Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The strange journey of 'Louie Louie'
Three chords and a lot of teenage energy make “Louie Louie” one of those songs you can’t hear without smiling. But the version we know, performed by the Kingsmen, is not the original.
By Madeleine Brand • • 1 min readThree chords and a lot of teenage energy make “Louie Louie” one of those songs you can’t hear without smiling. But the version we know, performed by the Kingsmen, is not the original. Richard Berry, a black musician from South LA wrote the original, but he sold the rights to the song for $750 to buy an engagement ring because he was in love.
