Who Do You Love? (Bo Diddley song)
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"Who Do You Love?" is a song written by American
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
pioneer
Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...
. Recorded in 1956, it is one of his most popular and enduring works. The song represents one of Bo Diddley's strongest lyrical efforts and uses a combination of hoodoo-type imagery and boasting. It is an upbeat rocker, but the original did not use the signature
Bo Diddley beat The Bo Diddley beat is a syncopated musical rhythm that is widely used in rock and roll and pop music. The beat is named after rhythm and blues musician Bo Diddley, who introduced and popularized the beat with his self-titled debut single, "Bo D ...
rhythm. "Who Do You Love?" was part of Bo Diddley's repertoire throughout his career, but none of his various recordings reached the record charts. The song has been interpreted and recorded by numerous musicians in different styles, often adding a Bo Diddley beat. Popular renditions include those by
Ronnie Hawkins Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, long based in Canada, whose career spanned more than half a century. His career began in Arkansas, United States, where he was born and raised. He ...
and
George Thorogood George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Delaware. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the ...
, with charting singles by
the Woolies The Woolies were an American rock band from Lansing, Michigan. It was formed in 1964 by Bob Baldori, Stormy Rice, Jeff Baldori, Ron English, and Bee Metros.- Ankeny, Jason "The Woolies" allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 August 2009. Their cover of " W ...
,
Tom Rush Thomas Walker Rush (born February 8, 1941) is an American folk and blues singer, guitarist and songwriter who helped launch the careers of other singer-songwriters in the 1960s and has continued his own singing career for 60 years. Life and ...
,
Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...
, and Juicy Lucy. Guitarists' contributions to the various renditions of the song have been noted by music critics and writers. Beginning with blues guitarist
Jody Williams Jody Williams (born October 9, 1950) is an American political activist known for her work in banning anti-personnel landmines, her defense of human rights (especially those of women), and her efforts to promote new understandings of security i ...
' prominent fills and solo on Bo Diddley's original recording, the guitar work by
Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel in ...
(Hawkins),
John Cipollina John Cipollina (August 24, 1943 – May 29, 1989) was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the prominent San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. After leaving Quicksilver he formed the band C ...
(Quicksilver),
Glenn Ross Campbell Glenn Ross Campbell (born April 28, 1946) is a steel guitarist, most noted for being lead guitarist of cult band The Misunderstood. The Misunderstood The Misunderstood were a psychedelic rock band that originated in Riverside, California, in the ...
(Juicy Lucy), and Thorogood on later adaptations has been also acknowledged.


Background and lyrics

Bo Diddley wrote "Who Do You Love" in 1956. The idea came to him in Kansas City where he heard a group of children trying to out-brag one another using a particular rhythm. "It was like an African chant, and I wanted words that would suit it", Bo Diddley recalled. Inspired by
Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...
' 1954 hit "
I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man "Hoochie Coochie Man" (originally titled "I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man") is a blues standard written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1954. The song makes reference to hoodoo folk magic elements and makes novel use of a sto ...
", he wanted to outdo songwriter
Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...
's lyrical swagger: He also sings about a skull, a tombstone, a graveyard, and a scream in the night to convey a sense of foreboding. The use of the
homonym In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones (equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definition, ...
"who do" is an allusion to " hoodoo", a Louisiana/Mississippi folk magic belief that events can be influenced by its use. However, Bo Diddley uses imagery more common to the American
Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
, combined with exaggerated bravado. He explained that the first line, "I got forty-seven miles of barbed wire", came to him quickly, "but I couldn't get a rhyme for it. I thought of car tires and mule trains, and I couldn't get anything to fit. Then one day I said 'use a cobra snake,' and my drummer, Clifton James, added 'for a necktie'". These are directed at a female he is trying to woo – "who do you love, me or him". The lyrics confirm the effect: "Arlene took me by my hand, she said 'oo-ee daddy I understand', who do you love?".


Composition and recording

Musically, "Who Do You Love?" is an uptempo song centered on one chord (
A-flat major A-flat major (or the key of A-flat) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has four flats. The A-flat major scale is: : Its relative minor is F minor. Its parallel minor, A-flat minor, ...
) with guitar flourishes that complement the vocals. It has a strong rhythm, but unlike later interpretations, it does not use the typical
Bo Diddley beat The Bo Diddley beat is a syncopated musical rhythm that is widely used in rock and roll and pop music. The beat is named after rhythm and blues musician Bo Diddley, who introduced and popularized the beat with his self-titled debut single, "Bo D ...
. Instead, the song uses a "modified cut shuffle beat" or 2/4 time, giving it an almost
rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
feel, similar to
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
's "
Maybellene "Maybellene" is a rock and roll song. It was written and recorded in 1955 by Chuck Berry, adapted in part from the Western swing fiddle tune "Ida Red". Berry's song told the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance, the lyrics describing ...
". "Who Do You Love?" was recorded in Chicago on March 24, 1956, one year after recording his self-titled debut single. Bo Diddley uses his characteristic
sound processing Audio signal processing is a subfield of signal processing that is concerned with the electronic manipulation of audio signals. Audio signals are electronic representations of sound waves—longitudinal waves which travel through air, consisting ...
effects, including echoey vocal and
tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are two types of tremolo. The first is a rapid reiteration: * Of a single Musical note, note, particularly used on String instrument#Bowing, bowed string instrument ...
-laden rhythm electric guitar.
Jody Williams Jody Williams (born October 9, 1950) is an American political activist known for her work in banning anti-personnel landmines, her defense of human rights (especially those of women), and her efforts to promote new understandings of security i ...
answers the vocal lines with prominent, distinctive
overdriven Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain (electronics), gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distort ...
guitar fills and a solo. Biographer George R. White calls his playing "revolutionary". In naming Williams to its list of "35 Blues Guitarists Who Definitely Started It All", ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' magazine adds, "His solo on Diddley's 'Who Do You Love?' is a lesson in evil". Clifton James plays the drums and percussionist Jerome Green adds maracas.


Release and reception

In 1956, the song was released as a single by
Checker Records Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded ...
, a
Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...
subsidiary, but did not reach the record charts. It reached a bigger audience when it was included on his first compilation album, ''
Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...
'', released in 1958. "Who Do You Love?" appears on numerous later compilations, including '' His Best''. Music critic
Cub Koda Michael "Cub" Koda (born October 1, 1948 – July 1, 2000) was an American rock and roll singer, guitarist, songwriter, disc jockey, music critic, and record compiler. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine considered him best known for writing the song " S ...
calls "Who Do You Love?" one of Bo Diddley's strongest lyrical efforts. Writer Don Snowden notes that it is "an enduring lyric archetype on the order of '
Johnny B. Goode "Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. Released as a single, it peaked at number two on ''Billboard'' magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its pre-Hot 100 chart. "Johnny B. Goode" is con ...
' and '
Hoochie Coochie Man "Hoochie Coochie Man" (originally titled "I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man") is a blues standard written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1954. The song makes reference to hoodoo folk magic elements and makes novel use of a sto ...
'". White describes it as "a stunning display of voodooesque braggadocio". He adds that the song is "spine-chilling ...
ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...
murky vocals, eerie—almost surreal—lyrics". In 1967, Bo Diddley recorded an updated version of the song with Muddy Waters and
Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...
for the '' Super Blues'' collaboration album. He recorded it again in 1987 for the '' La Bamba'' film soundtrack.
Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...
produced the song and
Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") are an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, ...
provided the ensemble backing.


Renditions


Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks

Rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
singer
Ronnie Hawkins Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, long based in Canada, whose career spanned more than half a century. His career began in Arkansas, United States, where he was born and raised. He ...
performed "Who Do You Love?" during live engagements as early as the late 1950s. After several singles, Hawkins recorded the song in February 1963 for
Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed direc ...
in New York City and released his version without the question mark in the title. He was backed by the Hawks, who later toured with
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and became the Band. Music historian
Charlie Gillett Charles Thomas Gillett (; 20 February 1942 – 17 March 2010) was a British radio presenter, musicologist, and writer, mainly on rock and roll and other forms of popular music. He was particularly noted for his influential book ''The Sound of t ...
describes Hawkins' vocal as "low and hard, achieving all that rock 'n' roll could do". The Hawks'
Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel in ...
's guitar playing is prominent in the recording and has been noted by several music writers. Critic
Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...
described it as "a good few years ahead of its time in its manic distorted intensity". Robertson's style has been compared to that of blues guitarist Willie Johnson, who was a key contributor to
Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...
's early 1950s sound. Longtime Howlin' Wolf guitarist
Hubert Sumlin Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howlin ...
's 1961 solo on "
Wang Dang Doodle "Wang Dang Doodle" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon. Music critic Mike Rowe calls it a party song in an urban style with its massive, rolling, exciting beat. It was first recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1960 and released by Chess Records i ...
" has been suggested as inspiring Robertson. However, Gillett notes, "Robertson's guitar style did not imitate any particular previous guitarist" and added "five years later, many guitarists were trying in vain for comparable effects". Hawkins' single was a hit in Canada, according to writer Oliver Trager, but its release predated Canadian record chart compiler, ''RPM'' magazine. Except near the border in the Great Lakes area, the record was largely unnoticed and did not appear on the ''Billboard'' charts. In 1964, they performed an eight-minute version in a jam style later associated with the
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
. Robertson, along with
Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...
and
Garth Hudson Eric "Garth" Hudson (born August 2, 1937) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for rock group the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He was a ...
, backed
John P. Hammond John Paul Hammond (born November 13, 1942 in New York City) is an American singer and musician. The son of record producer John H. Hammond, he is sometimes referred to as John Hammond Jr. Background Hammond is a son of record producer and ta ...
for a recording of "Who Do You Love" for the latter's ''So Many Roads'' album. Released in 1965, the song uses a
Bo Diddley beat The Bo Diddley beat is a syncopated musical rhythm that is widely used in rock and roll and pop music. The beat is named after rhythm and blues musician Bo Diddley, who introduced and popularized the beat with his self-titled debut single, "Bo D ...
with a
blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...
arrangement. In 1976, Hawkins performed the song with the Band for ''
The Last Waltz ''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as The Band's "farewell concert a ...
'' concert film and album. Band biographer Neil Minturn describes it as "demanding an ebullient, loose, insistent, repetitive groove, with roots in Southern, rural culture. Hawkins continued to perform "Who Do You Love" as a solo artist.


Quicksilver Messenger Service

San Francisco
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
band
Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...
made "Who Do You Love" a feature of their live performances. During the group's early days in 1966 and 1967 with singer and harmonica player Jim Murray, the song was performed with a relatively concise
blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...
arrangement featuring a Bo Diddley-style beat and harmonica and guitar solos. They attempted at least one studio recording in 1967 during the sessions that led to their first album, ''
Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...
''. The demo was officially released on the 1999 album '' Unreleased Quicksilver Messenger Service – Lost Gold and Silver''. At just less than six minutes, it is fairly representative of their early performances. However, by mid-1968 "Who Do You Love" took on a different arrangement. Unterberger calls it a "template upon which to hang long instrumental guitar improvisations,
ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...
the tempo and the melody of the original tune all but disappearing". A 25-minute live adaptation was included on Quicksilver's second album, '' Happy Trails'', that was edited from 1968 recordings at the
Fillmore East The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the (at the time) Lower East Side neighborhood, now called the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan of New York City. ...
and/or
Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Stre ...
. The group performs it as a six-part suite that "weave into and back out of the main theme", with sections allow for instrumental exploration by the individual band members. The first and last sections, titled "Who Do You Love Parts 1 and 2", are the most Bo Diddley-anchored sections of the song with vocals and his well-known beat. The non-vocal sections have titles that play on the original, but beginning with different interrogatives: when, where, how, and which. The second section features a
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
-influenced guitar solo by
Gary Duncan Gary Duncan (born Eugene Duncan, Jr., adopted at birth and named Gary Ray Grubb, September 4, 1946 – June 29, 2019) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Me ...
and interplay with guitarist
John Cipollina John Cipollina (August 24, 1943 – May 29, 1989) was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the prominent San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. After leaving Quicksilver he formed the band C ...
, while the third deconstructs into guitar effects and ambient audience sounds. The fourth section returns to the Bo Diddley theme with a guitar solo by Cipollina, described in a ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...
'' magazine album review as "distinctive, quivering, vibrato-heavy playing", with the band delivering a solid backing. The fifth section highlights
David Freiberg David Freiberg ( ; born August 24, 1938) is an American musician best known for contributing vocals, keyboards, electric bass, rhythm guitar, viola and percussion as a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, and Jefferson S ...
's bass lines and the sixth section is the coda with vocal and harmonies. Rock music critic
Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biography Marcus wa ...
calls "Who Do You Love" "one of the best rock'n'roll recordings to emerge from San Francisco ndsome of the finest hard rock ever recorded". In the description of the song, ''Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists'' includes: At over twenty-five minutes, the song was too long for commercial radio airplay.
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
prepared an edited 3:35 version for release as a single. It became Quicksilver's first appearance on ''Billboard's''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
singles chart, where it reached number 91 in 1969. The ''Happy Trails'' record album, with the song taking up the entire first side, became a best seller at number 27 in the album chart, also in 1969. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' included the album at number 189 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of all Time"


George Thorogood and the Destroyers

American blues rock singer and guitarist
George Thorogood George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Delaware. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the ...
and the Destroyers recorded "Who Do You Love?" for their second album, '' Move It on Over'' (1978). In contrast to Quicksilver Messenger Service, Thorogood's punchy 4:21 rendition is more suited to a
dive bar A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele. ...
than a psychedelic ballroom. AllMusic writer Tim Sendra notes the song's "pounding" Bo Diddley-beat, with Thorogood's "nasty slide uitarplaying and barstool blues vocals". In addition to Bo Diddley's lyrics, he included: "Snakeskin shoes baby put 'em on your feet, got the good time music with a Bo Diddley beat". The song became an FM rock radio staple and one of Thorogood's most identifiable and popular songs. In 1985, he performed it with Bo Diddley at ''
Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
'' benefit concert in Philadelphia. "Who Do You Love?" continues to be a part of Thorogood's repertoire, with several live recordings, including for his '' 30th Anniversary Tour: Live'' album and video.


Recognition and legacy

In 2004, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine ranked Bo Diddley's original song at number 133 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...
included Quicksilver Messenger Service's rendition on its list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". In 2010, the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous f ...
acknowledged Bo Diddley's song with a
Grammy Hall of Fame Award The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
, which "honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance". "Who Do You Love?" has been interpreted and recorded by numerous musicians. Folk singer
Tom Rush Thomas Walker Rush (born February 8, 1941) is an American folk and blues singer, guitarist and songwriter who helped launch the careers of other singer-songwriters in the 1960s and has continued his own singing career for 60 years. Life and ...
recorded the song for his 1966 album ''Take a Little Walk with Me''. Unterberger describes it as "electric rock ... Tom adapted an uncharacteristically low and playful growl for Diddley's 'Who Do You Love,' graced by early fuzz guitar distortion" with the same musicians who backed Dylan in 1965. A single version was released by Rush the same year, which reached number 39 on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine's "Top Sellers in Top Markets" chart for Boston on May 14, 1966. A second "Who Do You Love" single by Rush was released in 1971, which appeared at number 105 on ''Billboard's'' "
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
" chart. Rush performed the song at the Boston Symphony Hall in December 2012, which is included on his 2013 ''Celebrates 50 Years of Music'' album and DVD. A psychedelic rock version by
the Misunderstood The Misunderstood were an American psychedelic rock band originating from Riverside, California in the mid-1960s. The band moved to London early in their career, and although they recorded only a handful of songs before being forced to disband, ...
was recorded in 1966 and released as the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
to the "
I Can Take You to the Sun "I Can Take You To The Sun" is a song that was composed and recorded by The Misunderstood at Philips Studio in London in 1966. The song is considered a psychedelic music classic. The single was released to critical acclaim but the band was force ...
" single on
Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. The independent label distributor Fontana Distribution takes its name from the label. History Fontana started in the 1950s as a subs ...
. Author Dave Thompson writes, "The Misunderstood pumped it up but kept it short, psychedelic sound effects, heart attack drums, ndeerie harmonics". Misunderstood guitarist
Glenn Ross Campbell Glenn Ross Campbell (born April 28, 1946) is a steel guitarist, most noted for being lead guitarist of cult band The Misunderstood. The Misunderstood The Misunderstood were a psychedelic rock band that originated in Riverside, California, in the ...
reworked "Who Do You Love" with his later band, Juicy Lucy, which reached number 14 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in 1970. The song features Campbell's psychedelic
steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...
lines, which Thompson describes "as fast and mean and dirty as any record could have been, a breakneck tour through the bayou swamps and dirt-track roads of the American South, powered by a guitar to make your fingers bleed".
The Woolies The Woolies were an American rock band from Lansing, Michigan. It was formed in 1964 by Bob Baldori, Stormy Rice, Jeff Baldori, Ron English, and Bee Metros.- Ankeny, Jason "The Woolies" allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 August 2009. Their cover of " W ...
recorded "Who Do You Love" in an early American
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–style that reached number 97 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1967. Additionally, Koda notes "great and varied covers over the years" by
Brownsville Station Brownsville station is a Metrorail station in Brownsville, Florida. It is located at the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue ( SR 9) and 52nd Street, opening to service May 19, 1985. Station layout Places of interest *Brownsville *Joseph Ca ...
,
the Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...
,
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
,
the Blues Project The Blues Project is a band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and originally split up in 1967. Their songs drew from a wide array of musical styles. They are most remembered as one of the most artfu ...
, the
Blues Magoos The Blues Magoos are an American rock group from The Bronx, a borough of New York City, United States. They were at the forefront of the psychedelic music trend, beginning in 1966. They are best known for the hit song " (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Ye ...
,
Roy Head Roy Kent Head (January 9, 1941 – September 21, 2020) was an American singer, best known for his hit song "Treat Her Right". Career Roy Kent Head was born in Three Rivers, Texas and achieved fame as a member of musical group The Traits from ...
, and John Hammond Jr. He adds "the song has held up to a number of different interpretations. Oddly, though, the majority of these drop the modified cut shuffle beat of the original, replacing it with the standard Bo Diddley tom-tom beat, losing much of the song's drive in the process."


Notes

Footnotes Citations References * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1956 songs Songs written by Bo Diddley 1957 singles Capitol Records singles Checker Records singles Bo Diddley songs Blues songs George Thorogood songs