Great Songs: Louie Louie

I once thought that any band worth hearing had probably played "Louie Louie" or "Wild Thing" at some point, if not on a recording or live, at least during practice. I'm sure that's not entirely true, but I bet it's close. A serach of allmusic.com returned 450 versions of "Louie Louie." It was apparently inspired by (ripped off from) "El Loco Cha Cha" by Latin artist Rene Touzet which Richard Berry played with a Latin pop band he was in during the 50s. He put his own spin on it and "Louie Louie" was born in 1956. In the years since it has not only been covered by countless bands, but also in countless styles. I even have a record devoted entirely to "Louie Louie" covers. The Kingsmen's was even the focus of an obscenity investigation by the FBI in 1963. After two years, the FBI was only able to determine that the lyrics were "unintelligible at any speed." How rock n roll is that?

• Richard Berry (from Have "Louie" Will Travel) - This is the original version. It has a little more 50s R&B feel than most versions. This is the one the Beach Boys stole, but I prefer it to their cool, slick harmonies.


• Rockin' Robin Roberts (from The Best of Louie Louie) - Apparently his band the Wailers (no relation to Bob Marley) played this for 45 minutes one night and the crowd's reaction convinced them to record it. I'm not completely sure if this version is the Wailers of just Rockin' Robin, but this has the original rhythm in the chorus. It's dated, but it definitely turns the corner from R&B to more straightforward 60s pop.


• The Kingsmen (from The Kingsmen in Person) - This is the one we all know and for good reason. As the story goes, the Kingsmen heard Rockin' Robin's Wailers' recording on a jukebox and decided to learn it. Only singer Jack Ely did, but he goofed it, changing it from 4 eigths to 2 eigths and a quarter. The rest is history.


• The Sandpipers (from The Sandpipers) - At first I thought this sucked. I still kinda do, but it is kinda cool that they made it so mellow. It drags instead of bursts. Still, it's a little too easy listening for me. They sing it in Spanish or something, so the lyrics are really unintelligible to unilingual idiots like me.


• The Sonics (from The Sonics Boom) - Whatever damage the Sandpipers may have tried to do in their version is undone with a vengeance by the Sonics. This is probably the most agressive version until Black Flag did it almost a decade and a half later. Great garage rock cover of a song that must've been written just for the everyman nature of the genre.


• The Last (from The Best of Louie Louie) - What's going on with this one? The Sonics may have made it angry, but the Last give it a dark Doors treatment. It's certainly a different version and one of the more interesting ones in my opinion.


• Black Flag (from the Louie, Louie 7" and Damaged) - Another version that takes the song in a direction that's about 180 degrees from the spirit of the original. Unlike a version that just fails to capture the essense of the song, this one hijacks the song for its own purposes. If there's any question about that purpose, just check out the new lyrics in the verse. Harsh.


• Les Dantz and his Orchestra (from The Best of Louie Louie) - "Louie, Louie" meets Bowie's "Let's Dance." This is strictly a novelty (as if you couldn't tell that by the guy's name alone) and, unfortunately, more funny than intriguing.


• Jim Capaldi (from Let the Thunder Cry) - This version simply proves that a lackluster version of "Louie Louie" still manages to be fun.


• Surfaris (from Surf Party) - I had high hopes for this one, but the Surfaris fall flat. Instead of adding energy, they seem to find a way to strip it of energy. And this is live. Who knows how boring the studio version was.


• Tuck Andress (from Reckless Precision) - I kind of like this version, but, like a lot of this kinda stuff, I'm not really sure it's "Louie Louie." Tuck Andress' new age/lite jazz approach is generally pretty awful, but he does play well here. It would just be nice if he didn't get quite so far off-track.


• Stanley Clarke (from The Clarke/Duke Project) - Stanley Clarke adds a little laid back funk groove. This is a pretty original version that manages to still stick the basics of the song.


• Iggy Pop (from American Caesar) - Iggy does his regular thing here, adding energy and swagger. The spirit of rock n roll is alive and well here.
  
  
• The Kinks (from The EP Collection) - I expected more from the band who brought us the simple, but earth-shaking "You Really Got Me," but I'm disappointed. This might as well be Gerry and the Pacemakers instead of the Kinks.


• Paul Revere and the Raiders (from Here They Come!) - This one was a surprise, because it was a pretty soulful take that replaces the sense of fun with a sense of longing that might actually be more in synch with the words.


• Beach Boys (from ) - I always liked this version, but after hearing Richard Berry, this is just a rip-off with nice harmonice harmonies. The Beach Boys didn't really do much here.


• Toots and the Maytals (from Funky Kingston/In The Dark) - Most songs can probably be translated into reggae, but this is particularly true of "Louie Louie" since it had an "island" feel from the get-go. Toots and the Maytals don't disappoint here in this upbeat reggae version with spashes of soul.


• Motorhead (from No Remorse) - Motorhead's version isn't as loud or raw as you might think. Lemmy's chain-smoker vocal adds a nice edge, but otherwise, this is standard fare.


• Michael Doucet (from Michael Doucet & Cajun Brew) -
This looked promising, but it's really pretty typical and only superficially zydeco. Like the Surfaris, I expected more from this one just based on the genre.


• Otis Redding (from Pain in My Heart) - Otis Redding delivers the soul on this one, but unfortunately his backup band doesn't. It's still worth hearing though.


• Frank Zappa (from Uncle Meat) - there's only about 10 seconds of Louie Louie here, but man, it's crazy. Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall with the pipe organ and amps so loud you can't hear anything but noise, you can't say this one doesn't have energy even if it's total chaos. It's not a good version, but it's worth hearing if only for the taste of what Zappa must've been like live in the late 60s.