Richard Berry and the Pharaohs - Louie Louie

First performance: 09/09/1978

Coverinfo

Bruce covered the song 9 times and 21 times as a snippet:
 
 
2014-04-19 Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC

 

1983-07-16 Headliner (The), Neptune, NJ
1982-10-03 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park, NJ

1982-09-19 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park, NJ
1981-01-26 Athletic & Convocation Center, South Bend, IN
1978-11-14 Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY
1978-11-10 Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure, NY
1978-09-09 Athletic & Convocation Center, South Bend, IN
 
  
  • Snippets
during HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL
1984-10-31 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, LA 
Included after a lengthy introduction after  "High School Confidential" and story about Dr Frankenstein including snippets of "Louie Louie" and "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly"
 
during TWIST AND SHOUT
 
2009-07-12 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland 
 
during GLORY DAYS
 
2009-11-20 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD
2009-07-21 Stadio Olimpico, Turin, Italy
2009-06-30 Stade De Suisse, Bern, Switzerland
2009-06-27 Worthy Farm, Pilton, England (Evening)
2009-06-13 Great Stage Park, Manchester, TN
2009-06-09 Koengen, Bergen, Norway
2009-06-04 Stockholms Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden
2009-06-02 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland
2009-05-30 Megaland, Landgraaf, The Netherlands
2009-05-23 Izod Center, East Rutherford
2009-05-14 Times Union Center, Albany
2009-05-02 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro
2009-04-22 TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
2009-04-16 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, LA
2009-04-10 Pepsi Center, Denver
 
1993-06-25 Rockefeller Center, GE Building, Studio 6A, New York City, NY
Springsteen makes a surprise appearance on Late Night With David Letterman. Bruce is backed by Letterman's World's Most Dangerous Band. The show is Letterman's last on NBC before he moves to present the Late Show on CBS. "Glory Days" includes a snippet of "Louie Louie" at the end (in the soundcheck and show). 
 
during PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN

2006-04-25 Convention Hall, Asbury Park
2006-04-24 Convention Hall, Asbury Park
 

Songinfo

"Louie Louie" is an American rhythm and blues song written and composed by Richard Berry in 1955 and best known for the 1963 hit version by The Kingsmen. It has become a standard in pop and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists. The song is based on the tune "El Loco Cha Cha” popularized by bandleader René Touzet and is an example of Latin influence on American popular music. "Louie Louie" tells, in simple verse–chorus form, the first-person story of a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lady love. The Kingsmen's recording was the subject of an FBI investigation about the supposed, but nonexistent, obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution. Ironically, the recording notably includes the drummer yelling "Fuck!" after dropping his drumstick at the 0:54 mark.  
 
 

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

2023-10-09 SiriusXM Studio, New York City, NY
Bruce played a snippet of the song during The 'From My Home to Yours' series, returning for the first time since 2021, with Episode 30, featuring Bruce and high school friends and surviving members of the early Freehold rock and roll scene Craig Caprioni, Mike Domanski, Donnie Powell, and Mike Wilson discussing the music they listened to in those mid-'60s days.
 
 
2021-07-21 SiriusXM Studio, New York City
Bruce played the song during the 25th episode of 'From My Home to Yours' series, themed "Frat Party", in the version of  The Kingsmen.  
 
 
 
  

Lyrics

Louie, Louie, oh, oh, me gotta go
Louie, Louie, oh, oh, me gotta go
Fine little girl she waits for me
Me catch the ship for cross the sea
Me sail the ship all alone
Me never think me make it home
Louie, Louie...
Three nights and days me sail the sea
Me think of girl constantly
On the ship I dream she there
Me smell the rose in her hair
Louie, Louie...
Me see Jamaica moon above
It won't be long, me see my love,
I take her in my arms and then
Me tell her I never leave again
Louie, Louie...