The Phono Project

Exploring the history of the groove

Keep a knockin’ by Louis Jordan

Here is the audio file I created discussing the song and its resurgence.

Keep a Knockin’ is a song that has a ton of mystery surrounding it. In regard to its origins, no one can seem to pinpoint it to a specific artist. That being said, one of the most popular versions of the song was recorded in 1939 by Louis Jordan. 

The song creates the image of an interesting scene for the listener. A woman has stumbled to a man’s door, demanding entry. The man, presumably standing by the door, tells the woman he won’t let her in and says she should try again when she isn’t so intoxicated. With the accompanying instruments, the song sounds light hearted and is quite catchy which is juxtaposed with the accompanying lyrics. 

Keep a Knockin’ became widely known in the gaming industry when Fallout 4 adapted Louis Jordan’s version of the song for their game. It can be heard playing over a radio in an area of the game known as Diamond City. The radio station included in the game plays 36 other songs with a similar background and history. 

The game took a great angle by including songs from the pre and post war era’s. Because of this game, songs recorded from the years 1930 to 1950 have made it to a large audience of younger generation’s ears. 

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