OT: Remember "Louie Louie" ...me gotta go

[JavaMan]

R.I.P. Jack Ely
____________________________

Jack Ely, the singer known for Louie Louie, the low-budget recording that became one the most famous songs of the 20th century, died at his home in Redmond, Oregon, after a long battle with an illness. He was 71.

His son, Sean Ely, confirmed the death Wednesday.

"Because of his religious beliefs, we're not even sure what (the illness) was," he said.

Jack Ely was original member of the Kingsmen, a band formed in 1959 that mostly performed cover versions of songs. Four years later, the group recorded Louie Louie at a studio in its home city of Portland. According to lore, it cost $36.

The song was written in the mid-1950s by Richard Berry, a Los Angeles musician with roots in doo-wop music. As he recorded it in 1957, the tune had a calypso feel and described a patron telling the barkeep he had to go, to get back to his girl waiting across the sea in Jamaica.

Louie Louie has been covered hundreds of times, a three-chord, garage-band classic anybody could play soon after picking up an electric guitar.

[LINK] to article

 

[BigBird]

Thanks for posting this. My bands all covered this (mid 60's era) and had a lot of fun with it. The lyrics were not only unintelligible, but those bits that could be discerned made mostly no sense at all.

The Kingsmen were actually a better band musically than their recordings might suggest. Today, you can buy a better audio recorder for a c-note than they had access to in 1964.

Those were the days...

 

[Gus Mahler]

Thanks for posting this. My bands all covered this (mid 60's era) and had a lot of fun with it. The lyrics were not only unintelligible, but those bits that could be discerned made mostly no sense at all.

The Kingsmen were actually a better band musically than their recordings might suggest. Today, you can buy a better audio recorder for a c-note than they had access to in 1964.

Those were the days...

"c-note." Clever.

 

[MilfordHusky]

From Wikipedia:

"In addition to new versions appearing regularly on YouTube and elsewhere, other major examples of the song's legacy include the unsuccessful attempt in 1985 to make it the state song of Washington, 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, and the ongoing annual Louie Louie Parade and Festival in Peoria."

I took my son to the parade in Philly. It was organized by one of the Classic Rock FM stations.

One of the classic covers is by the U. of Washington marching band. Enjoy!

 

[VAMike23]

Question:

Would this song be remembered much at all if it had not been used later as one of the "party songs" in the Animal House soundtrack?

Great track, though. Classic!

 

[ochoopsfan]

Shouldn't this be the music played at Gampel the next 4 years after "Lou" starts bombing 3 pointers?

 

[meyers7]

Shouldn't this be the music played at Gampel the next 4 years after "Lou" starts bombing 3 pointers?

I like that.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I like that.

Me too!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Question:

Would this song be remembered much at all if it had not been used later as one of the "party songs" in the Animal House soundtrack?

Great track, though. Classic!

Yes, I think so, but it would have farther back in our collective consciousness.

 

[VAMike23]

Yes, I think so, but it would have farther back in our collective consciousness.

To me, that song always conjures up images of a toga-clad Belushi, with a garland wreath on his head, a beer in his hand and a crazed look on his face.

And it shall ever be thus

 

[MilfordHusky]

 

[VAMike23]

Oops I had the wrong scene in mind for that song

The toga scene probably has Otis Day & the Knights performing in the back (it's all hazy....)

 

[MilfordHusky]

 

[Zorro]

Thanks for posting this. My bands all covered this (mid 60's era) and had a lot of fun with it. The lyrics were not only unintelligible, but those bits that could be discerned made mostly no sense at all.

The Kingsmen were actually a better band musically than their recordings might suggest. Today, you can buy a better audio recorder for a c-note than they had access to in 1964.

Those were the days...

Just wonrin; are you a Sigma Chi or a Pall Mall smoker or...?

 

[Dove]

Shouldn't this be the music played at Gampel the next 4 years after "Lou" starts bombing 3 pointers?

Umm, no.

 

[ctfjr]

Question:

Would this song be remembered much at all if it had not been used later as one of the "party songs" in the Animal House soundtrack?

Great track, though. Classic!

I 'grew up' in the 60's, yeah I would remember it!

 

[BigBird]

Just wonrin; are you a Sigma Chi or a Pall Mall smoker or...?

Haha... Phi Kappa Tau, non-smoker.

 

[JRRRJ]

Question:

Would this song be remembered much at all if it had not been used later as one of the "party songs" in the Animal House soundtrack?

Great track, though. Classic!

Perhaps by not as many -- Animal House brought it to another generation. But I can tell you that pretty much every 12-to-18-year old in Manchester in 1963 was trying to discern those blurry words -- with a solid conviction the Kingsmen were putting something over on the Establishment by including profanity amongst the mumblings.

And the spontaneous choral singing every time the tune came on the radio in the next decades showed me it was not a phenomenon limited to central Connecticut.

We still remember.

 

[BigBird]

Perhaps by not as many -- Animal House brought it to another generation. But I can tell you that pretty much every 12-to-18-year old in Manchester in 1963 was trying to discern those blurry words -- with a solid conviction the Kingsmen were putting something over on the Establishment by including profanity amongst the mumblings.

And the spontaneous choral singing every time the tune came on the radio in the next decades showed me it was not a phenomenon limited to central Connecticut.

We still remember.

Spot on!