They were founded in Oldham, in September 1966 by bassist/vocalist Les Holroyd (b. 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. [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]. Ely's controversial song was a monster hit. [387], April 6, 1963 The Kingsmen recorded the version that made "Louie Louie" famous. 7 on the UK singles chart. "[48], Richard Berry was on the underbill for a concert in the Seattle-Tacoma area in September 1957 and his record appeared on local radio station charts in November 1957. On the ship, I dream she there. 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: 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 . [36], After their No. 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". [58] Known for his dynamic onstage performances, Roberts added "Louie Louie" to the band's set and, in 1960 recorded the track with the Wailers as his backing band. Rogan also cited brother Dave Davies' distorted power chords as "the sonic contribution that transformed the composition" into a hit song. [111] Ely released "Love That Louie" (as Jack E. Lee and the Squires) in 1964 and "Louie Louie '66" and "Louie Go Home" (as Jack Ely and the Courtmen) in 1966 without chart success. Where can you hear the instrumental. ", 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. "Louie Louie (Where Did She Roam)", 1996, "Louie Louie Music", 2012, Armitage Shanks (, "I Wanna Louie Louie (All Night Long)", 2020, Charles Albright (, 1999: Mutha Funkin, "Say It Again" (12" single, UK release), This page was last edited on 30 April 2023, at 17:09. Last updated: May 13 2021. [156], With the only instrumental version to make the charts, Travis Wammack reached No. [267] The album was nominated for a 1982 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Toots Hibbert also performed it solo and with other acts, most notably the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Dave Matthews Band.[210]. Used as a cell phone ringtone by Roy Miller (. Louie, Louie you're gonna cry. 1) were set to the melody of "Louie Louie" and included Richard Berry co-writer credits. [388][389], April 11 or 13, 1963 Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded their competing version in the same studio. [121] Guitar Player magazine noted, "Raw, lightning-fast, and loud, the solo's unbridled energy helped make the song a No. Me think of girl constantly. hey! [211] The original release by Hot Chocolate reached No. He took her home to meet his mama and papa, Man, he had a terrible fight. Brother Louie by Hot Chocolate Album: Greatest Hits ( 1973) Charted: 7 License This Song songfacts She was black as the night Louie was whiter than white Danger, danger when you taste brown sugar Louie fell in love over night Hey man, what's wrong with that? As a quick fix, drummer Lynn Easton covered the pause with a drum fill. [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]. [211] In 1993, the Quireboys' version reached No. Danny DeVito. [131], Robert Lindahl, president and chief engineer of NWI and sound engineer on both the Kingsmen and Raiders recordings, stated that the Raiders version was not known for "garbled lyrics" or an amateurish recording technique, but, as one author noted, their "more competent but uptight take on the song" was less exciting than the Kingsmen's version.[132]. [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. 1 in the West and Hawaii, but only reached No. Marsh also notes (pp. It might be the most important rock song of all time. Supported by a "back-breaking" touring schedule, the "high-octane" version reached No. Gloria Jones of the Dreamers provided additional backup vocals. Tom Cruise in Knight and Day (2010) used the Kingsmen version as a ringtone/movement reminder. We think ELY is the possible answer on this clue. Released in July 1999, the "Original Mix" version reached No. The title was written and sung by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson of the group Hot Chocolate, and was a No. [364] In 2011, KFJC celebrated International Louie Louie Day with a reprise of its 1983 event, featuring multiple "Louie Louie" versions, new music by Richard Berry and appearances by musicians, DJs, and celebrities with "Louie Louie" connections. [204], "Louie Louie" has long been a popular downloadable ringtone, starting with early MIDI versions, then audio track excerpts, and then full audio tracks. Chorus: "Louie, Louie, oh no. Hearing the Kingsmen version on a car radio sparks an extended debate among the three Libner brothers (Patrick Dempsey, Arye Gross, Daniel Stern) about the lyrics and whether it is a "hump song", a "dance song", or a "sea chanty" with the eldest and most worldly brother arguing for the last interpretation. Louie hates hot dogs, golf, fishing, and surprises. 26 in 1964, and to date remains the last "Louie Louie" version to appear on the US or UK charts. Then we heard The Kingsmen and he had that lazy, throwaway, laid-back drawl in his voice, and it was magic. 46 on the UK Top 100. In 1988, Michael Doucet released a "great vocal treatment"[322] of "Louie Louie" in Cajun French on the Michael Doucet and Cajun Brew album. The inclusion of the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" is a bit of an anachronism in that the film takes place on a trip from Detroit to Florida during the summer of 1963. [366], Various versions of "Louie Louie" have appeared in the films listed below.[367]. The Kingsmen version occurs during the film. 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". [140], A Minnesota girl group, the Shaggs, released a version as a 1965 single (Concert 1-78-65), and Honey Ltd. covered the song on a 1968 album and as a single (LHI 1216); however, the distinction of first girl group participation on a version of "Louie Louie" would go to the Shalimars, an Olympia girl group who provided overdubbed backing vocals in 1960 for a recording by Little Bill (Englehardt) released as a single in 1961 (Topaz 1305). Entered ""Bubbling Under" chart April 9, 1966, for one week. [203] It was used during the opening credits of Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story and as an ending song in Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes in which Pop took part as himself. "[354], The lyrics controversy resurfaced briefly in 2005 when the superintendent of the school system in Benton Harbor, Michigan, refused to let a marching band play the song in a local parade; she later relented.[355][356]. He also played the song in guest appearances with other groups in 1982 (at the Stone Pony with Cats on a Hot Surface) and 1983 (at The Headliner in Neptune, NJ with Midnight Thunder). Study now. But, he admitted, the . 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). The Kingsmen's studio version was recorded in one partial and one full take. Entered chart October 21, 1978, for three weeks. [130] Another signature lyric was "Stomp and shout and work it on out". Before punk it was like you had to have a double degree in music. Dave Marsh in his book Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n' Roll Song wrote, "It is the best of songs, it is the worst of songs",[4] and also called it "cosmically crude". [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.' [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. Stories cover [ edit] Am Dm Louie, Louie, Louie, Loo-ee. As this song has been covered innumerable times (reliable sources speak of 1500 versions, but I guess there are more), I do not aim for completeness, but rather I try to list original, unusual versions that show how one simple song can be adapted to a variety of genres . Louie Louie Louie Louie. 1 hit in the U.S. later the same year, but with the parental roles reversed. Entered chart August 2, 1975, for six weeks. [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. This is truly the quintessential garage band moment, an audio-vrit snapshot that communicates directly what red-blooded grass roots American rock 'n' roll is all about the Kingsmen's 'Louie Louie' spills forth with a rush of teenage hormones: raw, untutored yet seemingly ready to take on the world. [272], In White's arrangement, "Louie Louie" emerges as an up-tempo Latin groove, driven by timbales and congas and punctuated by brilliant trumpet riffs, while White supplements the chorus with the plaintive interpolation "Comin' home, Jamaaaica!" [380], Picking up on this initially prankish effort, Whatcom County Councilman Craig Cole introduced Resolution No. "[164], "Louie Louie" occurred repeatedly as an "ide fixe" in the musical lexicon of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in the 1960s; he categorized the riff as one of several "Archetypal American Musical Icons [whose] presence in an arrangement puts a spin on any lyric in their vicinity"[165] and used it initially "to make fun of the old-fashioned rock 'n' roll they had transcended". Released on regional Jerden label in April 1963. [145] A 1965 letter to London's Record Mirror opined, "Besides completely copying the Kingsmen's vocal and instrumental style, The Kinks rose to fame with two watery twists of this classic."[146], Dave Marsh asserted that the Kinks "blatantly based their best early hits" on the "Louie Louie" riff. [391], April 2, 1986 "Louie Louie Day" proclaimed by the state of Oregon. Other notable 1960s instrumental versions included the Ventures and Ian Whitcomb in 1965, Ace Cannon and Sandy Nelson in 1966, Floyd Cramer and Pete Fountain in 1967, and Willie Mitchell in 1969.[138]. (1989). [390], April 14, 1985 "Louie Louie Day" proclaimed by the mayor of Seattle. And why I did it a cappella and changed all the lyrics apart from the actual chorus, I have no idea. It was a liberation for someone like me who was totally unmusical but wanted to have a go.[222]. A 12" EP (Cypress Records V-74500) was released with four tracks: "Louie Rap", "Louie Vocal Attack", "Louie Louie House Mix", and "Louie DePalma Mix" (all "featuring Maestro Fresh Wes" and "produced by Young MC"). )[93] "Louie Louie" did reach No. Originally. The album was reissued in 1997 with additional remixes including one by Ken Abyss titled "Psych Rock (Metal Time Machine Mix)" that, along with the original, heavily influenced Christopher Tyng's Futurama theme song. [71] They also recorded "Jamaica Farewell" and what became the B-side of the release, an original "surf instrumental"[72] by Ely and keyboardist Don Gallucci called "Haunted Castle". [150], Whether directly or indirectly, the Kingsmen version influenced the musical style of the early Kinks. KFJC's Maximum Louie Louie Marathon topped the competition in August 1983 with 823 versions played over 63 hours, plus in studio performances by Richard Berry and Jack Ely. 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. Am Dm Knowing what's wrong from what's right. [32], Other versions appeared on Casino Club Presents Richard Berry (1966), Great Rhythm and Blues Oldies Volume 12 (1977), The Best of Louie, Louie (1983), and In Session: Great Rhythm & Blues (2002). Hint: It's Not Who You Think", Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind, "RIP: The Last of Richard Berry's Pharaohs", "RIP: Dorothy Berry, high school sweetheart + first wife of Richard", "Louie Louie why the influential garage classic was investigated by the FBI", "Richard Berry: Los Angeles Native Turned Tacoma Icon", "Little Bill & the Bluenotes (2008) LOUIE of the Week", "Mr. Jimbo Metastasizing, or, You Can't Aways Death What You Want: Griel Marcus on the Doors", "The History of "Louie Louie" - Part 3: Answer Songs, Sequels, and Tributes", "Proto-punk: 10 records that paved the way for '76", "Lewis, Dave (19381998): Father of Northwest Rock", "The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time", "Everybody sing! The success of their "smoky version"[155] heralded the entry of the ever adaptable "Louie Louie" into the MOR and easy listening categories and many followed: David McCallum and J.J. Jones (1967), Honey Ltd. (1968), Julie London (1969), Sounds Orchestral (1970) ("by far the best of the numerous easy listening interpretations"),[36] Line Renaud (1973), Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin (1991), and others released singles and albums featuring slower and mellower versions of what had previously been an up tempo pop and rock standard. A single was also released in Europe (cut to 3:38 from the album's 5:05 length). (2014). [97] The first album, The Kingsmen In Person, peaked at No. A settlement was reached later in 1964 giving Easton the right to the Kingsmen name but requiring all future pressings of the original version of "Louie Louie" to display "Lead vocal by Jack Ely" on the label. [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. "[268], The track was released on White's 1981 Beware! [392], April 10, 1998 The Kingsmen won a historic legal case against Gusto Records/GML, regaining ownership and royalty rights to all their recordings. Puts Down 'Pornographic' Wand Tune", "Louie Louie the Saga of a Pacific Northwest Hit Song", "That time Indiana teens ratted out dirty 'Louie Louie' lyrics, and the FBI got involved", "Did Louie Louie Drummer Yell F*ck During Recording? The paper printed the lyrics in full, resolving the issue, and resulting in booking the Kingsmen for the fall homecoming entertainment. Recording Industry Association of America, One for My Baby (And One More for the Road), You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 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. Three nights and days we sailed the sea. Louie Louie, oh baby. By the time the Kingsmen version had achieved national popularity, the band had split. 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. Am Dm There he stood in the night. I was always trying to get Ray to sing, because I thought he had a great voice, but he was very shy. [408], Peoria, Illinois has held an annual "Louie Louie" street party and festival every year since 1988. Let's Party, it was also included on the 1983 compilation The Best of Louie Louie, Volume 2. He realized his mistake and stopped the verse short, but the band did not realize that he had done so. A D Em D A D Em D Louie Louie, oh baby, we gotta go. 3)), but not again until two Wammack compilations, That Scratchy Guitar From Memphis (1987) and Scr-Scr-Scratchy! There is good in the night, Knowing what's wrong from what's right. CultureSonar - Louie Louie: Why Is This Song So Awesome? https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louie_Louie&oldid=1152506921, The 300 Most Important American Records of the 20th Century, Ultimate Jukebox: The 100 Singles You Must Own, The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time, The 100 Best Singles of the Last 25 Years, Big Bangs: 100 Records That Changed The World. The error "imbued the Kingsmen recording with a touching humility and humanity"[36] and is now so well known that multiple versions by other groups duplicate it. A "rough-edged cover of the garage rock warhorse"[224] with Clarke's guitar emulating the Hohner Pianet electric piano riff, it was released with "Tear Ya Down" as a 7" vinyl single. 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. The Kast Off Kinks continue to perform it live, occasionally joined by Ray Davies at the annual Kinks Konvention. The song was written by Richard Berry in the 1950s, but it is most famous for the 1963 cover by the Kingsmen. 97 in Billboard[99][100] and cracking the Top 40 in the Washington market. Crowd noise overdubs added to simulate live version. [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. [59], Female solo artist versions in the 1960s included Maddalena in 1967, titled "Lui Lui", as a single (RCA Italiana 3413), Tina Turner in 1968, released in 1989 on The Best of Louie Louie, Volume 2, and "a sexiest-of-all version by smokey-voiced diva Julie London"[141] released as a single (Liberty 56085) and included on her 1969 album Yummy, Yummy, Yummy. The 1983 compilation The Best of Louie, Louie featured a Russian version by Red Square,[33] and in 1997 an entire album of Spanish covers, The First Louie Louie Spanish Compilation, was released with versions by the Flaming Sideburns, the Navahodads, Los DelTonos, and eight others. [157] An early guitar innovator and "precursor to guitar-hero shredding", his distinctive sound on "Louie Louie" was "liberally laced with fuzztone"[36] created by playing through an overdriven drive-in movie speaker.[158]. [57], In 1959, Roberts left the Bluenotes and began singing with another local band, the Wailers, famed for their "hard-nosed R&B/rock fusion". They also made it more "fierce and threatening"[162] by altering the traditional 1-4-5-4 chord pattern to the "darker, more sinister" 1-3b-4-3b.[36]. The year 1988 also saw multiple rap and hip hop releases with "Louie Louie" sampling (see Use in sampling section below). [116], April 24, 2020 Death of Kingsmen front man Lynn Easton. Early video games with chiptune versions of "Louie Louie" included California Games and Donkey Konga. ", "The Tall Cool Tale of Paul Revere & the Raiders: A Conversation with Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere", "Paul Revere five great songs from one of America's 60s rock legends", The Best of Louie Louie, Vol. Subsequent Kingsmen "Louie Louie" versions with either Lynn Easton or Dick Peterson as lead vocalist appeared on Live & Unreleased (recorded 1963, released 1992), Live at the Castle (recorded 1964, released 2011), Shindig! #2 in 1963. 1948), guitarist/vocalist John Lees (b. Crumpled pieces of paper professing to be "the real lyrics" to "Louie Louie" circulated among teens. [406] DeBella described it as " a parade for no reason and the no reason would be 'Louie Louie'. [94] It was the last No. [25] Berry cited Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon" and his exposure to Latin American music for the song's speech pattern and references to Jamaica. The engineer for the session was the studio owner, Robert Lindahl. "), Martin Short, Young MC, and others. " 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 Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" While Jack Ely's crazed vocal gets almost all of the attention, the Kingsmen were a group that played their own instruments and sang. Another actor from the film, DeWayne Jessie as Otis Day of Otis Day and the Knights, included a version on the VHS release Otis My Man in 1987. 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. 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". 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. [117], When Mike Mitchell died on April 16, 2021, he was the only remaining member of the Kingsmen's original lineup who still performed with the band. 89, No. Louie Louie, me gotta go . She said, "The beat and everything was beautiful. [19] Other authors noted that the song "reap[ed] the benefits that accrue from being pursued by the guardians of public morals"[353] and "Such stupidity helped ensure 'Louie Louie' a long and prosperous life. Song "snippets" are frequently played within other songs: "High School Confidential", "Twist and Shout", "Glory Days", and "Pay Me My Money Down".[232].