Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'N' Roll Song

by Dave Marsh

The author of Glory Days chronicles the rich history of the infamous tune sung by the Kingsmen, including the actual lyrics, the history of censorship, and other details.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

245 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1993

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first and last chapters (except where he compares LL to "Smells Like Teen Spirit") are tedious, and best brushed over, as Marsh attempts to give deep cultural significance to LL. I mean, the opening quote for the last chapter is from "Moby Dick", and we get Marx/Hegel in there - at the same time that he espouses, "Fuck theory."

But.....

The first few chapters after that, about the 1950's and early '60's music scene in LA, Seattle and Portland, are great. In this wonderful age of the Internet and YouTube I was able to find all kinds of gems that he mentions. And thanks so much to him for an introduction to The Sonics, who were The Black Keys decades before they were even born.

The 40 page list of covers of LL at the end of the book is a great addition as well.

Marsh can be (OK, *is*) acerbic and opinionated, which adds to the joy of reading this book.

But when he gets into potlach and "termite culture" here, well........

Really, I overall enjoyed reading this, and my Rock & Roll history for the '50's is weak (he nicely goes into the whole business side of it as well), and this filled some gaps. Reads quickly, and it is an entertaining read. Well worth picking up.

[Shenanitims · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Dave Marsh. But I'm not so sure about the premise of this book. It would make a fine Rolling Stone article, maybe even a two parter!, but
the story doesn't seem to lend itself to a book format so well. After all, most anyone who would pick this book up already knows the FBI spent years and millions of taxpayer dollars to determine the lyrics, and ultimately failed. That's all old-hat for anyone who'd pick up the book.

The list of Louie, Louie versions provided at the end though, is where Marsh shines. Notating all the different covers that we, the readers, will want to track down a d hear.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun and interesting story told by an excessively hyperbolic windbag.

[Nicholas George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does a somewhat schlocky and sloppy rock-and-roll record deserve a 200-page dissertation such as this? I suppose so, but there's so much minutia here, and facts that are repeated again and again, that it seems padded. Marsh clearly loves this song and its relevance to pop music and culture (he basically attributes every advancement in both after 1963 to this song) but this adoration is stultifying at times.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Always loved the song and being able to see how it became a cult classic was very enlightening. Was able to find all the recordings mentioned that led up to the Kingsmen's version as well as ones done after (thank you YouTube!). And finding out that Boston's "More Than A Feeling" has "Louie, Louie" in it was quite a shock...Oh, do look up "El Loco Cha Cha" on YouTube and be amazed!

[Sharon Falduto · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story in this book deserves more stories. It's really interesting! The song "Louie Louie," its composer (Richard Berry), the several early recordings of it, including the most famous one by the Kingsmen; the fact that it was investigated by the FBI because people were convinced the lyrics were filthy (even though no one could understand them), and the late 1980s "Louie Louie" marathons of every version ever recorded played back to back on radio stations, plus a "Louie Louie" parade in Philadelphia? Fun! Interesting!

BUT the author of this book is insufferable. He's that guy who comes into the comments section on YouTube videos to tell you how wrong you are to like this song, and how basically everything that he doesn't like is "wimp rock" or some other disparaging term. He was the editor of Creem magazine, which I don't think exists anymore, and he just embodies that 1980s/1990s/Cooler-Than-Thou White Guy music critic. At times I didn't want to continue the book because I found his tone so off-putting.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between Elephant Trash ("tramples everything in its hegemonic path, because it denies that anything outside itself if real") and Termite Trash ("it hints that everything is real and thus empowers even its antagonists"). Yeah, that sort of book. Sorry that he, a Detroit native, missed Iggy and the Stooges' last gig date by two years (not October 6, 1976, he had recorded The Idiot by then, more like 1974). Anyway, entertaining in an informative way in spite of the mistakes. Of course, The Kingsmen's version was a compounded mistake that made it to legend.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the urban legend is already well known...or is it? The story is really unbelievable and draws in all types of music characters. Are the words dirty? Did the FBI real investigate this song? You won't believe what actually happens in the version of the song you've heard a million times... I won't spoil the punch0lines if you don't know them, but there's surely enough to fill a whole, slim book with all the delightful side tales of the song's long lineage. While Marsh's grizzled tone can get a bit grating, he's never boring. duh duh duh- duh duh

[Mike]

A wild account of the history of "Louie, Louie" that also tracks the career of its writer, Richard Berry, and the improbable explosion of its popularity thanks to a cover by The Kingsmen. I don't do a lot of reading in this territory, but this is a fun book. Marsh's writing style adds loads of personality.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this story of how a 21-year-old doo-wop singer in south central L.A. wrote the most recorded rock and roll song of all time. Marsh promises to tell the story of rock and roll through the history of one song and delivers. I don't agree with everything Marsh says but he goes for it on every page and rarely falls short. Artful, engaging, insightful and (for this writer) inspiring.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing history of the evolution and history of a song, from a cha cha band and a young aspiring r and B singer in Los Angeles in the early fifties, through the Northwest where it became a club standard, into the offices of the FBI , who spent nearly three years trying to determine if was breaking the law, and finally into the fabric of America itself.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read about the original garage band song, Louie, Louie. It contains a lot of detailed history that shows how this song underlies a lot of rock and roll that came after it. It sent me to the internet to listen to many versions. The recounting of the story behind the unintelligible lyrics is probably the best part!

[Dave Neumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look into one of the more mysterious investigations the FBI has been a part of. Without Louie Louie, garage rock as we know it would not exist, and this book does a great job of making that a very strong argument.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

TMI, but a whole book about the song Louie Louie (or Lou-ay Lou-ay)? How do you less the 4 stars. Duh duh duh, duh duh

[Edie Heuss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that was a history not only of Louie Louie but also the African American music scene.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history was good. The mythology was eh.

[Chris Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The topic and history of "Louie Louie" was very interesting to read about. At times, I couldn't put the book down and other times I had to force myself to continue reading it. My only issue was the author tended to get into the weeds on details and history that I found insignificant to the story or history. I skipped the last chapter because it really didn't add anything to the song or its history.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The background history on the song from Richard Berry through the Kingsmen was fantastic. The rest of the book became a complete mess. The investigations into the lyrics was completely mishandled, the cultural impact is not fully fleshed out, it felt more like a rough draft than a finished product.

[Jeffrey Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is flawed but fascinating (and well-written). I don't even like the song much but couldn't put it down (through at least two readings over the years). Truth really is stranger than fiction. The chapter on the fatuous, incompetent FBI investigation alone makes the book worth reading.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of a song-- and the cultural underpinnings thereof. Not Marsh at his best, but has some worthwhile moments.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the controversy of a song that seemed to have been more suspicious due to limited clarity of the lyrics and their meaning.