In 1973, a song about an interracial romance became an unlikely No. 1 hit, despite being recorded as an “afterthought” by a band that never intended for it to define their sound.
“Brother Louie,” recorded by the New York rock band Stories, tells the story of a couple whose relationship is rejected by their families because the woman is Black and the man is white.
More than five decades later, the subject matter still makes the song a striking listen. But the story of how “Brother Louie” became a hit is almost as surprising as the lyrics themselves.
Stories didn’t even record it first.
“Brother Louie” was written by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson of the British soul group Hot Chocolate, which released the original version in 1973. Hot Chocolate took the song to No. 7 in the U.K., but it failed to make the American charts.
Stories, fronted by singer Ian Lloyd, had already recorded their second album About Us when they took on “Brother Louie.”
In “The Billboard Book of Number One Hits,” music historian Fred Bronson described Stories’ recording as an “afterthought” cover of the British hit.
It certainly didn’t perform like one.
“Brother Louie” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 83 and raced to No. 1 just nine weeks later. It remained in the top spot for two weeks, sold more than 1 million copies and became Stories’ only No. 1 hit. The song became such a sensation that it was added to subsequent versions of About Us after not initially appearing on the album.
At the center of “Brother Louie” is a romance neither family will accept.
Louie brings his girlfriend home to meet his parents, but their racial prejudice quickly becomes clear. Her family also objects to the relationship.
Rock critic Dave Marsh later included Stories’ “Brother Louie” in “The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made,” ranking it No. 304.
Marsh argued that the record’s ability to receive widespread American radio airplay demonstrated how attitudes were changing, even as its interracial love story remained provocative enough to command attention in 1973.
There was another irony behind the success of “Brother Louie”: Stories didn’t think their million-selling smash sounded much like Stories.
In “The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders,” author Wayne Jancik recounts that the group had initially pursued a more Beatlesque sound.
Lloyd later admitted that “Brother Louie” “did not represent our music” or the direction the band had intended to pursue.
But nothing Stories released afterward came close to its success. “Mammy Blue” peaked at No. 50, while “If It Feels Good, Do It” reached No. 88.
That left the band permanently associated with the very song its singer said didn’t represent them.
Fifty-three years later, “Brother Louie” remains an unusual piece of ’70s rock history: an “afterthought” cover about a controversial romance that unexpectedly became a million-selling No. 1 hit.
Related: 1981 Hit, By a 27-Year-Old Southern Rocker, Was About a Mysterious Woman Who Only Existed in His Mind
Hence then, the article about 1973 no 1 hit recorded as an afterthought still sounds daring 53 years later was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 1973 No. 1 Hit, Recorded as an ‘Afterthought,’ Still Sounds Daring 53 Years Later )
Also on site :