May 5, 2005 BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- 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.
7 comments:
I posit that that Superintendent be sent for immediate drug testing. Cause only someone smashed out of their mind or stoned to the gills can actually make the lyrics to that song intelligble.
I for one applaud the superintendent for thwarting the advance of suspicious unintelligibility as pushed by the dulcet tones of The Sandpipers on their iniquitous Guantanamera. Criminetly, they were naughty in TWO languages! Would that we were all so vigilant!
First of all, was the marching band going to sing the lyrics? If not, where's the problem?
Second, if you've never heqard it, you should listen to the song "The Ballad of the Kingsmen" by Todd Snyder (who is an effin awesome songwriter, btw.) It talks about how everyone went crazy when this song came out because they thought the lyrics might possibly be suggestive (even though no one knew what they were,) then goes on to mention how ridiculous it is that music is blamed for everything that's "wrong" with the youth in every single generation - about how people blamed Marilyn Manson's music for Columbine, etc. mentions how during wars. I think this song is relatively new from him. I'll see if I can find a link to the lyrics.
here's the link:
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/snider-todd/ballad-of-the-kingsmen-13872.html
sorry if i break the comments. if you go there, check out the lyrics to "Conservative Christian, Right Wing, Republican, Straight, White, American Males" too.
I know of Todd Snyder, btw. The story said specifically that it was just an instrumental version.
A couple additional points. First, it is the Hoosier state which has the proud distinction of having actually banned the Kingsmen's version for a brief time. Second, IIRC, in the original recorded version the lyrics are intelligible. But by the mid-60s, when my garage band learned it in fifth grade the dirty lyrics were all we knew. Tells you something about prohibition right there.
I'm not surprised you know him, judging from some of the artists on your Friday Unified shuffle.
Jeez, my high school marching band's signature song was "Tequila". What would they make of that?
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