International Louie Louie Day

April 11st every year is considered as an annual celebration named International Louie Louie Day in order to celebrate "Louie Louie," one of the most recorded songs in rock and roll history.

History of International Louie Louie Day

International Louie Louie Day occurs on the birthday of Richard Berry, the song's author, who was born on that day in 1935. Many other important events surrounding the song also take place in April, making the song to be organized at the right time.

The song was written by Richard Berry in 1955 and released in April 1957 on Flip Records, under the pseudonym Richard Berry and the Pharoahs. The song is influenced by the rhythm of "El Loco Cha Cha" by Cuban composer René Touzet, which itself is based on another Cuban song. It was also influenced by the rise in popularity of calypso music in the United States at the time. The plot was gotten inspiration from Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon" and Johnny Mercer's "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)".

In 1961, Rockin' Robin Roberts and the Wailers recorded another version of the song. Do not be confused with Bob Marley's group. This version first added the phrase "Give it to them, now!" into the lyrics and immediately it became top hit in the Northwestern United States. Later, many other bands began to cover the song in their own ways after hearing this version, including the Kingsmen. On April 6, 1963, they recorded their version in one go, at Northwestern Inc. in Portland, Oregon. This will become the most enduring version of the song. Since the microphone was hung above singer Jack Ely, it was difficult to decipher exactly what he was saying in the recording. Since it was recorded all in one go, it has a raw sound and residual imperfections. Most notably, after the guitar solo, at around 1:57, Ely started performing his vocals but then abruptly stopped, realizing that he had arrived too soon. Drummer Lynn Easton can be heard trying to cover up the mistake by beating the drums.

It was released on Jerden in May 1963, then picked up and released by Wand Records in October. It peaked at number two on the Billboard charts in December of that year and peaked in the top 100 ratings for a total of sixteen weeks. However, the song is not without controversy. Because the lyrics are sometimes confusing, which many consider obscene, it has been banned by some radio stations. The FBI had ever investigated its lyrics during over 30 months. Finally, because Ely's lyrics could not be deciphered, it was assumed that the lyrics should not be obscene. Ironically, around 0:54 of the song, Lynn Easton screams emphatically after dropping her drumstick. The band split shortly after the single's release and did not receive royalties on their songs until the late 1990s. They won a legal case on April 10, 1998, which allowed them collected $200,000 in royalties, and they got back the rights to all their songs from the Wand catalog.

"Louie Louie" has almost become the official Washington State anthem, after Ross Shafer of the TV show Almost Seattle worked on a replacement for "Washington, My Home." On April 12, 1985, the Washington State Senate declared it Louie Louie Day. At the State Capitol in Olympia, there was some amazing performances made by the Wailers, Kingsmen and Paul Revere & the Raiders who also had their own version of the song in 1963, only in 1963, a week after the Kingsmen, in the same studio. Louie Louie Day took place in Seattle on April 15, 1985, following a proclamation by the mayor. Washington-themed lyrics also came out that day, written by Richard Berry.

In addition to being recorded by countless bands, the song has won many other awards. It was played after "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in the Seattle Mariners' home games. It was also ranked among the 500 Rock and Roll Songs of the Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In 2003, from a discussion of a group of Louie Louie fans about Richard Berry's birthday, there was a decision that April 11 every year should be Louie Louie Day. In 2007, the Louie Louie Supporters and Musicians Association also began promoting the day.

How to celebrate International Louie Louie Day

Celebrate the day by listening to the song! Ask for it from the radio station and let them know about the date if they do not know about it. If you're a DJ, let gather your friends together to play as many versions of the song as you can, an estimated 1,500 versions of the song have been recorded. Here are samples of some of the more notable versions of the song:

Richard Berry and the original version of the Pharaohs

Rockin' Robin Roberts and the Givers

Kingsmen

Paul Revere & The Raiders

Otis Redding

The Sonics

Toots and the Maytals

Diesel

Black flag

Iggy Pop

You can choose from one of the many compilations of already released songs or search around the record stores for old '45s songs. Since "Louie Louie" is known as a ga- quintessentially quintessential, this is a good day to see some other rock music, such as Lenny Kaye's Nuggets. Reading a book about the song while you are listening to different versions of it can be another fun way to spend the day.

Why not play your own song and record a version with your own unique color? Since the lyrics have been changed so many times over the years, and without even really knowing what the lyrics of the Kingsmen version are, you can create any lyrics you want. If you are preparing for a trip, you can visit the place where he recorded his version of the song, at 411 SW 13 Avenue, Portland, Oregon.