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.
Money
The Kingsmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you can give 'em to the birds and bees
I want money
Yeah, lots of money, child
Yeah, stomp and shout, work it on out
Eh-eh, eh, eh-eh, eh-eh-eh
But there is one thing gonna pay your bills
And that's money
Yeah, money, child
Yeah, stomp and shout, work it on out
Eh-eh, eh, eh-eh
Man, look at those foul kids, stomp and shout, all right, wait on it
You know there's lots of things that I'd like to do
Yeah, child, I wanna do 'em with you
And that takes money
Man, look at those foul kids
Yeah, lots of money, child
Yeah, stomp and shout, work it on out
Eh-eh, eh, eh-eh, c'mon work it on out
I said money (money)
That's what I want
I said money (money)
Get money, child
Get money child
Get money child
Get money child
I said eh-eh, eh, eh-eh, eh-eh-eh
The Kingsmen's song "Money" is a classic tune that celebrates the importance of money in our lives. The lyrics start off by acknowledging that the best things in life are free, but the singer then dismisses this notion by saying that those things can be given to the birds and bees. The real focus of the song is the desire for money, and the lyrics express the belief that having lots of money is the key to a better life. The singer claims that while there may be many different things that can help cure your ills, the one thing that will always pay your bills is money.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I want money" over and over again, emphasizing the singer's desire for wealth. The lyrics also suggest that having money can bring people together and make it easier to do the things they want to do. The singer expresses a desire to do certain things with someone else, but notes that those activities require money.
Overall, the lyrics of "Money" are a celebration of wealth and the power that it can bring. The song suggests that money is the key to happiness and fulfillment, and encourages listeners to strive for financial success.
Line by Line Meaning
You know the best things in life are free
While some of life's best experiences don't require money, they don't put food on the table.
But you can give 'em to the birds and bees
Enjoyment without wealth is of little practical use.
And that's money
The primary means of paying for life's necessities.
You know there's many things to cure your ills
While there may be other ways to temporarily elate you, they might not fix the root cause of your problems.
But there is one thing gonna pay your bills
Money is the necessary resource for meeting your financial obligations.
You know there's lots of things that I'd like to do. Yeah, child, I wanna do 'em with you
Without money, it is impossible to afford the experiences I want to share with you.
And that takes money
Our ambitions will require a certain amount of financial resources.
I said money (money) That's what I want
Repetition of the song's theme: a desire for wealth.
Get money, child Get money child Get money child
An additional call to action and repetition of the song's theme.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, CTM Publishing
Written by: Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind