CLASSIC: The FBI's Quest to Understand "Louie, Louie"

Summary

Ridiculous History: The FBI's Quest to Understand "Louie, Louie"

Introduction

In the episode titled "CLASSIC: The FBI's Quest to Understand 'Louie, Louie'" from the podcast Ridiculous History by iHeartPodcasts, hosts Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown delve into the enigmatic journey of the rock anthem "Louie, Louie." Released on February 18, 2025, this episode uncovers the bizarre and often humorous intersection between pop culture and governmental scrutiny.

The Enigmatic Sound of "Louie, Louie"

The episode kicks off with a playful rendition of "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen, setting the stage for the discussion ([00:09]). Ben remarks, "The FBI is super weird about some things, right? They're very smart. They love a list. And they also have a myopic focus at times on pop culture." This introduction highlights the unexpected attention the FBI paid to a seemingly innocuous rock song.

FBI Investigation into Obscenity

As the conversation progresses, Noel emphasizes the surprising nature of the FBI's focus on popular music: "The FBI was often looking for enemies... including popular music." The core of the episode revolves around the FBI's two-year investigation into the Kingsmen's version of "Louie, Louie," suspecting it of containing obscene lyrics ([04:54]).

Ben expands on the origins, explaining that the Kingsmen's cover was not the original version by Richard Berry but a distinct interpretation that sparked controversy. "The FBI did not just give this a cursory investigation. They investigated this particular version of the song." The investigation was fueled by a letter from a concerned parent who believed the song's lyrics were too filthy for public endorsement ([05:35]).

Behind the Scenes: Recording Challenges

The hosts delve into the technical aspects of the Kingsmen's recording process, revealing why the lyrics were so unintelligible. Noel describes the chaotic studio setup: "They put the mic on the ceiling... I was directly under it, leaning my head back, yelling up at this mic." This unconventional arrangement led to garbled lyrics, which the FBI misinterpreted as obscene content ([08:23]).

Public Perception and Misinterpretation

Noel reflects on how the unintelligible lyrics became a Rorschach test for listeners: "The lyrics really are utter gobbledygook... It's a Rorschach test kind of thing." The hosts point out that despite the FBI's suspicions, the original lyrics were benign and romantic, merely about a sailor missing his love ([23:03]).

Cover Versions and Cultural Impact

Christopher Osiotes joins the conversation, adding depth by exploring various cover versions of "Louie, Louie." From Otis Redding's soulful rendition to Iggy and the Stooges' raw live performance, each version showcases the song's versatility and enduring appeal. Osiotes notes, "It's a pretty basic song and that goes back to actually its origins." The discussion highlights how "Louie, Louie" became a canvas for artistic expression across genres ([37:54]).

Extra Credit: Christopher Osiotes on "Louie, Louie" Covers

In an engaging extra credit segment, Osiotes shares his passion for the myriad of "Louie, Louie" covers, emphasizing the song's simplistic structure that allows for endless reinterpretation. "The origins of rock and roll are in rhythm and blues and the African American musical experience... one of the most ridiculous things about rock history is the underexplored influence of Latin music on rock and roll." He introduces unique versions, including Mike Deasy's psychedelic guitar rendition and Julie London's intimate take, further illustrating the song's wide-ranging influence ([36:17]).

The Absurdity of the FBI's Investigation

The hosts wrap up by reflecting on the futility and absurdity of the FBI's investigation. Ben sarcastically questions the bureau's priorities: "Did they have other stuff to do in 1963?" They reveal that despite extensive analysis, including playing the song at different speeds, the FBI found nothing obscene. Noel humorously summarizes, "Just from a couple of angry letters from irate moms... and they went on to make a conspiracy." ([52:02], [52:23]).

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a humorous nod to the investigative overreach, emphasizing that the true controversy lay in public misinterpretation rather than the song itself. Ben invites listeners to explore their favorite covers of "Louie, Louie," fostering community engagement ([55:08]).

Notable Quotes

• Ben: "The FBI is super weird about some things, right? They're very smart. They love a list. And they also have a myopic focus at times on pop culture." ([00:09])

• Noel: "The lyrics really are utter gobbledygook... It's a Rorschach test kind of thing." ([19:52])

• Christopher Osiotes: "The origins of rock and roll are in rhythm and blues and the African American musical experience." ([37:54])

• Noel: "Just from a couple of angry letters from irate moms... and they went on to make a conspiracy." ([52:23])

Final Thoughts

By dissecting the convoluted saga of "Louie, Louie," Ridiculous History shines a light on how misinterpretation and overzealous oversight can transform a simple rock song into a subject of national intrigue. The episode blends humor with historical insights, making it a compelling listen for those fascinated by the quirky intersections of culture and authority.

Transcript

[Ben]

Louis. Louis.

[Noel]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ben]

All right. So the FBI is super weird about some things, right? They're very smart. They're very. They love a list. And they also have a myopic focus at times on pop culture. No, you and I were just sort of doing a. I would say a rendition of a song by the Kingsman called Louie Louie.

[Noel]

Yeah. And the aforementioned FBI was often looking for enemies, I guess, of these United States in places that might seem a little odd, including popular music. So we're gonna hear a bunch of examples of the song Louie Louie in this special episode where Christopher Osiotes is not only here in spirit, but here in the flesh.

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[Ben]

Ridiculous history is a production of iHeartRadio. Oh, yeah.

[Noel]

You know what that sound means? Those dulcet keys and. Yeah. And do I? No.

[Ben]

Oh, no. Oh, gravy.

[Noel]

We gotta go. Here we go. Here's the part where it really gets interesting. Hey, it's a Ridiculous History. You're Ben, I'm Noel. These are the Kingsmen. This is Louie Louie. Here we are. Wow. What a day. What a time to be alive.

[Ben]

And that music comes to us, of course, courtesy of our super producer, Casey Pegram. But Noel, why are we playing Louie Louie today?

[Noel]

Because, you see, Ben, Louie Louie has a bit of a sordid past. The song, this version in particular, by the Kingsman, in that it was investigated by none other than the Federal Bureau of Investigation for being potentially obscene. And if you couldn't tell by our rambling, sing along at the beginning of the show. This is kind of a bit of a joke because you can't really understand a word these guys are saying, right?

[Ben]

The FBI did not just give this a cursory investigation. They investigated this particular version of the song. It is not, as some people believe, the original version of the song. It's a cover. And they investigated the Kingsman version for two years, specifically.

[Noel]

That's crazy.

[Ben]

Yeah, specifically the lyrics of the song, which might sound kind of crazy and a weird order of priorities for the FBI, but it's actually part of their job to fight obscenity, take these kinds.

[Noel]

Of complaints from angry WASPy middle class mothers very seriously. And that is exactly what kicked off this investigation, my friend.

[Ben]

Right. They received a letter from someone at Sarasota High School who said the lyrics to the song were, quote, so filthy that I cannot endorse them in this letter. We all know there is obscene materials available for those who seek it, but when they start sneaking in this material in the guise of the latest teenage rock rock and roll hit record, these morons have gone too far.

[Noel]

Oh, these morons? Which morons you're talking about like the purveyors of said smut?

[Ben]

I guess so, some international conspiracy.

[Noel]

The guys in the band.

[Ben]

To spread dirty words.

[Noel]

Who were the guys in the band? What's the history of the Kingsman?

[Ben]

Excellent question, Noel. The Kingsmen were. Or excuse me, they're still around. A garage rock band from Portland, Oregon. And the guy who ended up singing this version of Louie Louie that we opened the show with was invited to the band in 1959.

[Noel]

I believe he got the boot pretty shortly after.

[Ben]

Yeah, he didn't sing on all their songs, but he did sing on the one that I would say they're most well known for this song. Would you agree?

[Noel]

I certainly don't know them for anything else. Yeah. And it's interesting too, because this band does live on this particular version of this song as an influence from. For a lot of like kind of grungy, grudgy punk type stuff, everything from like Black Flag to Iggy Pop. And we'll, we'll get into a little bit more of that. That kind of rock and roll history connection a little further down the line. So the original Kingsmen were Don Gallucci, Jack Eli, who is the singer in question, Lynn Easton, Mike Mitchell and Bob Norby. And these fellas booked a recording session at a studio in Portland, Oregon, which was at Northwest 13th Avenue and Burnside Street. And it an odd setup, wasn't it, Ben?

[Ben]

It was, Noel. First we should establish the session. Only cost 50 bucks. The band split it amongst themselves because.

[Noel]

They didn't have a label. They were just doing this on spec. Right, right.

[Ben]

And their producer for the session was a guy named Ken Chase, a local radio personality at a station called 91KISN, or wait for it, kissing. He also owned a nightclub where the Kingsman regularly performed. So he was the producer and that was their Kinect. That was their. In. Their actual audio engineer was the guy who owned the studio, whose name was Robert Lindahl. And apparently he had some really particular ideas about how the studio should be set up. You can hear Jack Eli explaining some of the physicalities of the room. Um, let's, let's just throw to a.

[Noel]

Clip of him in his own words.

[Ben]

In order to capture what Ken thought was the live sound. He had us set up in a circle with me standing in the middle singing into the mic. And it still didn't sound quite right. He had us run through about eight bars or so and it still didn't sound quite right to him. So he had a technician come in and take the mic and put it on a boom and stick it up at the ceiling. That's about a 15 foot ceiling. So the mic was hanging probably, I don't know, 18 to 24 inches off the ceiling. And I was directly under it, leaning my head back, yelling up at this mic. Well, it didn't have anything to do really with how far the mic was away from me. What it really had to do with is how words get enunciated when your head's tipped all the way back and you're yelling up because you see Louie Louie didn't come out like Louie Louie. I would say it when I'm standing facing normal, when my head's all stretched up and back. It came out Lou I lu I. So eventually, long story short, they end up putting these microphones on the ceiling and it's like 15ft high.

[Noel]

I don't quite understand the function of that. I read somewhere saying, so it would sound like a live concert, but it was like. Is it literally a one mic setup? That's like. It's so funny when you hear the recording.

[Ben]

Yeah, it's.

[Noel]

It sounds, you know, kind of raunchy and lo fi, but there's pretty good separation. But that vocal is what really stands out because it does sound very low in the mix. So I imagine had to have been a very minimally mic situation where this mic was up high and apparently he had to crane his neck at like a 45 degree angle.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Noel]

And kind of shout, saying up into the air to get over the din of the band and the drummer is just pounding away. It's like wailing.

[Ben]

Yeah, yeah. He does mention that it's difficult to enunciate in a normal way when you have your neck physically positioned to aim in a shout at the ceiling, because he was also shouting to be heard.

[Noel]

Over the music and he had braces that had just been tightened. And that's such a funny detail.

[Ben]

Such a strange aspect to the story. For anyone interested, you can also go on YouTube and see some early live appearances. The Kingsmen are on a show called Shindig, and it's much easier to hear what Jack is saying, or we should say, rather to discern what Jack is saying. But most people, let's be honest, they. They're not going to be watching that live version. They're going to listen to the iconic.

[Noel]

That's right. And I'll tell you, man, Shindig was a pretty risque show at the time because I swear some of these gals are showing shin it's happening when they're cutting their rugs, you know, and so this.

[Ben]

This song, it hits the charts, but it doesn't quite get to number one. And I think there's a story that. That you found particularly fascinating about the song that Beat It.

[Noel]

Yeah, it's A little weird kind of melancholy aside, but why not? We're all about little asides. It's a song called Dominique and it is a French language song which is so interesting to me that that topped the charts. And you may have heard this song. If you watched the show American Horror Story, specifically the Asylum, you might remember this is the one that Sister Jude was the only song that she approved of. And there's an interesting reason behind it. There's a great article on Noisy called what yout Didn't Know about that Song youg Hear on American Horror Story every week from back when this show was current. So the woman credited with this hit was a Belgian singer by the name of Janine Deckers, and she went by the name the Singing Nun. Or. I'm going to need you to help me out with this, Casey.

[Ben]

Casey on the case. Yeah, that would be pronounced Sir Suryer.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Which is Sister Smile in French.

[Ben]

Sister Smile, ladies and gentlemen. Casey on the case. So she's Sister Smile or AKA the.

[Noel]

Singing Nun, AKA Janine Deckers and the.

[Ben]

Singing Nun in English speaking countries.

[Noel]

That's right. That's right. And this song, it was a huge hit. It was number one. It totally bumped the. It didn't give the Kingsman a chance for some. It's just crazy to me that this song was such a massive hit and it's so kind of more or less forgotten now. You know, compared to Louie Louie, which is iconic in many ways, it was.

[Ben]

An interesting year for music. This is specifically 1963, right?

[Noel]

That's right.

[Ben]

Yeah. It was interesting because we've got one song that's entirely in French and then one song that is considered more or less largely unintelligible. But there's a little more to the story of the Singing Nun.

[Noel]

There is. One of the interesting things that this Noisy article points out is that Dominique the saint in question was the founder of the particular religious order that brought about the Spanish Inquisition. So that goes hand in hand with some of the grisliness on American Horror Story. And this is interesting, this Janine Decker ended up having a female partner back during a time where open, you know, homosexuality was just very, very taboo. And she ended up signing or agreeing to a suicide pact with her. And in 1985, when they're still together, they overdosed on barbiturates together and left a note that said, we have reached the end spiritually and financially, and now we go to God.

[Ben]

And that was. Her partner was Annie Petcher.

[Noel]

That's right.

[Ben]

Who was, I think, a little bit younger. But they had a very deep and loving relationship.

[Noel]

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[Ben]

Article in the New Yorker by Unwin Crawford called Is this the Dirtiest song of the 60s? And again for for at least two years. The FBI certainly thought so. So Robert Kennedy gets involved in this.

[Noel]

Because the Robert Kennedy.

[Ben]

The Robert Kennedy because he receives letters personally complaining about the song's possible or perceived obscenity once it blows up and it's number two on the Billboard single chart. And father of a teenage girl in particular, writing to Kennedy, said, this land of ours is headed for an extreme state of moral degradation. And people started sending in various versions of what they perceived the lyrics to be. And they're pretty. They're pretty filthy. Have you read some of them?

[Noel]

Oh, I have. And it just goes to show that like the most puritanical seeming mind can still be in the gutter when you think you're trying to find filth everywhere. Because that's the thing. This is such a Rorschach test kind of thing for me, because the lyrics really are utter gobbledygook.

[Ben]

Right? You could read the real lyrics.

[Noel]

You can catch a word here and there.

[Ben]

Yeah. If you haven't seen the real lyrics yet, then do check them out. But wait till the end of this podcast. Just keep go with us a little bit further. We promise it's worth it. Some of the perceived lyrics or the lyrics that people thought they were hearing are things like we'll have to do an edited version of this, but every night and day I play with my thing Bleep your girl all kinds of.

[Noel]

Ways all the ways Multitudes. Right. Six ways to Sunday, as they say. Yeah. And it's interesting, too, because when this really starts to heat up and this investigation is going on, apparently the. What do they call them? G Men, Right, sure. They'd go to the clubs and see the band and try to lip, like, read their lips or whatever to try to, like, see what the secret lyrics were. I just think this is such a funny witch hunt kind of situation.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Noel]

Because J. Edgar Hoover was involved, man. He was on the case.

[Ben]

Did they have other stuff to do in 1963? So this intense concern on the part of the FBI even went to the levels of laboratory investigations. Right. They. They played the record multiple times, sometimes at different speeds.

[Noel]

That's right. Yeah. And it's crazy. You can actually get, like. There's a collection of memos on the FBI's website, vault.FBI.gov, louis, Louis, the song. Louis, Louis, the song View. And you can see this entire collection of every document associated with it, including the original complaints, including the perceived lyrics, and several other things, and including, ultimately the fact that, yeah, there really wasn't anything there. It was a whole lot of ink spilt for nothing. And I'll tell you why. The original version of this song was written by a guy named Richard Berry. And he was trying to capitalize on this, like, calypso craze, you know, like Harry Belafonte and, you know, come Mr. Tally Man, Tally me banana and all that stuff. Dayo. So he sang this song in that style with kind of a fake Jamaican patois.

[Ben]

Right.

[Noel]

Can we hear a little clip of that? True. Across the sea I sail the ship all of alone I never think I'll make it home do it, Lou. It.

[Ben]

And something happened to Barry that was unfortunately common for a lot of musicians at this time. He signed away his rights to the song in 1959. So he was not widely associated with it, nor did he reap any profit. But you can agree just with that cursory listen, it's a much different version, isn't that correct?

[Noel]

It's a much different version. And it also points out that the lyrics, if sung as written, are pretty benign. There's a little talk of the love of a lady but it's all very, you know, gentlemanly. And it's about missing your gal when you're a sailor and you're off to sea and waiting to get back to her. And it's all very romantic and not at all six ways to Sunday.

[Ben]

Not at all untoward. And that goes back to what I was saying earlier about how you can see the Kingsman versions live when they're not shouting at the ceiling. Oh, did we also mention that when they were in the studio, the engineer and producer had the entire band surround Jack Eli in a circle while they were wailing on that stuff?

[Noel]

Yeah, it sounds like this guy was not exactly a pro. But I think in those days there was a lot more like sharing microphones and just kind of like the tiny desk concert treatment, right. Where you have that one mic and you arrange everybody so that they get a good spread of sound. But it's all going to this one capturing device.

[Ben]

The weird thing about this investigation, too, is you heard us mention the laboratory examinations. They did play the record at different speeds. They attempted to discern or divine a meaning that did not necessarily exist. And they found that even in their examination in an FBI lab, they found the lyrics still to be unintelligible, which I think is a bit. A bit absurd. But even more absurd, at no time ever did they write to Jack Eli, the guy who sang the song. It was as simple as just asking him, hey, what is this?

[Noel]

Yeah, exactly. And it did come out later from Eli himself when quizzed about this eventually, that he. That it was a faithful cover of the original version by Richard Berry. And if you didn't catch it and when we played it back, the lyrics to that are losers, Louie. Oh, baby, me gotta go right and then a fine little girl she waits for me Catch the ship across the sea I sailed the ship all alone I never think I'll make it home, you know, but that little 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, is just rife for. Just put in whatever syllables you want and just freestyle it, you know?

[Ben]

And that riff. That riff actually didn't come from Barry, did it?

[Noel]

It didn't. It came from. What was it? A Cuban American band leader named R.E. touze's tune El Loco Cha Cha.

[Ben]

Yeah. His version had it played on piano with a nice brass song. But even that song, reputedly, is based on another Cuban tune.

[Noel]

Yeah, it's crazy how you see that happening with things kind of mutating over time or just being wholesale ripped off.

[Ben]

And check out how still how square the government comes across at this point. Uncle Sam reaches out through multiple institutions, not just the FBI. A guy named Ben F. Wapple, who I will reluctantly say, go Bins. To. Because he doesn't sound like a bad person. Just super confused. He wrote to Wand Records. He was the secretary of the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. He wrote in October of 1963 to the Record company and asked whether, even though unobjectionable lyrics were used in recording the song, there was improper motivation on the parts of the singers in making the recorded lyrics so unintelligible as to give rise to reports that they were obscene.

[Noel]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, America, get your mind out of the gutter is what I say to that.

[Ben]

That's so ridiculous.

[Noel]

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. How dare you shroud the content of your lyrics in mumbly, faraway recordedness? Because my mind is obviously going to turn them into smut.

[Ben]

Right? And it's phrased in such a circuitous, unnecessarily verbose way. It's like a conspiracy theory. He's asking them about a conspiracy. We also want to point out the Kingsman did not directly. They didn't see Barry's song and say, ah, that's mine. Now, they took it from another cover version by a group called the Wailers.

[Noel]

Like Bob Marley and the Wailers.

[Ben]

I don't think so. I don't think so. Their version of the song came out in 1961.

[Noel]

That's way earlier for them. Wailers, different whalers.

[Ben]

And again, the Kingsmen here are not. Are not like these sharky people out to rip off and plagiarize. This is a song they heard on jukeboxes around Portland. And Jack Eli brought it to rehearsal because he thought it was cool they were a house band.

[Noel]

Oh. Not to mention they are just a pack of dapper young lads. Fresh faced youths look like they'd be, you know, playing the Enchantment under the Sea dance in Back to the Future. I mean, really clean cut. They do not look like some kind of, you know, raunchy greasers. But it's cool, though, when you hear the recording. It has this fun, live, raw quality to it.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Noel]

The way the vocals are recorded, the way the drums are so in your face, the way that keyboard sounds that I understand what an influential recording this was, separated from all the controversy.

[Ben]

Yeah, it's catchy. It's catchy enough that you don't have to speak English or know what they're saying to enjoy the actual song itself. Again, if you don't believe us and you think there is something a bit sinister and raunchy about this song, please go check out their live performances. They're doing that little jaunty move where they go shoulder to shoulder, up and down when they're singing or playing the way that a lot of 50s and 60s boy bands do.

[Noel]

They're bopping.

[Ben]

Yeah, they're bopping.

[Noel]

They're bopping.

[Ben]

And it looks like the most innocuous thing. It looks. It looks like a guy. Honestly, it looks like a guy who has never been a sailor singing a song he heard about a girl from a sailor. Yeah, Picture this. You're in the garage, hands covered in grease, just finished tuning up your engine with a part you found on ebay. And you realize, you know what? I can also use new brakes.

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[Ben]

You can find anything there. It's unreal.

[Noel]

Wipers, headlights, even cold air intakes. It's all there.

[Ben]

And you've got ebay guaranteed fit.

[Noel]

You order a part and if it doesn't fit, send it back. Simple as that.

[Ben]

Look, DIY fixes can be major. Doesn't matter if it's just maintenance or a major mod, you got it.

[Noel]

Especially when things are guaranteed to fit.

[Ben]

So when you dive into your next car project, start with ebay.

[Noel]

All the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time.

[Ben]

Ebay things people love.

[Noel]

It is Ryan Seacrest here. There was a recent social media trend which consisted of flying on a plane with no music, no movies, no entertainment. But a better trend would be going to chumbacasino.com it's like having a mini social casino in your pocket. Chumba casino has over 100 online casino style games, all absolutely free. It's the most fun you can have online and on a plane. So grab your free welcome bonus [e-mail] sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary vgw group void where prohibited by law 21 + terms and conditions apply.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult.

[Noel]

Life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families. With greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance.

[Christopher Osiotes]

And keep an eye on what your.

[Noel]

Kids are spending with real time notifications. Kids learn to earn, save and spend wisely.

[Christopher Osiotes]

And parents can rest easy knowing their.

[Noel]

Kids are learning about money with guardrails in place. Try Greenlight risk free [e-mail] iheart@amica insurance, we know it's more than a life policy. It's about the promise and and the responsibility that comes with being a new parent. Being there day and night and building a plan for tomorrow, today for the ones you'll always look out for. Trust, Amica life insurance. Amica empathy is our best policy. Well, Ben, I have a proposition for you.

[Ben]

I think I can anticipate this proposition.

[Noel]

What do you say we extend this conversation, widen this net with a little extra credit?

[Ben]

Sounds great. This is our second time doing our extra credit segment, which.

[Noel]

Only the second time.

[Ben]

Yeah, only the second time. Which is where we go above and beyond and look to our wonderful friends, colleagues and collaborators for some assistance. And friends, neighbors. We mention one guy on our show quite a bit, but you may be wondering if he's a real person or if we just made him up. Well, the rumors are true. He is real. We have him here today, friends and neighbors, Christopher Haciotes.

[Christopher Osiotes]

You guys, I am real. I've been sitting over there this whole.

[Noel]

Time he's been here.

[Christopher Osiotes]

He's always been here in that corner.

[Noel]

He's like Jack Torrance in the Shining. He's just always been there.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Wherever there's a need for research on a podcast, I'll be there. I'll be there.

[Noel]

We're lucky to have you as our research caretaker.

[Christopher Osiotes]

I'm happy to be here.

[Ben]

Thanks for coming on the show, man. Now, off air, you reached out to us because this really inspired you to dig into the story, right? Like Louie Louie, I feel like it struck a personal chord with you.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Well, you know, in a past life, if I'm honest, I was a music journalist. And that's not just an imaginary past life. That's a real past life. In a lot of my career, early on, I was out late at clubs seeing rock bands, just kind of soaking in music. I used to DJ dance parties and.

[Ben]

What?

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, yeah. Like I said, a past life. But, yeah. So I spent probably, I don't know, an hour more than I should have just digging deep into different versions of Louie Louie because it's one of the most covered, most recorded songs out there, if not the most. And honestly, I could have spent hours more doing it, but I thought I would bring you guys some of those versions.

[Noel]

Ooh, I'm sorry. I had to retroactively make a joke. Its song must have actually struck three chords with you. A D and E minor.

[Ben]

Is that what you were looking up?

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, it's a good joke.

[Ben]

Yeah, it was worth it. So, Christopher, as you know, since you were here the whole time earlier, we talked a little bit about the origins of Louie Louie, and I did not know it was so extensively covered until you Showed us this astonishing list which has some surprising bands on it. Did you notice that, Nolan?

[Noel]

I did. I have a theory though, because it's such an open ended song that's three chords and it's just easy to just kind of go to town on vocally, as evidenced by the Kingsman version. And why it was such a headache for the FBI. Cause this guy's just kind of like mumbling all this crazy stuff. It could be anything. I think it's got like an appeal where it's like, I want to do my own crazy, rambling version of Louie Lou.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, it's a pretty basic song and that goes back to actually its origins, which you guys talked about a little bit. But the origins of rock and roll are in rhythm and blues and the African American musical experience. But one of the most ridiculous things about rock history is the under explored influence of Latin music on rock and roll. Usually I would say Cuban American music. So Richard Berry, who wrote Louie louie back in 1955, he was at a club and he heard this band. Ricky Riera and the Rhythm Rockers say it five times fast. Nope. Ricky Riera, Ricky Riera and the Rhythm Rockers. And they were playing a cover version of a song popular at the time in the mid-50s, a song by Rene Touzet. It was called El Loco Chacha. So I look at you guys, I think you're gentlemen of the world. You're probably skilled at ballroom dance.

[Noel]

Oh yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

So you take your typical cha cha and how does that go? You've got a 1, 2, cha cha cha, 3, 4, and cha cha cha cha cha. Exactly. Now what's really crazy, what's really loco? What if you flipped it to cha cha cha? One, two, cha cha cha.

[Noel]

Oh my gosh. Genius. So flipping the script, making a whole new thing.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Exactly. And we've actually, we've got Rene Touze's version of El Loco cha cha. Maybe Casey can cue it up a bit.

[Noel]

I would love to hear it in real time.

[Ben]

Let's check it out.

[Noel]

Got that nice Latin cowbell action.

[Ben]

I feel good for everybody listening. We all actually started nodding. Oh, hear that horn section.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, yeah. And so this is the tune that Richard Berry heard a cover version of. And the story goes he. He loved it so much that he said, I want to write a song to this tune. Which, you know, I guess you could do it today.

[Noel]

Yeah. So just a very diplomatic way of saying, I'm gonna have that.

[Christopher Osiotes]

I like this. I don't want to work too hard.

[Noel]

Right.

[Christopher Osiotes]

So I'm gonna Take this.

[Ben]

Well, here. He wrote his own lyrics, though, right?

[Christopher Osiotes]

He did. And reportedly he wrote them that night at the club on either, depending on who you hear from, a napkin or.

[Noel]

A piece of toilet paper, Perhaps a matchbook. Yeah, I don't know. That's my version. We talked a little bit earlier in the show about the fact that there was this kind of calypso craze at the time that was hot business. And Barry, in addition to being having a very perceptive ear picking up on something that he thought might hit, he also wanted to capitalize on this calypso craze. And it totally works in that genre. Especially the fact that he's saying it with kind of a fake Jamaican patois.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Right, exactly.

[Ben]

And that what we've confirmed, Right? That is absolutely an affectation.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Correct?

[Noel]

Yes.

[Ben]

So in this strange agglomeration of what could be called aggressive covering or plagiarization, we see a pattern that continues even to the modern day. What are some of the strangest covers you found?

[Christopher Osiotes]

So there's a wide variety of covers of this song, from the traditional to the really kind of off the wall. I wanted to start out with one that is from 1965. We're here in Georgia recording, so I thought I'd go with a Georgia recording artist, Mr. Otis Redding.

[Ben]

Oh, yeah. All right.

[Christopher Osiotes]

So you've got a kind of a really soulful R B version of Louie Louie.

[Noel]

Oh, I love me some Otis. Let's hear it. Oh, buddy. Interesting, the change up there.

[Ben]

He's making it his own. He doesn't have to go.

[Noel]

And he's doing a bit of a Louis.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Noel]

Which I like.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Noel]

Well, you see what I'm saying, though, it's just rife for AD Living.

[Ben]

Right. It's almost like a. A modern folk ballad where it seems no one really owns it and everyone makes it their own when they record it.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Well, and one of the things I like about Lou Louie, and especially its tradition of having unintelligible lyrics to a certain degree, is it. I think it really shines when the singer's voice itself just has a feeling. And I think that is. I mean, Otis redd his voice. He could sing whatever. And clearly he is. And you just feel it, you know, I mean, that's.

[Noel]

Sing the phone book.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Absolutely. So in the 60s, there are a lot of other covers of Louie Louie that kind of go along the same lines as the Kingsman version. You know, you've got the Trogs. The Sonics do a much kind of dirtier garage rock version. Those are all great, but let's dive into one that's a little weirder. This is still sort of in the rock genre, but we've got a guy named Mike Deasy, who. Now, Mike Deasy, he's a studio pro. He's a guitar guy. So this guy has appeared on recordings by the Everly Brothers, by Richie Valens. He toured with the Coasters. He was in the Wrecking Crew, which was the famous recording band who backed up recordings like Pet Sounds. He played on albums by the Monkees, by Michael Jackson, Frank Zappa, Sinatra, Streisand. This guy Mike Deasy was one of the guitarists on the stage for Elvis Presley's 1968 comeback special, that TV special where he had the black leather.

[Ben]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

And. And Mike Deasy was one of the guitarists. So this guy Mike has a long career of backing up other folks. But in 1967, he put out his own solo album to show off his guitar virtuosity under the name Friar Tuck and his psychedelic guitar.

[Ben]

I've got to scoot to the edge of my seat for this one. Yeah. Casey, can you hit it for us?

[Noel]

Oh, I love this already so much.

[Ben]

Oh, there we go.

[Christopher Osiotes]

So it's. It's. It's mellow.

[Noel]

You can see me right now. I'm swaying back and forth with a goofy grin on my.

[Christopher Osiotes]

No. Looks dreamy.

[Ben]

There we go.

[Christopher Osiotes]

It's got that sort of gauzy, psychedelic soundtrack song.

[Noel]

This is right up my alley.

[Ben]

I'm going to play this. Yeah, I. This is my favorite so far, big time.

[Noel]

I always want to hear up to the verse because everyone does their own thing. They change the lyrics. They do their own different cadence. I want to hear what this does with it. No, I think maybe not even. Maybe they're not even gonna do a verse.

[Ben]

I love the finger picking, too, you.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Know, I mean, this is. It's Friar Tuck and his psychedelic guitar. And I would totally recommend looking up this record online because the COVID of the album is pretty stellar. Looks like a total weirdo.

[Noel]

I love the fact that there are no verses. It's all just vamps.

[Ben]

It's about the experience.

[Noel]

Yeah. Now, this is dope. I love it.

[Christopher Osiotes]

I mean, again, the verses, if you can't understand them, do you need them?

[Noel]

No.

[Ben]

Right?

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah.

[Ben]

It's about the feeling.

[Noel]

It's about the feeling.

[Christopher Osiotes]

And it looks like you guys, to those of you listening who can't see, Noel and Ben are feeling this.

[Noel]

Oh, I'm feeling it hard, buddy.

[Ben]

Yeah, I think that's gonna stay with me. I'M I'm kind of sad that we. I'm kind of sad that we can't just play that entire song right now. But. But what's the next cover?

[Christopher Osiotes]

So here we're gonna go forward a couple years. We're still sticking in the 60s, so 1969. The singer, Julie London, she is famously known for having this really kind of mellow affect, really nice kind of soft, hazy, smoky vocals. And she put out a record called Yummy, yummy yummy in 1969. And her version of Louie Louie closes out that album. And it's just got sort of a really quiet, almost narcotic vibe going on. It's unlike most of the other versions you hear, which are a little more upbeat.

[Ben]

Can I say just before we roll this, you are doing a fantastic job curating this music for us. Do you make mixtapes?

[Christopher Osiotes]

Do you? I do make mixtapes, mix CDs, all that liner notes, whatever you need. Were you a younger person? Am I a younger person? I might, you know, put together a mixtape to try to woo you. And these are the things a younger man does.

[Noel]

Oh, for. It's a lost art, the mixtape. Now it's just the Spotify playlist, which isn't nearly as sexy, but it's the works, you know? Oh, yeah, it's woo. It's woo worthy. I used to get Smashing Pumpkins bootlegs in the mail. I would trade with people on message boards, and they would always take the rest of the tape that wasn't full of the bootleg and put filler songs on it. And that's how I learned about a lot of new music back in the day was from filler on Smashing Pumpkins bootleg. Yeah, yeah.

[Ben]

All right.

[Christopher Osiotes]

But, yeah, Casey, can we. Can we hear the Julie London version from 69?

[Ben]

Oh, already?

[Noel]

Yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Dramatic.

[Ben]

I was not expecting that.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Christopher Ben's eyebrows just arched up.

[Ben]

There we go.

[Noel]

I gotta go.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, it's a little bit of a Dusty Springfield vibe.

[Ben]

Dude.

[Noel]

I was just about to say I've been listening to Nothing but Dusty in Memphis for the past couple weeks. So Good. Very much so. Yeah. It's almost got that kind of Nico Narcotic kind of like.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Noel]

Hazy vibe. Well, here we go. I'll hear this first. I got the ship.

[Ben]

I like how they're putting in almost any instrument they want here. It's amazing.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah. And I always really enjoy when a song will flip the gender. You know, she's singing about a boy across the sea as opposed to a girl.

[Ben]

Yeah. And this feels very intimate.

[Noel]

Yeah.

[Ben]

You know, her voice feels very close.

[Noel]

But also very cinematic because it's like that schmaltzy Burt Bacharachi kind of arrangement. And then her vocal is very front and center. Such a departure from the Kingsman, where the vocals a mile away and completely unintelligible. I love this. Let's. Let's go on. This is so cool.

[Christopher Osiotes]

So this next version, we're going back to the islands, where the song kind of has its origins in that crossing the sea calypso vibe. Toots and the Maytals are an acclaimed, iconic band from Jamaica from the 60s and the 70s. And this version from the early 70s, Toots Hibberts just kind of. He. He just sings his heart out on this reggae, ska, and rocksteady inspired version.

[Ben]

Let's hear it.

[Noel]

There we go. Yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Just makes you want to kind of sit on a beach.

[Ben]

Yeah. I want to leave the studio, hop on a plane, you know, Again, you.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Can kind of just do whatever you want with the song.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

And make it your own.

[Noel]

It's very true. It's very true.

[Ben]

It's a great vamp song.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah. We could stay here all day listening to all these tunes, but let's.

[Noel]

If only.

[Christopher Osiotes]

I'm gonna bring the next one is. Is a lot harsher.

[Noel]

Great.

[Christopher Osiotes]

A lot louder. Okay. But the reason I wanted to play this song for you, it's by Iggy and the Stooges, so famously Iggy Pop and his band, punk pioneer. The reason I wanted to play this song, the version I'm gonna play for you is off of the 1974 record Metallic Ko, which is a live album, and it's a live recording of the Stooges last two shows ever in Detroit. They wouldn't play again together until they reunited, I don't know, 10 years ago or something.

[Noel]

Yeah, I saw him on that tour at the 40 watt in Athens, Georgia.

[Christopher Osiotes]

But the very last song they played at the very last show in the seventies was Louie Louie. And one thing that's particularly resonant about this song, the Stooges have a personal connection to Louie Louie. It's not just that they love the song, although they love all that classic rock and roll. Dan Gallucci, who played keyboards on the Kingsman version of Louie Louie, he was kicked out of the band. He was too young to go on tour.

[Noel]

That's what I heard. That's right.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah. His parents would not let him go out on tour, from what I've read.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

So Dan Galucci. But he played keys on the recording. What he ended up doing with his life, though. He was a record producer For Elektra, right? Yeah, for Elektra. And Elektra put out a lot of the Stooges records. Dan Gallucci produced the Stooges Funhouse, which is an iconic, iconic album.

[Noel]

Yeah, exactly.

[Christopher Osiotes]

So they've got. The Stooges have this personal connection to Louie Louie. The live version, they get wild, they get raucous. They get pretty vulgar. You can find some B sides and some studio outtakes of a cleaner version, but I wanted to play this live version just because it was the very last song they played at their very last show.

[Ben]

I'm gonna stand up for this one.

[Noel]

Lemon. Lemon.

[Ben]

Yes.

[Noel]

I never thought it come to this, baby. See, to me, this is like full circle back to the. The original version with the Kingsman. It's got that thrashy, bashy drum sound, that irreverent, snotty kind of vocal.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, just really dirty garage.

[Ben]

And didn't they purposely change the lyrics to be offensive?

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, we're gonna have to fade this out pretty soon because they do get pretty vulgar.

[Noel]

Let's let it ride. We'll give it a bleed.

[Christopher Osiotes]

We'll give.

[Noel]

We'll give it the bleep treatment. I want to hear it.

[Ben]

So that's a taste of it. That's a taste.

[Noel]

Well, what's funny is he's doing kind of the lyrics that the FBI said were the lyrics to the song that they weren't exactly.

[Ben]

Definitely doing something similar.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah. You think this is vulgar, let's make it vulgar.

[Ben]

Right. Which is smart. I think that's tremendously clever. So it sounds like we have time for just one more cover that might surprise some people.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, we're gonna go to 1983 Brooklyn for this one. We're going away from rock and roll, and we're going to early rap. The Fat Boys.

[Noel]

The year of my birth.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Oh, Fat Boys. Happy birthday.

[Noel]

Thanks, buddy. Yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

I'm glad you're here.

[Noel]

Me, too. Glad you're here.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Oh, guys. Well, I'm glad we're gonna listen to this song. The Fat Boys, they're a Brooklyn trio, iconic rap group. Kind of a jokey rap group, but they took a really meta approach to their version of Louie Louie, and they talked about what we've been talking about for a while.

[Noel]

Full circle. My. This song is going out to the whole wide world out there, and it called Blue and Away.

[Christopher Osiotes]

It's a party jam.

[Noel]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ben]

This is a banger.

[Christopher Osiotes]

I was rapping with my mom's about music one day. She told me about this song.

[Ben]

Called.

[Noel]

She Was My Age.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Called the big album Ass Rumble.

[Noel]

They thought it was filthy. Cause the words were bumble.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Like the singer was trying to cover up the lyrics.

[Ben]

So this is fantastic, because this song is about the history of the song they are covering.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Exactly.

[Noel]

Yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah. So you get into this sort of meta commentary where the. The singer is talking about a song that his mom heard, and his mom is telling him about it, and then they're singing it, and there's all these layers. So you tie in this idea of profanity, of violating social norms, of words causing outrage, but also words causing tons of joy.

[Ben]

So break it down for us, Christopher, if you could. Was there any actual validity to the rumors of obscenity in the Kingsman's Louie Louie? Was there any reason for the beef?

[Christopher Osiotes]

Absolutely not. And totally. Here's the last bit of extra credit that I'm gonna give you guys. The lyrics of Louie Louie contained no obscenities, but the recording did. The drummer drops one of his drumsticks, and he shouts out an obscenity in the background. And it made it on the record. Nobody noticed. The FBI didn't notice. And this is confirmed later in interviews with the drummer, in interviews with the band, they. Yeah, there's a bad word in there. And if you turn up the song, you know, you wouldn't know it at first, but if you know what you're looking for, you're gonna hear a naughty word.

[Ben]

Oh, wow, man.

[Noel]

Just goes to show, like, misdirection is a hell of a thing. Right? Not that they were trying to misdirect anybody, but people were so caught up on the unintelligibility of the lyrics that their minds created this problem that just wasn't there. All from a couple of angry letters from irate moms and I think a dad as well.

[Ben]

Yeah. And they went on to make a conspiracy. Yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

It goes to show you can affect change by writing a letter, but maybe you should maybe just don't. Yeah, just let it go.

[Ben]

Christopher, though, we don't want to let this segment go. Thank you so much for coming on to extra credit. Thank you for appearing on our show, man.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Oh, so great to be here, you guys. And, you know, if listeners dig this, there are tons of other cover songs for Louie Louie they can dive into. There's Joan Jett. There's a Barry White cover that I really, really wanted to play for you guys. But maybe we'll do that in private.

[Noel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Christopher Osiotes]

You know, it's Barry White.

[Noel]

That's true. I remember hearing it was Actually on the Wayne's World soundtrack, I believe a Robert Plant version of it where he's, you know, singing in his classic Zep voice and, you know, just really wailing and I couldn't understand the lyrics then either.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Yeah, there's a lot of live versions of. Of Zeppelin. There's a great live Bruce Springsteen version from a couple years ago. There's a Smashing Pumpkins version. Noel. Yeah, I gotta say, it's not that great.

[Noel]

Well, I can imagine it would be. And I'm also. They're dead to me.

[Ben]

So at this point, to me, this is an historic moment for our show because, folks, ridiculous historians, you're finally able to meet the guy that we talk about so much and I think he measures up to the height.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Hi, everybody.

[Noel]

Agreed, this was a lot of fun. So thank you, Christopher, for joining us. Thanks to our super producer, Casey Pegram and Alex Williams who composed our theme.

[Ben]

Most importantly, thanks to you for tuning in. If you had 20% as much fun listening to this as we did recording it, then our work here is done. Stay tuned and check us out our next episode. We explore the Al Basis war, a 40 year conflict sparked by. And you guys know this is big for me because I was talking about feathers on camel's backs sparked by feathers. A camel.

[Christopher Osiotes]

Oh.

[Ben]

So in the meantime, let us know what your favorite cover of Louie Louie is. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter where we are Ridiculous history or some variation thereof. You can also check out our community page, ridiculous historians.

[Christopher Osiotes]

And Ben, maybe we can post some of these versions in that community group.

[Ben]

Oh, I think that's a great idea.

[Noel]

Perfect. See you next time, everybody. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Step into the world of power, loyalty and luck.

[Ben]

I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.

[Noel]

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Now you want to get mixed up in the family business?

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[Noel]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest. For Albertsons and Safeway, February is the month of love. And while you're spending time showing love to your family and friends, make sure you show yourself some some love, too. Now through February 25th. Shop in store and online and save on self love Items from Dove like Dove Cucumber and Green Tea Body Wash, Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing body wash, dove antiperspirants, dove shampoos and dove conditioners. Offer ends February 25th. Offers may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details. CBS Monday, February 24th Introducing the new daytime drama beyond the Gates. Welcome to Fairmont Crest Estates, where the wealthy and glamorous Dupre family rules the community with poise and sophistication. That is, until a cheating husband and his trophy wife start stirring up trouble. Find out what happens beyond these majestic gates and behind closed doors, where scandal, romance, betrayal, passion, secrets and revenge await. CBS Daytime is about to get soapier. The new daytime drama beyond the gates premieres CBS Monday, February 24th and streaming on Paramount.