answers, it also gives a little positivity that if we are good to each other, it will all work out just fine.
Stacy
Please enjoy Love And Luck. I have included the link below. Enjoy!
The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.
