Breaking the Law – You Don’t Know What It’s Like #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #JudasPriest

Imagine the scene.

A band of heavy metal giants invaded the hallowed halls of a famous residence in the countryside near Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom.

When Judas Priest began to record their album ‘British Steel’ they were at a crossroads in their career. Maybe it was fortuitous, because so to was the country, and it was out of this combination of circumstances that they built the sound and message for this ground-breaking recording.

And it all happened at Tittenhurst, which was famous for being the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from 1971-1973 when Lennon recorded ‘Imagine’, and subsequently purchased by Ringo Starr in 1973 for 5 million British pounds. At the time, Ringo Starr was living in Los Angeles with his wife Barbara Bach. As a revenue stream, Ringo would rent Tittenhurst out to many bands because word had got out that the studio had a cool setup and a great sound.

For Rob Halford, it was all a bit of a blur, but they got there.

I’ve never been able to answer the question as to how and why we ended up at Ringo’s place! That’s just kind of crazy when you think about it. But we were there, and for me as a lifelong Beatles fan, and particularly as a lifelong John Lennon fan because he touched me in so many ways outside of the music that he made – it was just crazy to walk around that house.”

By the time Judas Priest converged on Tittenhurst in the early part of 1980 they brought with them a heavy metal spirit and a punk attitude. In the words of vocalist, Rob Halford;

 We’ve got to try and get this punk attitude into our music,” but it certainly seemed to capture some of that anarchy in its projection, musically.”

Part of this approach involved a streamlined creative process that saw Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing write all the songs on ‘British Steel’. In rock and roll the number one rule of song writing has always been, when in doubt, write about what you know, and if that becomes a challenge, do everything you can to write material that relates to you core audience. In Rob Halford’s autobiography, ‘Confess’ he harkens back to the Margaret Thatcher era and the perceived sense of hopelessness that prevailed not only for many of the people he grew up with, but also for future generations.

A lot of bad stuff was going on. The heavy industry and the car makers in the Midlands and around the country were struggling, and there was already talk of factory closures. Unemployment was shooting up. Worst of all, millions of young people had no hope and felt they were being ignored. Writing the lyrics for ‘Breaking the Law,’ I tried to put myself in the mind of a jobless young bloke at his wits’ end.”

Judas Priest was from Birmingham, England and as far as they were concerned, Birmingham was the birthplace of heavy metal. Their role was to carry the torch.

Once Halford, Tipton and Downing took on this perspective the material began to flow. Here is Glen Tipton’s recollection.

We used to meet up at various houses to write, and we just broke into that riff one day and the song wrote itself. We wrote that song in about an hour, I think. Rob just started singing, ‘Breaking the law, breaking the law,’ and before we knew it we had a classic Priest song.”

Rob Halford adds that it was like a heavy metal assembly line and the product was made from authentic ‘British Steel’.

So, you had three minutes of ‘Breaking the Law,’ three-and-a-half minutes of ‘Living After Midnight.’ It was different, but we figured, ‘Maybe that’s the best way to go about it. Don’t think about it too much.’ Going with your gut instinct is always a great thing to do with music.”

Here is ‘Living After Midnight’.

The keep it simple method was employed. They were aiming to reflect the prevailing angst of the time. Out of the ashes of the punk movement, two definite musical genres were evolving. New wave and a more image conscious style of heavy metal. The following quote speaks to themes Judas Priest’s writing triumvirate explored in their album ‘Screaming for Vengeance’ and ‘Defenders of the Faith’.

I’m a bit of a science-fiction fan, and I think I got the lyrics from that world-robots and sci-fi and metal gods, just by word-association. It’s a statement against Big Brother or something, about these metal gods that were taking over”

For an example of the rock gods persona and ‘Big Brother’ theme, here is ‘Electric Eye’ from ‘Screaming for Vengeance’.

To their credit, Judas Priest was relatable to their audience in every way.

Mission accomplished.

Getting back to 1980, Judas Priest’s arrival at Tittenhurst was not the first plan. In late 1979, they had completed a European tour as a supporting act for AC/DC. The band was unified in their respect for AC/DC’s approach to song writing. In the early part of 1980, they began a brief recording session at Startling Studios which is also on the grounds of Tittenhurst. Before too long, these heavy metal gods kicked in the doors of Tittenhurst in a figurative sense and everything was turned up to eleven.

How cool that was, yeah. For many of us, The Beatles really touched us with their music, especially from those early days into more advanced plays of musicians and incredibly innovative and ground-breaking work from [1967’s] ‘Sgt. Pepper’ onwards…Bands could go in there and make a record, so this was surreal, and I remember driving up to the front door, which you see in some of those wonderful videos [like ‘Imagine’]…And oh my god, we’re actually here, walking inside, so we were literally walking in the footsteps of these incredibly powerful, talented musicians, and I think we picked up some Beatle magic in there because ‘British Steel’ turned out to be a really important album for Priest and for metal.”

For Judas Priest, everything became a source for sound; from milk bottles dutifully delivered each morning by the area milkman, to cutlery from Ringo’s kitchen. To their credit, they were very resourceful.

When we were recording that track, we had loads and loads of fun trying to make it sound as metal as we can. We were shaking cutlery trays in front of the microphones to create the sound of metal marching feet…In those days there wasn’t an Internet, so you couldn’t go online and download samples. So, we would whip a piece of guitar chord on a flight case or swish a pool cue in front of a microphone for the audio effects. I lifted and dropped that cutlery tray 100 times, I think.”

Credit for the police siren simulation goes to K.K. Downing who used the tremolo arm on his Stratocaster guitar.

Since its release ‘Breaking the Law’ has been a massive favourite among Judas Priest fans. It checks all the boxes. It is announced by a distinct riff. It has a rebellious message. The repetitive chorus inspires action, and above all, it is short and sweet. It’s a cathartic release.  Best of all, the members of Judas Priest gathered with director Julien Temple to shoot a video that reflects the restlessness and angst of their audience. It begins with singer Rob Halford riding in the back of a 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado convertible. He meets up with the rest of the band at a bank, and they proceed to break in, using their instruments as weapons. Their intention is to enter the vault and crack a safe that holds the object of their heist; a gold record of ‘British Steel’. A bank security guard is first shown to be sleeping, but then wakes up to see the band in the midst of their act while watching on closed circuit TV. Rather than respond, the security begins playing air guitar to ‘Breaking the Law’ as the band jumps into the Cadillac and escapes.

For the record, ‘British Steel’ actually exceeded gold status. It rose to the platinum level.

The video, much like the song speaks directly to their audience They are imploring their fans to put some action in their life.

Here are the lyrics presented by Rob Halford, Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing.

There I was completely wasting, out of work and down
All inside it’s so frustrating as I drift from town to town
Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die
So I might as well begin to put some action in my life

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law

So much for the golden future, I can’t even start
I’ve had every promise broken, there’s anger in my heart
You don’t know what it’s like, you don’t have a clue
If you did you’d find yourselves doing the same thing too

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law

You don’t know what it’s like

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law”

Elements of this song came to life on this day forty years ago when Judas Priest descended upon Madison Square Garden in New York City to promote their ‘Defenders of the Faith’ album. New York DJ, Perry Stone was MCing the event and when he took some time to list a series of acts that were slated to play over the summer of 1984 the crowd became increasingly unruly. It seems they weren’t too big on performers like Neil Diamond and Helen Reddy.

Here is Stone’s recollection.

Naturally, the crowd of 20,000-plus booed me when I introduced myself, but began to get truly unruly when I read that list of uncool acts. The crowd proceeded to throw firecrackers, M-80s, Cherry Bombs and assorted beer bottles at me.”

The scene escalated, and before too long some in the crowd ripped up some foam seats and began throwing them on to the stage. In the end, it is estimated the riot caused $250,000 in damage. Judas Priest was banned from ever playing the venue again which caused Rob Halford to quip with his tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Very metal. The horrible thing is that if we did play Madison Square Garden, there would be some enthusiast who was there from the original riot with his pen knife out. It would start all over again. So, it’s probably best.”

It gets even funnier. A short time later Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing attended a tennis match at Madison Square Garden, featuring John McEnroe. Because they had been banned, the guitar tandem aimed to blend in with the crowd. They thought they had succeeded until this happened.

There’s actually quite a funny ending to that. Me and Ken went there to watch [John] McEnroe play tennis in some indoor tennis championship. We went in hoodies, because we had been banned from Madison Square. Halfway through the tennis match, one of the ushers came down and he went, ‘Thanks for the new seats.'”

So, it seems ‘Breaking the Law’ doesn’t always pay.

Take a seat.

Based on the importance of ‘Breaking the Law’ in the lexicon of the Judas Priest library it is not surprising that the song has been covered by numerous acts since 1980.

Perhaps the most important cover is from Pansy Division in 1997. The ‘queercore’ alt rock band performed ‘Breaking the Law’ during a Pride event in San Diego. Here is a very raw video of that performance which features a special guest.

Take a moment to watch this video which tells the Pansy Division story. At about 57:30 their connection to Rob Halford takes centre stage.

I feel like I’ve been inducted into the rock ‘n roll hall of flame.”

The significance of this performance was far reaching. Less than a year later, Halford gave an exclusive interview with MTV where he came out publicly. The fact that he was well into his career as a rock star before he opening up about his sexuality makes sense because when Halford was growing up in England, homosexuality was outlawed until 1967.

This gives a whole lot of meaning to Rob Halford’s cry…

You don’t know what it’s like.”

It has led to many music fans surmising that for Halford at least, a portion of ‘Breaking the Law’ was deeply personal. In many ways the song was about people who felt they could not express themselves.

Trying to deal with their alienation.”

Judas Priest was giving them a voice.

Looking back on Pansy Division as a band and this concert moment demonstrates an interesting evolution of acceptance. When Pansy Division was rising as a popular musical act nobody was out, but as their popularity increased more and more musicians began to open up about their sexuality. This included artists like KD Lang, Michael Stipe. Etheridge and of course Rob Halford. The list goes on.

Acts like Pansy Division broke down barriers. In their words they served to ‘break the stigma’ of being queer entertainers, and to their credit they held nothing back.

Some people have asked if the message is more important than the music. This is an interesting question, but it says here that the two are inseparable. The message is in the music and the music is the message. Pansy Division were the messengers.

Before we move on to a handful of other covers let’s enjoy this fun adaptation from ‘The Simpsons’ which modifies the message to a desire for conformity. In ‘Respecting the Law’ the FBI goes after Homer who is being accused of piracy for downloading movies and going into hiding.  Judas Priest aims to lure Homer out with this revised take on the song.

Now for some more cover versions. Let’s go to 2006 and a unique take from Skafari. This is from ‘Hard Rockin’ Ska’. This is a blast.

One year later, Hayseed Dixie added ‘Breaking the Law’ to their album ‘Weapons of Grass Destruction’. This bluegrass take, on the heavy metal standard brings out the anguish in the narration. Everything Hayseed Dixie does is awesome, but this is among their best covers. I love these guys.

Now for some heavy hitters. Here is Lemmy and Motorhead with their nod to Judas Priest.

Going in a completely opposite direction, here is an intriguing lullaby version of ‘Breaking the Law’ and it works incredibly well.

Moving on to 2013, here are The Pinstripes with a rockabilly version of ‘Breaking the Law’. Again, really good, and the upbeat roots style works.

In 2017, a Swedish heavy metal band called Sturm und Drang covered ‘Breaking the Law’ on their album ‘Learning to Rock’. They cut their teeth on bands like Judas Priest. In 2017, K.K. Downing of Judas Priest joined the band on stage to do a rousing cover of ‘Breaking the Law’.

A few years later in 2020, a Romanian band called The Iron Cross released a cover of ‘Breaking the Law’. This young band ascended through their love of bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

It speaks to the evolution of this genre and it goes all the way back to Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Once again, all roads lead back to the Midlands

For Judas Priest, it all culminated in their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Enjoy this mini career retrospective.

Here is Alice Cooper and his induction speech which effectively breaks down the significance of Judas Priest in the lexicon of essential acts in music history. Here are the key points.

• Definitive metal band
• Defined the heavy metal sound
• Explosive dual guitar attack
• Rob Halford’s vocals and range
• The look. Black leather, studs and chains.
• Attitude to spare.
• The motorcycle
• A catalogue of great songs that spoke to their audience.
• A live act that was unforgettable

Alice Cooper is more than a peer. He is a friend and this speech is from the heart.

Immediately following Alice Cooper’s induction speech what else would they launch into? Here they are playing ‘Breaking the Law’. They are energized by the magnitude of the moment. This performance will send chills up and down the spine of any true music fan.

In this passage, Rob Halford summarizes the purpose.

Every night it’s a tiny bit different to any other, and I still get a massive adrenalin rush on hearing those twin guitars fire up. It’s also a great crowd participation number. Everyone’s had a confrontation with a copper and likes to scream about breaking the law, don’t they?”

And when everything gets broken down to the lowest common denominator every fan projects just a little bit of the Beavis and Butthead personality.

All you can say is…

That was cool.”

Ace of Spades – Born to lose, lived to win. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #Lemmy #Motorhead #DaveGrohl #LittleRichard #LeoMorrachioli #HayseedDixie

Let me begin by saying I know today’s feature is not for everyone. Please take the time to read it because there are stories within this story that are really interesting and even touching.

Today’s feature is a tribute to one of the most instantly recognizable artists in the heavy metal genre. Lemmy, (born Ian Kilmister) from Motorhead was distinct in several ways. His look, his sound and his demeanor. While leading Motorhead for forty years with his thunderous bass guitar sound and gruff voice Lemmy became a respected musical icon with a vast library of songs and a legacy that has inspired some huge names in heavy metal, death metal, speed metal, punk and even grunge and alternative rock. In short, he pushed the limits and led the charge. Thousands followed suit and when he died on this day in 2015, the music world was left in a state of shock.

When choosing a feature song for today’s post the obvious choice was ‘Ace of Spades’. It was almost too easy, but when it comes to promoting Lemmy and Motorhead through this platform it was the best option. In terms of ongoing influence, ‘Ace of Spades checks all the boxes. The ode to what is simultaneously considered to be the most ominous card in the deck and the most valuable creates a perfect backdrop to the Motorhead style. When combining the ‘death card’ with a series of gambling metaphors, songwriters ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke, Lemmy and Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor painted a picture of living life on the edge. Here are the lyrics for your reference:

If you like to gamble, I tell you I’m your man
You win some, lose some, all the same to me

The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say
I don’t share your greed, the only card I need is the Ace of Spades
The Ace of Spades

Playing for the high one, dancing with the devil
Going with the flow, it’s all a game to me

Seven or eleven, snake eyes watching you
Double up or quit, double stake or split, the Ace of Spades
The Ace of Spades

You know I’m born to lose, and gambling’s for fools
But that’s the way I like it baby
I don’t wanna live forever
And don’t forget the joker!

Pushing up the ante, I know you gotta see me
Read ’em and weep, the dead man’s hand again

I see it in your eyes, take one look and die
The only thing you see, you know it’s gonna be the Ace of Spades
The Ace of Spades

Motorhead

‘Ace of Spades’ was written and recorded in the summer of 1980, and released in late October. True to their carefully cultivated and overtly rebellious nature the initial release of the single saw a special 12” vinyl Christmas pressing that featured a photo of the band dressed in Santa outfits. Clarke and Taylor stood defiant with their arms folded over their chests while Lemmy thrusts his middle finger toward the camera. It is attitude personified. Out of curiosity, I looked up what that limited-edition vinyl would be worth today and it is going for just over $50 U.S.

The path to release was handled with a carefully crafted schedule of interviews and hype. Lemmy was interviewed on the BBC Radio 1 ‘Rock on Saturday’ show in early September, where the song was featured. In early and mid-October, Motorhead performed ‘Ace of Spades’ on two occasions on BBC’s Top of the Pops. This all occurred at a time where Motorhead was still struggling as a hand to mouth act. ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke tells the story of working on the side as a house painter in between gigs and recording sessions. When Motorhead was featured on Top of the Pops he was working with a paint crew. The session was recorded on a Wednesday and when the show was aired on the following Saturday, he announced to the crew that the band was about to come on. He and his mates all stood around an available TV, in their paint splattered uniforms, brushes in hand and watched the career altering performance. Here is that tape. Watch right through the introduction. This is presented with such beautiful British dignity.

The contrast is priceless when you consider that this style was the farthest thing from mainstream at the time. The brilliance of Motorhead, was in their ability to bridge punk and heavy metal. On several occasions through the years Lemmy emphasized that although Motorhead were considered masters of metal, he felt way more kinship with his peers and fans in the punk genre.

Upon its original release ‘Ace of Spades’ spent thirteen weeks on the U.K. singles charts, peaking at 15. In January of 2016, following Lemmy’s death the ‘Ace of Spades’ reached the top 10 on the singles charts and more importantly the Motorhead album of the same name hit #1.

There was a period of time in the early to mid ‘80s that Motorhead tried to shed the popularity of ‘Ace of Spades’. This was very evident shortly after ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke left the bad. Gradually, the group, in whatever incarnation, accepted the song’s importance. This acknowledgement happened in stages as you can see from these three quotes.

Here is Lemmy in 2000 referring to ‘Ace of Spades’.

I don’t see the song that way at all. I believe we’ve done our best work since Eddie left the band in 1982.”

Lemmy

Just two years later his stance softened a little when he acknowledged its importance in Motorhead’s evolution.

 (We) can’t ditch Ace of Spades, it wouldn’t be right. If I go to see Little Richard, I expect to hear Good Golly Miss Molly, or I’d be pissed off”

Lemmy

For the record, Lemmy loved Little Richard. Please read on for more about a connection between Lemmy and Little Richard. I promise, you will not be disappointed. This is one of the most genuine, emotional moments I have seen with one musician talking about another.

In an interview shortly before he died, he came right out and declared ‘Ace of Spades’ as one of his band’s finest accomplishments.

I used to have that thought occasionally, but I killed it. ‘Ace of Spades’ has been really good to us, and it’s one of the best songs that I ever wrote. So, I suppose you have to put up with it, because everybody wants to hear it, every night.”

Lemmy

Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister performed virtually right up until the day he died. Briefly, here is how it went. Lemmy had been plagued with a series of health issues throughout the 2000s and he had been hospitalized on a handful of occasions. Despite the challenges he continued to perform because it was what he loved. He performed through December 11, 2015. His final tour culminated in a huge birthday party for him at the famous Los Angeles bar; the Whisky A Go Go.

He [Lemmy] gets home [from tour], we have a big birthday party for him at the Whisky A Go Go. His friends came down and played. Two days later I could tell he wasn’t feeling good. So, we took him to the hospital. They release him. Then after the brain scan, they found the cancer in his brain and his neck. The doctor comes with the result a couple of days later and says “It’s terminal”.”

Todd Singerman – Manager

Lemmy died on this day in 2015, just four days after his 70^th birthday.

By all indications, Lemmy was a guarded, but very sincere man. He chose his words carefully and he charted a very unique musical voyage. He began as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and paid his dues as struggling musician through the ‘70s with a series of acts before his hard work paid off with Motorhead. It was as part of Motorhead that his legend grew and became carefully cultivated over time. Perhaps, the artist he influenced the most was Dave Grohl; the remarkably accessible, one-time drummer for Nirvana and eventual singer/guitarist for Foo Fighters. Grohl considered Lemmy one of his biggest inspirations, but more importantly, a friend.

We recorded [Lemmy’s] track in Los Angeles in maybe two takes about a year and a half ago. Until then I’d never met what I’d call a real rock ‘n’ roll hero before. Fuck Elvis and Keith Richards, Lemmy’s the king of rock ‘n’ roll—he told me he never considered Motörhead a metal band, he was quite adamant. Lemmy’s a living, breathing, drinking and snorting fucking legend. No one else comes close.”

Dave Grohl

Here is Dave Grohl delivering a eulogy to a captivated crowd at Lemmy’s memorial service. This ties the Little Richard reference together. It is precious.

Here is ‘Precious Lord Take My Hand’ as performed by Little Richard. Remember, Dave Grohl brought us here. What a tribute.

From here, it is only fitting that we feature Dave Grohl with his friend Lemmy, along with Slash performing ‘Ace of Spades’ at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in 2010.

Here are two phenomenal covers from a couple of Ted Tocks Covers favourites.

First, we have the magnificent Leo Moracchioli. He posted this in tribute the day after Lemmy died and it now has well over 2.6 million views.

And now for something completely different. Here are the bluegrass giants Hayseed Dixie.

Priceless!

“Born to lose, lived to win.”

Lemmy’s epitaph

The one and only, Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister.

Stand by Your Man – Today’s country classic and a diverse range of covers. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TammyWynette #TinaTurner #Motorhead #WendyO’Williams #LyleLovett

Today’s song is a career defining release from Tammy Wynette. ‘Stand by Your Man’ was released over 50 years ago. It went to #1 on the U.S. country charts and it even crossed over into the U.S. pop charts, going to #19.

Based on stories that emerged from the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville the song was written in about 15 minutes by Tammy Wynette’s producer, Billy Sherrill. Wynette was not particularly fond of the song at first. Not for the submissive context as much as the fact that it was not really like her previous releases, nor was it within her range when it came to a high note that she was forced to sing. This classic song was recorded 51 years ago today. Obviously, she overcame these concerns and it came to a point that no Tammy Wynette show was complete without ‘Stand by Your Man’.

The negative side to this hit was in its inevitable clash with the feminist movement that was emerging at exactly the same time. Over the years, Tammy Wynette managed to navigate this issue quite effectively by stating that the song was not so much about being submissive or taking a back seat to ones’ husband as much as it was about a wife’s acceptance of her husband in every way. Including the inevitable shortcomings that it seems every husband displays…some more than others. It is all summed up in the final line.

“After all, he’s just a man.”

Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill

The song became political in the 1990s when circumstances related to Bill Clinton and his extramarital affairs became daily news. In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes first lady to be Hillary Clinton stated that she;

“…wasn’t some little woman standing by her man like Tammy Wynette.”

Hillary Clinton

This raised ire in the public domain and it was even condemned by Tammy Wynette. The arguments went around in circles and they continue to this day when the morality of Presidents is discussed in relation to extramarital affairs and how they wield their power to objectify women. Truth be told, Bill Clinton was/is not a particularly moral man in the sense of his gross infidelities and dubious business connections, but the current occupant of the Oval office has taken the objectification of woman to new heights and it remains baffling how ANY self-respecting woman could support him.

“Stand by your man…” but only if he has honour and decency and respects you as a person.

For today’s cover versions I have come up with presentations of ‘Stand by Your Man’ from three relatively diverse sources.

To begin with, here is Tina Turner doing a cover. This is filled with irony because her issues with husband Ike are well documented. The couple were married from 1962 to 1978. To no one’s surprise, Tina doing country is pretty impressive.

In 1982, Wendy O’Williams of the Plasmatics was turning heads with her cutting edge delivery and on stage theatrics. She became known as the Queen of Shock Rock. When she covered ‘Stand by Your Man’ with Lemmy from Motorhead people were intrigued. Here is the result of that collaboration. This is wild.

Fittingly, there are many country covers of ‘Stand by Your Man. Thirty years ago Lyle Lovett and His Large Band covered it on his third studio release. It is a passionate delivery. A few years later he and Julia Roberts became the subject of many a gossip magazine and entertainment talk show headline when they began a brief courtship. The three week romance led to a marriage that lasted a couple of years before dissolving due to issues relating to career demands. The couple are alleged to have remained good friends.

Enjoy your day.

Louie Louie – Today’s classic song and several covers it inspired. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #RichardBerry #TheKingsmen and more.

Fifty-five years ago ‘Louie Louie’ by The Kingsmen was at #1 on the U.S. Cash Box music chart. Naturally, when I was planning my posts for this year I thought this timeless ditty would make a fun little feature. Then I began to research the song and realized there is enough material out there to literally write a book. Books have been written. So have documentaries and even feature albums focused only on renditions of this song. It is one of the most covered songs ever; if not the most covered song. There is actually a ‘Louie Louie’ day. Festivals commemorating the song have taken place. The list of adulation goes on and on. I can unequivocally state that everyone reading this post knows the song. Admittedly, this is not always the case.

In order to cover Louie Louie effectively I am going to do a series of point form passages that attempt to focus on the amazing cultural impact of ‘Louie Louie’ and the most interesting of the renditions through the years.

• ‘Louie Louie’ was written by Richard Berry in 1955. It is actually based on a Latin song called ‘El Loco Cha Cha’ by Rene Touzet. Here is the original song and the song that was its inspiration.

• The song tells the story of a Jamaican sailor coming home to see his love.
• Due to the undistinguishable lyrics by The Kingsmen the FBI investigated the song to see if anything subversive was at work. At the root of the investigation was a complaint by an angry mother to the U.S. Attorney General at the time. His name was Robert Kennedy. The investigation would last 31 months. All they discovered was the theme mentioned above and the drummer yelling “Fuck” at :54 because he dropped his stick. Further into the song the singer, Jack Ely jumps the cue on the final verse and waits for the band to catch up before continuing. Despite both blemishes the recording was pressed and became the massive success we all know.
• Richard Berry’s version sold 40,000 copies and was a regional hit in San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. He sold his rights to the song to the owner of Flip Records for $750 in 1959.
• ‘Louie Louie’ is recognized universally as a song that shaped Rock and Roll. It is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame. It is recognized by Rolling Stone Magazine, National Public Radio, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Association of America.
• On occasion ‘Louie Louie’ is seen with a comma in the title but Richard Berry told Esquire Magazine in 1988 that ‘Louie Louie’ is the correct title…no comma.
• It is reported that currently there are over 1600 cover versions of ‘Louie Louie’ recorded and many more exist on YouTube and other file sharing sites. This makes it one of the most recorded songs in the world; if not, the most recorded.
• In 1961 Rockin’ Robin Roberts recorded a version ‘Louie Louie’ with his band The Wailers. It includes the command “Let’s give it to them. Right Now!”

• The recording by The Kingsmen cost the band $50 to record. The five members split the fee evenly. The session was produced by Ken Chase, a Portland, Oregon radio DJ who also owned a teen nightclub that employed The Kingsmen as the house band. They used Robin Roberts version of the song as a guideline. The setup of the recording studio led to the sound you hear. Singer Jack Ely was placed in the middle of his bandmates with a microphone dangling down just above him. He had to stand on his tip toes and yell into it to have his voice heard over the instruments. This explains the raw sound.
• Initially ‘Louie Louie’ was a flop until a Boston radio DJ tried to slam it as his featured ‘Worst Record of the Week’. Naturally it exploded from this point on.
• Despite its massive success ‘Louie Louie’ was actually banned on many radio stations due to the slurred lyrics. The Governor of Indiana actually personally banned the song. Not Mike Pence. His reactionary politics would not descend upon this state until about 2001.
• ‘Louie Louie’ was the last #1 song before ‘Beatlemania’ took over the United States in February with ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’.
• By the time the song finally hit #1 The Kingsmen had broken up.
• Lawsuits relating to the ownership of the song extended through to 1998. Band members had not been paid for over thirty years. Ultimately, the Kingsmen were awarded ownership of all their recordings in what was a dispute with their record company; Wand Records/Gusto Records.
• The Kinks recorded a version of ‘Louie Louie’. There is a definite connection between The Kinks raw rock and roll sound and the success of The Kingsmen. The Kinks would go on to become a phenomenal band and a huge influence using this raw formula.

• Based on The Kingsmen’s success and The Kinks success Pete Townsend of The Who was instructed to write a song with the ‘Louie Louie’ formula and he came up with ‘I Can’t Explain’. ‘Louie Louie’ would actually appear on the Soundtrack to Quadrophenia.
• Jim Morrison’s first vocal performance with Ray Manzarek as a member of Rick and the Ravens  in 1965 included a version of ‘Louie Louie’. Morrison was so shy he stood off to the side of the stage with his back to the audience. The pair would go on to form The Doors.
• Even Motorhead covered ‘Louie Louie’. It was their first single. There is some good trivia for you. It features guitarist ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke who died one year ago.

• One of the most famous performances of ‘Louie Louie’ appears in Animal House with John Belushi in 1978. This is a fun version of the Belushi rendition. “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life .”

• Several U.S. College Marching Bands have performed versions of ‘Louie Louie’ through the years.
• ‘Louie Louie’ has even spawned numerous answer songs that speak to the song’s subject in future years with such titles as ‘Louie Louie Comin Back’ and ‘Louie Louie Got Married’.
• Collections of ‘Louie Louie’ cover versions called ‘The Best of ‘Louie Louie’ go back to 1983 and run through 2002. They all speak to the legacy and impact of the song and point to a variety of interesting recordings. It’s a fascinating exploration.
• ‘Louie Louie’ even has its own website www.LouieLouie.net.
• The State of Washington attempted to make it their state song in 1985. It gained a small bit of ironic traction before being defeated as a motion.
• ‘Louie Louie’ has been featured in a few episodes of The Simpsons through the years.
• In the song ‘Lake Marie’ John Prine references ‘Louie Louie’ and then leads his band into a jam as he says “Oh baby, we gotta go now.” It has become a classic set closer for the legendary artist.
• Of course Tom Petty does a wicked version of ‘Louie Louie’ so I had to share. Here you go.

• On April 11^th, which is Richard Berry’s birthday, International Louie Louie Day is celebrated in the state of Washington. It features a ton of events related to the song. The City of Tacoma celebrated with ‘Louiefest’ in July from 2003 through 2012. The grand finale each year was the ‘Celebration of 1000 Guitars’ which was a mass performance of ‘Louie Louie’ on the main stage.

It is hard to believe a song that was so hastily recorded and initially mocked has become such an iconic piece of music. A fascinating story.