[2] Phil Dennys arranged the string section. [54] Lewis, "the singularly most significant figure on the Pacific Northwest's nascent rhythm & blues scene in the 1950s and 1960s",[55] released a three chord clone, "David's Mood - Part 2", that was a regional hit in 1963. A D Em D A D Em D I said, Lou..ie Lou. As a quick fix, drummer Lynn Easton covered the pause with a drum fill. Music critic Dave Marsh wrote a 245-page book about the song, Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n Roll Song, Including the Full Details of Its Torture and Persecution at the Hands of the Kingsmen, J.Edgar Hoover's F.B.I, and a Cast of Millions.[369]. ", James Marshall, writing in the February 1993 issue of, Taken from the "Sandinista Sessions" tracks not used for the, The FBI file states, " the record was played at various speeds but none of the speeds assisted in determining the words of the song on the record." Continued touring, line-up changes, and occasional reunions resulted in multiple recorded live versions with various lead singers Keith Morris, Dez Cadena, Henry Rollins, Ron Reyes, and Mike Vallely. Although musically not a true cover version, "Brother Louie", Errol Brown and Tony Wilson's song about an interracial romance, was termed by Dave Marsh as "one of the truest heirs Richard Berry's 'Louie Louie' ever had" based on its theme of separated lovers and its minor key reprise of the chorus. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and rock. [274], The Fat Boys with producers Latin Rascals brought "Louie Louie" up to date in 1988 with a hip hop version which reached No. I'm gonna make it home Louie-o Lou-ay Oh, baby We gotta . It entered the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for December 7, and peaked at No. [139] Other versions by R&B artists included Ike & Tina Turner, the Tams, and Nat & John in 1968, Wilbert Harrison in 1969, the Topics in 1970, and Barry White in 1981. The one hour session cost either $36,[66] $50,[67] or somewhere in between[68] and the band split the cost. "[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". 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. Ely's controversial song was a monster hit. Released nationally on Wand label in October 1963. [197][198], A 1964 instumental demo cut with Osterberg/Pop on drums was released on Jumpin' with the Iguanas (1995)[199] and a London rehearsal version from 1972 was released on Heavy Liquid (2005) and again on Born in a Trailer (2016). [388][389], April 11 or 13, 1963 Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded their competing version in the same studio. 2 the following week, a spot which it held for six non-consecutive weeks; it would remain in the top 10 throughout December 1963 and January 1964 before dropping off in early February. Flip 321 was re-released in 1961 with "Louie Louie" as the A-side and "Rock, Rock, Rock" as the B-side. "), Martin Short, Young MC, and others. (1983), and The Last Madman of Rock and Roll (1986, DVD). [81][87], First released in May 1963, the single was initially issued by the small Jerden label, before being picked up by the larger Wand Records in October 1963. Entered chart October 17, 1966, for nine weeks. [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". [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. 128 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 in April 1966. [218][219] The first occurrence was at a Buzzcocks concert at the Band on the Wall venue on May 2, 1977,[220] which he described: I think the Buzzcocks left the stage and the microphone was there and a little voice must have been calling, 'This is your moment, Jon.' Go to google and type in Louie Louie and it'll give you several websites that have the lyrics. [200] ("55 Minute Louie-Louie", released in 2017 by Shave on their High Alert digital album, commemorated the occasion.) The Children's Hospital of Illinois is the most recent charitable beneficiary. Where can you hear the instrumental. Louie Louie, oh baby. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Iggy Pop American Caesar 1993 Virgin Records America, Inc. CultureSonar - Louie Louie: Why Is This Song So Awesome? [205], A BBC reviewer said, "The goofy garage anthem becomes both fiery sermon and dance-til-you-drop marathon. 1 hit "Guantanamera", the Sandpipers, with producer Tommy LiPuma and arranger Nick DeCaro, "cleverly revived"[153] the same soft rock, smooth ballad, Spanish language approach with a "quiet, yet majestic",[36] "sweet interpretation"[154] of "Louie Louie", reaching No. TikTok's current Commercial Music Library of 150,000+ pre-licensed songs includes "Louie Louie" versions by the Kingsmen, the Kinks, Otis Redding, Motrhead, Young and Restless, and the Most.[372]. The full score with multiple mixes of "Psych Rock" was released the same year on the album Mtamorphose. Louie hates hot dogs, golf, fishing, and surprises. 1 - Review, "The Mystics - Terry Kath's first rock band", "Pat Metheny, a 20-time Grammy-winner, looks forward and back with new band Side-Eye: 'Music is the carrot', "Bullseye: Todd Rundgren on the song that changed his life", "RIP: Don Baskin of Syndicate of Sound (w/ rare LOUIE recording)", "Loud Harmonic Transcendence - The Honey Ltd. Story", "Honey Ltd. The FBI started a 31-month investigation into the matter and concluded they were "unable to interpret any of the wording in the record. He realized his mistake and stopped the verse short, but the band did not realize that he had done so. "Louie Louie" was written by a minor songwriter and performer from Los Angeles named Richard Berry (no relation to Chuck Berry) and was recorded several times in the 1950s, including by Berry,. [35][7] The original version was not legitimately re-released until the Ace Records Love That Louie compilation in 2002. 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. Released in July 1999, the "Original Mix" version reached No. Throughout the majority of The Kingsmen's existence, the late Jack Ely was not the band's lead singer. [5] Music historian Peter Blecha noted, "Far from shuffling off to a quiet retirement, evidence indicates that 'Louie Louie' may actually prove to be immortal. Lyrically, the first person perspective of the song was influenced by "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)", which is sung from the perspective of a customer talking to a bartender ("Louie" was the name of Berry's bartender). "[32] In the Love That Louie CD booklet, Alec Palao wrote,[36]. [73], The Kingsmen's version with its "ragged",[74] "sloppy",[75] "chaotic",[76] "shambolic, lumbering style",[77] complete with "manic lead guitar solo, insane cymbal crashes, generally slurred and unintelligible lyrics",[78] transformed the earlier Rockin' Robin Roberts version on which it was based into a "bumbling, bear-in-a-china-shop",[79] "gloriously incoherent",[80] "raw and raucous"[81] "stomping garage-rocker"[82] "so wrong it's right". go Ay ay ay ay ay Louie-o Lou-ay Oh, baby We gotta. Louie is the youngest triplet, 48 minutes younger than Dewey. [204], "Louie Louie" has long been a popular downloadable ringtone, starting with early MIDI versions, then audio track excerpts, and then full audio tracks. The music video, directed by Scott Kalvert, was a parody of Animal House with food fights, dancing girls, and togas. Wiki User. Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n Roll Song; Including the Full Details of Its Torture and Persecution at the Hands of the Kingsmen, J. Edgar Hoover's FBI . Latin American jazz/rock innovator Carlos Santana compared Tito Puente's 1962 "Oye Como Va" to "Louie Louie" saying, " how close the feel was to 'Louie Louie' and some Latin jazz tunes" [163] and " this is a song like 'Louie Louie' or 'Guantanamera'. [268] Not all reaction was positive, however, as CD Review dismissed it as "blasphemy" and "disco-fied". Louie Louie: Rockin Robin Roberts: March 1961: Louie Louie: Paul Revere and The Raiders: April 1963: Louie Louie: The Kingsmen [US1] May 1963: Louie Louie: I. Kadez: November 1963: Louie Louie: The Wailers [US] December 1963: Louie Louie: Otis Redding: February 1964: Louie Louie: The Surfaris [US1] February 1964: Louie Louie: The Beach Boys . 11 out of the 1001 greatest singles ever made, describing it as "the most profound and sublime expression of rock and roll's ability to create something from nothing". 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. His son Sean Ely said the musician died at home in Redmond, Oregon, after a long . The FBI's interest. Rogan also cited brother Dave Davies' distorted power chords as "the sonic contribution that transformed the composition" into a hit song. 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. Quick interpolations of "Louie Louie" also frequently turn up in other Zappa works. [49] Local R&B groups like Ron Holden and the Playboys and the Dave Lewis Combo popularized "Louie Louie", rearranging Berry's version and performing it at live shows and "battle of the bands" events.[50][51]. [392], April 10, 1998 The Kingsmen won a historic legal case against Gusto Records/GML, regaining ownership and royalty rights to all their recordings. 85-12 in the state legislature, citing the need for a "contemporary theme song that can be used to engender a sense of pride and community, and in the enhancement of tourism and economic development". The band was best known for the hit 1963 song Louie Louie which is the first-person story of a Jamaican sailor.. Then he placed Ely in the middle of his fellow musicians, all in an effort to create a better "live feel" for the recording. [91] In total, the Kingsmen's version spent 16 weeks on the Hot 100, selling a million copies by April 1964. We played that record over and over. [320] Other Spanish versions were released by Los Hermanos Carrion (Mexico), as "Alu, Aluai" on a 1971 album Lagrimas de Cristal Que Manera de Perder, Los Elegantes (Spain), as "Luisa Se Va" on a 1985 album Paso A Paso,[321] and Desperados (Spain), on a 1997 album Por Un Puado De Temas. Both tracks from the single were included on the 1983 compilation album The First Four Years, and "Louie Louie" was also included on 1987's WastedAgain. Hot Chocolate - Brother Louie 1973 She was black as the nightLouie was whiter than whiteDanger, danger when you taste brown sugarLouie fell in love over nigh. [359][360], In the early 1980s KALX in Berkeley and KFJC in Los Altos Hills engaged in a "Louie Louie" marathon battle with each station increasing the number of versions played. [394][395], April 16, 2021 Death of Kingsmen guitarist Mike Mitchell. You know the pain that's in my heartIt just shows I'm not very smartWho needs love when you've got a gun?Who needs love to have any fun? Their effort was unusual in that it was rendered "in a version so faithful to Berry's Angeleno-revered original"[136] instead of the more common garage rock style as they "[paid] tribute to the two most important earlier recordings of 'Louie Louie' the 1957 original by Richard Berry and the Pharaohs, and the infamously unintelligible 1963 cover by the Kingsmen". One lyric in particular captured Pop's long term relationship with the song: "I think about the meaning of my life again, and I have to sing "Louie Louie" again. The Kingsmen version was heard during the film along with a brief live rendition by Belushi with Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst, Bruce McGill, and James Widdoes. There were many covers of the song over the years since it was written. It's the essential equation of art. He died in Las Vegas after undergoing . Entered chart January 30, 1964, for seven weeks. 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. Peak chart position reached in February 1964. Stories cover [ edit] [170], At a 1967 concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Mothers of Invention keyboardist Don Preston climbed up to the venue's famous pipe organ, usually used for classical works, and played the signature riff (included on the 1969 album Uncle Meat). The Who were impacted in their early recording career by the riff/rhythm of "Louie Louie", owing to the song's influence on the Kinks, who were also produced by Shel Talmy. Louie's mom was originally going to name him Rebel. 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. A cover version by Stories was a No. [94] It was the last No. " Louie Louie " is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. The song gained new life when it was featured in the 1978 film National Lampoon's Animal House, despite the fact that the story took place in 1962, a year before the song's actual release."Louie, Louie" has been featured in many other movies and television shows, including Quadrophenia, Wayne's World 2, and Mr. Holland's Opus.The song has been covered numerous times by bands as . Described as "a committed and omnipresent figure on the punk and post-punk scene in Manchester",[216] Jon the Postman became known for waiting until headline bands like the Buzzcocks, the Fall, and Warsaw (later Joy Division)[217] had finished their sets (sometimes before they had finished) before mounting the stage in a drunken state, grabbing the microphone, and performing his own versions of "Louie Louie". [60] It also picked up play across the border in Vancouver, British Columbia, appearing in the top 40 of the CFUN chart. Copy. [365] In April 2015 Orme Radio broadcast the First Italian Louie Louie Marathon, playing 279 versions in 24 hours. [370], In 2015 Microsoft Messenger introduced the Zya Ditty app which allowed users to create short text-to-autotune music videos using a library of pre-licensed songs including "Louie Louie" and others. [150], Whether directly or indirectly, the Kingsmen version influenced the musical style of the early Kinks. I was always trying to get Ray to sing, because I thought he had a great voice, but he was very shy. [333], In January 1964, Indiana governor Matthew E. Welsh, acting on multiple complaint letters, determined the lyrics to be pornographic because his "ears tingled" when he listened to the record. 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. 2 pop hit, but also helped set the template for garage-rock and later hard-rock guitar. "[202] Far Out Magazine called it "the best version of the song out there".