I Wish You Would
Encyclopedia
"I Wish You Would" is a song recorded by Chicago blues musician Billy Boy Arnold
in 1955. It was developed while Arnold was performing with Bo Diddley
and incorporates a Diddley-style rhythm. Called "a timeless Chicago blues classic", "I Wish You Would" is Arnold's best-known song and has been recorded by several artists, including the Yardbirds
, who recorded it for their debut single in 1964.
, the owner/producer of Diddley's record label, planned to record the song as Diddley's second single. However, Arnold heard that Chess did not like him, so he took the song to Chess rival Vee-Jay Records. Vee-Jay suggested that he change the lyrics, so Arnold came up with "I Wish You You".
The song features a one-chord modal blues structure with a repeating guitar figure and Diddley-style rhythm. Backing Arnold (vocal and harmonica) are Jody Williams
(guitar), Milton Rector (bass), and Earl Phillips (drums). The single, credited to "Billy Boy", reportedly sold well, but did not appear in the national record charts. Arnold revisited "I Wish You Would" several times during his career, producing new studio versions and live versions of the song for a variety of record labels.
Arnold later commented that because of "I Wish You Would" he was unfairly labeled as a Bo Diddley stylist. "I was a straight blues guy... Bo Diddley's stuff was rock'n'rollish, it wasn't straight blues, and when I did "I Wish You Would," and it had that similar type of beat, that just throws me in the same pot with Bo Diddley, 'cause everybody identified the song as a Bo Diddley type of song. But I had no intention of ever doing anything like Bo Diddley, 'cause that wasn't my style of music."
released "I Wish You Would" as their debut single in 1964. This studio recording lacks the Bo Diddley-style beat and is considerably shorter than live versions performed by the Yardbirds around this time. The single did not enter the record charts in either the UK or US, but was later released on the Yardbirds' first American album, For Your Love, which reached #96 in Billboard's
Top LPs chart in 1965.
Several live versions of "I Wish You Would" were recorded by the Yardbirds, which were later released. A version from 1963 with Eric Clapton
was released on London 1963 – The First Recordings!; a 1965 recording by the BBC with Jeff Beck
was released on Yardbirds ... On Air
; and a 1968 version with Jimmy Page
appears on Last Rave-Up in LA.
from Live at Topanga Corral
(1969, released 1971), David Bowie
from Pin Ups
(1973), Sweet
from Identity Crisis
(1982), and The Red Devils
from King King
(1992).
Billy Boy Arnold
Billy Boy Arnold is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.-Biography:...
in 1955. It was developed while Arnold was performing with Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
and incorporates a Diddley-style rhythm. Called "a timeless Chicago blues classic", "I Wish You Would" is Arnold's best-known song and has been recorded by several artists, including the Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
, who recorded it for their debut single in 1964.
Original song
"I Wish You Would" was developed from "Diddy Diddy Dum Dum", a song Billy Boy Arnold wrote and sang with Bo Diddley. Leonard ChessLeonard Chess
Leonard Chess was a record company executive and the founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues.- Early life :...
, the owner/producer of Diddley's record label, planned to record the song as Diddley's second single. However, Arnold heard that Chess did not like him, so he took the song to Chess rival Vee-Jay Records. Vee-Jay suggested that he change the lyrics, so Arnold came up with "I Wish You You".
- Early in the morning about the break of day
- That's when my baby went away
- Crying and pleading won't do you no good
- Come back baby I wish you would
The song features a one-chord modal blues structure with a repeating guitar figure and Diddley-style rhythm. Backing Arnold (vocal and harmonica) are Jody Williams
Jody Williams (blues musician)
Joseph Leon Williams , better known as Jody Williams, is an American blues guitarist and singer. His singular guitar playing, marked by flamboyant string-bending, imaginative chord changes and a distinctive tone, was influential in the Chicago blues scene of the 1950s.-Career:In the mid 1950s,...
(guitar), Milton Rector (bass), and Earl Phillips (drums). The single, credited to "Billy Boy", reportedly sold well, but did not appear in the national record charts. Arnold revisited "I Wish You Would" several times during his career, producing new studio versions and live versions of the song for a variety of record labels.
Arnold later commented that because of "I Wish You Would" he was unfairly labeled as a Bo Diddley stylist. "I was a straight blues guy... Bo Diddley's stuff was rock'n'rollish, it wasn't straight blues, and when I did "I Wish You Would," and it had that similar type of beat, that just throws me in the same pot with Bo Diddley, 'cause everybody identified the song as a Bo Diddley type of song. But I had no intention of ever doing anything like Bo Diddley, 'cause that wasn't my style of music."
The Yardbirds versions
English rock band The YardbirdsThe Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
released "I Wish You Would" as their debut single in 1964. This studio recording lacks the Bo Diddley-style beat and is considerably shorter than live versions performed by the Yardbirds around this time. The single did not enter the record charts in either the UK or US, but was later released on the Yardbirds' first American album, For Your Love, which reached #96 in Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top LPs chart in 1965.
Several live versions of "I Wish You Would" were recorded by the Yardbirds, which were later released. A version from 1963 with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
was released on London 1963 – The First Recordings!; a 1965 recording by the BBC with Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
was released on Yardbirds ... On Air
BBC Sessions (The Yardbirds album)
The Yardbirds Live at the BBC compiles 26 recordings made for broadcast from eight different sessions between 1965 and 1968. All the songs feature either Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page on guitar...
; and a 1968 version with Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
appears on Last Rave-Up in LA.
Other versions
A variety of artists have recorded "I Wish You Would", including Canned HeatCanned Heat
Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...
from Live at Topanga Corral
Live At Topanga Corral
Live at Topanga Corral is a 1971 live album by Canned Heat. The album is taken from a 1969 concert at the Kaleidoscope in Hollywood, California and not at the Topanga Corral as the title suggests...
(1969, released 1971), David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
from Pin Ups
Pin Ups
- Personnel :* David Bowie – vocals, guitar, tenor and alto saxophone, harmonica, arrangements, backing vocals, Moog synthesizer* Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements* Trevor Bolder – bass* Aynsley Dunbar – drums- Additional personnel :...
(1973), Sweet
Sweet (band)
Sweet was a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as one of the most prominent glam rock acts, with the classic line-up of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker.Sweet was formed in 1968 and achieved their first...
from Identity Crisis
Identity Crisis (Sweet album)
Identity Crisis is a 1982 album by Sweet. Originally only released in Germany via Polydor Records, was recorded between 1980/81 and finally released after the band split-up in 1981.- Track listing :...
(1982), and The Red Devils
The Red Devils (blues band)
The Red Devils were a Los Angeles-based blues-rock band who were active from 1988 to 1994. With their no-frills approach and singer Lester Butler's convincing Chicago-style blues harp, they were a popular fixture on the Los Angeles club scene and toured the U.S. and Europe...
from King King
King King
-Personnel:*Lester Butler – vocals and harmonica*Paul "The Kid" Size – lead guitar*Dave Lee Bartel – rhythm guitar*Johnny Ray Bartel – bass*Bill Bateman – drums-External links:* *...
(1992).