Band Banned From Performing 'Louie Louie'

[ShyShy]

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. May 5, 2005 — A pop culture controversy that has simmered for decades came to a head when a middle school marching band was told not to perform "Louie Louie."

Benton Harbor Superintendent Paula Dawning cited the song's allegedly raunchy lyrics in ordering the McCord Middle School band not to perform it in Saturday's Grand Floral Parade, held as part of the Blossomtime Festival.

In a letter sent home with McCord students, Dawning said "Louie Louie" was not appropriate for Benton Harbor students to play while representing the district even though the marching band wasn't going to sing it.

Band members and parents complained to the Board of Education at its Tuesday meeting that it was too late to learn another song, The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reported.

"It's very stressful for us to try to come up with new songs for the band," eighth-grader Laurice Martin told the board. "We're trying to learn the songs from last year, but some of us weren't in the band last year."

Dawning said that if a majority of parents supports their children playing the song, she will reconsider her decision.

"It was not that I knew at the beginning and said nothing," Dawning said. "I normally count on the staff to make reliable decisions. I found out because a parent called, concerned about the song being played."

"Louie Louie," written by Richard Berry in 1956, is one of the most recorded songs in history. The best-known, most notorious version was a hit in 1963 for the Kingsmen; the FBI spent two years investigating the lyrics before declaring they not only were not obscene but also were "unintelligible at any speed."
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=730947

One parent ccomplains about non-existant sexual lyrics and the song is cut?

[drewbar]

Schools fear parents more then anything else in the world.

[Fickle]

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go

Fine little girl waits for me
Catch a ship across the sea
Sail that ship about, all alone
Never know if I make it home

CHORUS

Three nights and days I sail the sea
Think of girl, constantly
On that ship, I dream she's there
I smell the rose in her hair.

CHORUS

Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now!


See Jamaica, the moon above
It won't be long, me see me love
Take her in my arms again
Tell her I'll never leave again

CHORUS

Let's take it on outa here now
Let's go!!

--Louie, Louie, The Kingsmen

I always thought the most recorded song was "House of The Rising Sun."

And bands play "Louie Louie" all the time. The principal, and the parent, should be slapped with a watermelon.

[PulseDriver]

Well, some school-administrations don't have brains at all, like that school that called the police and got a student which was 10 years arrested with handcufs and brought down to the police station Oo What is happening am I wondering...and I almost added sometimes to that line, but that ain't true anymore, as it is quite often now a days.

[protegechris]

Louie louie, oh baby, i gotta go.
Yi-yi-yi-yi-yi
Louie louie, oh baby, i gotta go.

A fine girl, who waited for me.
I catch a ship across the sea.
I sailed the ship all alone.
I wondered when i'm gonna make it home.

Louie louie, oh baby, i gotta go.
Yi-yi-yi-yi-yi
Louie louie, oh baby, i gotta go.

Three nights and days i sailed the sea.
I think of the girl constantly.
On the ship, i dream she there.


I smell the rose that's in her hair.

Louie louie, oh baby, i gotta go.
Yi-yi-yi-yi-yi
Louie louie, oh baby, i gotta go.

I see jamaican moon above.
See the girl i'm thinking of.
I take her in my arms and then
Say i'll never leave again.

Louie louie, oh baby, i gotta go.
Yi-yi-yi-yi-yi
Louie louie, oh baby, i gotta go.

Oh, i gotta go now.
Uh-huh i gotta go.

That's the Kinks' version. Probably the most explicit song I've ever heard in my life. Wait, no it isn't. What's so sexually explicit about that?

[Fickle]

Originally posted by protegechris
That's the Kinks' version. Probably the most explicit song I've ever heard in my life. Wait, no it isn't. What's so sexually explicit about that?

Do you read threads you post in? Look up.

[ShyShy]

I think protege thought that the Kinks may have a bit different version.

[protegechris]

I didn't see anything sex related in either versions, or any version I'm reading.

I hadn't read the first lyrics that were posted until you mentioned it, but still doesn't change my question.

[ShyShy]

It's a case of an urban myth that just won't die. The article did state that the FBI even investigated it, and found it was not explicit at all. It's just that one stupid parent protested about something he/she had no clue about and the school board was just as retarded and PC.

Gah.

[protegechris]

It's sad because I used to play that. (I play violin and bassoon)

[ShyShy]

We played it at Junior High. (I played clarinet)

[protegechris]

Winamp forums' first annual band recital, coming march 2006

[LuigiHann]

My high school marching band played the song "Time Warp" sometimes. That song doesn't have much to do with sex, but it's about a thousand times more sexual than Louie Louie.
Oh, and by the way, for the sake of completeness:
http://wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=ww...out_local.html
Nobody else had a problem with it, so they can play it.

[ShyShy]

Heh, figured that would happen. I wonder how stupid the superintendent and the parent that complained now feel.

[Fickle]

I love how the FBI, after two years of research, couldn't figure out what they were saying.

[k_rock923]

I play sax. We play this in marching band at nearly every game. The same people who are suing are always cheering along with everyone else.