Berry moved with his family to Los Angeles as a baby. He began singing and playing in local doo-wop groups, recording with several of them including The Penguins, The Cadets and The Chimes, before joining The Flairs (who also recorded as The Debonaires and The Flamingoes) in 1953.
The Flairs’ record "She Wants To Rock", on Modern Records, featured Berry’s bass vocals, and was an early production by Leiber and Stoller. When, a few months later, that pair needed a bass voice for their production of The Robins’ "Riot In Cell Block #9" on Spark Records, they recruited Berry to provide the menacing introduction to the song – uncredited, as he was contracted to Modern. Berry’s voice was also used at Modern, again uncredited, as the counterpoint to Etta James on her first record and big hit, "The Wallflower (Roll With Me, Henry)", and several of its less successful follow-ups. Berry also recorded with several other groups on the Modern and Flair labels, including The Crowns, and girl group The Dreamers (who later became The Blossoms).
By the end of 1954, he left the Flairs to form his own group, the Pharaohs (see Richard Berry & The Pharaohs), while also continuing to work with other groups as a singer and songwriter. One of these was a Latin and R&B group, Rick Rillera and The Rhythm Rockers. In 1955, Berry was inspired to write a new calypso-style song, "Louie Louie", based on The Rhythm Rockers version of René Touzet's "El Loco Cha Cha", and also influenced by Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon". Richard Berry & the Pharaohs recorded and released the song on Flip Records in 1957, originally as a B-side. It became a minor regional hit, and, when the group toured the Pacific Northwest, several local R&B bands began to adopt the song and established its popularity. "Louie Louie" finally became a major hit when The Kingsmen's raucous version – with little trace of its calypso-like origins other than in its lyrics - became a national and international hit in 1963. The nearly unintelligible (and innocuous) lyrics were widely misinterpreted as obscene, and the song was banned by radio stations and even investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The song has been recorded over 1,000 times, but, because Berry sold its copyright cheaply in 1959, he received little financial reward for its success for many years.
Berry continued to record in the late 1950s, but with little commercial success, and also continued as a performer. His other songs included "Crazy Lover", recorded on their 1987 debut album by the Rollins Band.
During the 1980s, "Louie Louie" received a number of unprecedented accolades, with hundreds of cover versions being issued on CD compilations and played on radio marathons. In 1986 and again in 1993, Berry finally received substantial financial benefits for writing the song. In February 1996, he performed for the final time, reuniting with The Pharaohs and The Dreamers for a benefit concert in Long Beach. However, his health declined, and he died of heart failure in 1997. He was interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
Have Love Will Travel
Richard Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whoa baby will travel
Uh huh, uh huh, have love
Woah baby will travel
I said if you need loving then
Mm, hmm, I'll travel
Yeah, I'll travel from Main to Mexico
No matter when, no matter where I'll be
I'm looking for a woman that'll satisfy me
Wow, Have love
Whoa baby will travel
Uh huh, uh huh, have love
Woah baby will travel
I said if you need loving then
Mm, hmm, I'll travel
Yeah, yeah, yeah, have love
Oh baby will travel
Uh huh, have love
Oh pretty baby will travel
I said if you need loving then
Mm, I'll travel
Well I might take a boat or I'll take a plane
I might hitch hike or jump a railroad train
Your kind of love drives a man insane
So look for me walking just a any old way
Yeah, yeah, yeah, have love
Oh baby will travel
Uh huh, have love
Oh pretty baby will travel
I said if you need loving then
Mm, I'll travel
The song "Have Love Will Travel" by Richard Berry is a classic rock song that speaks to the idea of being willing to travel anywhere for love. The lyrics are simple but powerful, as they showcase the lengths that the singer will go to in order to find love and pleasure. The song is ultimately about chasing after what you want and being willing to go to great lengths to achieve it.
The chorus of the song, which repeats throughout the track, states "Have love, will travel." This phrase is meant to be a call-to-action for anyone who is in search of love. The singer is essentially saying that if you have love in your heart, then you have the ability to go anywhere and find what you're looking for. The idea of traveling for love is also reflected in the verses, as the singer talks about how he is willing to go from Maine to Mexico just to find a woman that will satisfy him.
Overall, "Have Love Will Travel" is a song about the power of love and the lengths that people will go to in order to find it. It's a classic rock track that has been covered by countless artists over the years and remains a beloved favorite of rock fans worldwide.
Line by Line Meaning
Wow, Have love
Having love is great
Whoa baby will travel
Hey, baby - I'm ready to go wherever you are
Uh huh, uh huh, have love
Yeah, yeah, I've got love
Woah baby will travel
Hey, baby - I'll go anywhere for you
I said if you need loving then
I told you before - if you need love
Mm, hmm, I'll travel
then I'm willing to go where you are
Yeah, I'll travel from Main to Mexico
I'll travel far and wide
Just to find a little girl that loves me so
to find a girl who really cares for me
No matter when, no matter where I'll be
I'll be there no matter when and where
I'm looking for a woman that'll satisfy me
I'm looking for a woman who can fulfill my needs
Oh pretty baby will travel
Hey, pretty girl - I'll go wherever you are
Well I might take a boat or I'll take a plane
I'm willing to travel by any means necessary
I might hitch hike or jump a railroad train
I'll do what it takes to get to you
Your kind of love drives a man insane
Your love is so amazing that it makes me crazy
So look for me walking just a any old way
So, you might see me walking in any way
Writer(s): Richard Berry
Contributed by Elizabeth L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@johnprestigiacomo2134
I've listed to the Sonics version countless times but finally getting around to hear the original.... Equally amazing in their own way! The same guy wrote this AND Louie Louie?!?! WOW!!!!
@martinlewis2143
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing! 🎸😃
@fasx56
Thank You for the history on these two songs, Louie Louie was played a lot in the dances that were held during the 1960s in my area.
@John1948Ten
Yeah, every garage band could sound good on this one.
@CumCouncelir
Got to admit this do be a bop
@user-gc8ge6jr5z
Bow bow bow........i couldn't have repeated that over and over without messing up.
@clarkewi
Absolute classic.
@ToddSoloStory
It’s pretty wild to listen to this, then the Sonics version, then the Black Keys one .
@jamesgriffiths1551
Gotta be honest... always thought The Sonics was the original 😬
@11mousa
I'd also recommend the version of Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Besides being good actors, those guys are better musicians than they get credit for and I love Aykroyds "dum daba dum daba doy doy..."