Louie Louie

April 11 is “Louie Louie Day.”  Richard Berry was born on this day in 1935, and would go on to write Louie Louie, one of rock’s most beloved songs and one of the most covered songs in the world.  The most celebrated version of “Louie Louie” was recorded by The Kingsmen in 1963, the same year that Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded a competing version.  Over the years the song would be recorded hundreds of times by groups as diverse as Heavy Metal and Marching Bands. The song was even investigated by the FBI over concerns that the lyrics were obscene.  After testing the recordings at various RPMs, the FBI concluded that the lyrics were “incomprehensible at any speed.”