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.
Wild Thing
The Kingsmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Wild thing, I think I love you
But I wanna know for sure
Come on and hold me tight
I love you
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
Wild thing, I think you move me
But I wanna know for sure
Come on and hold me tight
You move me
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
The Kingsmen’s Wild Thing is a classic rock song that captures the essence of the free-spirited, wild lifestyle of the 60s. The song is essentially a love song to a girl who is wild and free. The lyrics express a deep attraction and love for the girl, but there’s also a sense of uncertainty and hesitation in the words.
The first verse of the song begins with “Wild thing, you make my heart sing, you make everything groovy, wild thing.” These lyrics paint a picture of a girl who makes the singer feel alive and full of joy. He refers to her as “wild thing” and compliments her ability to bring happiness to everything around her.
The second verse begins with “Wild thing, I think I love you, but I wanna know for sure, come on and hold me tight, I love you.” In this verse, the singer confesses his deep love for the girl, but he also expresses his hesitation and uncertainty. He wants to be sure of his feelings before fully committing to her.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrases from the first verse and reinforces the idea that the girl is wild and free-spirited. The song ends with a repetition of these lines, emphasizing the powerful impact the girl has on the singer.
Overall, Wild Thing is a classic love song that captures the essence of the wild and free lifestyle of the 60s. The lyrics express a deep love and attraction to a girl who brings joy and happiness to everything around her, but there’s also a sense of hesitation and uncertainty about fully committing to her.
Line by Line Meaning
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
The subject of the song has strong feelings for the listener and their presence fills them with joy and happiness.
You make everything groovy, wild thing
The listener's wild and carefree spirit adds an exciting and enjoyable energy to everything around them.
Wild thing, I think I love you
The subject is coming to the realization that they have deep feelings of love for the listener.
But I wanna know for sure
Before fully embracing their feelings and confessing their love, the subject wants to be certain that those feelings are reciprocated by the listener.
Come on and hold me tight
The subject is yearning for physical affection and security from the listener as a sign of their mutual feelings.
I love you
The subject finally confesses their love for the listener, indicating that they have received the validation and confirmation they needed to express their true feelings.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Chip Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind