Gloria Jones of the Dreamers provided additional backup vocals. The Pharaohs were Godoy Colbert (first tenor), Stanley Henderson (second tenor, subbing for Robert Harris), and Noel Collins (baritone). Los Angeles-based Flip Records recorded Berry's adaptation with his vocal group the Pharaohs in 1956 and released it in April 1957 as a single B-side of " You Are My Sunshine". Berry cited Chuck Berry's " Havana Moon" and his exposure to Latin American music for the song's speech pattern and references to Jamaica. 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). In Berry's mind, the words "Louie Louie" "just kind of fell out of the sky", superimposing themselves over the repeating bassline. 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 ten-note "1-2-3 1–2 1-2-3 1–2" tumbao or rhythmic pattern. 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. " Original version by Richard Berry and the Pharaohs all of whom amplified and rebroadcast its powerful sonic meme. imprinting this grunge ur-message onto successive generations of youth. Jacob McMurray in Taking Punk To The Masses noted, "All of this only fueled the popularity of the song. Marsh wrote that the lyrics controversy "reflected the country's infantile sexuality" and "ensured the song's eternal perpetuation", while another writer termed it "the ultimate expression of youthful rebellion". The nearly unintelligible (and innocuous) lyrics were widely misinterpreted, and the song was banned by radio stations. The Kingsmen's recording was the subject of an FBI investigation about the supposed, but nonexistent, obscenity of the lyrics that ended without prosecution. Others noted that it "served as a bridge to the R&B of the past and the rap scene of the future", that "it came to symbolize the garage rock genre, where the typical performance was often aggressive and usually amateurish", and that "all you need to make a great rock 'n' roll record are the chords to 'Louie Louie' and a bad attitude." Humorist Dave Barry (perhaps with some exaggeration) called it "one of the greatest songs in the history of the world". Other writers described it as "musically simple, lyrically simple, and joyously infectious", "deliciously moronic", "a completely unforgettable earworm", and "the essence of rock's primal energy". Music historian Peter Blecha noted, "Far from shuffling off to a quiet retirement, evidence indicates that 'Louie Louie' may actually prove to be immortal." Rock critic Greil Marcus called it "a law of nature" and New York Times music critic Jon Pareles, writing in a 1997 obituary for Richard Berry, termed it "a cornerstone of rock". 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.ĭave 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", and also called it "cosmically crude". 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. The "remarkable historical impact" of "Louie Louie" has been recognized by organizations and publications worldwide for its influence on the history of rock and roll. "Louie Louie" tells, in simple verse–chorus form, the first-person story of a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lover. 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. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and rock. " 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. For other uses, see Louie Louie (disambiguation). For the American singer, see Louie Louie (musician).
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