Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)
| "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" | |
|---|---|
_-_John_Fred_%26_His_Playboy_Band.jpg) | |
| Single by John Fred & His Playboy Band | |
| from the album Agnes English | |
| B-side | "Out of Left Field" |
| Released | October 1967 |
| Genre | Pop rock |
| Length | 2:55 |
| Label | Paula Records |
| Songwriter(s) | John Fred Gourrier, Andrew Bernard |
| Producer(s) | John Fred Gourrier, Andrew Bernard |
"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" is a song that was a hit for the Louisiana-based John Fred & His Playboy Band in late 1967. The song was jointly written and composed by Fred and bandmate Andrew Bernard.
Arrangements and content
The song features strings, brass, a sitar, piano, bass, guitar, drums, breathing sounds, and dissonant string sounds. Its title is a play on, and a mondegreen of, the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." (Fred thought the lyrics were "Lucy in disguise with diamonds" when he first heard the selection.)[1][2]
The other members of the Playboy Band did not like the unusual slow abrupt ending with Fred intoning the final line, "I guess I'll just take your glasses."[3]
Chart performance
In January 1968, the song reached #1 in the U.S. and became a gold record. It also hit #1 in Germany,[4] and Switzerland,[5] and #3 in Canada,[6] United Kingdom, and Ireland.[7]
Cover versions
- Los Quandos released a Spanish version in 1968 in one of their EP's, with the title of "Judy con disfraz" with Spanish lyrics by Julio Guiu Sr.
- Patrick Zabé released a French version in 1967, with the title of "Les Lunettes."
- Gary Lewis and the Playboys released a cover version on their 1968 album Gary Lewis Now!
- Silicon Teens, the virtual British electronic new wave pop group, created by Mute Records founder Daniel Miller, released a radically different electropop version in 1979.
- Jello Biafra released a live version as part of his 2015 live album of New Orleans rock and soul covers, Walk on Jindal's Splinters.
- The Residents recorded in 1975 for the first track of Side B, titled Hitler Was a Vegetarian, for their 1976 album The Third Reich 'n Roll.
See also
References
- ↑ Kasser, Tom (July 2013). Lucy in the Mind of Lennon. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-974760-3.
- ↑ "Seven things you didn't know about "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"". blog.oup.com. Oxford University Press. July 9, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
- ↑ Bronson, Fred. Billboard Book of Number One Songs.
- ↑ Ehnert, Günter (1999). HIT BILANZ Deutsche Chart Singles 1956-1980. ISBN 3-922542-24-7
- ↑ Swiss Music Charts Number-Ones (1968) Archived 2008-03-11 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ [http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.100165.pdf}
- ↑ Judy in Disguise (with Glasses) UK chart position Archived 2008-10-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 09-21-11