Brother Louie (Hot Chocolate song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Brother Louie

| cover = Hot_Chocolate_Brother_Louie_RAK_single_label_scan.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Hot Chocolate

| album =

| B-side = I Want to Be Free

| released = 1973

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = 4:23

| label = Rak

| writer =

| producer = Mickie Most

| prev_title = You'll Always Be a Friend

| prev_year = 1972

| next_title = Rumours

| next_year = 1973

}}

"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.{{cite book |first=David |last=Roberts |year=2006 |title=British Hit Singles & Albums |edition=19th |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |location=London |isbn=1-904994-10-5 |page=259}} Alexis Korner has a spoken word part in this version of the song.{{cite web |url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=10625 |title=Brother Louie by Hot Chocolate |website=Songfacts.com |access-date=2017-11-05}} Phil Dennys arranged the string section.

Stories version

{{Infobox song

| name = Brother Louie

| cover = Stories_-_Brother_Louie_single_scan.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| type = single

| artist = Stories

| album = About Us

| B-side = What Comes After

| released =

30 June 1973
7 July 1990 (re-release)

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

Rock{{cite news |first=Troy L. |last=Smith |title=Every No. 1 song of the 1970s ranked from worst to best |website=Cleveland.com |date=14 December 2021 |access-date=30 January 2023 |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/12/every-no-1-song-of-the-1970s-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html}}
funk{{cite web |first=Tom |last=Breihan |title=The Number Ones: Stories' "Brother Louie" |website=Stereogum |date=16 April 2019 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2039846/the-number-ones-stories-brother-louie/columns/the-number-ones/ |quote=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.|access-date=18 June 2023}}
disco
blue-eyed soul{{cite book |title=Precious and Few: Pop Music in the Early '70s |first1=Don |last1=Breithaupt |first2=Jeff |last2=Breithaupt |date=15 October 1996 |chapter=Color Blind: Blue-eyed Soul |page=42 |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |isbn=031214704X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMPCAwAAQBAJ}}

| length = 3:55

| label = Kama Sutra

| writer =

| producer =

Kenny Kerner
Richie Wise

| prev_title = Love Is in Motion

| prev_year = 1973

| next_title = Mammy Blue

| next_year = 1973

| misc = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|C6yLdrkP-Bk|"Brother Louie"}}}}

}}

"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.{{cite magazine |date=25 August 1973 |title=US Top 100 Music Hits |magazine=Billboard |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/1973-08-25/hot-100 |access-date=7 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420112807/http://www.billboard.com/charts/1973-08-25/hot-100 |archive-date=20 April 2013}}

Charts

=Hot Chocolate version=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (1973) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
{{single chart\|Ireland2\|19\|song=Brother Louie\|rowheader=true\|access-date=5 October 2020}}
{{single chart\|UK\|7\|date=19730506\|rowheader=true\|access-date=23 June 2024}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (1973)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{single chart|Ireland2|19|song=Brother Louie|rowheader=true|access-date=5 October 2020}}

{{single chart|UK|7|date=19730506|rowheader=true|access-date=23 June 2024}}

=Stories version=

==Weekly charts==

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (1973) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
scope="row"\| Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web \|author=Steffen Hung \|url=http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092 \|title=Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) \|website=Australian-charts.com \|access-date=2016-10-08 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602084720/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092 \|archive-date=2016-06-02}} \| 36
{{single chart\|Canadatopsingles\|1\|chartid=4887\|rowheader=true\|access-date=23 June 2024}}
scope="row"\| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine \|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19730825.html \|title=Top 100 1973-08-25 \|magazine=Cashbox Magazine \|access-date=2016-03-02}} \| 1
scope="row"\| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) \| 22
scope="row"\| US Cash Box Top 100 \| 1
scope="row"\| US Cash Box R&B \| 12

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (1973)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

scope="row"| Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web |author=Steffen Hung |url=http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092 |title=Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) |website=Australian-charts.com |access-date=2016-10-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602084720/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092 |archive-date=2016-06-02}}

| 36

{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|1|chartid=4887|rowheader=true|access-date=23 June 2024}}

scope="row"| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19730825.html |title=Top 100 1973-08-25 |magazine=Cashbox Magazine |access-date=2016-03-02}}

| 1

scope="row"| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)

| 22

scope="row"| US Cash Box Top 100

| 1

scope="row"| US Cash Box R&B

| 12

==Year-end charts==

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (1973) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite magazine \|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.100214&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.100214.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.100214 \|title=Top 100 Singles of '73 \|magazine=RPM \|publisher=Library and Archives Canada \|access-date=4 November 2023}} \| 9
scope="row"\| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web \|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1973.htm \|title=Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973 \|website=Musicoutfitters.com \|access-date=2016-10-08}} \| 13
scope="row"\| US Cash Box{{cite magazine \|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1973YESP.html \|title=Top 100 Year End Charts: 1973 \|magazine=Cashbox Magazine \|access-date=2016-06-25}} \| 19

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (1973)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite magazine |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.100214&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.100214.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.100214 |title=Top 100 Singles of '73 |magazine=RPM |publisher=Library and Archives Canada |access-date=4 November 2023}}

| 9

scope="row"| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web |url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1973.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973 |website=Musicoutfitters.com |access-date=2016-10-08}}

| 13

scope="row"| US Cash Box{{cite magazine |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1973YESP.html |title=Top 100 Year End Charts: 1973 |magazine=Cashbox Magazine |access-date=2016-06-25}}

| 19

==All-time charts==

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (1958–2018) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine \|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary \|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart \|magazine=Billboard \|access-date=10 December 2018}} \| 349

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (1958–2018)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary |title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart |magazine=Billboard |access-date=10 December 2018}}

| 349

==Certifications==

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Stories|title=Brother Louie|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1973|certyear=1973|accessdate=August 15, 2024}}

=Quireboys version=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (1993) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
{{single chart\|UKsinglesbyname\|32\|artist=Quireboys\|artistid=24989\|rowheader=true\|access-date=23 June 2024}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (1993)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|32|artist=Quireboys|artistid=24989|rowheader=true|access-date=23 June 2024}}

Other versions

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.{{cite news |last=Boehm |first=Mike |date=27 November 1992 |title=Louie Louie's 2nd Album Gets 'Started' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-27-ca-1067-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=23 June 2024 |archive-date=22 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522181201/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-27-ca-1067-story.html |url-status=live}}

In popular culture

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/mets/ballpark/music |title=Mets Walk-Up Music Playlist |author= |website=MLB.com |publisher=MLB Advanced Media, LP |access-date=2022-10-07}}