When recorded the band members were Jack Ely (vocalist/rhythm guitar; d. April 28, 2015), Lynn Easton (drummer), Mike Mitchell (lead guitar), Don Gallucci (electric piano) and Bob Nordby (bass guitar). Ken Chase (Kingsmen manager and Portland radio station KISN music director) produced the recording session. Robert Lindahl (Northwestern Inc. recording studio owner) was the audio engineer.
"Louie Louie" was kept from the top spot on the charts in late 1963 and early 1964 by the Singing Nun and Bobby Vinton, who monopolized the #1 slot for four weeks apiece. The Kingsmen single reached #1 on the Cashbox chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Additionally in the UK it reached #26 on the Record Retailer chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The B-side of the single was an instrumental, "Haunted Castle".
The band attracted nationwide attention when "Louie Louie" was banned by the governor of Indiana, Matthew E. Welsh, also attracting the attention of the FBI because of alleged indecent lyrics in their version of the song. The lyrics were, in fact, innocent, but Ely's baffling enunciation permitted teenage fans and concerned parents alike to imagine the most scandalous obscenities. All of this attention only made the song more popular. In April 1966 "Louie Louie" was reissued and once again hit the music charts, reaching #65 on the Cashbox chart and #97 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
After the success of "Louie Louie", the members of the Kingsmen took varied paths. Easton, whose mother had registered the name of the group and therefore owned it, declared that from this point on he intended to be the singer, forcing Ely to play the drums. This led Jack Ely and Bob Nordby to quit the group.
Ely would later form his own group Jack Eely And The Courtmen (with the reason for the extra "e" in his surname not clear). Don Gallucci was forced out because he wasn't old enough to tour and later formed Don and the Goodtimes, which morphed into the short-lived Touch. Later, Gallucci would become a record producer with Elektra Records, with his most famous production being The Stooges' seminal second album Fun House. ("Louie Louie" was frequently performed at Stooges concerts; the song appears on their live album as well as an Iggy Pop solo record.) The two remaining original Kingsmen, Lynn Easton and Mike Mitchell, toured as the official band.
Following legal action on both sides, Easton established his right to the "Kingsmen" name. Thus Ely was forced to stop using it, and Easton was forced to stop lip syncing to Ely's vocals. This initially hurt the Easton Kingsmen's popularity, after audiences realized that this was no longer the band they had come to see. Eventually, though, the official band (with Easton on vocals) charted several more singles in the 1960s.
The Kingsmen's 1964 follow up to "Louie Louie" was a party version of "Money (That's What I Want)" which hit the Billboard Hot 100 at #16 and on Cashbox at #17. Then came "Little Latin Lupe Lu" peaking on Billboard at #46 and Cashbox at #49. After that it was "Death of An Angel" #33 on Cashbox and #42 on Billboard.
1965 saw the Kingsmen return to the Top 10 nationally with "The Jolly Green Giant" reaching #4 on Billboard and #8 on Cashbox. The follow-up song was "The Climb" #45 on Cashbox and #65 on Billboard. "Annie Fanny" was released next reaching #43 on Cashbox & #47 on Billboard. Next came "(You Got) The Gamma Goochee" #98 on Cashbox & #122 on Billboard.
In 1966 the Kingsmen continued to hit the charts, with "Killer Joe" reaching #77 on Billboard & #81 on Cashbox. In 1967 they made the chart for the last time with "Bo Diddley Bach" reaching #128 on Billboard.
On November 9, 1998, The Kingsmen were awarded ownership of all their early recordings released on Wand Records from Gusto Records, including "Louie Louie." They had not been paid royalties on the songs since the 1960s.
Original vocalist Jack Ely passed away in 2015, and original guitarist Mike Mitchell in 2021. A reformed Kingsmen performed at the "24 Hour Louie Louie Marathon" in Portland in October 2023, a testament to the enduring fascination with this song.
--Other Groups--
Prior to this group's formation, another group called The Kingsmen operated in 1958 and was made up of members of Bill Haley & His Comets who were moonlighting from their regular work with Haley. This group scored a hit record (#35) on Billboard with the instrumental entitled "Week End", written by Rudy Pompilli, Franny Beecher, and Billy Williamson, backed with "Better Believe It" as the B side. They released a follow-up single on East West Records featuring "The Catwalk" backed with "Conga Rock". Although the Comets did the actual recordings, when The Kingsmen went on tour a different set of musicians performed instead of Haley's people. The band made at least one appearance on American Bandstand in 1958.
Various other groups have used the name "The Kingsmen", including a gospel vocal group formed in 1956 (also referred to as The Kingsmen Quartet) and bands that were later re-named as Flamin' Groovies, The Gants and The Statler Brothers. An a cappella group at Columbia University is traditionally known as The Kingsmen; one incarnation of that group became Sha Na Na; also circa 1962-63, Bruza / Magnoli / Nofz / Tomczyk adopted that name in SE MI until dis-banding during the late-1970s.
Louie; Louie
The Kingsmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Louie Louie, oh baby, take me to where ya gotta go
A fine little girl, she waits for me
Me catch a ship across the sea
Me sailed that ship all alone
Me never think I'll make it home
Louie Louie, oh baby, take me to where ya gotta go
Fuck
Three nights and days I sailed the sea
Me think of girl constantly
On that ship, I dream she there
I smell the rose in her hair
Louie Louie, oh no, take me to where ya gotta go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, baby
Louie Louie, oh baby, take me to where ya gotta go
Okay, let's give it to 'em right now
Me see
Me see Jamaica, the moon above
It won't be long me see me love
Me take her in my arms and then
I tell her I'll never leave again
Louie Louie, oh no, take me to where ya gotta go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, baby
Louie Louie, oh baby, take me to where ya gotta go
I said me gotta go now
Let's hustle on out of here
Let's go
The Kingsmen's song Louie Louie is a song that has been the subject of much confusion and controversy since its release in 1963. The song's lyrics are notoriously difficult to understand, leading to rumors that the song contained "dirty" or "obscene" lyrics that had been deliberately obscured. However, despite numerous investigations by the FBI and other authorities, no such lyrics were ever found.
The lyrics themselves tell a simple story of a sailor who is pining for his lover as he sails across the sea. The titular "Louie" is never explained, but seems to be some kind of spiritual guide or guardian who can take the singer to wherever he needs to go to be with his love. The singer is clearly struggling with being apart from his lover for so long, but is comforted by the thought of being reunited with her when he returns home.
Despite its sometimes puzzling lyrics, Louie Louie has become one of the most iconic and enduring songs of the 1960s, a timeless classic that is still beloved by music fans of all ages. Its upbeat, danceable rhythm and catchy melody have made it a staple of jukeboxes, radio stations, and dance halls all over the world, and its influence can still be felt in modern pop music today.
Line by Line Meaning
Louie Louie, oh no, you take me to where ya gotta go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, baby
Louie, I need your help to get where I want to go. Please take me there.
Louie Louie, oh baby, take me to where ya gotta go
Louie, my friend, let's get moving and go where we need to.
A fine little girl, she waits for me
There's a girl waiting for me, and she's really beautiful.
Me catch a ship across the sea
I caught a ship to travel across the sea.
Me sailed that ship all alone
I sailed the ship by myself, with no one to keep me company.
Me never think I'll make it home
I didn't think I would ever make it back home alive.
Three nights and days I sailed the sea
I spent three entire days and nights at sea.
Me think of girl constantly
I couldn't stop thinking about the girl waiting for me at home.
On that ship, I dream she there
I dreamt that she was with me on the ship.
I smell the rose in her hair
In my dream, I could smell the scent of roses from her hair.
Fuck
Exclamation of frustration or shock.
Me see Jamaica, the moon above
I saw Jamaica and the beautiful moon above while sailing.
It won't be long me see me love
I'll be with my love soon, it won't be long now.
Me take her in my arms and then
When I see her, I'll hold her in my arms tightly.
I tell her I'll never leave again
I promise her I'll never leave again, and I'll stay by her side forever.
I said me gotta go now
I need to leave now.
Let's hustle on out of here
Let's hurry up and leave this place quickly.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Richard Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind