You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover

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For variants, see Don't judge a book by its cover (disambiguation).
"You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover"
You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover single cover.jpg
Single by Bo Diddley
from the album Bo Diddley
B-side"I Can Tell"
ReleasedJuly 1962 (1962-07)
RecordedChicago, June 27, 1962
GenreRock and roll, rhythm and blues
Length2:43[1]
LabelChecker
Songwriter(s)Willie Dixon
Producer(s)Ralph Bass

"You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" (alternatively "You Can't Judge a Book by Its 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.[2] Unlike many of his well-known songs, "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" does not rely on the Bo Diddley beat.[3] A variety of rock and other performers have recorded renditions of the song.

Composition and lyrics[]

"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", according to Richie Unterberger in a song review.[3] Percussionist Jerome Green added maracas to the recording, which Unterberger calls "an utterly entrancing rhythm that does much to add to the power of the song".[3]

While noting Diddley's rhythm guitar contribution, Dixon biographer Mitsutoshi Inaba comments on Diddley's "unique vocal style": "He freely uses various vocal techniques: glissandi in a wide range, howling, changing dynamics and tone quality, altering melodic and non-melodic singing."[4] Dixon's lyrics describe a variety of situations to illustrate that one should not judge them by their appearance, before repeating the title phrase:[3]

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 liked it immediately".[5] Diddley's original recording breaks the fourth wall by encouraging the listener to turn his or her radio up after the first verse.

Releases and charts[]

Checker Records, one of the Chess brothers' record labels, released "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" as a single in July 1962.[6] A review in Billboard magazine gave the single's flip-side "I Can Tell" four stars, while noting "the backing [single side] is a stomping groove", which it gave three stars.[6] However, only "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" appeared in the magazine's charts, reaching number 21 on the R&B chart and number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]

Checker included the song on his Bo Diddley studio album released in August 1962 (not the same as the 1958 compilation album by the same name).[7] Later, the song appeared on several Diddley compilations, such as the comprehensive Bo Diddley – The Chess Box (1990) and the single CD His Best (1997).[3] Diddley's recording is also included the box set Chess prepared for songwriter Willie Dixon.

Legacy[]

In his biography, Unterberger includes "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" as one of Diddley's "stone-cold standards of early, riff-driven rock & roll at its funkiest".[8] The song has been recorded by numerous artists in a variety of styles.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ The original Checker 45 lists 2:43; later reissues list 3:10–3:16.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 118. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Unterberger, Ritchie. "'You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover' – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  4. ^ Inaba, Mitsutoshi (2011). Willie Dixon: Preacher of the Blues. Lanham, Massachusetts: Scarecrow Press. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-8108-6993-6.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Dixon, Willie; Snowden, Don (1989). I Am the Blues. New York City: Da Capo Press. p. 149. ISBN 0-306-80415-8.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Reviews of New Singles". Billboard. Vol. 74 no. 29. July 21, 1962. p. 30. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ Deming, Mark. "Bo Diddley [1962] – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Bo Diddley – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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