The song that changed Todd Rundgren’s life
Fearlessly burning his own path through musical history, Todd Rundgren is simultaneously one of the most influential and underappreciated artists of all time. The songwriter and record producer has found success over the years performing with various different groups, including Utopia and Nazz, as well as with his solo endeavours. His lasting influence over rock and alternative music is untold, and he credits one classic song for leading him down that path.
Both as a band member and a solo artist, Rundgren has explored seemingly every genre, from prog-rock to lo-fi. Given how long and varied in sound and success he was, it is nearly impossible to encompass all of the songwriter’s career, which has spanned over half a century. Experimental artistic endeavours, commercial hits, and noble failures are all present within Rundgren’s illustrious discography.
The singer’s career becomes even more influential when considering the huge amount of work he has created from the production side of view. His work with the likes of XTC, Meat Loaf and New York Dolls has cemented Rundgren’s position as one of the most important figures in the music industry. Speaking to NPR earlier this year, the Philadelphia-born writer revealed that one track in particular changed his life forever.
‘Louie Louie’ was first written and released by noted doo-wop singer Richard Berry, but it was the popular 1963 version by The Kingsmen that altered Rundgren’s life path. Speaking about his early days in music, in which bands he was in had to make up their setlists with cover versions, Rundgren explained, “It was so simple to learn, and was unintelligible from a lyrical standpoint. So anybody could just get up there and fake their way through it.”
The track has a life of its own, inspiring a generation of garage rockers and acting as a precursor to the fuzzy guitar tones and drunken vocal performances of proto-punk. ‘Louie Louie’ spawned a plethora of cover versions, from the hard rock reimaging by Motörhead to the ska stylings of Toots and the Maytals. However, the Kingsmen version remains the definitive recording of the track. As Rundgren puts it, “You hear it for the first time, you don’t understand the words or what the song is about, but you never forget it.”
The writer and producer seemed particularly taken by the chord progression of the track. Utilising a simplistic A to D to E minor progression, the Kingsmen track has a traceable lineage through popular music, with Rundgren likening it to the grunge anthem of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ as well as Boston’s ‘More Than A Feeling’. “There’s something mystical in those three chords and how they are played,” he explained.
There is no doubt that ‘Louie Louie’ made a huge mark on the face of pop and rock music. Its influence is an incredible precursor to the beat groups of The Kinks and The Who, as well as the punk scene of the mid-1970s. In that sense, it is an obvious choice for the track that changed Rundgren’s life, given how unbelievable his mark on music has been, too.
