Members Anderton Posted May 31, 2015 Members Share Posted May 31, 2015 This radio interview with Jack Ely is totally cool and in spots, hilarious. Highly recommended - and you can find out why "Louie Louie" was banned in Indiana, and why J Edgar Hoover started investigating it. Crazy stuff... [video=youtube;gMdw3sK-1Zc] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted May 31, 2015 Members Share Posted May 31, 2015 Fascinating stuff. 'It's only dirty if you play it at 33 1/3' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted May 31, 2015 Members Share Posted May 31, 2015 We opened for the Kingsmen in concert after Ely left. At the time we were touring the country, and every region had its own version of the 'dirty words'. So we talked about it and Norm Sunhome told us that there were never dirty lyrics in the song, but their manager told them not to deny that because it was selling a lot of records. BTW if the FBI agents listened to Ely's performance while reading the Richard Berry lyrics, they could tell he was singing the original words. Of course, that would have been too easy. But it would have saved a lot of taxpayer money. Of course, that's never a concern. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted May 31, 2015 Author Members Share Posted May 31, 2015 So we talked about it and Norm Sunhome told us that there were never dirty lyrics in the song, but their manager told them not to deny that because it was selling a lot of records. Notes Good to know! I'll mumble some words on my next song. Then again, probably no one cares any more, given the language in most hits these days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Luke17 Posted May 31, 2015 Members Share Posted May 31, 2015 I always remember hearing the original version with Jack Ely coming in prematurely on the third? Verse singing.. ' Me see Jamaica moon above....' never could figure out how they just let that ride without correcting it..but those were different times... gotta love the spontaneity and let it ride attutude of the time .. cost, of course being a major concern of the early recordings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted May 31, 2015 Author Members Share Posted May 31, 2015 That interview also gave me ideas on how to get a more live sound...it would never have occurred to me to put a vocal mic on the ceiling, tilt my head back, and yell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members davd_indigo Posted June 1, 2015 Members Share Posted June 1, 2015 There is a book on the song "Louis Louis" although I can't imagine a whole book about the song. It's called "Louis Louis: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock Song". Several decades ago someone pointed out to me that the song has a minor V chord. Wonder if that was in the original versions. http://www.amazon.com/Louie-Mythology-Including-Persecution-Introducing/product-reviews/047203023X/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#RQTM7KWX1IEI1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members elsongs Posted June 2, 2015 Members Share Posted June 2, 2015 If you wanna make a hit, just slur all the lyrics. Not only did it work for "Louie Louie" but singers like Kurt Cobain and Peter Gabriel made a career of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted June 2, 2015 Members Share Posted June 2, 2015 I always remember hearing the original version with Jack Ely coming in prematurely on the third? Verse singing.. ' Me see Jamaica moon above....'<...>. When we do the song, we include the mistake. I also play a simple, imperfect timing guitar solo. Why? Because it just sounds right for the song. Today you can use George Carlin's 7 words you can't say on TV and the law won't care. We do "Blurred Lines" but omit the rap section because those words are just cruel to women. I can't understand why so many females ask for that song. Perhaps they never listened to the words. But as noted, the times are different today. BTW, I found the Louie Louie book in a cut out section, brought it home and read it. It's a bit padded but it isn't a bad read at all. Probably because (1) it's music and (2) I play the song. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted June 2, 2015 CMS Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 A guitarist friend of mine believed that the song was about the singer having intercourse with a woman who was mensturating, though his exact words were more appropriate for a locker room than a music forum. I'm not sure that he actually ever heard the song, though. He was a studio musician who played on a lot of commercials and in pit bands for shows. No reason for him to have ever performed Louie, Louie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 If you wanna make a hit, just slur all the lyrics. Not only did it work for "Louie Louie" but singers like Kurt Cobain and Peter Gabriel made a career of it. Elton John did too, although part of the incomprehensibility in his case may have been due to his accent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EdBega Posted June 3, 2015 Members Share Posted June 3, 2015 [YOUTUBE]wx-8_GI4d2c[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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