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Decoding "Louie, Louie."

Rock and roll critic Dave Marsh talks about the song "Louie, Louie". He's written a book about it called, "Louie, Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n' Roll Song: Including the Full Details of Its Torture and Persecution at the Hands of the Kingsmen, J. Edgar Hoover's F.B.I., and a Cast of Millions; and Introducing, for the First Time Anywhere, the Actual Dirty Lyrics." (Hyperion) The song was written by Richard Berry in 1957...as a tale of a lovesick Jamaican sailor. When the Kingsmen recorded it in 1957, the lyrics were incomprehensible and mistaken for being dirty. It set off a series of events that Marsh details in his book.

16:29

Other segments from the episode on August 10, 1993

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, August 10, 1993: Interview with Buddy Guy; Interview with Dave Marsh; Review of the book "Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales."

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