If you live in the Northwest and are of a certain, ahem, age, you probably have personal memories of the song, "Louie, Louie." Recorded by The Kingsmen, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and a number of other bands, it's long been rumored the lyrics were obscene--at least for the 1960s, when it was recorded by The Kingsmen.
Of course, this song and its notoriety has spread far beyond the Northwest now. If you've ever heard this song performed, you'll probably notice the lyrics are at times indecipherable. I attended a concert with Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders) and Jack Ely (lead singer of The Kingsmen when Louie, Louie was recorded) a number of years ago. I don't remember the lyrics, but the concert was fun. :)
Was the rumor of lewd lyrics a ploy by the record company to sell more records? Did bands sing different versions of this song? The mystery surrounding this song is part of its fun!
There is an interesting discussion of this song on the Songfacts Web site <http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=782>. WARNING: some of the comments and rumored lyrics might be offensive to gentle eyes. :)
Facebook page for Jack Ely: <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-Ely-former-lead-singer-of-The-Kingsmen/29278657310>
Link to Mark Lindsay Web site: <http://www.marklindsay.com/>
And, of course, if you'd like to immerse yourself in Louie, Louie trivia, just search for this title on the Internet. Amazing what comes up! Have fun!
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