ENOUGH "Louie Louie" for ya?

(Scott): Something like the "Gloria" comp I put together a few years back,  Brian and I tag-teamed this one, at least hunting down the material, the writing and composistion are all his.......his description is right on, there is amazing variety and diversity here, and I think it's great, one of those exercises in "bulk musicc" that is just cool to have around.....THREE hours of "Louie Louie", as Iggy said "I never thought it would come to this!" (Brian offers the same quote later in the post, but I found it appropriate in this context as well.....

 

One thing, I DO want to offer up the REAL, OFFICIAL lyrics to the song, something which has been a subject of contention for a while:

 

Louie Louie, oh no, said we gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I
Said Louie louie, oh baby, said we gotta go

A fine little girl, she waitin' for me
Catch a ship across the sea
Sail that ship out all alone
Me never think how I'll make it home

Louie Louie, na-na-na now, said we gotta go, oh no
Said Louie Louie, oh baby, said-a we gotta go

(*)

Three nights and days I sailed the sea
Me think of girl ah constantly
Ah on that ship, I dream she there
I smell the rose ah in her hair

Louie Louie, woah no, said we gotta go,
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I
Said Louie Louie, oh baby, said we gotta go
Okay, let's give it to 'em right now

GUITAR SOLO

Me see...

Me see Jamaica, the moon above
It won't be long me see me love
Take her in my arms again
I'll tell her I'll never leave again

Louie Louie, oh no, said we gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I
Said Louie Louie, oh baby, said we gotta go
I said me gotta go now
Let's hustle on outta here
Let's go!

(*Did you know:
Right before the second verse, drummer Lynn Easton
audibly curses as he accidentally misses a cue)

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The story of the song is fascinating, but I don't wanna write it here. I suggest you read the Wiki page. According to that, there have been somewhere around 1400 versions of the song! Well, I wasn't going that high, but I wanted a good cross section. A lot of people don't even know that the "classic" take by The Kingsmen wasn't the original. As you'll see here, it wasn't the first cover of the song, either.

 

These 3 hours of music (hehhehheh) spans from the first version of the song by Richard Berry in 1957 up to about 10 years ago. It's laid down as chronological as I could get it. Plenty of the "The" titled bands of the 60's are here: The Standells, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Ventures, The Beau Brummels, The Wailers, etc. It's interesting to hear who takes inspiration from Berry's version, or from The Kingsmen's, or even from the deadly version that's on The Stooges'Metallic K.O.

I ain't gonna walk you through the whole monster, but I'll talk about some of my highlights. Plenty of people have improvised lyrics over the tune, but my favorite is still Black Flag's version from '81, with the Stooges' onstage meltdown running a close second....

 

"I never thought it would come to this, baby!!!!" - Iggy Pop

 

Some of the best versions also have an awesome crunchy guitar sound: The Sonics, The Swamp Rats, Motörhead, Flag, The Flamin' Groovies, and The Troggs, whose take on the song is almost Sabbath-like in it's ugliness. One of my fave 60's versions is Jackey Yoshikawa's, with its misemphasis of words on the chorus, which somehow makes the hook even more insidious and catchy!

 

 

 

 

Interesting things are done with the song: Mongo Santamaria uses it as the basis for a great Afro-Cuban version. Barry White makes an extended 7 minute Love Orchestra groove out of it. The Sandpipers do a bucolic, Spanish language take that's very pretty. And of course, the punkers do great versions - Eddie & the Subtitles, Patti Smith, The Clash, The Boys Next Door, the aforementioned Black Flag, and a demonic live version from The Gun Club! There's a goth take, a funk take, some soul, a zydeco tune, there's even a few marching band versions in here! Even The Fat Boys make an appearance, actually telling you the history of the song. And Iggy shows up 3 times, too. Can you spot the first appearance?

 

 

ALL IN ONE GO. I dare ya....