Songs You Might Not Know Were Covers Vol. 9: Brother Louie (#7)

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And I’m back! I had a wonderful retreat yesterday. Hope I can remember everything, because I have to spend the afternoon in the VA hospital for dental appointments. Before I trudge off here’s another song that you might not know was a cover….asterisk. #7: Brother Louie I don’t know if we even give interracial couples a second glance anymore. But there was a time that it was quite controversial. It was the subject of the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, for instance. It was also the subject of this song, the only hit by a New York-based band called Stories. That band was formed by former Left Banke member Michael Brown (who wrote their big hit “Walk Away Renee”) and Ian Lloyd. While Brown walked away, Renee, after the Left Banke success, he left Stories before they recorded their one big hit. And, of course, their one big hit was originally someone else’s. And here’s where that “asterisk” comes in. “Brother Louie” was written by two members of the band Hot Chocolate, Errol Brown and Tony Wilson, and they did the original recording. In the UK, it was the Hot Chocolate version — longer, and with rejections by both sets of parents — that was the hit, while the Stories’ rendition was nowhere to be seen. In the U.S., however, it was the Stories’ version that made it to #1. I have to say this about Hot Chocolate: for all their “You Sexy Thing” and “Every 1’s a Winner” happy songs, they could SURE be depressing when they wanted to. Not only was this song a downer but their hit “Emma” was a tear-jerker. Hot Chocolate’s lead singer Errol Brown died in 2015. What a voice he had. Brother Louie Written by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson Originally recorded by Hot Chocolate, 1973 Famously (in the US, anyway) covered by Stories, 1973 The original version by Hot Chocolate: