You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover
| "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Single by Bo Diddley | |
| from the album Bo Diddley | |
| B-side | "I Can Tell" |
| Released | July 1962 |
| Format | 7-inch 45 rpm record |
| Recorded | Chicago, June 27, 1962 |
| Genre | Rock and roll, rhythm and blues |
| Length | 2:43 |
| Label | Checker (no. 1019) |
| Writer(s) | Willie Dixon |
| Producer(s) | Ralph Bass |
| ISWC | T-070.248.223-2 |
"You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" is a 1962 song by rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley. Written by Willie Dixon, the song was one of Diddley's last record chart hits. Unlike many of his well-known songs, "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" does not rely on the Bo Diddley beat. A variety of rock and other performers have recorded renditions of the song.
"You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" is based on a sixteen-bar blues structure that "boasts a beat that's utterly compulsive and primordial, but closer to a way-speeded up walking rhythm than to the standard Diddley pattern". Willie Dixon's lyrics use "a series of metaphors of all sorts of things you can't judge by their appearances before landing on the title phrase".
You can't judge an apple by looking at a tree
You can't judge honey by looking at the bee
You can't judge a daughter by looking at the mother
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover
In his autobiography, Dixon explained that the lyrics were "his [Bo Diddley's] bag 100% ... and when I told him about it, he like it immediately". Diddley's original recording breaks the fourth wall by encouraging the listener to turn his or her radio up after the first verse. In 1962, the song reached number 21 on the Billboard magazine R&B chart and number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" has been recorded by a variety of artists, often with variations in the title, such as "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" or "You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover". An early lineup of the Rolling Stones made a demo recording of the song in October 1962. In 1963, the Yardbirds with Eric Clapton recorded a live version of the song at the Crawdaddy Club in London during the sessions that produced the Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds album. In 1964, the song was performed on Germany's Beat-Club television program by the Syndicats, featuring guitarist Steve Howe. In 1966, folk singer Tom Rush recorded it for the album Take a Little Walk with Me. Also in 1966, garage band Shadows of Knight released their first album "Gloria" which included their own version. The Monkees recorded it their Live 1967 album with lead vocals by Mike Nesmith. On January 26, 1972, Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales performed an up-tempo version of the song in closing a concert set at Symphony Hall, Boston.
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