A song of great and lingering mystery is Louie Louie, written in 1955 and first recorded in 1957 by doo-wop singer Richard Berry. His version of the song, recorded ith his group The Pharaohs, has been recorded by a near-record number of performers since that time and reached its senith in popularity in 1963 when The Kingsmen brought out its cover of the song.
The song is done from the point of view of a lonely sailor who is telling a friendly batender, Louie, about his sweetheart waiting in Jamaica. The Kingsmen 1963 version was so hard to understand, however, that rumor had it the lyrics were vulgar. It is said that the FBI even investigated, but was unable to discover what the song's slurred lyrics were saying. Berry never had another big hit and died in 1997 of heart trouble.
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