Based on outcry from parents who bought into what may have
started as an idle rumor, the FBI launched a formal investigation
in 1964 into the supposedly pornographic lyrics of the song
“Louie, Louie.”
That investigation finally neared its conclusion on May 17, 1965,
when the FBI Laboratory declared the lyrics of “Louie Louie” to
be officially unintelligible.
The song was recorded in poor conditions and in a single take
by the Kingsmen in Portland, Oregon in 1963
The tune that would go on to become one of the most-covered
songs in rock-and-roll history.
The control room of SW Portland’s Northwestern Inc.
Motion Pictures and Recording, where The Kingsmen’s legendary “Louie Louie” was recorded.




