Modern Talking’s “Brother Louie” Lyrics Meaning
Our recent analysis of 1985’s “Cheri Cheri Lady” was the first Modern Talking song we’ve ever studied. And “Brother Louie”, which came not too long thereafter, is similar to that piece in that it would appear Thomas Anders is once again addressing a romantic interest that he may be more interested in than vice versa. In other words, the vocalist is once more tasked with trying to convince the addressee to give him a solid shot.
But this time around there is a third party in the equation, Brother Louie. And the way the situation reads is as if the addressee may be feeling Louie more than she is the vocalist. She may also be dating both of them simultaneously, “undercover” even, with Louie being the main cheese and Thomas more like a side dude.
But in any event, the vocalist has fallen in love. So now, the strategy he’s utilizing is twofold. On one hand, he’s trying to convince the addressee that he does in fact love her more than bro Louie. And on the other, he is telling Louie himself that he needs to leave her alone, as she’s truly into the singer, not him.
And it may be that beforehand Louie didn’t even know she and the vocalist are romantically involved or whatever it is that’s going on between the two of them, i.e. Thomas being in love with his girlfriend.
All in all
So what we’re dealing with here, most simply explained, is a situation like a love triangle. There are two men involved, the vocalist and Louie, as opposed to one female, that being the addressee.
And it is clear that in the vocalist’s mind at least, he loves the addressee more than Louie. But what is not so apparent is how far the relationship being the vocalist and addressee has gone up until this point.
But perhaps the most interesting thing about this narrative is that the singer is actually referring to Louie as “brother”. This connotes that the two of them also have a close relationship themselves or in the very least that Louie is someone whom the vocalist, for lack of a better word, reveres.
Facts about “Brother Louie”
This song is the opening track from Modern Talking’s third album, “Ready for Romance”, and it was also released as its lead single on 27 January 1986.
“Brother Louie” was produced and written by Modern Talking member Dieter Bohlen. And it was issued through Hansa Records, the same label that held the act down throughout its entire discography which, as far as actual studio albums go, commenced in 1984 with “The 1st Album” and concluded in 2003 with “Universe”.
“Brother Louie” reached number one in a number of countries, including what was then known as West Germany, i.e. Dieter Bohlen and Thomas Anders’ homeland. And it also accomplished said feat in the following countries:
- Finland
- Greece
- Sweden
- Spain
- South Africa
Additionally the track peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. This is in addition to achieving gold status in the UK. This is by far the best Modern Talking has ever fared in said country.
The music video to this track is said to feature footage from Once Upon a Time in America, the Robert De Niro film that came out in 1984. The direction of the video was handled by Pit Weyrich.
It has been put forth that the titular “Brother Louie” may be a shoutout to one Luis Rodriguez, a Spanish musician who served as the third member of Modern Talking at the time – from 1985 to 1987 – and is also acknowledged as co-producing this track.
Remixes
Modern Talking also released a couple of remixes of this tune, Brother Louie ’98 (1998) and Brother Louie ’99 (1999), the former of which also proved to be a notable success and reached number one in Germany.
You write “the singer is actually referring to Louie as “brother”. This connotes that the two of them also have a close relationship themselves or in the very least that Louie is someone whom the vocalist, for lack of a better word, reveres.”
You need to understand that this is a song written by a German musician in the 1980s when, frankly, the English-language German pop-music scene was an attempt to copy the American music scene of maybe 5 or even 10 years earlier. Y’know, the 1970s when it was cool and hip to call another man “brother” and a woman “sister”.
So, it has none of the meanings you suggest, any more than a male calling another male “bro” today does. Just like “bro”, it’s no more than the singer attempting to imply a connection.
Hmmmm…. it’s also equally possible that because the band was mainly 2 guys ( like brothers) it was a playful dynamic between the 2 band members and for all we know maybe even a little bit happened like that between them or they joked together – what if we both like the same girl? …..hey, let’s write a song about that. It’s a mere assumption, writing that the use of Brother is used in a the way the from the 70’s.
I understand that the music video for Brother Louie uses footage from the film Once Upon a Time in America, released two years before the song, but does anyone know why this specific movie? What is the significance of it?
it could be possible that the song was used in the movie’s soundtrack or marketing? i cant see any evidence that supports this theory but its all ive got boss