About
Louise was originally written by Philip Oakey, Jo Callis and Philip Adrian Wright of The Human League and first released by the band in 1984. Robbie Williams covered the song for Rudebox with production by William Orbit, whose ambient electronic style gives it a softer, dreamlike tone. The cover serves as a tribute to one of Williams’s key inspirations, connecting the synth-pop of the 1980s to his own explorations in electronic music.
Williams explained that Louise had been “the centre point” for what he aimed to achieve on his previous album, Intensive Care, describing it as the emotional blueprint for that record’s sound. Revisiting it for Rudebox felt like a natural progression, paying homage to a song that had shaped his sense of melody and mood. While the original follows the story of a man meeting an old lover and deluding himself about rekindled affection, Williams’s version accentuates the melancholy beneath the nostalgia.
“When I heard it again in the mid-90s, it broke my heart. I wanted to make an album that might break a few hearts in 10 or 15 years’ time.”Robbie Williams
Orbit’s production wraps Williams’s understated vocal in shimmering synths and atmospheric textures, transforming the song into a modern ballad of regret and memory. Closing with the added lyric “It’s not always true that time heals all wounds,” the cover deepens the original’s emotional resonance and brings Rudebox to one of its most reflective moments.
Lyrics
It seemed to wipe away the years
Her face was older, just a little rough
But her eyes were still so clear
He drank his coffee and he hurried out
Across before she walked away
Then he approached her like a little child
Too scared for what he had to say
Hello, Louise
Remember me
Now should we part
Or stay awhile
As if we were still lovers
She took a moment just to recognise the man she'd known so well before
And as he started to apologise
Lose any bitterness she bore
She gently put her finger on his lips
To let him know she understood
And with her suitcase standing on the floor
Embraced him like a lover would
He told Louise
You look so good
It's just you see
You make me feel
As if we were still lovers
It's not always true that time heals all wounds
There are wounds that you don't wanna heal
The memories of something really good
Something truly real, that you never found again
And though they talked for just a little time
Before she said she had to go
He saw the meeting as a tiny sign
That told him all he had to know
And so Louise
Waved from the bus
And as she left
She gave that smile
As if they were still lovers
Credits
-
Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Jo Callis, Phil Oakey, Philip Adrian Wright -
Original Artist
The Human League