I still think that’s an urban legend. The Kingsmen’s version of Louie Louie was pretty undiscernable, but it was a cover of a Richard Berry song from a few years before, and in that version, you could tell exactly what the lyrics were.
From FBI.gov:
In 1963, a rock group named the Kingsmen recorded the song “Louie, Louie.” The popularity of the song and difficulty in discerning the lyrics led some people to suspect the song was obscene. The FBI was asked to investigate whether or not those involved with the song violated laws against the interstate transportation of obscene material. The limited investigation lasted from February to May 1964 and discovered no evidence of obscenity.
Listen to Clarence Carter do the original version of “Truckin’”. Makes Kendricks’ version seem like a children’s bedtime story.
Heard him do it at a concert with B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland at DAR Hall in DC in the 1990’s.
THE HOUSE WAS A ROCKIN’!