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Brother Louie (Hot Chocolate song)

"Brother Louie" is a song by British soul band Hot Chocolate. Written by members Errol Brown and Tony Wilson and produced by Mickie Most, the song discusses an interracial love affair between a white man and a black woman, and the subsequent rejection of both by their parents because of it. Upon its release as a single, "Brother Louie" peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in 1973.[1] Alexis Korner has a spoken word part in this version of the song.[2] Phil Dennys arranged the string section.

"Brother Louie"
Single by Hot Chocolate
B-side"I Want to Be Free"
Released1973
Length4:23
LabelRak
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mickie Most
Hot Chocolate singles chronology
"You'll Always Be a Friend"
(1972) 		"Brother Louie"
(1973) 		"Rumours"
(1973)

Stories version

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"Brother Louie"
 
Single by Stories
from the album About Us
B-side"What Comes After"
Released
  • 30 June 1973
  • 7 July 1990 (re-release)
Genre
Length3:55
LabelKama Sutra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kenny Kerner
  • Richie Wise
Stories singles chronology
"Love Is in Motion"
(1973) 		"Brother Louie"
(1973) 		"Mammy Blue"
(1973)
Official audio
"Brother Louie" on YouTube

"Brother Louie" was covered by the American band Stories (featuring singer Ian Lloyd) about six months after Hot Chocolate's UK hit. The Stories version reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and sold a million-plus copies to earn a gold disc.[6]

Charts

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Hot Chocolate version

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Chart (1973) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 19
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 7

Stories version

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Quireboys version

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Chart (1993) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 32

Other versions

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Another cover was released in 1973 by Roy Ayers on his album Virgo Red, playing vibes instead of singing. The song has since been covered by many other artists, notably Vandenberg singer Bert Heerink who had a top 10 hit in 1995 in the Netherlands with a Dutch version titled "Julie July", and a version by English rock band the Quireboys in 1993 which reached number 32 in the UK.

Puerto Rican/American musician Louie Louie recorded a cover version of the song for his second studio album, Let's Get Started (1993). It was produced by George Michael.[18]

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The recording by Stories was featured in the film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006). The same version also appeared in an episode of the series Nip/Tuck. An alternative rendition of the Stories version of the song was included in the soundtrack of the 2007 film Zodiac. It was also on the soundtrack to the 1999 film Dick and in the 2005 French-Canadian film C.R.A.Z.Y., but the song's first film appearance was in Wim Wenders' 1974 film Alice in the Cities (7:15 into the film).

The song, with slightly different wording, is used as the theme song to the television series Louie, a sitcom loosely based on the life of American comedian Louis C.K. The word "cry" was changed to "die" in the second repetition of the chorus. This version was produced by Reggie Watts, with the intro emulating the Hot Chocolate version, and with Stories singer Ian Lloyd reprising his vocals.

The Stories recording is used as walk-up music by New York Mets baseball player Luis Guillorme.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 259. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ "Brother Louie by Hot Chocolate". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  3. ^ Smith, Troy L. (14 December 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1970s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (16 April 2019). "The Number Ones: Stories' "Brother Louie"". Stereogum. Retrieved 18 June 2023. In Stories' hands, it's a tense funk vamp, a satisfying rhythmic squelcher. Between those strings and Lloyd's histrionic delivery...it's basically a disco song.
  5. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (15 October 1996). "Color Blind: Blue-eyed Soul". Precious and Few: Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 42. ISBN 031214704X.
  6. ^ "US Top 100 Music Hits". Billboard. 25 August 1973. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  7. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Brother Louie". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  9. ^ Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4887." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Top 100 1973-08-25". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '73". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1973". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  16. ^ "American single certifications – Stories – Brother Louie". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Quireboys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  18. ^ Boehm, Mike (27 November 1992). "Louie Louie's 2nd Album Gets 'Started'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Mets Walk-Up Music Playlist". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
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