Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    The strange journey of 'Louie Louie'

    Three chords and a lot of teenage energy make “Louie Louie” one of those songs you can’t hear without smiling. But the version we know, performed by the Kingsmen, is not the original.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Apr 12, 2018 • 1 min read

    Three chords and a lot of teenage energy make “Louie Louie” one of those songs you can’t hear without smiling. But the version we know, performed by the Kingsmen, is not the original. Richard Berry, a black musician from South LA wrote the original, but he sold the rights to the song for $750 to buy an engagement ring because he was in love.

    The full episode

    5 of 5
    Backroom deals between animal shelters and dog breeders
    1. 0:00How would foreign policy change under Mike Pompeo?
    2. 8:09What the California National Guard will do at the border
    3. 17:49Why some people buy dogs from puppy mills but say they're rescue dogs
    4. 25:24The last Nazi war criminal in the U.S.
    5. 36:29The strange journey of 'Louie Louie'You’re reading this
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Gina Pollack

      Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      David Weinberg

      Host, Welcome to L.A.

      News

    The full episode

    5 of 5
    Backroom deals between animal shelters and dog breeders
    1. 0:00How would foreign policy change under Mike Pompeo?
    2. 8:09What the California National Guard will do at the border
    3. 17:49Why some people buy dogs from puppy mills but say they're rescue dogs
    4. 25:24The last Nazi war criminal in the U.S.
    5. 36:29The strange journey of 'Louie Louie'You’re reading this
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand