A little reason to celebrate
International Louie Louie Day
Fun ยท April 11
A day for Louie Louie, the simple, hard-to-decipher rock song that garage bands, marching bands and party crowds have played for generations.
International Louie Louie Day falls on Sunday, April 11, 2027. That is 166 days away.
Three chords, a stomping beat and a singer who sounds like he is shouting from the next room. That is Louie Louie, one of the most played songs in American rock, and this is its day.
Richard Berry wrote the song, and the version most people know is the one by the Kingsmen. The story underneath is simple. A sailor tells a bartender named Louie that he is heading back to Jamaica to see the girl he left behind. Most listeners never caught that, because the famous recording is so muddy that the words are almost impossible to make out. People have argued about what is actually being sung for a very long time, and the recording has never settled it.
That looseness is part of why the song travels. The riff is easy enough for a beginner to learn in an afternoon, so it became a standard for garage bands, a staple at school dances and a favorite of marching bands in the stands at football games. Countless groups have recorded their own versions, some fast, some sloppy, a few surprisingly tidy.
Marking the day usually means turning it up. Some people line up several covers and compare them. Others pull out a guitar and play the riff until someone in the house asks them to stop.
The chord pattern is often counted out as one two three, one two, one two three, one two, and once it is in your hands it tends to stay there.
Ways to celebrate
- Listen to the Kingsmen version and try to write down the lyrics you hear.
- Compare three or four different cover versions back to back.
- Learn the three-chord riff on guitar, keyboard or ukulele.
- Look up the actual lyrics and see how close your guesses were.
- Share a favorite cover with a friend who has never heard it.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Saturday, April 11 |
| 2027 | Sunday, April 11 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, April 11 |
| 2029 | Wednesday, April 11 |
| 2030 | Thursday, April 11 |
Also on April 11
- National Pet Day
- National Cheese Fondue Day
- National Ranch Water Day
- Barbershop Quartet Day
- National Eight-Track Tape Day
- National Submarine Day
Categories: Fun days