This Song ONLY COST $50 to Make…It Hit #1 & Was Under FBI Investigation for Years!-Professor of Rock

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is your pick for the greatest "Party" song of all time?

[@surlechapeau]

Get Down Tonight- KC & The Sunshine Band. runnerups: Love Shack - B52s; Celebration - Kool & The Gang; 1999 - Prince.

[@stephenbrown4211]

Shout Hi Ho Silver Lining Oops Upside Your Head(anyone remember the row boat dance)? Quarter To Three Gary US Bonds Come On Eileen Just waiting for someone to mention The Birdie Song 🤬

[@christineml1476]

"Brass Monkey" Beastie Boys

[@cjpew]

Mas Tequila - Sammy Hagar

[@llamasugar5478]

@@stephenbrown4211 Haha! I forgot about Oops Upside Your Head!

[@mournblade1066]

The best use of "Louie Louie" is near the end of _The Naked Gun_ , when Ricardo Montebahn's character falls off the top of the stadium, hits the pavement, is flattened by a steamroller, and a marching band playing "Louie Louie" marches over him. George Kennedy's character breaks down in tears, and says, "My father. . . went the exact same way." That always cracks me up.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Good call!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I am gonna rewatch that.

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

I loved that scene in _The Naked Gun._ One of my other favorite uses of this song in cinema is in the movie _Down Periscope_ where Kelsey Grammer is put in command of a misfit crew tasked to participate in a war games scenario as a bet between two high ranking Navy officials. Grammer had the odds stacked against him by having a crew made up of the Navy's rejects and a WWII era submarine while his rival gets the best crew and a top of the line nuclear sub tasked to hunt them. In a moment of genius to evade detection of the more capable nuclear sub hot on their heels Grammer's crew surfaces the sub and puts up a string of lights and takes other measures to modify their sub's silhouette/profile to disguise it as a fishing boat, then plays the song Louie Louie and sing along to it as loud as possible, slurring all the lyrics, not singing in sync and off key, so when the nuclear sub finally approaches the blip they've been tracking on their screens and raise their periscope to see their target they see what looks like a fishing boat, and by using their hydrophones to listen in all they hear is what sounds like a drunk crew of fisherman so they leave the area to continue their hunt for Grammer's sub. What I loved about that scene was not only the brilliance of hiding in plain sight but also how it reminded me of the scene in _Coup de Ville_ mentioned in this video where one of the brothers claims the song is a sea shanty.

[@HaberfieldchiropracticAu]

Y and a half

[@johnmccall5576]

It's a classic.

[@violeteyes5255]

I remember back in the 60s when "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen first came out and was played on the radio, I was seven and a half years old, and everyone was talking about it. I didn't know what they were talking about, but when everyone was saying it was a dirty song, of course I had to get it. I had the 45, later got the album, and played it over and over trying to decipher the words. My friends and I would sit around telling each other what he was singing, and of course, we decided on the dirty words. We moved to Stuttgart, Germany and lived at Patch Barracks, my father was in the Military, and by then the Beatles had come out. Long story short, I made new friends, and we would ride the bus to school. Back then there was no back door to the school buses, there was a long seat like a couch in the back. Me, my brother, and a friend named Steve Scramstead, would sit back there and sing songs. All the other kids on the bus would always save that back seat for us because they liked us singing all of the popular songs, especially ones by the Beatles and Herman's Hermits. But there was that one song they always wanted to hear, and it was "Louie, Louie." So, when we sang it, using the bad words, all the girls would scream, and the boys would laugh. The three of us were like little Rock Stars. For me, it kind of went to my head, and also being a class clown, whenever I got off the bus, I never left the bus by the door, I always climbed out the window, and man, the girls loved that. I remember hearing the girls say when they saw us, "Hey, those are the guys who sing on the bus." Those were great times.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

All I could make out was “yi yi yi yi”.

[@specialk3357]

Wow! What a time to be alive!

[@dtw63]

She would have made this story shorter but didn’t have time. 😂

[@philmann3476]

Very true. Was under 10 when it was popular, and all my buddies had an older brother (probably all of 15) who told us what the "real" lyrics were, which made absolutely no sense to us who still had far more interest in making gunpowder and burning bugs with a magnifying glass than in girls. Fun times indeed.

[@heathentongue]

I saw the Kingsmen on a comeback tour in the 90s (they opened for Three Dog Night). They were great! They introduced Louie Louie by saying: "Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand for our national anthem!"

[@beatlesrgear]

I've seen 3 Dog Night twice and they absolutely kick ass!! One of the best bands I've ever seen in concert in my life. I saw them in '88 and they wiped the floor with the Beach boys. It was embarrassing (for the BB)!! I liked 3 Dog Night when I originally heard them, but after seeing them live twice, I freakin' love 'em!

[@MovieMakingMan]

@@beatlesrgear I was driving with my friend and we decided to go to the only radio station in Pasadena, Texas. He knew people there so we just walked through the back door. We were hanging around talking and in came Three Dog Night! They had a concert the following night in Houston so they were there to promote their show. While they were waiting we all sat in the back room and talked. Then they pulled out a few joints so we ended up passing around joints on a roach clip. They had their guitars out so I got to jam with them awhile. Things were so much looser then. No security. Everything was laid back. It was a treat to meet them and especially play guitars with them. But at the time it was just another day. I got to do a lot of things that would probably be hard to do now.

[@tooterooterville]

@@MovieMakingMan Know what you mean. I grew up in the sixties in the same area. Those were great days, bro!

[@Sable30]

I fell in love with Louie Louie he first time I heard it. Animal House sealed it. Whatever they’re singing, it’s a classic!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Of course it is! Timeless.

[@michaelszczys8316]

I remember when it came out. It was pretty big. Everybody was looking for bad lyrics, I thought " who cares, it's bad- ass "

[@michaelszczys8316]

Second to this song is Kingsmen version of " Little Latin Lupe Lu "

[@georgemathie8123]

What's so great about this channel is everyday we're treated to a new lesson or story about music history that not only educated us the loyal and new viewers but gives us a whole new appreciation for the artist being spotlighted every day

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks George! What would you like to see next?

[@georgemathie8123]

@@ProfessorofRock I would like to see some spotlights on obscure 80s acts such as David sylvian and japan, classic producers such as Ron nevison and Rupert Hine these artists created so much amazing music that they should be spotlighted

[@ProfessorofRock]

Will do. I will work on it!@@georgemathie8123

[@RBS_]

@@ProfessorofRock ...GINO VANNELLI, Prof.! ...he's on Tour, STILL vital, and has a History that can EDUCATE, man....class, is awaiting..... ; )

[@ProfessorofRock]

I've interviewed him!@@RBS_

[@HickSquatch]

I loved the rawness of the song, the very unpolished "noise" sound to it: just a straight up fun song! My FAVORITE use of it was in the movie Down Periscope with Kelsey Grammer: a Navy submarine commander is given a WWII era diesel submarine and has to evade modern nuclear boats searching for him; at one point, the old diesel sub gets found by the modern nuclear boat and has to distract the hunter sub, so they surface, put a light on the periscope and get the crew to start loudly singing Louie Louie!! The modern sub listens to the sounds coming from the target boat and the captain declares "congratulations, we tracked down a boat load of beer-ed up fishermen! Move out!" It was PERFECT!!!

[@leesully1669]

Yes!!! Such a fun movie!!! One of my all time favorites!!! And such a fun version by the crew of the USS Stingray!!!

[@mikefinch4878]

I knew Lynn in his later years. He was one of those guys who livened up the place when he walked in - never at a loss for a witty, often stinging, comment. One day we're sitting around, and his cell phone rang. I commented that "Louie Louie" was an interesting ring tone for him. He lamented that he had to pay $2.99 for that ring tone. Whenever we would have a jam, Lynn would play percussion on whatever was available. At least once it was a salad bowl. Sadly, he passed during COVID while living in Canada and his family was forbidden from travelling there to make arrangements. He's one of those people who leave a big hole when they're gone. RIP my friend.

[@gr8fullytedicated]

I went to high school with the sister of The Kingsmen's lead guitar player, Mike Mitchell. During the hey day of the song, Mike lived at home with his parents. I can still remember the first time I was over at the house and his sister took me into his bedroom. He had a bed on what looked like a marble pedestal, with the gold record of Louie Louie hanging on the wall above the headboard. Those were the days!

[@benjaminhawthorne1969]

"Let's Give It to 'em Right Now!" to me means, as a performer, "Let's show this audience what we've got and play the hell out of this tune!"

[@mrc6182]

I always interpreted that as an intro to the guitar solo, so didn't feel it was unusual in the slightest.

[@Poppaea-Sabina]

I figured that out too!

[@adderman1950]

I was the lead singer in a local band in high school and Louie, Louie was on our playlist. Frankly the way I sang it would have been illegal if you could understand it but part of the charm was to slur the lyrics as much as possible so no one could actually be sure what they were hearing. It entertained the crowds and kept us out of trouble! Incidentally the 2 most popular tunes we did were probably Louie, Louie & Gloria by Van Morrison's band Them. Had a lot of fun and made a little money back then. We were fairly successful because in those days most people just bought 45s and most of the songs we did were Covers of Rolling Stones tunes off their first 2 US Albums. Most people thought it was original material because they weren't familiar with the songs off the Stones albums that weren't released as singles so they thought we were pretty talented. Loved it!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Definitely a song for the drunken!

[@harrisvideo]

There were no lyrics in the album that the people including the FBI could read?

[@carlacook5181]

Great story, thanks for sharing.

[@adderman1950]

@@harrisvideo When anyone performed that song they sang what they thought they were hearing or just plain made it up. Anyone that says different is lying or very deluded. There was no way to look up the lyrics to most any song back then.

[@harveyabel1354]

@@harrisvideo LPs with lyrics were a later thing.

[@HpwithBea2013]

First heard Louie Louie on the film Quadrophenia over 40 years ago,,,,,,in my opinion the first true punk rock record......stunningly and simply brilliant..never get tired of hearing it ..

[@_Pauper_]

There is an argument. As a fan of old punk I wouldn’t argue with ya.

[@tnrodgers]

I grew up in the 60’s so I’ve known this song forever. Outrage wasn’t about attention or money, and the FBI…well it’s still messed up. Remember a few years ago was the dress Gold or Blue? The lyrics are like that. Be offended or not, Louie Louie is a Classic. Don’t change a thing. Thanks Adam!

[@Rob_Baker1962]

Another reference: From 1985 to 1989, radio station WMMR in Philadelphia held a Louie Louie Parade on April 1st, where anyone who wished to do so could join the parade and play Louie Louie on a kazoo.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Did you try and get on the trend?

[@Rob_Baker1962]

Except for 1989, I always had to work that day and in 1989 I was in the process of moving to Florida. So, the answer is no - I never did participate.

[@AbusesOfScientology]

I love how our highschool marching band in the 80's, and almost every highschool marching band, plays this. It always pumps up the crowd and the team with enthusiasm

[@TomParmenter]

I heard the Pat Metjjjhene Band

[@TomParmenter]

I heard the Pat Metheney Band play this as an encore! Garage rock rules!

[@brahmburgers]

I was in a one-time marching band playing Louie Louie - but the 6 of us had chainsaws (with no chains on 'em).

[@johnnyplunkett8532]

Paul Revere was an awesome guy who made records for charity for years and toured endlessly. RIP

[@johnnyplunkett8532]

And that was His REAL NAME minus the last name he dropped..

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

@@johnnyplunkett8532 Thanks. I never knew til now.

[@MichaelDuncan-o8p]

I know his son

[@gregwasserman2635]

I remember hearing this when I was quite young, but my best recollection of the song comes from "Animal House". Who can forget the drunken wailing of the denizens from the Delta House of this song? I can sort of remember singing this of key at parties in grad school. Those days were kind of foggy, and certain events could have made it into the movie. It's a good thing I have no aspirations to run for political office, though I would never deny what was done back then. It was stupid fun, and that song always seems to bring back those foggy memories.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

That Animal House scene is iconic.

[@katie-didellis2437]

Louie Louie was my high school's unofficial high school song. We had a high school song which we sang at every football basketball whatever game. When the band played the opening notes of Louie Louie the place went went wild. Everyone was dancing on the bleachers and singing the words which nobody knew just having a load of fun. When I hear Louie Louie I remember some of the best years of my life. 😅😅😅

[@davidjoiner1411]

In 1990 the Seattle Mariners started playing Louie Louie at the 7th inning stretch after the obligatory Take Me Out to the Ballgame. It was a tradition for that team for over three decades. They ended that tradition in 2022, to the dismay of many fans (including myself). It was most appropriate during the years that Lou Piniella was their manager from 1993 to 2002. I read that in June of 1990 the Mariners actually had the Kingsmen play Louie Louie live during a game. Wish I had been at that game!

[@SLQQPY88]

When Washington began considering Louie Louie for the official state rock song, it inspired a Columbus newspaper columnist, Joe Dirck, to suggest Hang On Sloopy be Ohio's official rock song. The Ohio General Assembly formally recognized the song on November 20, 1985.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Oh, that sounds familiar! Thanks.

[@PR-BEACHBOY]

My Band played “Louie Louie” back in 1968-69. I remember that I made up my own verses because nobody really knew what they actually were! I’m 72 and a half and still enjoy the song immensely!

[@_Pauper_]

I was just thinking yeah I can write verses to this! Now just time to find my old band mates. It’s cool to read that you improvised on this.

[@GDawg2K2]

Same here.. It was the first song I ever learned on bass. We too just made up our own lyrics! Except for the "Every night at ten I lay her again"!

[@leekidman6128]

Haha that’s brilliant 😂

[@jamesharrington1456]

I read it in a Beatles book that John Lennon had his own lyrics to it before the Beatles got popular and my guess for one of the verses was " I ain't gonna break -a my heart no more 😊

[@brahmburgers]

Me 71, and have been gigging with bands since age 14. Similar fun experiences. What better way to make it with the girls, ...than to be lead singer in a band! I once had a groupie who told me I was exactly like lead singer Keith Relf of Yardbirds, ...who she had been nasty with - 15 years earlier.

[@markallen2984]

The DIY aspect of the Kingsmen and their rough, unskilled musicianship make them very punk rock in my book.

[@ProfessorofRock]

First Punk Rock band in my opinion!

[@86crud]

Makes sense, absolutely.

[@w.llawrence86]

MY vote is 1st garage rock band as opposed to punk

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I agree.

[@davidpanzer6746]

I don't agree that it's punk. Punk music was TRYING to sound rough and unpolished.

[@ericbgordon1575]

The part about the fumbled drum fill immediately puts me in mind of another record that I hope will be covered on this channel, assuming it hasn't already, "Along Comes Mary" by the Association. During the tracking for that record, session bass guitarist Jerry Scheff (whose son Jason was in Chicago for 1985 to 2017) played a flub near the song's finish. He wanted to rewind and get it right, and even Producer Curt Boettcher couldn't pick up on it. Several years later, Jerry heard a muzak instrumental interpretation of it that included a duplication of his flub.

[@darcyjane8031]

I loved Along comes Mary ! Didnt they also do "' Cherish " ?

[@ericbgordon1575]

Yes, @@darcyjane8031.

[@mikehenson819]

The very fact this song is still well known even by the current generation proves it’s all about the sound and dance ability that no one really ever cared what it was about! It’s just a funky feel good song that everyone loved listening to and singing!

[@The_Real_Y2]

The line “Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now!” is the lead singer introing the guitar solo. It’s not part of the story, it’s an exhortation from one guy to the rest of the band. It’s that simple.

[@emmettmckenna4565]

It’s so obvious! I don’t know how ‘the professor’ could miss THAT!

[@robertmalone3525]

Kind of like Billy Joel queueing the saxophone player with "Alright, big guy"

[@cosmicinsane516]

Love the story about the radio station changing formats at the end. A local station in the 90s used to play country. One day they started playing The Banana Boat Song by Harry Belefonte, for 3 or 4 days straight. They came back on the air as Banana 101 and went to playing rock. Even cooler, while I was in high school, someone literally chopped down their main broadcast tower with an axe. They were off the air for a few days and ended up temporarily setting up their studio in a camper in the field next to their repeater tower behind our high school.

[@tedbecker4051]

Crazy story! I always thought the song was a bar song and the reason the singing was mostly unintelligible was because the singer was either drunk or pretending to be drunk. When you mentioned the customer talking to the bartender it made even more sense. It's a fun song in which its imperfections actually enhance the song, giving it more of a party feel.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing TED!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ted... What were some of the song you were talking about yesterday!

[@tedbecker4051]

@@ProfessorofRock - Two songs that instantly came into my head were: "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks and "Love Rollercoaster" by The Ohio Players. The rumor for "Seasons in the Sun" was that Terry Jacks wrote and recorded the song while he was dying from a terminal illness. I didn't find out until much later that he didn't even write the song. "Love Rollercoaster" was rumored to have accidentally recorded a murder that occurred in one of the other rooms in the recording studio while the band was recording the song. All fictional, yet memorable.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

The diction was very garbled!

[@harveyabel1354]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 There's a myth that's because the singer just came from the dentist!

[@OathTaker3]

My friends and I would refer to this as the drunk song because you had to be drunk to sing & or understand it.🤔 After seeing your video I love the song even more! It's an American classic.🇺🇸

[@garybevers]

The State of Washington has unofficial "Louie Day". All the musicians around the area get together to set a world record for the largest number of people playing Louie Louie at a time.

[@GDawg2K2]

I've been an artist & musician for 60yr. I remember being in primary school outside of Boston in the 60s and hearing about this track. Which setoff a class rm hunt for the record! Amazingly enough, it wasn't a Beatle track, it was Louie Louie that was the first song I ever learned how to play. Great Show!

[@skaz777]

Well can we all at least agree Jack Ely was the most underrated gibberator ever?

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

😝

[@downtoearthdad7741]

This was our go-to marching band song when I was in Jr. High. I can still hear that riff coming from my trombone. Ha! I've also seen that it was one of the songs that inspired Kurt Cobain to write Smells Like Teen Spirit. Which you can't un-hear once you recognize it.

[@ProfessorofRock]

That's right! You know your history!

[@arribaficationwineho32]

Cool band director!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

My mom played the drums in marching band.

[@arribaficationwineho32]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I always wanted to play drums but played flute instead

[@williamsanders2439]

The craziest thing was this wasn't the "best" take! Probably why it was so popular and powerful...something that punk would emulate later.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

The Ramones can thank this song for their success.

[@Galloway278]

Iggy covered it.

[@_Pauper_]

Definitely a vibe that punk would find later. Love that vibe.

[@mathewfullerton8577]

The strange thing about Louie Louie is that I love the but never worried about the lyrics. I ALWAYS learned the lyrics of my favorite songs.

[@songmarysmith]

My beginning band played "Louie, Louie" after we learned about 6 notes on our instruments. We didn't even have a proper notation! Our band director wrote out the note names and some dashes to indicate length on a sheet of paper! I wish I still had the sheet! It was really fun!🤘🥰😆

[@mrc6182]

I have some fond memories of "The Kingsmen" playing at the Meadow Acres Ballroom in Topeka, Kansas in the mid-60's (aging myself here.) At the time I was in an up-and-coming band and we knew The Kingsmen from several appearances in the area. At one time, we were speaking to their bassist, Norm Sundholm, and he mentioned he and his brother were soon to manufacture Sunn Amplifiers. He offered us a 40% discount we probably should've taken. Ultimately, our entire Fender Amp setup was purchased from Quigley's in Kansas City.

[@MIB316]

It was also used in one of my favourite ever films "Quadrophenia" (1979) in the classic scene at the Mod disco where Jimmy climbs up on the balcony and dances to it, jumping onto the crowd below to avoid the bouncers getting him!

[@scottburton9701]

"Louie Louie" is the quintessential party song,hands down!-60 years later,it still sounds great!

[@Ldastro]

1982 and my high school had a tradition of a senior talent show on the last day of school. Some friends and I were going to do Louie, Louie and The Who's My Generation. We were forbidden to do Louie, Louie because the rumors of vulgarity were still around. We did My Generation and then smashed a drum kit and a guitar. Great stuff! Oh, and the marching band seniors (myself included) were allowed to do the popular at the time, Centerfold by the J. Geils Band. We did with our marching band instruments and Playboy centerfolds attached on our backs. Also, all the teachers' hubcaps were stolen. Yep---last time the seniors were allowed to have a talent show ever.

[@spikejones1908]

Jack was a good friend of mine since 89. I've worked on over an album of songs in that time, he passed away a few years back. He was a professional all the way, and lots of fun to play music with. I miss my friend Jack. One of a kind!!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is the greatest singalong of the rock era...A song you can't help but belt out?

[@surlechapeau]

Joy To The World- Three Dog Night; Loves Me Like A Rock- Paul Simon; Saturday In The Park- Chicago.

[@freezer8530]

I'll nominate "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond.

[@Code.Name.V]

Styx - Come Sail Away

[@RBS_]

....we will, we WILL...........you know the REST!! ....ha-HAAA!! >p.s.itsROCKYOU

[@Lam_3-22-23]

China Grove- Doobie Brothers Call Me Al- Paul Simon Rock This Town - Stray Cats

[@lenimbery7038]

One of the first songs i played in my band when I was 14. I also remember and loved the version in Animal House where the drunken dorm room mates sung it just as slurred (and even better) as the original

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I love that scene too.

[@toastnjam7384]

Every time I hear a reference to that song I immediately think of that scene.

[@samfoster6682]

I had a band who lived behind me when I was a kid and they played it all the time. They were the cool older teenagers and I would walk around singing it all the time, my dad hated it lol

[@randyinredmond]

I played in a cover band / bar band in the 80's We played classic rock from the 60's and 70's . This was our closing song at 2 a.m. ! I knew about the controversy around the song. Made up my own perverted lyrics and the people loved it ! 😂

[@Dave-lq2le]

My older sister had the 45 and listened to it all the time! As I recall, we didn't care that we couldn't understand some of the lyrics because the music and beat were awesome!! 😎👍

[@ProfessorofRock]

Very Cool!

[@Linda.Christie]

I had no idea what they were *then* and I still don't! Does anyone? LOL

[@glittermama]

@@Linda.Christie No!!!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

All that matters is the groove.

[@Dave-lq2le]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Amen, sister!! 😎👍

[@Zippy-I-O]

Battin' 400 this week as this is a second song filling the pile of 45's we kids played over and over when we came of age...Along with Cherokee Nation by The Raiders and several others. Was awe-struck when sitting in the movie theater watching 'Animal House' when it came on and brought the song back for another round of popularity when it again entered the charts. WOW...WHAT A WEEK THIS HAS BEEN IN A 'BLAST FROM THE PAST'. By the way...Are you aware that Indiana's Fort Wayne WOWO Radio Station is an Emergency Broadcast Station, now called 'The National Warning System' Station providing information during all kinds of crises when other stations shut down. In the 60's, it was among only 10 stations capable of broadcasting during National Emergencies. It's received far into the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Mexico when Emergencies occur and it removed this song from it's Playlist as a result of the order you spoke of by the Governor. As the movie, 'The Summer Place'; banned due to 'INDECENCY', my Mom had to have it just as she had to watch the movie...And, we and all of our friends were the only one's having the song played for our 'Slumber Parties' and we all danced into the wee hours as kids.

[@rogerdeahl9629]

❤ Louie Louie! Love this song! Every fraternity party in the 80s played this incessantly. Great memories! Happy Thanksgiving Professor! You're no Turkey! 😅

[@ProfessorofRock]

Happy Thanksgiving Roger! Any big plans?

[@rogerdeahl9629]

@@ProfessorofRock Eat 100 pounds of turkey!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Same here!@@rogerdeahl9629

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I bet!

[@indiedavecomix3882]

The song had a scene in the movie "Down Periscope"! When I lived in San Diego there was a radio station changing to a Spanish music format and they played "Macarena" for at least 3 days straight. 😂

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Nonstop?

[@indiedavecomix3882]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 yup. No DJs at all, no commercials.

[@evanstaub2548]

For those who are wondering, it was kept out of number 1 by 2 songs: The Singing Nun’s “Dominique” and Bobby Vinton’s “There! I’ve Said It Again”. Please do more pre-Beatles songs in the future. Great job professor!

[@ProfessorofRock]

The singing nuns! Ha ha. My grandma had their record....Thanks Evan... Your a viewer from way back! Where've you been?

[@RBS_]

....p.s. ....the 'singing Nuns', turned out to be....ummm... "sapphic lovlies" , living privately together, for DECADES! ...go-FIGGA! ...ha-HAAA!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ha!@@RBS_

[@orbyfan]

I picked "Dominique" as the most unique one-hit wonder (for those that reached #1) in the comments on a previous video of the Professor's. It was sung in French by a Belgian nun, and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in December 1963; as far as I can tell, it was the only chart single she ever had anywhere.

[@evanstaub2548]

@@ProfessorofRock I’ve been busy working so I haven’t had time lately to leave a comment on a video in a while. I just happened to be off for the holiday when this video was released.

[@reneecole6744]

❤ This was by far the most enjoyable show I've seen yet. It is funny crazy learning about all of the attention to the lyrics. 😂😂 thank you for this blast from the past present and future...

[@shaunjayes8842]

What a brilliant story. I've loved this song since I was a kid in the 1960s, and have never worked out what the hell they were singing 🤣 Brilliant channel, I'm a long time subscriber and have never been bored with one single episode. Loved them all, thanks for this.

[@ProfessorofRock]

It's crazy right?

[@shaunjayes8842]

@@ProfessorofRock Yes, beautifully so.

[@mrstephentgarrett]

We had a local radio station here in south Alabama change formats when I was a kid and they played Brown eyed girl over and over for like 3-4 days. I want to say this was back in the mid to late 80s

[@Virgo9-9]

It was a holiday, and we were having a pot luck on the nursing unit where I worked. One of the Doctors brought in a radio and tuned it to a radio station that was only playing Louie Louie that day. This was in 1989, or '90. Good times 😃

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Those were the days.

[@princessinvidia]

I recall a time back in the 80s when a station started playing Prince's 1999 over and over again for days and, just like in your story, it turned out that they were changing format. I was certainly confused about it and had no idea why it was going on, but I wasn't as imaginative as those kids you describe with theories about kidnappings and aliens.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Now I know what to expect the next time I hear the same song over and over on the radio.

[@jeansmith-wl7xt]

I remember hearing that some dj. Locked himself in a d played Yellow submarine for hours!😅

[@jessedorsettii9988]

Why is this story NOT made into a movie? I would pay to see it. It is so wild and far fetched and TRUE not to be made into a movie

[@mentalswill]

A friend borrowed my tape recorder to record his version of Louie Louie for the KFJC 24 Hours of Louie Louie event & it made it on the air. It was amazing to hear all of different versions of the song. I listened to several hours before I was Louied out.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Do you have an archive of it somewhere?

[@mentalswill]

I do not have a copy. It was long ago. My friend who borrowed the tape recorder may have something. Don't know.

[@revsharkie]

When I was nine or ten, there were a bunch of compilation albums put out by K-Tel, and "Louie Louie" was on one of them. I had a little record player in my room and I played it over and over and over and over.... I'm surprised my mom didn't confiscate the record.

[@allengray5748]

K-TEL! Nice! I had the one called MIND BENDER! ☮️

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

“What are you listening to?”

[@allengray5748]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 K-TEL put out vinyl records of Top Hits of all genres. For examples Google; K-TEL albums of 1977 and you will get a good list! ☮️

[@marktait2371]

yep good ol ktel last week.i got county line country crossover pretty sure is on my power hits vol.2 also have 20 explosive hits and love songs

[@lawrencetalbot55]

I knew this one was "Louie Louie" right away, I'm getting a lot better at figuring out the featured songs before you name them. Very enjoyable show!! Thanks for making and sharing your work. This is the best channel in the genre, too. I love it. Three chords and the truth.

[@jenh9221]

That’s my favorite game. Trying to figure out the song just from the click bait. I probably get it right 75-80% of the time. I have deduced the professor is 3-5 years older than me

[@kevinbrown9831]

As a Washingtonian I knew exactly what song this was, In a second.

[@AndrewGruffudd]

I remember first hearing the song on one of the last season episodes of The A Team, in a scene where they were having a party. I fell in love with it immediately - so much that I wanted to find out about it. I originally thought it was a Rolling Stones record, but soon realised it was by an obscure band called the Kingsmen.

[@robbob022]

This song’s story is the stuff of legend. I’m amazed it wasn’t the inspiration of an X-Files episode or better yet, a docudrama.

[@Bongwater33]

My Mom claims that one of my great Uncles had a recording studio in the 60s in Portland Oregon ( the whole family is from Oregon even today) and was involved with the recording by the Kingsmen of Louie Louie.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Do you have his name?

[@jgarrison1309]

This song was play at every Frat Party I ever attended during my college years in the late 1980s. Throw in Shout! and every other Animal House type record and you get the idea of the vibe. Good Times!

[@irishis3]

Louie Louie and Dirty Water were staples of every teen dance and Juke of my young life in the 60s

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Dirty Water is such a classic!

[@davidpanzer6746]

I saw The Standells open for the Stones along with The McCoys and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells!

[@Mahim1968]

The craziest story of a song ever! Thank you, prof!

[@kevincampbell2032]

I love your backstory sir .I was at a wedding in the 80s and I asked the band to play L.L the leader asked "do you know the words ", I said no one does (they were playing with me) so they started. I sang an R rated dedication to the bride and groom. It went over I think

[@TomParmenter]

❤

[@mmccormick3085]

Thanks for diving into this one! It’s a great song- one I think everyone across genres appreciate. I might have my own marathon today! Thanks professor!

[@PixieStitchs]

Wow that's wild about the f.b.i. investigation 😮... sounds so silly now, as moral panics usually do lol! I look forward to your videos because I always learn something new 🙂! So close to 1mill Professor 🎉 woohoo 🙌 keep rockin!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Isn't that insane?

[@JL-nb1yc]

There are people out there with chainsaws, and the FBI is worrying over music?

[@BeyondTshirts]

Back in the 80s WMMR in Philly used to have a huge annual Louie Louie event to commemorate the song. I went twice; took my daughter and her friend once - it was a blast!

[@suemiller2522]

When I was a teenager in the mid-90s a local radio station switched from pop to oldies without warning. Just one weekend they played this song on repeat all weekend and Monday morning they had new DJs and we all had to find a new pop station. It is one of life's great ironies that that oldies station is now one of my favorites lol Edit: I made this comment before I reached the end of your segment and when I got there I laughed so hard I'm glad I work from home on Wednesdays!

[@ProfessorofRock]

I've heard of this! It happened in my town too!

[@Sparty1986]

Hey, was this in Toledo, OH by any chance???

[@dougkhrys10cen]

This happened in Salt Lake almost 30 years ago. Not sure where else it occurred.

[@Rob-yr3vw]

I'm in northern Illinois and the same thing happened with a local station, at about the same time.

[@suemiller2522]

@@Sparty1986 No, NE Wisconsin. Nice to know it wasn't just us, though! lol

[@markpospichal1309]

I was in junior high/ high school in the late 60s. It was pretty much mandatory that every garage band that played school dances had it in their repitoire. The local bar bands played it a lot through the 70s too. I also remember reading that at some point, Rhino Records put out an album where every track was a different cover of "Louie Louie".

[@anthonyotte5223]

Great video as always ! I love all the crazy history of this song I never knew and it is fascinating ! Thanks for the great content 👍

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for listening

[@figmo397]

Not all of the versions of "Louie, Louie" were done by "wannabes." I was a member of KFJC's staff when the "Louie, Louie" marathon was announced. Because of some quirks in the way California funds schools, KFJC is actually a class you can sign up for an endless number of times, and your tuition goes to help fund the station. Anyhow, in that staff meeting, everyone was handed a copy of the sheet music to "Louie, Louie" and ordered to create at least one version of it. I did two, and for the life of me, I can't remember what I credited them to. Towards the end of either the first or the second marathon (I forget which), the station had to put a stopping point on the marathon because they had more versions of it than time to play them! My all-time favorite version, done by the Palo Alto Early Music Consort, never made it onto the compilation albums.

[@littlecatfeet9064]

It’s amazing how many people recorded this fantastic song. Though I love the precise musicianship of Motown, the Kingsmen’s shambolic tour de force is the best. It’s a floor filler and you can dance as messily as they play. I wonder if any FBI agents were embarrassed trying to find obscene lyrics in Louie Louie.

[@justbob9006]

@ProfessorofRock. In Peoria, Il they used to do an annual Louie, Louie kazzoo parade. Back in the 90's. All to raise money for charity. Anyway, The Kingsman were the featured band one of those years and it was a great show. For their encore, they invited people from the crowd on stage with them. 1st come 1st serve. My friends and I were the last they let on stage. There must have been 50 of us or so up there. They encored with the song Gloria. They changed it to Peoria for the chorus. Somehow, through all the people, my friends and I ended up center stage next to the singer. We all got to sing with them. It was soo cool. After the song was done, everyone was escorted off stage, except for my friends and me. I was talkimg to the guitarist and he handed me his guitar. He said it was a 59/60 Les Paul, and asked me to play it. The band started jamming with me, over the PASpeakers, and the crowd started piling back in. It was AMAZING!! Must have been 300 people i was playing infront of/too. Singer let everyone know show was over and I gave the guitar back. High 5's from all the band members and off the stage we went. That was one of the best nights of my life!!! Had to share this.

[@hallacar]

I don't ever remember any radio stations having a marathon of the song, but when I was in college the Sigma Chi fraternity had a Louie Louie party and sent out a college wide flier looking for obscure performances of the song. I went to a small private college and it turned out I was the only one who had the Beach Boys version. I think I got my name on a poster by the DJ booth or something as a musical contributor. Who really remembers what happens at a fraternity party?

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Frat patties are all about getting wasted! 😜

[@TimmyGibbs73]

Loved how they used this one in Down Periscope in 1996 it was cute and Funny when the Crew of The Stingray sang it and made The Orlando's Crew think they were Drunken fisherman! 🤣

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Hey ProRo 🤓not minimizing your previous content. But I'm actually pleased because of the last 2 episodes! Just giving props where props are due💯

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks! What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

[@ProfessorofRock]

You staying in vegas?

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@ProfessorofRock Fasting

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@ProfessorofRock Yes most of the family that I would want to see 👀 is here in Las Vegas!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Pleased for what exactly? Just curious 😊

[@owlnswan4016]

When you hear "Louie Louie" off a well mastered source, it's actually a nice sounding recording, even with the garbled singing in parts.

[@TheRyanDomengeaux]

My personal definitive edition of this song is the cover by The Sonics. The Sonics really represent the wild and crazy rock and roll music that is best. It's wild and crazy. They aren't singing, they're screaming. (I'm honestly a little concerned for the singers voice because I know they didn't know how to properly scream in the 60's. We didn't figure that out until like 86 lmao). But its so good. The Sonics are great.

[@BrianMiller-XavierMan66]

A station i used to listen to was changing its' format and for 2 days played 2 different songs all day long, the 1st day they played "don't let the sun catch you ctying" by gerry marsden and the pacemakers and on the 2nd day they played "i'll follow the sun" by the beatles. Each song was played for 24 hours straight in back to back days.

[@thebluesrockers]

Adam, you should cover the old 60's band "Pretty Things" They were an amazing band that warmed up for Led Zeppelin back in the day. They had some iconic hits in their era.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Never heard of them. That’d be cool. I’ve got a suggestion: The Sonics!

[@JackSparrow-yb3lq]

This sounds like exactly how an FBI investigation would go.

[@marcusvaughn7019]

Though the song certainly is part of Pop/Rock culture, it's never been a favorite of mine. Most memorable in IMO as a scene from "Animal House" and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" Another good, in depth show, Professor! Thank you for your hard work.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for watching! Any requests?

[@marcusvaughn7019]

@@ProfessorofRock Thank you for asking. I wouldn't mind hearing some of the back stories behind "Bubble Gum Rockers" like Klaatau, Billy Thorpe, and Aldo Nova. Or histories of early industrial bands like Skinny Puppy, Front 242, and KMFMD. I know some of these are quite obscure and never had a huge following, so it won't hurt my feelings should you decide to skip these bands. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@patriciaseyfferle1427]

This song, the album cover, all the photos of them, the psychedilic light show slides and animation--are all so iconic, they sound and look like Hollywood productions! PERFECT for the Austin Powers scene--and it was all real!!! I remember telling a friend's mother about this song, and the name of the group, and how it seemed like groups were combining the most unlikely things they could find. I mean, "Strawberry Alarm Clock?" But this song is definitely one that distills the 60's. I'm pretty sure we danced to it at Teen Club at the local Rec Center on Friday nights, with the gel light show on the overhead projector! I lived in Menlo Park, CA, and I know we were listening to it in 1968-69 if not earlier. (7th and 8th grade kind of blend together--and I wasn't doing any mindbenders, unless pool chlorine from daily and twice daily swim practice counts!). Thanks for the memories!

[@jstnxprsn]

Good morning, Adam and music fans and friends. I was hanging with a friend, shooting pool, once and when it came on the radio, he started singing along. He could totally pick out the lyrics and yes, it's pretty damn lewd.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Really? What does it say... Do you remember?

[@llamasugar5478]

Please continue!

[@jstnxprsn]

@@ProfessorofRock That was 20 yrs or more ago and I can't remember what I had for dinner last night. LOLOL Even if I could remember, I couldn't repeat much of it here. Gotta say though, I am no kind of prude, but it was pretty shockingly sexual and slang based. I think that's why people have trouble "hearing" it. My friend was a crude type of guy, so it was "natural " that he'd pick it up. Though, I think I recall him telling me that someone had previously translated some of it for him. He knew all the lyrics from memory, so he was able to sing along perfectly. Btw, it was a hell of a game of pool too. I have a photo somewhere of a ball frozen on the edge of a pocket as close as you can imagine without it falling in. It stopped right there. One in a million shot. LOLOL

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s apparently spoken in “Jamaican dialect.”

[@jstnxprsn]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 That's consistent with the slang that I remember. Thanks, Lovely Lilly.

[@mr.luisanthonydivito3585]

On August 19, 1983, Foothill College radio station KFJC hosted "Maximum Louie Louie," featuring the consecutive airing of 823 different versions of the song over a 63-hour period.

[@LorelLa22]

Discovered "Classic Rock" as a 1980's teenager and this was my favorite song to request during the Spring of 1985! The FBI investigation makes it even better!!! The only lyrics I have ever been able to distinguish are Louie, Louie, We Gotta Go!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ha ha!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I can imagine even the FBI jammed out to this song.

[@chrisbenson6683]

Isn't it "me gotta go"?

[@bonniedrouillard3963]

I had a party record many versions of Louie Louie. We played it at every party in the eighties along with NRBQ. So fun!

[@oriolesandravens]

The story of the radio station playing it continuously is referred to as "flushing the format". When I worked at a local Country station in the late 80s, early 90s, a big station in Baltimore was switching formats and did the same thing with Copacabana (Barry Manilow), Stairway to Heaven, Blinded By the Light (Manfred Mann), and Friends in Low Places for a few days. The idea is to run your previous listeners off while signaling to the market that something new is coming (teasing with more than one format).

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Makes sense!

[@BlackCharger-xd4zx]

It's also called stunting. They did this in Cincinnati in the early 90's with what was 96 Rock at the time. They played a Garth Brooks song for a couple days straight. 96 Rock came back years later but was never the same.

[@laurat1129]

A lil’ late here, but about “Louie Louie”… A (drunk) party song with unintelligible lyrics, but also with that great ‘60s sound, which some of us remember from Animal House. Since then, I think it’s been a favorite of hs and college marching bands before football games. My parents were young adults here in Boston when this song came out and would’ve probably danced to it, though they hadn’t met just yet. On that note, I’d heard of Arnie “Woo-Woo” Ginsberg, but I’d no idea the song got such play and was so big here*. *8:52 “What was going on,” you ask? In the words of Ian from Spinal Tap: “… It’s not a big college town.”😉 Thanks for another great video, Prof, and Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours.🥮🍂🍁 For anyone wondering, I think the third brother in Coupe de Ville is right: Louie Louie, oh no Me gotta go Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said Louie Louie, oh baby Me gotta go Fine little girl waits for me Catch a ship across the sea Sail that ship about, all alone Never know if I make it home Louie Louie, oh no Me gotta go Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said Louie Louie, oh baby Me gotta go Three nights and days I sail the sea Think of girl, constantly On that ship, I dream she's there I smell the rose in her hair. Louie Louie, oh no Me gotta go Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said Louie Louie, oh baby Me gotta go Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now! See Jamaica, the moon above It won't be long, me see me love Take her in my arms again Tell her I'll never leave again Louie Louie, oh no Me gotta go Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said Louie Louie, oh baby Me gotta go Let's take it on outta here now Let's go!

[@davidpanzer6746]

Those are the correct lyrics. For some reason, once I realized it was in a Jamaican kind of phraseology, the words became clear as a bell.

[@TomParmenter]

Wow!

[@christineml1476]

Love the classic song stories Prof, more please!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Will do! What would you like to see next?

[@christineml1476]

@@ProfessorofRock How about "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Jimmy Boyd. If I'm not mistaken, it was banned from the radio, and we're coming up on the Christmas season.

[@ProfessorofRock]

I'll look int o it!@@christineml1476

[@christineml1476]

@@ProfessorofRock Thanks Prof!

[@JD-ul8qu]

I was a teenager when it came out and it played at every basement party we had...and we'd whisper to each other what we thought they were really saying. It was great.

[@stephenbrown4211]

Classic! Covered so many times, my favourites are ones by Robert Plant and Motörhead

[@ProfessorofRock]

Awesome!

[@runulfrraui6602]

Couldn't agree more! 🤘😎

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

You know you’re a legend when one of rock’s golden gods covers your song.

[@hollyloomer7667]

LAWD, love this song. My father exposed me to this song amongst many other classics. He passed this year and when I saw this video I was delighted and went to listen to it on Spotify. 135,537,500 downloads. (WOW) Thank you for the awesome reminder of my late father.

[@larryraffburn-eg8wg]

One Friday night after running wild with a bunch of friends (actually the time of my life at 13) I came home went to bed and turned on my transistor radio and heard “Louie Louie” for the first time. I don’t remember the exact day but I’ll never forget it.

[@fshtank]

This was awesome. Such an old song found such popularity in the 80s when I was a teenager still cracks me up. Culture moves too fast these days. We (younger generations?) dont appreciate much that came before them. I watched this video to the very end. Very cool. Thanks!

[@TomParmenter]

😅

[@billblack8071]

Our Graduation song and the Princal told us all no throwing your caps till after the speeches! He got up in front of the microphone and saw all of us taking the tassels off or caps and he just shrugged and we went nuts to Louie louie!

[@kinjunranger140]

When hasn't the FBI wasted our money?

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Shame.

[@roberttimstarliper1671]

I think there was a time somewhere around the early 1980's where they went 5 or 10 minutes without wasting our money.

[@lorensims4846]

The human mind looks for patterns in everything and will fill gaps with imagination.

[@mt0115]

I distinctly remember hearing this on the car radio back in the day, none of us could figure out what was being sung in those indistinguishable parts but we didn’t care. It was such a vibe we all sung along, singing what we thought the words were, which was usually different from each other. No arguments about the song, but we all knew it bugged our parents and other adults which just made it even more popular. What a great memory of the times.😎🍺