final credits - robert "bob" lindahl
Few songs in rock 'n' roll history are wrapped in as much mystery as "Louie Louie." Its origins and its lyrics are no clearer today than they were over forty years ago.
Both Wikipedia and louielouie.net have tried to unravel the myth behind the song (long an urban legend), the FBI once placed the song under investigation, and the man who recorded the greatest garage-band song in history is no longer with us.
"Louie Louie" was written by Richard Berry in 1955, inspired after listening to René Touzet's "El Loco Cha Cha" as performed by Ricky Rivera and the Rhythm Rockers. Berry recorded it in 1956 with his band the Pharaohs and the song had minor success.
In April, 1963 a group from Portland, Oregon called The Kingsmen recorded the song during an after-hours session, basing their version on a 1961 recording by the Washington state group Rockin' Robin Roberts and the Fabulous Wailers. Some reports suggest the recording released was a rehearsal, and that the Kingsmen didn't know it was being taped.
The song shot to #2 on the charts and was soon banned due to rumours circulating that the lyrics were intentionally slurred to cover profanity and the graphic depiction of sex between a sailor and his lady.
The FBI launched a 31-month investigation but reported that they were "unable to interpret any of the wording in the record."
Robert Lindahl, the engineer at the Northwestern, Inc. Motion Pictures and Recording studio session, had long disputed the story that the Kingsmen version was recorded by a single boom microphone.
He claimed the band was unfamiliar with working in a studio and weren't anywhere near the microphones when the recording was made, causing the legendary muffled vocals.
Lindahl's interest in electronics and technology was apparent at a young age -- building everything from ham radios to his own telescope.
In August, 1943 he was hired on at Portland, Oregon's Keating Studios. He eventually bought the business and founded Northwestern Inc.
Northwestern Inc. recorded thousands of sessions for local and regional musicians, including Johnny Ray and Jimmy Rodgers, as well as the aforementioned Kingsmen. In Portland's recording community, Lindahl was known as the man with the "encyclopedic mind."
Lindahl was also the chief engineer when Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded their version of "Louie Louie" a few days later in the same studio.
Both Washington and Oregon were petitioned to make "Louie Louie" the official state song. It is estimated that between 800 and 1,600 cover versions have been recorded. To this date, no one knows exactly what the words are.
For more about the story behind "Louie Louie" and a video of Robert Lindhal, visit this tribute at louielouie.net.
Robert Lindahl died January 9th, 2006 at the age of 83 from Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a progressive lung disease.