Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)
Encyclopedia
"Judy in Disguise" is a song that was a hit for the Louisiana
-based John Fred and his Playboy Band
in early 1968. The song was co-written with bandmate Andrew Bernard
. According to The Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson
, the song was inspired by Fred's listening to The Beatles
' hit, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
". He mistakenly believed
the lyrics to the Beatles' song were "Lucy in disguise with diamonds" and was disappointed when he read the liner notes. The song features strings, brass, a sitar, piano, bass, guitar, and drums, plus a couple of sections where breathing sounds take place over unusual dissonant sounds on the strings.
The other members of the Playboy band did not like the unusual slow abrupt ending with John Fred intoning the final line: "I guess I'll just take your Glasses." However, John Fred was the boss and insisted on that ending be done, or the other members would be fired from the band. "Judy in Disguise" went on to knock "Hello, Goodbye", another Beatles tune, off the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100
for two weeks in January 1968.
An international success as well, the song reached #1 in Germany and Switzerland. It also reached #3 in the Beatles' native Great Britain
.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys released a cover version of this song 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 all-electronic version in 1979 — one of the first such examples that was instrumental in helping first define the electropop sound of the 1980s and beyond.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
-based John Fred and his Playboy Band
John Fred
John Fred was a blue-eyed soul, Cajun swamp pop and bubble-gum pop performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the song, "Judy in Disguise ".-Career:...
in early 1968. The song was co-written with bandmate Andrew Bernard
Andrew Bernard
Andrew B. Bernard is an American economist, currently the Jack Byrne Professor of International Economics at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. He also is director of the Center for International Business at Tuck. He has been on the faculty at...
. According to The Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson
Fred Bronson
Fredric M. Bronson is an American journalist, author and writer. He is best known for his appearances on American Idol, the weekly "Chart Beat" column in Billboard magazine, and as the author of books related to Billboard charts.Born to Irving and Mildred Bronson and raised in Culver City,...
, the song was inspired by Fred's listening to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' hit, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, for The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band...
". He mistakenly believed
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
the lyrics to the Beatles' song were "Lucy in disguise with diamonds" and was disappointed when he read the liner notes. The song features strings, brass, a sitar, piano, bass, guitar, and drums, plus a couple of sections where breathing sounds take place over unusual dissonant sounds on the strings.
The other members of the Playboy band did not like the unusual slow abrupt ending with John Fred intoning the final line: "I guess I'll just take your Glasses." However, John Fred was the boss and insisted on that ending be done, or the other members would be fired from the band. "Judy in Disguise" went on to knock "Hello, Goodbye", another Beatles tune, off the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for two weeks in January 1968.
An international success as well, the song reached #1 in Germany and Switzerland. It also reached #3 in the Beatles' native Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys released a cover version of this song on their 1968 album, Gary Lewis Now!
Silicon Teens
Silicon Teens
Silicon Teens were a virtual British electronic new wave pop group. The project was the creation of Mute Records founder Daniel Miller.-Background:...
, the virtual
Virtual band
In music, a virtual band is any group whose members are not corporeal musicians, but animated characters...
British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
electronic new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
pop group
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
created by Mute Records
Mute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
founder Daniel Miller, released a radically different all-electronic version in 1979 — one of the first such examples that was instrumental in helping first define the electropop sound of the 1980s and beyond.
See also
- List of number-one hits of 1968 (Germany)
- List of number-one hits of 1968 (Switzerland)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1968 (U.S.)