Maps of Music

By the Way, I Forgive You (2018)

Where the lyrics of By the Way, I Forgive You take you, and where it was really made.

The album's lead single arrived in November 2017, months before the album itself, and its cover is an original painting by Scott Avett.

Key places

Recording site RCA Studio B — The album was recorded at RCA Studio A in Nashville, according to the credits. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

By the Way, I Forgive You: sixth studio album by Brandi Carlile
Released February 16, 2018
Lead single "The Joke" released November 13, 2017
Co-produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings
Album art is an original painting by Scott Avett
Won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album in 2019; nominated for Album of the Year

"The Mother" commemorates Carlile's daughter
"Fulton County Jane Doe" is based on the real-life story of an unidentified murder victim in Fulton County, Georgia

Born June 1, 1981, in Ravensdale, Washington; grew up in King County, near Seattle.
Began singing country songs on stage at age eight; started writing songs at age 15.
Began her career performing in Seattle music clubs with twin brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth.
Signed with Columbia Records in 2004; debut album Brandi Carlile released in 2005.

Core band includes the Hanseroth twins, Phil and Tim, who have performed with her since she was 17.
Her wife Catherine Shepherd has served as executive director of the Looking Out Foundation.

Breakthrough with the T Bone Burnett-produced album The Story (2007); the title single was widely featured in commercials and TV.
Albums include Give Up the Ghost (2009), Bear Creek (2012), The Firewatcher's Daughter (2015), By the Way, I Forgive You (2018), In These Silent Days (2021), and Returning to Myself (2025).
Has won eleven Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, and received an Academy Award nomination.
Co-founded the supergroup the Highwomen in 2019 with Amanda Shires, Maren Morris, and Natalie Hemby.
Collaborated with Elton John on the 2025 album Who Believes in Angels?.
Runs the Looking Out Foundation, which has donated almost $9 million to grassroots causes.

Metacritic: average score of 81 out of 100 based on ten reviews, indicating universal acclaim
Rolling Stone called "Party of One" a "delicate masterpiece"
Rolling Stone ranked the album 12th on its list of the 50 best albums of 2018
NPR ranked the album 19th best of 2018; Thrillist 36th; Vice 22nd; PopMatters 63rd
Refinery29 ranked it 9th; Entertainment Weekly ranked it 11th
Variety critic Chris Willman ranked it 2nd best of 2018
Omaha World-Herald critic Kevin Coffey also ranked it 2nd best of the year
The A.V. Club gave the album an A-
Pitchfork's Alfred Soto wrote that the album is a little strange but steeped in sincerity

Lead single "The Joke" reached number 4 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart and 43 on the Hot Rock Songs chart
Remix of "Party of One" with Sam Smith, released as second single, reached number 29 on the Adult Contemporary radio chart
Won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Americana Album
Nominated for the 2019 Grammy Award for Album of the Year

Former U.S. President Barack Obama named "The Joke" as one of his favorites of 2017.
The official music video for "The Joke" was released on February 16, 2018, the same day the album came out.
The second single, a remix of "Party of One" with Sam Smith, was released October 17, 2018; part of its profits went to Children In Conflict.
A music video of the album version of "Party of One", starring Elisabeth Moss, was released in December 2018.
In January 2018 Carlile performed "The Joke" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!; in April she performed "The Joke" and "Whatever You Do" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.