'Louie Louie' singer Jack Ely of Kingsmen dead at 71

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My FAVORITE song in middle school. LOL
 
Those were the days:

"The FBI, believing Ely's words to be pornographic, launched an investigation into the tune and concluded that the vocals were "unintelligible at any speed." The Feds eventually compiled a 455-page report on the single, of which Sean told The AP Jack got "quite the kick" out of. He also said Jack knew the words and was not muttering not-so-sweet nothings into the microphone. "I always thought the controversy was record-company hype," Ely once told Rolling Stone." - Rolling Stone

And people wonder why the 'youngsters' revolted.
 
The result was that Ely - who was 20 at the time - had to shout as loudly as he could to be heard over the drums and guitar.

It might not have helped, either, that Ely was wearing braces at the time, although he maintained that the main problem was trying to sing with his head tilted back at a 45-degree angle
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That must have been difficult to do. Always like these little bits of information about someone, it's like getting a small peek into the music making world.
 
I remember this song when I was a senior in hs. It was immediately preceeding the British Invasion. At the time, it didn't really seem like anything special but it had staying power without equal. Louie Louie was actually still on the charts in early February of 1964 when the Beatles hit #1 with I Want to Hold Your Hand.
 
STANDREID said:
I remember this song when I was a senior in hs. It was immediately preceeding the British Invasion. At the time, it didn't really seem like anything special but it had staying power without equal.
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:laugh:It's hilarious. The lyrics are extremely innocuous, and it's not a "great" song, but because some angry parent thought it was obscene because it sounded slurred, they wrote a letter to A.G. Bobby Kennedy and the FBI thoroughly investigated- a 455 page report- only to conclude that "the lyrics were unintelligible at any speed"! The gov. of Indiana even banned it and a marching band was prohibited from playing it, yet it's the most recorded song ever. Big comeback was in the movie Animal House.
 
I cranked this up a few decibels and danced my way through the house. No, not a great song, but it still makes me smile.
 
Thanks for those two earlier versions but they are a little soul challenged compared to the Kingman version.
 
At one time, Philadelphia hosted a yearly "Louie Louie" Parade. It was so funny-just floats, bands, groups playing one song-"Louie Louie." It was sponsored by a radio station, and kazoos were sold for parade goers. Money was raised for Leukemia. At the end of the parade, the public was invited to join in, with their kazoos. I used to take my granddaughter-we loved it.
 
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