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Louie and the G-Men (part 1 of 2)

Another chance to hear the extraordinary story of the song Louie Louie. More than 50 years after its release, Steve Van Zandt tells how the song survived the wrath of the FBI to become one of the most performed, recorded and influential tracks of all time.

Recorded by Richard Berry as a B-side in April 1957, there are over 1,000 versions of Louie Louie. However, the impact of this song has been felt far beyond the music business. It scared the American establishment enough to trigger an FBI investigation by J Edgar Hoover's notorious G-Men, and it remains the subject of much heated debate to this day.