May 06, 2005
"Louie Louie" forever!

I'd like to take a moment and thank Benton Harbor Superintendent Paula Dawning for officially dethroning Texas' Anti-Cheerleader Hoochie bill as the dumbest news story of the week. She did so by banning "Louie Louie" from the McCord Middle School band's repertoire because it has "allegedly raunchy lyrics".


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."


Putting aside the fact that a middle school band version of "Louie Louie" will be, you know, an instrumental, I'm dumbfounded that forty years after the FBI declared these lyrics to be non-obscene there are still people who think that the Kingsmen are doing an R-rated ditty. Here's the unvarnished truth, if you think you can handle it. One can only hope that the other parents in Benton Harbor are more culturally literate than the complainer and Ms. Downing.

Thanks to Matt for the tip.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on May 06, 2005 to Music | TrackBack
Comments

I knew you would find this item too good to pass up. :-)

I will never forget the opening scene of "Animal House" featuring the most comprehensible version of "Louie, Louie" ever done. :-)

Of course, there's also the Sunday edition of Bloom County that also tried to translate the lyrics of this classic song. :-)

Posted by: William Hughes on May 6, 2005 7:11 AM

When I was in middle school, "Afternoon Delight" was a hit.

Why no one blew a gasket over that one is beyond me. Maybe because junior high school bands weren't playing it.

Posted by: Tim on May 6, 2005 7:42 AM

Wow. If we had kids, I'd want them to go to that school. Must be there's nothing wrong with anything at that school, if the superintendant can worry herself about the lyrics to "Louie Louie". I'm sure their TAKS scores are all fabulous and their teachers are all performing at the highest possible level. And all the students must be assured of admission to Ivy League schools already.

Posted by: Sue on May 6, 2005 7:46 AM

There's more "Louie, Louie" trivia (including the Bloom Country strip mentioned earlier) at this site:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~tdg/trivia.html

(I've got to get out more often.) :-)

Posted by: William Hughes on May 6, 2005 7:55 AM

:( Damn she folded fast!

http://wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=wwmt&id=16228&template=breakout_local.html

Posted by: Brock Batsell on May 6, 2005 10:52 AM

I'm sure their TAKS scores are all fabulous and their teachers are all performing at the highest possible level.

I hate to break this to you, Sue, but Benton Harbor students don't take the TAKS. You see, Benton Harbor is in Michigan.

Posted by: Mathwiz on May 12, 2005 4:09 PM