[12], Others noted that it "served as a bridge to the R&B of the past and the rap scene of the future",[13] that "it came to symbolize the garage rock genre, where the typical performance was often aggressive and usually amateurish",[14] and that "all you need to make a great rock 'n' roll record are the chords to 'Louie Louie' and a bad attitude. In the 1980s, due to the widespread availability of sheet music arrangements, "Louie Louie" became a staple of concert, marching, and pep bands for middle schools, high schools, and colleges and universities in the U.S. "[335] Richard Berry told Esquire Magazine in 1988 that the Kingsmen had sung the song exactly as written[22] and often deflected questions about the lyrics by saying, "If I told you the words, you wouldn't believe me anyway. Used as a cell phone ringtone by Roy Miller (. [274], The Fat Boys with producers Latin Rascals brought "Louie Louie" up to date in 1988 with a hip hop version which reached No. She was black as the nightLouie was whiter than whiteDanger, danger when you taste brown suga'Louie fell in love overnightNothing bad, it was goodLouie had t. This is my personal list of classic or remarkable versions of the many [i]Louie Louie[/i] covers, arranged chronologically. More recent non-English efforts included: "Louie Louie" has spawned a number of answer songs, sequels, and tributes from the 1960s to the present:[44], As "Louie Louie" began to climb the national charts in late 1963, Jack Ely's "slurry snarl"[328] and "mush-mouthed",[329] "gloriously garbled",[330] "legendarily manic", [331] "punk squawk"[36] vocals gave rise to dark rumors about "dirty lyrics". 1 (although Marsh asserts that it "far outsold" the other records, but was denied Billboard's top spot due to lack of "proper decorum". (1983), and The Last Madman of Rock and Roll (1986, DVD). It's the reason "Louie Louie" will never be fully comprehensible. There is good in the night, Knowing what's wrong from what's right. The Kingsmen initially ignored the rumors, but soon "news networks were filing reports from New Orleans, Florida, Michigan, and elsewhere about an American public nearly hysterical over the possible dangers of this record". [390], April 14, 1985 "Louie Louie Day" proclaimed by the mayor of Seattle. Tom Cruise in Knight and Day (2010) used the Kingsmen version as a ringtone/movement reminder. Louie Louie was originally written by Richard Berry, and released as a single in 1957 on Flip Records. The Kingsmen's lead vocalist, Jack Ely, based his version on the recording by Rockin' Robin Roberts with the Fabulous Wailers, but unintentionally reintroduced Berrys original stop-time rhythm as he showed the other members how to play it with a 123, 12, 123 beat instead of the 1234, 12, 1234 beat on the Wailers record. Jack Ely, founder and guitarist with the Kingsmen and lead singer on their #2 hit, "Louie Louie" (1963), died Monday (April 27th, 2015) at his home in Redmond, Oregon after what as termed a "long illness." He was 71. The title was written and sung by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson of the group Hot Chocolate, and was a No. [276] Notable live performances in 1988 included Club MTV and the MTV Video Music Awards. [Intro] A D Em D A D Em Lou..ie Lou..ie, oh no, we gotta go..yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, D yeah, yeah. Entered chart September 30, 1978, for four weeks. The Kingsmen The Best of The Kingsmen 1963 Kingsmen International Licensing, Inc. 2005 Ki. And, thanks to Toots soulmans disregard for verbal meaning, the words are, if anything, even harder to discern than in the Kingsmen's version. [208] Another author, writing about the song's use in a scene in This Is England noted, "A black Jamaican band's cover of a black American song, made famous by a white American band, seems an appropriate signifier of the racial harmony that [director Shane] Meadows seeks to evoke ."[209], The group performed the song frequently in concert and a live version appeared on the 1998 various artists album Reggae Live Sessions Volume 2. Gloria Jones of the Dreamers provided additional backup vocals. ", Excerpts from the FBI file about the song, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, Episode 106: Louie Louie by the Kingsmen, Lyrics transcription with comments from Jack Ely, The Louie Louie Advocacy and Music Appreciation Society (LLAMAS), The Almost-Complete Louie Louie Discography, Orme Radio 2015 Louie Louie Marathon playlist, Reported 7" Vinyl Singles & EPs for Louie, Louie & Related Songs. Holden recorded an unreleased version, backed by the Thunderbirds, for the Nite Owl label in 1959. The Kast Off Kinks continue to perform it live, occasionally joined by Ray Davies at the annual Kinks Konvention. Their rap, with rewritten lyrics, "chronicled a pursuit of the song's real words".[275]. Nothing bad, it was good Louie had the best girl he could [236], The Hermosa Beach, California, hardcore punk band Black Flag released a "raw",[252] "rubbished"[253] version of "Louie Louie" as a single in 1981 through Posh Boy Records. Marsh also notes (pp. [62], Roberts was killed in an automobile accident in 1967, but his "legacy would reverberate down through the ages". [86] The Independent in Britain noted that it reinforced "a growing suspicion that enthusiasm was more important to rock 'n' roll than technical competence or literal meaning. [68] Producer Jerry Dennon's local Jerden label pressed 1,000 copies. "[336] In response, Max Feirtag of publisher Limax Music offered $1,000 to "anyone finding anything suggestive in the lyrics",[337] and Broadcasting magazine published the actual lyrics as provided by Limax. [18] Over the course of the investigation, a "folk legend of modern times that has yet to be bettered for sheer inanity",[36] the FBI interviewed Richard Berry, members of the Kingsmen, members of Paul Revere and the Raiders, and record company executives. Louie, Louie, Louie, Louie, Louie, Louie, you're gonna cry. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. Marsh wrote that the lyrics controversy "reflected the country's infantile sexuality" and "ensured the song's eternal perpetuation",[19] while another writer termed it "the ultimate expression of youthful rebellion". [254][255], Bryan Carroll of AllMusic gave the single four out of five stars, saying, "Of the more than 1,500 commitments of Richard Berry's 'Louie Louie' to wax Black Flag's volatile take on the song is incomparable. The National Association of Broadcasters also investigated and deemed it "unintelligible to the average listener", but that "The phonetic qualities of this recording are such that a listener possessing the 'phony' lyrics could imagine them to be genuine. The Kingsmen version occurs during the film. 31 in the UK. 1) were set to the melody of "Louie Louie" and included Richard Berry co-writer credits. At the time the record was made, the group consisted of the following members (listed alphabetically): Lynn Easton, drums Jack Ely, rhythm guitar Don Gallucci, keyboards [285][286] As the Los Angeles Times noted, "Joe Roth obviously knows the importance of the "Louie Louie" lyric controversy".[287]. "), Martin Short, Young MC, and others. [290], The group's logo paid tribute to the logo of the Kingsmen. Satan sang Louie Louie Louie Papa Satan sang Louie Louie. The Seattle Times annually bestows its Louie Awards upon "those who - through conscious act, rotten luck or slip of the tongue - stretch the limits of imagination or tolerance or taste in the Great Northwest."[413]. On 25 October 1978 a pre-recording of the band playing the song was broadcast on the BBC show Top of the Pops,[226] and was subsequently released on the 2005 album BBC Live & In-Session. I was always trying to get Ray to sing, because I thought he had a great voice, but he was very shy. CultureSonar - Louie Louie: Why Is This Song So Awesome? Am Dm Knowing what's wrong from what's right. Presents Frat Party (VHS, recorded 1965, released 1991), 60s Dance Party (1982), California Cooler Presents Cooler Hits (recorded 1986, released 1987),[112] The Louie Louie Collection (as the Mystery Band, 1994), Red, White & Rock (2002), Garage Sale (recorded 2002, released 2003), and My Music: '60s Pop, Rock & Soul (DVD, 2011). [28][29], Just prior to the song's release, Berry sold his portion of the publishing and songwriting rights for "Louie Louie" and four other songs for $750 to Max Feirtag, the head of Flip Records, to raise cash for his upcoming wedding. Columbia Records issued the single nationally in June 1963 and it went to No. [156], With the only instrumental version to make the charts, Travis Wammack reached No. Herb Alpert and A&M Records passed on the distribution opportunity,[88] deeming it "too long" and "out of tune". Live 1960s versions were released on bootlegs The Kinks in Germany (1965), Kinky Paris (1965), Live in San Francisco (1969), Kriminal Kinks (1972), and The Kinks at the BBC (2012). [138], Otis Redding's "spunky free-associating"[36] version was released on his 1964 album Pain in My Heart. A hotel room in the McMenamins Crystal Hotel in Portland, Oregon has a "Louie Louie" theme including a painting representing the song by artist Jonathan Case and lyrics on the walls. [408], Peoria, Illinois has held an annual "Louie Louie" street party and festival every year since 1988. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! [150], Whether directly or indirectly, the Kingsmen version influenced the musical style of the early Kinks. The Fat Boys version was released on the Coming Back Hard Again album on the Tin Pan Apple label, and also on a 12" single (5:42 and 3:50 edits) and a 7" single (3:50 edit). Belushi may have insisted on singing "Louie Louie" because he associated it with losing his virginity, but, according to director John Landis, it was included in the screenplay by soundtrack producer Kenny Vance long before Belushi was involved with the project because " it would be the song the Deltas would sing". The "remarkable historical impact"[3] of "Louie Louie" has been recognized by organizations and publications worldwide for its influence on the history of rock and roll. Louie, Louie, Louie, Louie [26], Los Angeles-based Flip Records recorded Berry's composition with his vocal group the Pharaohs in April 1956 and released it in April 1957 as a single B-side of "You Are My Sunshine". There he stood in the night Knowing what's wrong from what's right He took her home to meet his mama and papa Man he had a terrible fight Louie nearly caused a scene Wishin' it was a dream Ain't no diff'rence if you're black or white Brothers you know what I mean. [Chorus] A D Em D A D Em D Louie Louie, oh baby, we gotta go. Richard Berry loved it because White's version finally brought to life his original vision of "all the timbales and congas going, and me singing 'Louie Louie'." [166], Iggy Pop (then known as Jim Osterberg) began performing "Louie Louie", "a song nearly as old and unkillable as Iggy himself",[195] "with his own version of the dirty lyrics"[196] in 1965 as a member of the Iguanas. [326] The "state rock song" was played following "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch at all Seattle Mariners home games from 1990 up until the 2022 season.[383]. 1947), drummer/percussionist Mel Pritchard (1948-2004), and keyboardist/vocalist Stuart 'Woolly' Wolstenholme (1947-2010). [363] Other stations used the same idea to introduce format changes including KROX (Dallas), WNOR (Norfolk), and WRQN (Toledo). [361][362] During a change in format from adult-contemporary to all-oldies in 1997, WXMP in Peoria became "all Louie, all the time," playing nothing but covers of "Louie Louie" for six straight days. [97] The first album, The Kingsmen In Person, peaked at No. A music video of "Louie Louie House Mix", credited to "Various Artists (featuring Young MC)", was concurrently released and included appearances by Robert Townsend ("Its a hump song! [137] Other surf music versions included the Chan-Dells in 1963, the Pyramids and the Surfaris in 1964, the Trashmen, the Invictas, and Jan and Dean in 1965, the Challengers in 1966, the Ripp Tides in 1981, and the Shockwaves in 1988. The quick success of "Louie Louie" faltered, however, due to lack of support from Columbia and its A&R man Mitch Miller,[127] a former bandleader (Sing Along With Mitch) with "retrogressive taste"[128] who disliked the "musical illiteracy" of rock and roll. Rogan also cited brother Dave Davies' distorted power chords as "the sonic contribution that transformed the composition" into a hit song. s eye Lord up above Oowee Louie pie Mama Satan sat down on . A D Em D A D Em D Louie Louie, oh baby, we gotta go. [221] For some reason it appeared to go down rather well. Entered chart October 21, 1978, for three weeks. Commemorations of International Louie Louie Day have included newspaper articles,[398] magazine stories,[399][400] and radio programs with discussions of the song's history and playlists of multiple "Louie Louie" versions. The crossword clue possible answer is available in 3 letters. 1 record ". The Pretenders - Louie louie lyrics..here they come Now louie louie had his day Nothin' gonna . [41] It has been released or performed by a wide range of artists from reggae to hard rock, from jazz to psychedelic, from hip hop to easy listening. The Kingsmen recorded the song at Northwestern Inc. Motion Pictures & Recording Studios at 411 SW 13th Avenue in Portland, Oregon. Three nights and days we sailed the sea. A crowd of 4,000, estimated by press reports, convened at the state capitol that day for speeches, singalongs, and performances by the Wailers, the Kingsmen, and Paul Revere & the Raiders. See answer (1) Best Answer. A partial list (see Recognition and rankings table below) includes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, National Public Radio, VH1, Rolling Stone Magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Recording Industry Association of America. Their anonymity remained in place, so no one would ever know exactly who was behind the banning of Louie Louie. The origins of "Louie Louie" That version from the Kingsmen a '60s beat/garage-rock band from Portland, Oregon sold millions and millions of copies. Later releases featured different lead vocalists on Special Edition (1982, Michael Bradley), Generic Rock & Roll (1993, Carlo Driggs), Flower Power (2011, Darren Dowler), and The Revolutionary Hits of Paul Revere & the Raiders (2019, David Huizenga). A D Em D I take her in my arms and then A D Em D Say I'll never leave again. The Just Dance video game also featured this version performed by a dancing Iggy Pop avatar.[204]. 2 pop hit, but also helped set the template for garage-rock and later hard-rock guitar. Things changed when Boston's biggest DJ, Arnie Ginsburg, was given the record by a pitchman. Disco king Barry White created Richard Berry's "all-time favorite" version[268] as he "reworked and revamped"[269] the original to create a "Latin-tinged"[270] rendition that "took the song from pure rock 'n' roll to pure moan 'n' groan". I smell the rose in her hair. Before punk it was like you had to have a double degree in music. Sales estimates ranged from 40,000[31] to 130,000 copies. Peter Doggett labeled it "almost impossible to play badly"[42] and Greil Marcus proclaimed, "Has there ever been a bad version of 'Louie Louie'? [18] The nearly unintelligible (and innocuous) lyrics were widely misinterpreted, and the song was banned by radio stations. 1-3 Review, "[Review] Stanley Clarke/George Duke: The Clarke/Duke Project (1981)", "RIP: Don Cornelius, host of Soul Train (with Barry White -LOUIE of Week)", "Husker Du and friends LOUIE of the Week", "MOVIE REVIEW: 'Coupe de Ville' Comedy Takes a Wrong Turn", "Meet Bob Wayne, of Rhino's Best of LOUIE LOUIE and Big Daddy", "Richard Berry, Ry Cooder & Steve Douglas in 1990 LOUIE of the Week", "Early Dave Matthews Band Recording From 1992 Surfaces", "LOUIE Project Update / LOUIE on TV part 1", "For This Year's Graduates: Pomp, Circumstance and a Little Rock-and-Roll", "Burton Cummings delivers the hits at Artpark", "For the new year "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" (a Simpsons LOUIE)", "Cato Salsa Experience and The Thing with Joe McPhee, Two Bands and a Legend", "The Trashmen with Eddie Angel & Johnny Rabb LOUIE of the Week", "The Sonics AND The Hives LOUIE of the Week", "New Live Smashing Pumpkins Video "99 Floors", "James Williamson & Careless Hearts LOUIE of the Week", "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: The Kingsmen, 'Louie Louie', Love That Louie: The Louie Louie Files Various Artists, "Jack Ely, 71; Kingsman sang hit 'Louie, Louie', "How a Sarasota Educator Got the FBI to Investigate the Lyrics of a Rock Song", "FBI Spent Years 'Researching' The Lyrics To 'Louie, Louie' Before Realizing The Copyright Office Must Have Them", "The war behind the scenes over rock's relentless party song", "Band Banned From Performing 'Louie Louie', "Whirs, Beeps and Mating Calls: The Music of Pierre Henry", "History - Over 60 years of Radio Activity", "The Full and Unabridged History of KALX", "Too Much Of A Good Thing? The FBI started a 31-month investigation into the matter and concluded they were "unable to interpret any of the wording in the record. Louie often calls his oldest brother Huey "nerd". Answer (1 of 7): The song Louie Louie, by the Kingsmen was about a guy sailing to Jamaica to see his girl who was waiting for him. Meanwhile, the Raiders version, with far stronger promotion, was becoming a hit in California and was also listed as "bubbling under" one week after the Kingsmen debuted on the chart. Since its introduction in 1987, California Games has been ported to more than a dozen gaming platforms, resulting in multiple unique "Louie Louie" versions based on different or improved programmable sound generator (PSG) chips. I've no idea to this day why I sang 'Louie Louie,' the ultimate garage anthem from the 60s. [142], Sources vary on the impact of "Louie Louie" on the writing of "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night". 128 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 in April 1966. [70] The night before their recording session, the band played a 90-minute version of the song during a gig at a local teen club. His son Sean Ely said the musician died at home in Redmond, Oregon, after a long . Jack Ely, lead singer of The Kingsmen, who were best known for 1960s hit Louie Louie, has died at the age of 71. who sang louie louie louie lou eye. [358] They subsequently worked with choreographer Maurice Bjart on a "Psych Rock"-based score for the ballet Messe pour le temps prsent. It appeared on a 1967 French release (Formidable Rhythm And Blues (Vol. [265] One Allmusic reviewer called it "a truly bizarre rendition"[266] while another lamented that the Clarke/Duke version "criminally, never made it onto any of the various artists collections that showcased the legendary Richard Berry tune."[263]. [219] A version with his group Puerile was included on the 1978 album John the Postman's Puerile. The Children's Hospital of Illinois is the most recent charitable beneficiary. The 2009 compilation album Fat Boys On Rewind included it as well. [393], April 28, 2015 Death of Kingsmen vocalist Jack Ely. Entered chart November 5, 1988, for four weeks. [227], In the film, the Deltas were clearly aping the Kingsmen version complete with slurred dirty lyrics, but the setting was 1962, a year before the Kingsmen recording. Entered chart October 22, 1966, for seven weeks. Swedish number-one singles and albums 1962-1975 (note that Kvllstoppen was a combined singles and album chart, with singles dominating a large portion of the 1960s. This 1963 hit version of "Louie Louie", by beat/garage rock band The Kingsmen from Portland, Oregon, reached the #2 spot on the Billboard chart. 1 on the Cashbox R&B chart. "[201], Pop later wrote a new version with political and satirical verses instead of obscenities that was released on American Caesar in 1993. King. Louie Louie sung by The Kingsmen in either 1955 or 1963. The first album to reach number one was Abbey Road by the Beatles in 1969, and the first Swedish-language album was Cornelis sjunger Taube by Cornelis Vreeswijk that same year) On September 5, 2013, the city of Portland dedicated a plaque at the site to commemorate the event. [123], April 1, 1985 First annual WMMR Louie Louie Parade in Philadelphia. Hey! [291], Shortly after the Kingsmen's version charted in late 1963, the first international covers appeared. Toots Hibbert also performed it solo and with other acts, most notably the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Dave Matthews Band.[210]. The song's combination of narration and singing within a storytelling structure elicited a variety of critic's reactions ranging from "appealing"[264] and "imaginative adaptation"[261] to "probably the funkiest version of 'Louie Louie' ever recorded". Recording Industry Association of America, One for My Baby (And One More for the Road), You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. [52] As a leader of the "dirty but cool" Seattle R&B sound,[53] he would often substitute mumbled, "somewhat pornographic" lyrics in live performances. Go to google and type in Louie Louie and it'll give you several websites that have the lyrics. "[44], The Kingsmen version in particular has been cited as the "rosetta stone" of garage rock,[36] the defining "ur-text" of punk rock,[45][46] and "the original grunge classic". Same version re-issued as "Louie Louie 64-65-66". As the group was going by the Wailers version, which has a brief restatement of the riff twice over before the lead vocalist comes back in, it would be expected that Ely would do the same. [410][411]. [390][364], April 12, 1985 "Louie Louie Day" proclaimed by the state of Washington. 1 in the West and Hawaii, but only reached No.