Louie Louie

"Louie Louie"
Single by Richard Berry
A-side	You Are My Sunshine[1]
Released	April 1957 (1957-04)
Recorded	1957
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	2:09
Label	Flip
Songwriter(s)	Richard Berry
Richard Berry singles chronology
"Take The Key" (1956) "Louie Louie" (1957) "Sweet Sugar You" (1957)

"Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and rock. The song is based on the tune "El Loco Cha Cha" popularized by bandleader René Touzet and is an example of Afro-Cuban influence on American popular music.

"Louie Louie" tells, in simple verse–chorus form, the first-person story of a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lover.

"Louie Louie" has been recognized by organizations and publications worldwide for its influence on the history of rock and roll. 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. Other major examples of the song's legacy include the celebration of International Louie Louie Day every year on April 11; the annual Louie Louie Parade in Philadelphia from 1985 to 1989; the LouieFest in Tacoma from 2003 to 2012; the ongoing annual Louie Louie Street Party in Peoria; and the unsuccessful attempt in 1985 to make it the state song of Washington.

The Kingsmen's recording was the subject of an FBI investigation about the supposed, but nonexistent, obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution.^[2] The nearly unintelligible (and innocuous) lyrics were widely misinterpreted, and the song was banned by radio stations as well as being investigated by the FBI.

Dave Marsh, in his book 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"^[3] and rock historian Peter Blecha noted, "Far from shuffling off to a quiet retirement, evidence indicates that 'Louie Louie' may actually prove to be immortal."^[4]

Original version by Richard Berry[]

Richard Berry was inspired to write the song in 1955 after listening to an R&B interpretation of "El Loco Cha Cha" performed by the Latin R&B group Ricky Rillera and the Rhythm Rockers.^[5] The tune was written originally as "Amarren Al Loco" ("Tie Up the Madman") by Cuban bandleader Rosendo Ruiz Jr., also known as Rosendo Ruiz Quevedo, but became best known in the "El Loco Cha Cha" arrangement by René Touzet which included a rhythmic ten-note "1-2-3 1–2 1-2-3 1–2" pattern.^[6]

Touzet performed the tune regularly in Los Angeles clubs in the 1950s. In Berry's mind, the words "Louie Louie" superimposed themselves over the repeating bassline. 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).^[7] Berry cited Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon" and his exposure to Latin American music for the song's speech pattern and references to Jamaica.^[8]

Los Angeles-based Flip Records issued Berry's adaptation with his backing band the Pharaohs in April 1957 as a single B-side of "You Are My Sunshine". The single was a regional hit on the west coast, particularly in San Francisco. When the group toured the Pacific Northwest, local R&B bands began to play the song, increasing its popularity. The song was then re-released as an A-side single. However, the single never appeared on the various Billboard R&B charts nor broader Hot 100. Berry's label reported that the single had sold 40,000 copies. After a series of unsuccessful follow-ups, Berry sold his portion of publishing and songwriting rights for $750 to the head of Flip Records in 1959.^[9]

While the title of the song is often rendered with a comma ("Louie, Louie"), in 1988, Berry told Esquire magazine that the correct title of the song was "Louie Louie" with no comma.^[10]

Although similar to the original, the version on Rhino's 1983 The Best of Louie, Louie compilation^[11] is actually a note-for-note re-recording created because licensing could not be obtained for Berry's 1957 version.^[12] The original version was not legitimately re-released until the Ace Records Love That Louie compilation in 2002.^[13]

Cover versions[]

"Louie Louie" is the world's most recorded rock song, with published estimates ranging from over 1,600^[4] to more than 2,000.^[14]

1960s[]

Rockin' Robin Roberts[]

"Louie Louie"
Single by Rockin' Robin Roberts
B-side	"Maryanne"
Released	1961 (1961)
Recorded	1960
Genre	Rhythm and blues rock and roll
Length	2:40
Label	Etiquette
Songwriter(s)	Richard Berry

Robin Roberts developed an interest in rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues records as a high school student in Tacoma, Washington. Among the songs he began performing as an occasional guest singer with a local band, the Bluenotes, in 1958 were "Louie Louie", which he had heard on Berry's obscure original single, and Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin", which gave him his stage name.^[15]

In 1959, Roberts left the Bluenotes and began singing with another local band, the Wailers. 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.^[15] The arrangement, devised by Roberts with the band, included Roberts' ad-lib "Let's give it to 'em, RIGHT NOW!!" Released on the band's own label, Etiquette, in early 1961, it became a hit locally and was then reissued and promoted by Liberty Records in Los Angeles, but it failed to chart.^[15]

Roberts was killed in an automobile accident in 1967.^[15] Dave Marsh dedicated his 1993 book "For Richard Berry, who gave birth to this unruly child, and Rockin' Robin Roberts, who first raised it to glory."^[16]

The Kingsmen[]

"Louie Louie"
Original release
Single by The Kingsmen
from the album The Kingsmen In Person
B-side	"Haunted Castle"
Released	June 1963 (1963-06) (Jerden) October 1963 (1963-10) (Wand)
Recorded	April 6, 1963
Genre	Garage rock[17]
Length	2:42
Label	Jerden
Songwriter(s)	Richard Berry
Producer(s)	Ken Chase Jerry Dennon
The Kingsmen singles chronology
"Louie Louie" (1963) "Money" (1964)
Wand Re-issue
Second Wand release with "Lead vocal by Jack Ely" text
‹ The template Audio sample is being considered for merging. ›
Audio sample
Menu 0:00 file help

On 6 April 1963,^[18][19] the Kingsmen, a rock and roll group from Portland, Oregon, chose "Louie Louie" for their second recording, their first having been "Peter Gunn Rock". The Kingsmen recorded the song at Northwestern, Inc., Motion Pictures and Recording in Portland. The session cost $50, and the band split the cost.^[20][21]

The session was produced by Ken Chase, a local disc jockey on the AM rock station 91 KISN who also owned the teen nightclub that hosted the Kingsmen as their house band. The engineer for the session was the studio owner, Robert Lindahl. The Kingsmen's lead vocalist, Jack Ely, based his version on the recording by Rockin' Robin Roberts with the Fabulous Wailers, unintentionally introducing a change in the rhythm as he showed the other members how to play it with a 1–2–3, 1–2, 1–2–3 beat instead of the 1–2–3–4, 1–2, 1–2–3–4 beat on the Wailers record.^[22] The night before their recording session, the band played a 90-minute version of the song during a gig at a local teen club. The Kingsmen's studio version was recorded in one take. They also recorded the B-side of the release, an original instrumental by the group called "Haunted Castle”.^[23]

A significant error on the Kingsmen version occurs just after the lead guitar break. 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. Ely, however, overshot his mark, coming in too soon, before the restatement of the riff. He realized his mistake and stopped the verse short, but the band did not realize that he had done so. As a quick fix, drummer Lynn Easton covered the pause with a drum fill. The error is now so well known that multiple versions by other groups duplicate it.^{[citation needed]}

The Kingsmen transformed Berry's easy-going ballad into a raucous romp, complete with a twangy guitar, occasional background chatter, and nearly unintelligible lyrics by Ely.^[24] Ely had to stand on tiptoe to sing into a boom mike, and his braces further impeded his singing. A guitar break is triggered by the shout, "Okay, let's give it to 'em right now!", which first appeared in the Wailers version,^[25] as did the entire guitar break (although, in the Wailers version, a few notes differ, and the entire band played the break). Critic Dave Marsh suggests it is this moment that gives the recording greatness: "[Ely] went for it so avidly you'd have thought he'd spotted the jugular of a lifelong enemy, so crudely that, at that instant, Ely sounds like Donald Duck on helium. And it's that faintly ridiculous air that makes the Kingsmen's record the classic that it is, especially since it's followed by a guitar solo that's just as wacky."^[26] Marsh ranks the song as number eleven out of the 1001 greatest singles ever made.^[27]

First released in May 1963, the single was initially issued by the small Jerden label, before being picked up by the larger Wand Records and released by them in October 1963. It entered the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for December 7, and peaked at No. 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.^[28] In total, the Kingsmen's version spent 16 weeks on the Hot 100. Dominique by the Singing Nun and There! I've Said It Again by Bobby Vinton prevented the single from reaching No. 1. "Louie Louie" did reach No. 1 on the Cashbox pop chart for two weeks, as well as No. 1 on the Cashbox R&B chart.^[29] It was the last No. 1 on Cashbox before Beatlemania hit the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand".^[30] The version quickly became a standard at teen parties in the U.S. during the 1960s and reappeared on the charts in 1966, reaching No. 65 on the Cashbox chart and No. 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Another factor in the success of the record may have been the rumor that the lyrics were intentionally slurred by the Kingsmen—to cover up lyrics that were allegedly laced with profanity, graphically depicting sex between the sailor and his lady. Crumpled pieces of paper professing to be "the real lyrics" to "Louie Louie" circulated among teens. The song was banned on many radio stations and in many places in the United States, including Indiana, where it was personally prohibited by Governor Matthew Welsh.^{[31][32][33][34]}

These actions were taken despite the small matter that practically no one could distinguish the actual lyrics. Denials of chicanery by Kingsmen and Ely did not stop the controversy. The FBI started a 31-month investigation into the matter and concluded they were "unable to interpret any of the wording in the record."^[2] However, drummer Lynn Easton later admitted that he yelled "Fuck" after fumbling a drum fill at 0:54 on the record.^[20][24][35]

Sales of the Kingsmen record were initially so low (reportedly 600) that the group considered disbanding. Things changed when Boston's biggest DJ, Arnie Ginsburg, was given the record by a pitchman. Amused by its slapdash sound, he played it on his program as "The Worst Record of the Week". Despite the slam, listener response was swift and positive.^[36]

By the end of October, it was listed in Billboard as a regional breakout and a "bubbling under" entry for the national chart. 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. For a few weeks, the two singles appeared destined to battle each other, but demand for the Kingsmen single acquired momentum and, by the end of 1963, Columbia Records had stopped promoting the Raiders version, as ordered by Mitch Miller.^[37]

By the time the Kingsmen version had achieved national popularity, the band had split. Two rival editions—one featuring lead singer Jack Ely, the other with Lynn Easton who held the rights to the band's name—were competing for live audiences across the country. 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.^{[citation needed]}

On 9 November 1998, after a protracted lawsuit that lasted five years and cost $1.3 million, the Kingsmen were awarded ownership of all their recordings released on Wand Records from Gusto Records, including "Louie Louie". They had not been paid royalties on the songs since the 1960s.^[38][39]

When Jack Ely died on 28 April 2015, his son reported that "my father would say, 'We were initially just going to record the song as an instrumental, and at the last minute I decided I'd sing it.'" When it came time to do that, however, Ely discovered the sound engineer had raised the studio's only microphone several feet above his head. Then he placed Ely in the middle of his fellow musicians, all in an effort to create a better "live feel" for the recording. The result, Ely would say over the years, was that he had to stand on his toes, lean his head back and shout as loudly as he could just to be heard over the drums and guitars.^[40]

Paul Revere & the Raiders[]

"Louie Louie"
Single by Paul Revere & the Raiders
from the album Here They Come!
B-side	"Night Train"
Released	June 1963 (1963-06)
Recorded	April 1963
Length	2:38
Label	Sandē
Songwriter(s)	Richard Berry
Producer(s)	Roger Hart
Paul Revere & the Raiders singles chronology
"So Fine" (1963) "Louie Louie" (1963) "Louie Go Home" (1963)

Paul Revere & the Raiders also recorded a 1963 version of "Louie Louie", probably on April 11 or 13, 1963, in the same Portland studio as the Kingsmen.^[41][42][43] The recording was paid for and produced by KISN radio personality Roger Hart, who soon became personal manager for the band. Released on Hart's Sandē label, their version was more successful locally. Columbia Records issued the single nationally in June 1963 and it went to #1 in the West and Hawaii. The quick success of "Louie Louie" suddenly halted, however, and a few years later Paul Revere & the Raiders learned the reason—Columbia A&R man Mitch Miller, a former bandleader (Sing Along With Mitch) who hated rock and roll, had pulled the plug on their version.^[37]

Robert Lindahl, president and chief engineer of NWI and sound engineer on both the Kingsmen and Raiders recordings, noted that the Raiders version was not known for "garbled lyrics" or an amateurish recording technique. Despite or because of these attributes, the single never seized the public's attention the way the less-polished Kingsmen version did.^{[citation needed]}

The Raiders version contains a scarcely audible "dirty lyric" when Mark Lindsay says, "Do she fuck? That psyches me up!" behind the guitar solo.^[44]

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention[]

"Louie Louie" repeatedly figured in the musical lexicon of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in the 1960s. His original compositions "Plastic People" and "Ruthie-Ruthie" (from You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1) were set to the melody of "Louie Louie" and included Richard Berry co-writer credits.^[45] Zappa said that he fired guitarist Alice Stuart from the Mothers of Invention because she couldn't play "Louie Louie", although this comment was obviously intended as a joke.^[46]

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). Quick interpolations of "Louie Louie" also frequently turn up in other Zappa works.^[47]

Other 1960s versions[]

After the Kingsmen and Raiders versions, many other bands recorded the song:

• A cover by Otis Redding appeared on his 1964 debut album Pain in My Heart.
• The Beach Boys for their 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2 with lead vocals shared by Carl Wilson and Mike Love.
• The Kinks recorded "Louie Louie" on October 18, 1964, and it was released in November on the Kinksize Session EP. Ray Davies has stated that he wrote the group's first hit, "You Really Got Me" while trying to work out the chords of "Louie Louie".
• Mexican group Los Apson released a version titled "Ya No Lo Hagas" as a single in 1963 (Peerless 8083) and as a track on their 1964 album Atrás De La Raya.^[48]
• John O'Hara and His Playboys, a Scottish group performing in Germany, released a version as a single in 1964 (Decca D19552).^[49]
• An uncredited artist version was included on the 1964 album The Top-40 Song Book.^[50]
• The Ventures released a version on the 1965 album The Ventures a Go-Go. A 1967 version was included on the album Play Guitar with the Ventures Volume 7.
• The Sandpipers did a cover of the song in 1966 in Spanish with a slower tempo that peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Die Rosy-Singers released a cover of the Sandpipers version in German as a single (Philips 346 032 PF) in 1966.^[51]
• Jim Morrison's first vocal performance on stage was "Louie Louie" in 1965 with Rick and the Ravens (with Ray Manzarek) at the Turkey Joint West in Santa Monica.^[52]
• Pink Floyd, in an earlier R&B-oriented incarnation as The Pink Floyd Sound, regularly included "Louie Louie" in their setlists in the mid-60s.^[53][54]
• Jan & Dean released the song on their album Command Performance in 1965.
• A 1965 version by The Shadows of Knight was included on the 2018 LP Alive In ‘65!.
• The Troggs recorded a version of "Louie Louie" for their 1966 From Nowhere album. Their 1966 hit single "Wild Thing" also used a very similar chord progression. A rerecorded version was released on the 2013 album This Is The Troggs.
• The Seeburg Corporation released a 1965 single, credited to the Seeburg Spotlite Band, for its jukeboxes (Seeburg Discoteen Series 3009).
• The song underwent psychedelic treatment courtesy of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band in 1966 on their debut album Volume One, Friar Tuck on his 1967 album Friar Tuck and His Psychedelic Guitar, and the Underground All-Stars on their 1968 album Extremely Heavy!.
• The Sonics recorded an iconic, fuzz-tone-drenched version for their 1966 album Boom that was also released as a single (Etiquette ET-23). Later live versions appeared on Sinderella (1980) and Live at Easy Street (2016).
• The Swamp Rats released a cover of the track as their debut single in 1966 (St. Clair MF-69).
• Euphoria's Id recorded a version in 1966 that was released on their 2003 album Mastering The Art Of French Kissing.^[55]
• The Syndicate of Sound recorded a version in 1966 that was released in 1991 by Cream Puff War magazine.^[56]
• The Outcasts version recorded in 1967 was included on the 1984 album The Battle of the Bands Live!^[57]
• A version by Jackey Yoshikawa and His Blue Comets was included on the 1967 Japanese compilation album This Is Young Beat.
• Colombian group Los Yetis released a version on their 1968 album Olvidate.^[58]
• A 1968 version by Ike and Tina Turner was released on the compilation album The Best of Louie Louie Volume Two. A separate 1988 version by Tina Turner appeared on the 1991 Spanish compilation album Vuelve La Fiebre Fever.^[59]
• A version by the Beatles was recorded during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions in 1969. It was released on the 1995 Jamming With Heather bootleg CD.^[60]
• Other 1960s releases: 1964 - Angels, Bobby Fuller Four, Pyramids, Standells, Surfaris, Trashmen. 1965 - Iguanas, Pink Finks, Travis Wammack. 1966 - Barry Allen, Beau Brummels, Ray Brown & the Whispers, Ace Cannon, Challengers, Don and the Goodtimes, Jack Eely (Ely) & the Courtmen, Pete Fountain, Fugitives, Gurus, Sandy Nelson, Sir Arthur (Ian Whitcomb). 1967 - Eddie Cano, Floyd Cramer, David McCallum, Mothers of Invention, Neighb'rhood Childr'n, Mongo Santamaria, Swingin' Medallions. 1968 - Neil Chotem, Honey Ltd., Tams. 1969 - Wilbert Harrison, Julie London, Willie Mitchell.

1970s[]

Motörhead[]

"Louie Louie"
Single by Motörhead
from the album Overkill (re-issue)
B-side	"Tear Ya Down"
Released	25 August 1978 (UK) [61]
Recorded	1978
Studio	Wessex, London
Genre	Rock and roll hard rock
Length	2:47
Label	Bronze/EMI
Songwriter(s)	Richard Berry
Producer(s)	Neil Richmond Motörhead
Motörhead singles chronology
"Motorhead" (1977) "Louie Louie" (1978) "Overkill" (1979)

"Louie Louie" was Motörhead's first single for Bronze Records in 1978, following their initial release on Chiswick Records in 1977. It was a relatively faithful cover of the song, with Clarke's guitar emulating the Hohner Pianet electric piano riff. It was released with "Tear Ya Down" as a 7" vinyl single and reached #68 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also appeared on the CD re-issues of Overkill (1996) and The Best of Motörhead (2000). On 25 October 1978 a pre-recording of the band playing the song was broadcast on the BBC show Top of the Pops,^[62] and was subsequently released on the 2005 album BBC Live & In-Session.^[63] Another live 1978 version was released on Lock Up Your Daughters (1990) and a 1978 alternate studio track appeared Over the Top: The Rarities (2000).

Other 1970s versions[]

• The Allman Brothers Band performed a live version at the 1970 Tulane University homecoming dance.^[64]
• A Flamin' Groovies version was released on their 1971 album Teenage Head and included on their 1976 compilation Still Shakin'. Live versions appeared on Bucketful of Brains (1983), Slow Death Live (France, 1983) and Studio '70 (France, 1984).^[65]
• A 1971 version by "John Lennon and Friends" recorded at his 31st birthday party was released on the 1989 bootleg CD Let's Have A Party.
• In 1972, Berry released the song again as a single on the Happy Tiger label. This was the label's final release before it folded.
• Also in 1972 Led Zeppelin performed a version of the song in Los Angeles which can be heard on the bootleg Burn Like a Candle. This performance is the source of most of the 2003 live album How the West Was Won, but "Louie Louie" was omitted from the official release.
• MC5 performed "Louie Louie" in Helsinki in 1972. Released on the Kick Copenhagen bootleg LP.^[66]
• In 1973, Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids performed the song in the film American Graffiti, in a version produced by Kim Fowley.
• Toots & the Maytals recorded a version for their album Funky Kingston. It has been suggested that use of the Kingsmen's beat may have helped lead to the invention of reggae music,^[67] but the Maytals track used a Jamaican beat unrelated to the Kingsmen version and their album was released at least four years after reggae became a distinct form, and at least six years after the "rock steady" beat on the Maytals track was first developed.
• The 1973 song "Brother Louie" by the UK band Hot Chocolate was strongly inspired by "Louie Louie" and includes a minor-key reprise of the chorus. The song, about an interracial romance, became a No. 1 U.S. hit that same year in a cover version by the New York band Stories.^[68]
• A 1973 version by the New Riders of the Purple Sage, performed as "Who Likes Louie Louie", was included on the 2007 bootleg album S.U.N.Y., Stonybrook, NY, 3/17/73.^[69]
• Roy Young and the Tritons included a version on their 1974 album Rock On The Road.
• Patti Smith released multiple 1975-1976 live versions on albums Let's Deodorize The Night, Teenage Perversity & Ships In The Night, In Heat, and Bicentenary Blues (San Francisco 1976).^[70]
• The Irish band Skid Row released a version on their 1976 album Alive And Kickin'^[71]
• In 1974, the Stooges (a.k.a. Iggy and the Stooges) performed the song at their final concert, with some obscene lyric changes, which was released on their live album Metallic K.O. in 1976.
• A version by the Clash was released on the Louie is a Punkrocker vinyl bootleg in 1977.
• Re-recorded versions by Jack Ely were created in 1976 and 1980 and appeared on multiple "original artist" compilations of 60s hits as by "Jack Ely" or "The Kingsmen featuring Jack Ely".
• A version by John Belushi appeared on the National Lampoon's Animal House soundtrack album in 1978. Released as a single, it reached #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
• A 1978 concert version by Bruce Springsteen was released on the 1988 bootleg album Reggae 'N' Soul.^[72]
• Other 1970s releases and bootlegs included versions by Blondie (1979), Nick Cave (1977), The Fall (1977), Goddo (1975), Heavy Cruiser (1972), the Kids (1970), John The Postman (1977), Sounds Orchestral (1970), Lou Reed (1978), Line Renaud (1973), and Deniz Tek (1974).

1980s[]

Black Flag[]

"Louie Louie"
The cover features Black Flag's singer Dez Cadena and some of his improvised lyrics to "Louie Louie".
Single by Black Flag
B-side	"Damaged I"
Released	1981 (1981) 7-inch single CD single
Genre	Hardcore punk
Length	5:22
Label	Posh Boy
Songwriter(s)	Richard Berry Dez Cadena
Producer(s)	Spot Black Flag

The Hermosa Beach, California hardcore punk band Black Flag released a cover version of "Louie Louie" as a single in 1981 through Posh Boy Records.^[73] It was the band's first release with Dez Cadena as singer, replacing Ron Reyes who had left the group the previous year.^[74][75] Cadena would go on to sing on the Six Pack EP before switching to rhythm guitar and being replaced on vocals by Henry Rollins.^[74][76] Cadena improvised his own lyrics to "Louie Louie", such as "You know the pain that's in my heart / It just shows I'm not very smart / Who needs love when you've got a gun? / Who needs love to have any fun?"^[73] The single also included an early version of "Damaged I", which would be re-recorded with Rollins for the band's debut album, Damaged, later that year.^[73] Demo versions of both tracks, recorded with Cadena, were included on the 1982 compilation album Everything Went Black.^[77]

The front cover art shows the main verse of the lyrics to "Louie Louie" over a photograph by Edward Colver featuring Black Flag's third singer Dez Cadena.

Bryan Carroll of AllMusic gave the single four out of five stars, saying that "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. No strangers to controversy themselves, the band pummel the song with their trademark pre-Henry Rollins-era guitar sludge, while singer Dez Cadena spits out his nihilistic rewording of the most misunderstood lyrics in rock history."^[73] 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 Wasted...Again.^[78][79] A live version of "Louie Louie", recorded by the band's 1985 lineup, was released on the live album Who's Got the 10½?, with Rollins improvising his own lyrics.^[80]

Continued touring, line-up changes, and occasional reunions have resulted in multiple recorded live versions with various lead singers Keith Morris, Dez Cadena, Henry Rollins, Ron Reyes, and Mike Vallely.

Other 1980s versions[]

• The Grateful Dead covered the song live a few times in the 1980s with Brent Mydland on vocals.^[81]
• Robert Fripp performed a live version with Blondie in 1980 that was released on the 2019 album Europa Europa.^[82]
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts recorded a version, which appears as a bonus track on the 1992 CD release of their 1981 I Love Rock 'n Roll album.
• A 1982 version by Rory Gallagher was released on the 2012 album A Burning Fever.^[83]
• German group 39 Clocks released a version titled "Psychotic Louie Louie" on their 1982 album Subnarcotic.^[84]
• A 1982 version by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers appeared on the 1990 album Straight Into Darkness.^[85]
• The Fat Boys recorded a version in 1988 on their album Coming Back Hard Again with new lyrics written by the group about the history of the song and its original controversy. The single reached #89 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[86]
• The Kingsmen led the audience in a performance of "Louie Louie" at the end of Bud Clark's Inaugural Ball beginning his term as Mayor of Portland, Oregon in 1985.^[87]
• Stanley Clarke and George Duke recorded a version in 1981 for their album The Clarke/Duke Project.
• Australian Crawl recorded a live version of the song on their 1983 album Phalanx and also released the song as a single.
• A 1983 version by Jeffrey Lee Pierce and the Gun Club was released on the 2008 album The Life and Times of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and the Gun Club.^[88]
• Multiple marching band versions were released in the 80s including the Rice University Marching Owl Band, the University of Southern California Spirit of Troy Marching Band, and the University of Washington Husky Marching Band.^[11] The widespread availability of arrangements for concert and marching bands also made the song a staple of middle school and high school band repertoires.
• A 1984 version by Bryan Adams was released on the 2000 bootleg album Various Songs 5.^[89]
• Spanish group Los Elegantes included a version titled "Luisa Se Va" on their 1985 album Paso A Paso.^[90]
• The Sisters of Mercy released a version on the 1985 EP Brimstone & Treacle. Various live versions appeared on albums Possession, Half Moon Over Amsterdam, The Lights Shine Clear Through The Sodium Haze, A Fire In The Hull, At The Blind Parade, Cryptic Flowers, Live In Maastricht, Tune In... Turn Off... Burn Out..., and The Quality Of Mercy.^[91]
• A version by the Swedish group E.A.T.E.R. was included on the 1984 compilation Crash Mag Tape.001.^[92]
• German group Shiny Gnomes included a version on their 1986 album Do The Strecker! Live!^[93]
• A version by Walls of Genius was included on the 1986 various artists album Crazy But Chic (Soft Blend).^[94]
• Hüsker Dü, Meat Puppets, Minutemen, Saccharine Trust, and SWA performed a version together on the 1986 VHS release The Tour.^[95]
• Serbian group Elektricni Orgazam included a version titled "Lui Lui" on their 1986 album Distorzija.^[96]
• A version by the Icelandic group Sálin Hans Jóns Míns was released on their 1988 album Syngjandi Sveittir.^[97]
• French group Nuclear Device included a version on their 1988 album En Vivo.^[98]
• John Stamos and Scott Baio performed the song on Full House S3E9 November 24, 1989 along with Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen.^[99]
• Italian group Warhead released a version on their 1980s cassette album Promotional Copy.^[100]
• Other 1980s releases and bootlegs included versions by Arnold-Hedgecock Experience (1987), Bad Religion (1984), Jim Capaldi (1981), the Cult (1986), the Cramps (1980), Otis Day and the Knights (1986), the Doors (1982), Michael Doucet (1988), Dow Jones and the Industrials (1980), Kevin Dunn (1985), Bob Dylan and Tom Petty (Live Aid, 1985), Half Japanese (1981), Charlie Harper (1981), Purple Helmets (1988), the Last (1983), Lew Lewis (1987), Lyres (1987), NRBQ (1984), R.E.M. (1988), Paul Shaffer (1989), Johnny Thunders (1983), Maureen Tucker (1982), Ike & Tina Turner (1988), and Barry White (1980).

1990s[]

• Jack Ely released three new versions, "Louie Louie", "Louie Louie (Cali '86)", and "Ska Louie", on his 1990 album The Kingsman.
• German artist Jörg Schlick and Megabody released a version as a single in 1990.^[101]
• A 1991 version by Jimmy Page and Solid Ground was released on the 2001 album Up In Smoke.^[102]
• Steve Plunkett of Autograph sang a hard rock version of "Louie Louie" in 1991. In the music video directed by Dominic Orlando, Louie is portrayed as Louis XIV.
• Iggy Pop again recorded a version of the song, with political and satirical verses instead of obscenities, in his 1993 American Caesar album. This version 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.
• Burton Cummings regularly performed live versions at various concerts.^[103]
• Eric Burdon and Robby Krieger performed a live version in 1990 included on the Live at the Ventura Beach California DVD.
• The Dave Matthews Band included "Louie Louie" in some of their early 1990s setlists, and a version was included on the 2000 album The Best Of What's Around Vol. 1.^[104][105]
• Young MC and Maestro Fresh Wes's take on the song was included in the 1990 film Coupe de Ville. The movie includes a lengthy scene where the three brother characters argue over the lyrics while the Kingsmen's version plays. The movie then returns to the topic in the final narration and the their version plays as the credits roll.
• A version by Television Personalities was released on the 1993 compilation album Chocolat Art (A Special Tribute To James Last).
• Sha Na Na included a version on the 1993 album The Sha Na Na 25th Anniversary Collection.
• A version by Robert Plant was included on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Wayne's World 2.
• Dutch group De Sufgerukte Wallies released a version on their 1993 album Paterpiopriester.^[106]
• John Stamos and David Coulier performed the song on Full House S7E3 September 28, 1993 with Dylan & Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit.^[107]
• Finnish group Eläkeläiset released a parody version titled "Tilulilulei" on their 1994 album Joulumanteli.^[108]
• Australian group Perkins Walker Owen included a version on their 1994 album What I Done To Her.^[109]
• Denise Austin - Trimwalk: Beginner/Moderate Intensity, released in 1994, contains a version by an uncredited artist.^[110]
• Dutch group The Treble Spankers released a version as a 1995 CD single b-side.^[111]
• A 1995 version by Kiss was released on the bootleg album Unplugged Complete & Uncut.^[112]
• Dutch group Tohuwabohu included a version on their 1996 album Discomposure.^[113]
• Warren Zevon performed a live version with the Rock Bottom Remainders in Bangor, Maine in 1998.^[114]
• Norwegian group 666 included a version on their 1998 album Live II.^[115]
• In 1999, the Three Amigos released a big beat version of the song as a 12" single with multiple mixes: Original Mix, Da Digglar Mix, Wiseguys Remix, Touché's Bonus Beats.
• Danish group 22-Pistepirkko released a version on the 1999 album The Märkbar Concerts.^[116]
• Australian group Spectrum's version appears on the 1999 album Spill: Spectrum Plays The Blues.^[117]
• The 1999 album Circle of Friends Volume 1 included a version by Kingsmen member Dick Peterson.^[118]
• Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men performed a live version on February 21, 1999 at the Harmony Bar & Grille in Madison, WI.^[119]
• Other 1990s releases and bootlegs included Tuck Andress (1990), Angry Samoans (1990), Billy Childish (1993), the Fall (1999), Ace Frehley (1995), Guru Josh (1990), Thee Headcoats (1996), Sherman Hemsley (1992), Dave Matthews Band (1998), Mojo Nixon (1995), Pow woW (1992), the Queers (1994), Rock Bottom Remainders (1999), Rockin' Berries (1997), Richard Simmons (1993), Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin (1991), Turtles (1991), Johnny Winter (1990), and Young & Restless (1990).

2000s[]

• Wayne Fontana's version was included on the UK various artists compilation Original 60's Megamix released in 2000.^[120]
• A version by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes was included on the 2001 bootleg album On The Road Again.^[121]
• Greg Koch and Will Schmid were featured on Hal Leonard Guitar Method - More Easy Pop Rhythms, a 2002 instructional CD released by Hal Leonard LLC.^[122]
• Das Original Oberkreuzberger Nasenflötenorchester, directed by Thomas Kapielski, released a version on their 2002 album Stille Tage In Rüsselsheim.^[123]
• In August 2003, 754 guitarists played a ten-minute rendition of "Louie Louie" at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma as part of the annual LouieFest.
• In July 2004, Todd Snider released his East Nashville Skyline album which contained "The Ballad of the Kingsmen", a song telling the story of the FBI investigation and connecting it to song lyrics by Marilyn Manson and Eminem.
• The Doors of the 21st Century album Live In Anaheim, CA - New Year's Eve 2005 included a version.^[124]
• UK singer John Schroeder included a version on his 2005 album Soul Coaxing: The Many Moods Of John Schroeder.^[125]
• A 2005 episode of The Simpsons (Episode 367: "We’re on the Road to D’ohwhere") included a version by Lisa Simpson and the Springfield Children's Band.^[126]
• French group Petit Vodo released a version on the 2005 album Rare and Well Done, Vol. 1.^[127]
• The 2006 UK various artists album Birmingham City FC: Keep Right On contained a version by The Rockin' Berries.^[128]
• A version by Peanut Butter Wolf was released on the 2006 album Cover Me Badd.^[129]
• Swedish group Ernst and the Edsholm Rebels released a version on their 2007 album The Doomsday Division.^[130]
• A version by Joe McPhee, Cato Salsa Experience, and The Thing was released on the 2007 album Two Bands And A Legend.
• Eddie Angel and Johnny Rabb joined The Trashmen for a live performance at the Turf Club in St. Paul, MN on November 22, 2008.^[131]
• Played by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band within the song "Glory Days" during the 2009 Working on a Dream Tour.
• James Williamson with the Careless Hearts released a version on their eponymous 2009 album.^[132]
• The Japanese group Detroit7 released versions on two 2009 albums, Detroit7 and Black & White.
• The Smashing Pumpkins also released a cover of the song in their Live Smashing Pumpkins album series.

2010s[]

• Baby It's You!, a 2011 Broadway jukebox musical, featured a production of "Louie Louie" by cast members as The Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. The audio track was released on the original cast soundtrack album.^[133]
• The Japanese group The 5.6.7.8's performed a live version in 2011 at The Rocking Chair in Vevey, Switzerland.^[134]
• Mark Lindsay with Benedict Arnold and the Traitors performed a live version at the Casbah in San Diego on May 26, 2013 for the Ugly Things 30th anniversary celebration.^[135]
• The Daughters released a version on their eponymous 2014 album.^[136]
• German singer Fancy recorded a version with the Coconut Boys and Latoya Turner for the 2015 album Playa De Palma Nonstop-Hit-Party.^[137]
• A version by the Japanese group Zetton was released on their 2016 digital album Extinct Punk.^[138]
• The 2016 allbum Live At The Metro, WXKS-FM Broadcast included a version by "Weird Al" Yankovic titled "Bass Solo (Louie Louie)".^[139]
• French group Em Remes Sini Band included a version titled "Louis Louis" on their 2016 album T'heim im Elsass.^[140]
• Billy Joel performed the song in concert at the Moda Center in Portland on December 8, 2017.^[141]
• Deep Purple performed a version in concert June 22, 2017 at the Palottomatica in Rome on their Long Goodbye tour.^[142]
• A version by Ross Wilson and Shellie Morris was included on the 2019 various artists digital album Rockwiz Duets Volume IV.

Answer songs, sequels, and tributes[]

• "Louie Go Home", 1964, Paul Revere & The Raiders (Columbia 4-43008); also released in 1964 by Davie Jones & The King Bees (David Bowie) as "Louie Louie Go Home" (Vocalion V9221).
• "Love That Louie", 1964, Jack E. Lee & The Squires (RCA 54-8452)
• "Louie Come Home", 1965, The Epics (Zen 202)
• "Louie Come Back", 1965, The Legends (Shout! Northwest Killers Volume 2, Norton NW 907)
• "Louise Louise", 1966, H.B. & The Checkmates (Lavender R1936)
• "Louie Go Home", 1966, The Campus Kingsmen (Impalla V 1481); different song from the Raiders version
• "Louie Louie's Comin' Back", 1967, The Pantels (Rich RR-120)
• "Louie Louie Louie", 1989, Henry Lee Summer (I've Got Everything, CBS ZK 45124)
• "Louie Louie Got Married", 1994, The Tentacles (K Records IPU XCIV)
• "Louie Louie (Where Did She Roam)", 1996, Thee Headcoats (SFTRI 335)
• "Ballad of the Kingsmen", 2004, Todd Snider (East Nashville Skyline, Oh Boy Records OBR-031)
• "Louie Louie Music", 2012, Armitage Shanks (Louie Louie Music EP, Little Teddy LiTe765)
• "I Love Louie Louie", 2014, The Rubinoos (45, Pynotic Productions 0045)
• "55 Minute Louie-Louie", 2017, Shave (High Alert, Spotify digital album)

"Louie Louie" compilations[]

• In 1983 Rhino Records released The Best of Louie, Louie in conjunction with KFJC's "Maximum Louie Louie" event. The album featured a re-recorded Richard Berry version,^[143] influential versions by Rockin' Robin Roberts, the Sonics and the Kingsmen, Black Flag's version, and several other versions, some bizarre. These included a performance by the Rice University Marching Owl Band, and the a cappella "Hallalouie Chorus", in which the song's title was sung to the melody of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus".^[11]
• The Best of Louie Louie, Volume 2 followed in 1992 with versions by Paul Revere and the Raiders, Mongo Santamaria, Pete Fountain, the Kinks, Ike and Tina Turner, , and others.^[144]
• In 1994 Jerden Records released The Louie Louie Collection, a Northwest-oriented compilation featuring versions by the Kingsmen, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Don & the Goodtimes, Little Bill & the Adventurers, the Feelies, Ian Whitcomb, the University of Washington Husky Marching Band, and others. (The UW Husky Marching Band has been playing "Louie Louie" for over 40 years.)^[145]
• In 1997 The First Louie Louie Spanish Compilation was released by Louie Records featuring 11 versions by the Flaming Sideburns, the Navahodads, Los DelTonos, and others.^[146]
• In 2002 Ace Records released Love That Louie: The Louie Louie Files, a comprehensive overview of the origins, impact and legacy of "the cultural phenomenon known as 'Louie Louie'." Featuring detailed sleeve notes by Alec Palao, the CD contains 24 tracks divided into eight sections titled "The Original Louie", "Inspirational Louie", "Northwest Louie", "Louie As A Way Of Life", "Transatlantic Louie", "Louie: The Rewrite", "Louie: The Sequel" and "Louie Goes Home". The first CD reissue of Richard Berry's original version is included along with multiple historically important versions.^[147]

Lyrics investigation[]

In February 1964, an outraged parent wrote to Robert F. Kennedy, then the Attorney General of the United States, alleging that the lyrics of "Louie Louie" were obscene, and saying that "The lyrics are so filthy that I can-not [sic] enclose them in this letter."^[148]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the complaint,^[149] and looked into the various rumors of "real lyrics" that were circulating among teenagers.^[150] In June 1965, the FBI laboratory obtained a copy of the Kingsmen recording and, after 31 months of investigation, concluded that it could not be interpreted, that it was "unintelligible at any speed,"^[151] and therefore the Bureau could not find that the recording was obscene.^[2] In September 1965, an FBI agent interviewed one member of the Kingsmen, who denied that there was any obscenity in the song.^[2][150]

A history of the song and its notoriety was published in 1993 by Dave Marsh, but he was unable to obtain permission to publish the song's actual lyrics.^[152] Richard Berry told Esquire Magazine, in 1988, that the Kingsmen had sung the song exactly as written.^[10]

The lyrics controversy resurfaced briefly in 2005 when the superintendent of the school system in Benton Harbor, Michigan, refused to let the marching band at one of the schools play the song in a parade; the superintendent later relented.^[153][154]

Cultural impact[]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (January 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The Kingsmen version has remained the most popular version of the song, retaining its association with wild partying. It enjoyed a comeback in 1978–1979 and was associated with college fraternity parties when it was sung, complete with the supposedly obscene lyrics, by Bluto (John Belushi) and his fellow Delta House brothers in the movie National Lampoon's Animal House despite the anachronism of the film taking place in 1962, a year before the Kingsmen recording (although this is mitigated because the Deltas were fans of at least one black R&B musician and 1962 was five years after Richard Berry released his original version of the song, plus the song had been popular with local bands in the Northwest following Rockin' Robin Roberts' 1961 single). Aside from the Animal House appearance, the song appeared in many other films, typically in raucous and humorous contexts. The 1995 film, Mr. Holland's Opus, however, used the song in a serious context as an example of music that is just plain fun with no pretensions.

Some bands have taken liberties with the lyrics, including attempts to record the supposed "obscene lyrics," notably the Stooges, whose version can be heard on their live album Metallic K.O. Iggy Pop later recorded a more civilized cover version of the song, with new lyrics composed by Pop, for his 1993 album American Caesar. He continues to play it live at shows.

The Who were directed in their early recording career by the riff/rhythm of "Louie Louie", owing to the song's influence on the Kinks, who, like the Who, were produced by Shel Talmy — the Kinks on the Pye label and the Who on Brunswick. Talmy wanted the successful sounds of the Kinks' 1964 hits "You Really Got Me", "All Day and All of the Night", and "Till the End of the Day" to be copied by the Who. As a result, Pete Townshend penned "I Can't Explain", released in March 1965. (In 1979 "Louie Louie" would be featured on the soundtrack album to Quadrophenia.)

In 1967 French composers Michel Colombier and Pierre Henry, collaborating as Les Yper-Sound, produced a synthesizer and musique concrète work based on the "Louie Louie" riff titled "Psyché Rock".^[155] They subsequently worked with choreographer Maurice Béjart on a "Psyché Rock"-based score for the ballet Messe pour le temps présent. The full score with multiple mixes of "Psyché Rock" was released the same year on the album Métamorphose. The album was reissued in 1997 with additional remixes including one by Ken Abyss titled "Psyché Rock (Metal Time Machine Mix)" that, along with the original, heavily influenced Christopher Tyng's Futurama theme song.^[156][157]

ShowBiz Pizza Place (Rock-afire Explosion, 1988) and Chuck E. Cheese (Pizza Time Puppets, 2001) both included "Louie Louie" in their stage shows.

Ian Curtis of Joy Division can be heard saying "You should hear our version of 'Louie Louie', woah" at the end of the band's live cover of The Velvet Underground's Sister Ray on their Still album.

John Prine used "Louie Louie" and "Oh baby, we gotta go now" in the lyrics of "Lake Marie".

During a change in format from adult-contemporary to all-oldies, radio station WMXP-FM in Peoria, Illinois became "all Louie, all the time," playing nothing but covers of "Louie Louie" for six straight days.^[158][159]

Use in movies[]

Various versions of "Louie Louie" have appeared in the films listed below.^[160]

Year	Title	Version(s)	On OST Album	Comments
1969	Zavolies (Ζαβολιές) [a]	Fotis Lazaridis Orchestra	n/a	Greece release
1972	Tijuana Blue [b]	Kingsmen	n/a
1973	American Graffiti	Flash Cadillac	No [c]
1978	National Lampoon's Animal House	Kingsmen, John Belushi	Yes [d]
1979	Quadrophenia	Kingsmen	Yes [e]
1983	Heart Like A Wheel	Jack Ely	No
	Nightmares	Black Flag	Yes
1984	Blood Simple	Toots and the Maytals	No
1986	The Cult: Live In Milan [f]	The Cult	No	Italy release
1987	Survival Game [g]	Kingsmen	n/a	Also in trailer
	The Return of Sherlock Holmes	Cast (uncredited bar band)	n/a	TV movie
1988	The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!	Marching Owl Band [h]	Yes
	Coupe de Ville	Kingsmen, Young MC [i]	Yes
	Love at Stake	Kingsmen	No
1989	Fright Night Part 2	Black Flag	No
1991	Reality 86'd	Black Flag	n/a
1992	Jennifer 8	Kingsmen	No
	Passed Away	Kingsmen	Yes
	Dave	Cast (Kevin Kline)	No
1993	Wayne's World 2	Robert Plant	Yes
1994	A Simple Twist of Fate	Cast (party singalong)	No
1995	Mr. Holland's Opus	Cast (student band instrumental)	No
	Man of the House	Kingsmen	n/a
1996	Down Periscope	Cast (Kelsey Grammer and others)	n/a
1997	My Best Friend's Wedding	Kingsmen	No
1998	ABC - The Alphabetic Tribe [j]	Kingsmen, Sandpipers	n/a	Swiss release
	Wild Things	Iggy Pop	No
2001	Say It Isn't So	Kingsmen	No
2002	La Bande du drugstore	Full Spirits	Yes	France release
	24 Hour Party People	John The Postman, Factory All Stars	No	UK release
2003	Old School	Black Flag	Yes
	Coffee and Cigarettes	Richard Berry, Iggy Pop	Yes
2004	Friday Night Lights	Cast (marching band instrumental)	No
2005	Guy X	Kingsmen	n/a
2006	This Is England	Toots and the Maytals	Yes	UK release
	Bobby	Cast (Demi Moore) [k]	Yes
2009	Capitalism: A Love Story	Iggy Pop	n/a
2010	Lemmy	Motörhead	n/a	UK release
	Knight and Day	Kingsmen[l]	No
	Tournée	Nomads, Kingsmen	Yes [m]	France release
2012	Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story [n]	Kingsmen	n/a	UK TV movie
2013	Il était une fois les Boys	King Melrose	Yes	Canada release
2014	Desert Dancer	Jack Ely	No	UK release
2018	A Futile and Stupid Gesture	Kingsmen	n/a
2020	The Way Back	Cast (pep band instrumental)	No
2021	Penguin Bloom	Kingsmen	n/a	Australia release

The Kingsmen version was used in television commercials for Spaced Invaders (1990), but did not appear in the movie.^[o] The Kingsmen version also appeared on several Good Morning Vietnam (1987) compilations, but was not used in the movie.

Movie table notes

Use in video games[]

Early video games with chiptune versions of "Louie Louie" included California Games and Donkey Konga. 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. More recent rhythm action games featured individual artist versions including Rocksmith (Joan Jett), Just Dance (Iggy Pop), and Rocksmith 2014 (Motörhead).^[161]

Use in audio sampling[]

Beginning in 1988, multiple rap and hip hop artists used audio samples of the keyboard intro and chorus of the Kingsmen version.^[162]

• 1988: Ultramagnetic MCs, "Travelling at the Speed of Thought" (12" single, initial release only)
• 1988: JVC Force, "Doin' Damage" (from album Doin' Damage)
• 1988: Fat Boys, "Louie Louie" (from album Coming Back Hard Again; also released as a single)
• 1990: Young and Restless, "Louie Louie" (from album Something To Get You Hyped)
• 1990: Young MC and Maestro Fresh Wes, "Louie Louie" (from Coupe de Ville soundtrack album; samples Richard Berry, Kingsmen and other versions)
• 1999: Mutha Funkin, "Say It Again" (12" single, UK release)

Use in ringtones and apps[]

"Louie Louie" has long been a popular downloadable ringtone, starting with early MIDI versions, then audio track excerpts, and then full audio tracks. Tom Cruise in Knight and Day (2010) used the Kingsmen version as a ringtone/movement reminder.^[163]

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.^[164] In 2017 ByteDance acquired Musical.ly and merged it with TikTok to deliver app functionality for creating short lip-sync and music videos. TikTok's current Commercial Music Library of 150,000+ pre-licensed songs includes "Louie Louie" versions by the Kingsmen, the Kinks, Otis Redding, Motörhead, Young and Restless, and the Most.^[165]

Marching band arrangements[]

In the 1980s, spurred by the wide availability of sheet music offered through Hal Leonard and J.W. Pepper by arrangers Paul Lavender, Michael Sweeney, Johnnie Vinson, and others, "Louie Louie" became a staple of concert, marching, and pep bands for middle schools, high schools, and colleges and universities in the U.S. The earliest known high school band albums with a song version were the Evanston Township High School's Hi-Lights 1965 and the Franklin High School Choir, Orchestra, and Stage Band's 1966 Bel Cantos Concert.

Many college and university bands released albums with "Louie Louie" versions including USC Trojan Marching Band (Let The Games Begin, 1984), Louisiana State University Tiger Marching Band (The Golden Band from Tigerland, 1987), University of Wisconsin Marching Band (Badger Bandstand, 1981), Auburn University Marching Band (Highlights of the 1994 Season and College Marching Band Practice Songs, 2004), Northern Illinois University Huskie Marching Band (On The Road with the Huskie Band, 1998), Oregon Marching Band (Fighting Duck Spirit 2001 and Fighting Duck Spirit 2005-2006), Oklahoma State University Cowboy Marching Band (Oklahoma State University Cowboy Marching Band, 2001), Florida State University Marching Chiefs (Shout!, 2011), and Monmouth University Pep Band (Presenting The Monmouth University Pep Band, 2013). Marching band versions on various artists compilation albums included Rice University Marching Owl Band (The Best Of Louie, Louie, 1982), University of Washington Husky Marching Band (The Louie, Louie Collection, 1995), and Duke University Marching Band (College Road Trip Vol. #2, 2014).

Although not commercially released, another example of the song's influence was the 2000 performance by the Dover High School Band joined on saxophone by Bill Clinton (who played in a jazz trio named the Kingsmen at Hot Springs High School, and at whose 1964 graduation dance the actual Kingsmen played).^{[166][167][168]}

Washington State Song[]

In 1985, Ross Shafer, host and a writer-performer of the late-night comedy series Almost Live! on the Seattle TV station KING, spearheaded an effort to have "Louie Louie" replace "Washington, My Home" by Helen Davis as Washington's official state song.^[169] Picking up on this initially prankish effort, Whatcom County Councilman Craig Cole introduced Resolution No. 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". His resolution also called for the creation of a new "Louie Louie County". While the House did not pass it, the Senate's Resolution 1985-37 declared April 12, 1985, "Louie Louie Day". 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. Two days later, a Seattle event commemorated the occasion with the premiere performance of a new, Washington-centric version of the song written by composer Berry.^[170][171] While the effort failed in the end, the song is still played, following "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch at all Seattle Mariners home games.

International Louie Louie Day[]

April 11 (Richard Berry's birthday) is celebrated as International Louie Louie Day^{[172][173][174]} and is listed by Chase's Calendar of Events, the National Special Events Registry,^[175] and other sources. This date was chosen as the most significant date for the observance of International Louie Louie Day from a list of "Louie Louie"-related dates occurring in April, including:

April 6, 1963 – The Kingsmen recorded the version that made "Louie Louie" famous.^[18][19]

April 13, 1963 – Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded their competing version in the same studio.^[41]

April 1, 1985 – First annual WMMR Louie Louie Parade in Philadelphia (canceled in 1989 due to excessive rowdiness).^{[176][177][178]}

April 12, 1985 – "Louie Louie Day" proclaimed by the state of Washington.^[176]

April 14, 1985 – "Louie Louie Day" proclaimed by the mayor of Seattle.^[179]

April 2, 1986 – "Louie Louie Day" proclaimed by the state of Oregon.^[180]

April 10, 1998 – The Kingsmen won a historic legal case against Gusto Records/GML, regaining ownership and royalty rights to all their recordings.^[181]

Support for International Louie Louie Day and other "Louie Louie"-related observances is provided by the Louie Louie Advocacy and Music Appreciation Society (LLAMAS)^[182][183] and "Louie Louie" fans worldwide. Commemorations of International Louie Louie Day have included newspaper articles,^[173] magazine stories,^[172][174] and radio programs with discussions of the song's history and playlists of multiple "Louie Louie" versions.^{[184][185][186][187]} In 2011, KFJC celebrated International Louie Louie Day with a reprise of its 1983 "Maximum Louie Louie" event, featuring multiple "Louie Louie" versions, new music by Richard Berry and appearances by musicians, DJs, and celebrities with "Louie Louie" connections.^[188]

LouieFest[]

The City of Tacoma held a summer music and arts festival from 2003 to 2012 in July named LouieFest. The event began in 2003 as the "1000 Guitars Festival" and featured a group performance of "Louie Louie" open to anyone with a guitar. The event was renamed LouieFest in 2004. Members of the Wailers, Kingsmen, Raiders, Sonics and other groups with "Louie Louie" associations regularly made appearances. The grand finale each year was the "Celebration of 1000 Guitars" mass performance of "Louie Louie" on the main stage.^[189]

Louie Louie Street Party[]

Peoria, Illinois has held an annual "Louie Louie" street parade and festival every year since 1988. The Children's Hospital of Illinois is the most recent charitable beneficiary.^[190]

Louie Louie sculpture[]

A sculpture titled "Louie Louie, 2013" by Las Vegas-based artist Tim Bavington is displayed on the lobby wall of the Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal Building in Portland, Oregon. The work is constructed of 80 colored glass and acrylic panels representing the waveforms of the song using Bavington's concept of sculpting sound waves. ^[191][192]

Recognition and rankings[]

Summary of "Louie Louie" rankings and recognition in major publications and surveys.

Source	Poll/Survey	Year	Rank
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame	Hall of Fame Singles	2018	None[193]
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame	Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll	1995	None[194]
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences	Grammy Hall of Fame	1999	None[195]
National Public Radio	The 300 Most Important American Records of the 20th Century	1999	None[196]
The Wire Magazine	The 100 Most Important Records Ever Made	1992	None[197]
Mojo Magazine	Ultimate Jukebox: The 100 Singles You Must Own	2003	#1[198]
Paste Magazine	The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time	2014	#3[199]
Rolling Stone Magazine	40 Songs That Changed The World	2007	#5[200]
All Time Top 1000 Albums, Colin Larkin	The All-Time Top 100 Singles	2000	#6[201]
VH1	100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll	2000	#11[202]
The Heart of Rock and Soul, Dave Marsh	The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made	1989	#11[203]
Rolling Stone Magazine	The 100 Best Singles of the Last 25 Years	1989	#18[204]
VH1	100 Greatest Dance Songs	2000	#27[205]
Mojo Magazine	100 Greatest Singles of All Time	1997	#51[206]
Rolling Stone Magazine	The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time	2004	#54[207]
NEA and RIAA	Songs of the Century	1999	#57[208]
Mojo Magazine	Big Bangs: 100 Records That Changed The World	2007	# 70[209]
Pitchfork Magazine	The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s	2006	#154[210]
NME Magazine	The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time	2014	#157[211]
WCBS-FM	Top 1001 Songs of the Century	2005	#184[212]

References[]

Sources[]

• Blecha, Peter (2009). Sonic Boom! The History of Northwest Rock: From Louie Louie to Smells Like Teen Spirit. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-8793-0946-6.
• Marsh, Dave (1993). Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n' Roll Song. New York City: Hyperion Books. ISBN 1-5628-2865-7.
• Marsh, Dave (1999). The Heart of Rock & Soul. New York City: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80901-X.
• Peterson, Dick (2005). Louie Louie Me Gotta Go Now. Sherwood, Oregon: Thalian Press. ISBN 1-4208-5610-3.

Further reading[]

• The Miami Herald (February 18, 2013): "The Birth of Wail" by Dave Barry
• The Best of Louie, Louie CD sleeve notes (Rhino R2 70605, 1988)
• The Best of Louie Louie, Volume 2 CD sleeve notes by Doc Pelzell (Rhino R2 70515, 1992)
• The Louie Louie Collection CD sleeve notes (Jerden JRCD 7011, 1994)
• Love That Louie - The Louie Louie Files CD sleeve notes by Alec Palao (Ace CDCHD 844, 2002)
• A Tale of Two Louies: Interpreting an “Archetypal American Musical Icon” by Christopher Doll (Indiana Theory Review 29/2, 2011)

External links[]

• Mikkelson, Barbara & David P. "Are the lyrics to 'Louie Louie' obscene?" at Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages.
• Excerpts from the FBI file about the song, from The Smoking Gun
• Full FBI file on the song
• "Louie Louie through the ages" from the Seattle Times
• The Louie Louie Advocacy and Music Appreciation Society (LLAMAS)
• International Louie Louie Day
• BBC Magazine article "Smashed Hits: Louie Louie", April 30, 2015
• Mojo Magazine - 10 Great Versions of Louie Louie
• VH1 - Louie-Palooza: 11 Killer Covers for International “Louie Louie” Day
• uDiscoverMusic - ‘Louie Louie’ In 20 Takes
• Digital Spy - 17 classic versions of 'Louie Louie'
• Offbeat - The All “Louie Louie” Playlist
• The Louie Report by Eric Predoehl
• The Almost-Complete Louie Louie Discography by Eric Predoehl
• KFJC 1983 Maximum Louie Louie playlist by Eric Predoehl
• The Louie Louie Discography by Theo de Grood
• The Louie Louie Web by Mike Hintze
• Orme Radio 2015 Louie Louie Marathon playlist by Riccardo Lancioni
• Reported 7” Vinyl Singles & EPs for ‘Louie, Louie’ & Related Songs by Clay Stabler
• Andy Land - Louie Louie by Andy Martello