Number One Songs—Dominique and The Singing Nun Flies One by Louie Louie

First of all, the Singing Nun was not the Flying Nun (not as far as we know anyway!). The Flying Nun was a late 60s TV sitcom starring Sally Fields who won an Academy Award in 1985 for Places in the Heart. (Her famous acceptance speech included the oft-quoted, "You like me, you really like me!")

The Singing Nun was actually a nun, not an actress. (Although The Singing Nun, a 1966 movie starring Debbie Reynolds, was loosely based on her life.)

To make things more confusing, the Singing Nun had three names. She was born Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers, aka Jeanine Deckers, in 1933. As a member of the Dominican Fichermont Convent in Belgium, her name was Sister Luc Gabriel. The Philips record label renamed her Soeur Sourire ("Sister Smile"), and "Dominique" was released in December of 1963 under that stage name.

According to Allmusic.com, "Sister Luc-Gabrielle, who entered the religious order in 1959, penned 'Dominique' and recorded it and a few of her other compositions for personal release only, mainly to be used as gifts. When the Philips Record Company discovered her potential appeal, they offered the nun a contract and christened her Soeur Sourire. To American audiences she was the Singing Nun. She did not actively seek fame, although she sang for Ed Sullivan's television program in 1964 via tape. Live performances did not appeal to her, and in fact even the taped broadcast was almost blocked by her Mother Superior. She underscored her aversion for the limelight in 1967 by releasing the album I Am Not a Star.

"Her successful single did not endear her to the Dominicans' Mother Superior, who viewed the popular song as 'impertinent.' It probably didn't help matters when MGM based a musical on her life in 1965 and cast Debbie Reynolds as a moped-riding nun who was romantically drawn to Chad Everett.

"That same year, the Singing Nun withdrew from the public eye and gave up her burgeoning musical career. By 1966, she had a complete change of heart, returned to music, and quit the convent. After the release of I Am Not a Star, her music tackled controversial subjects. 'The Golden Pill' concerned the issue of birth control pills, of which she was in favor and the Pope condemned. Together with a woman named Annie Pescher in Belgium, she founded a school for children who suffered from the disability of autism...

"Unfortunately, her previous success in music did not bring lasting happiness. In fact, it added to her troubles. The Singing Nun and Pescher took their lives in 1985 with a combination of pills and alcohol when the government ordered her to pay back taxes amounting to more than 60,000 dollars which accrued from her time as a singer and recording artist. The demand, which put their school in jeopardy, came despite the fact that the Singing Nun had given all profits to her order."

OK, so what's all this got to do with "Louie Louie"? The Kingsmen's controversial hit (remember those purportedly "filthy" words...even the FBI was on their trail!) was headed for #1 on the Billboard charts, fueled by the lyrics controversy, but also certainly by the coming of the "British rock sound" (although the band was from Portland, Oregon) beginning to take over the charts. (The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" would hit #1 about one month later and usher in the world's first "super group.") But The Singing Nun was one up on the Kingsmen (at #1) and "Louie Louie" peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts.

But that's not the end of the story! While everyone from moms and pops to the FBI was trying to decipher the garbled words to "Louie Louie" (EVERYONE was sure they were obscene), the little Singing Nun was flying high at number-one with a nasty-ism of her own (in French).

"The lyric 'nique' in French is an obscenity for coitus..." —Wikipedia

As ridiculous (but funny) as the assertion is that the Singing Nun was putting one over on broadcasters (surely it was just a vocalization, repeating "nique" after "Dominique"), in the heat of the "Louie Louie" obscenity debate, who knows what the public could have been made to "hear."

Dominique Lyrics
(Words and Music by Soeur Sourire)

French version, as recorded:

Dominique -nique -nique s'en allait tout simplemen
Routier, pauvre et chantant.
En tous chemins, en tous lieux,
Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu,
Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu

English translation:

Dominic travelled around simply,
a poor singing traveller.
On every road, in every place,
he spoke only about the Good Lord,
only about the Good Lord.

Click here to listen to a midi version of "Dominique."

Dominique - Music Book

Louie Louie Lyrics
(Words and Music by Richard Berry)

Louie Louie, [oh baby], me gotta go
Louie Louie, [oh baby], me gotta go
A fine little girl, she wait for me
Me catch the ship across the sea
I sailed the ship all alone
I never think I'll make it home

Louie Louie, [oh baby], me gotta go
Three nights and days we sailed the sea
Me think of girl constantly
On the ship, I dream she there
I smell the rose in her hair

Louie Louie, [oh baby], me gotta go
Me see Jamaican moon above
It won't be long me see me love
Me take her in my arms and then
I tell her I never leave again

Richard Berry - Louie Louie - Music Book

SIDEBAR: No disrespect to Mr. Berry, but we've all heard WAY more interesting versions of the infamous "Louie Louie."