Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) explained

Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)
Type:single
Artist:John Fred & His Playboy Band
Album:Agnes English
B-Side:Out of Left Field
Released:October 1967
Genre:
Label:Paula Records

"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" is a song that was a hit for the Louisiana-based John Fred & His Playboy Band in late 1967. It was jointly composed by Fred and bandmate Andrew Bernard. Billboard magazine noted that it was recorded not in New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville, but "in a small studio in Tyler, Texas."[3]

Arrangements and content

The song features strings, brass, a sitar, piano, bass, guitar, drums, breathing sounds, and dissonant string sounds. Its title is a play on, and a mondegreen of, the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". (Fred had initially believed the lyrics to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" were "Lucy in disguise with diamonds" upon first hearing the song.)[4] [5]

The other members of the Playboy Band did not like the unusual slow abrupt ending with Fred intoning the final line, "I guess I'll just take your glasses."[6]

Chart performance

In January 1968, the song reached #1 in the US and became a gold record. It also hit #1 in Germany, Switzerland, and Australia, and #3 in both Canada and the United Kingdom.

Weekly charts

Chart (1967–1968)Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set)[7] 1
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] 32
France (IFOP)[10] 31
Italy (FIMI)[11] 44
Japan (All Japan Pop 20)[12] 6
New Zealand (Listener)[13] 10
South Africa (Springbok)[14] 1
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[15] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[17] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1968)Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 14
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 26
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[20] 24
South Africa (Springbok)[21] 15
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 2
UK Singles[23] 49
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 25
US Cash Box[25] 13

Anthony Swete version

Judy Disfrazada
Artist:Anthony Swete
Album:Anthony Swete
B-Side:Doblame, Modelame
Released:1968
Label:Groove GS-8005

Anthony Swete recorded a version which was a hit in Argentina in 1968. It stayed on the charts for more than two months.

Background

Anthony Swete's version of "Judy in Disguise" was released as "Judy Disfrazada". Backed with "Doblame, Modelame" ("Bend Me, Shape Me"), written by Scott English and Larry Weiss, it was released on Groove GS-8005 in 1968.[26] [27]

Chart

As shown by Cash Box in the March 16 issue, Swete's version debuted at no. 10 on the Argentina's Best Sellers chart.[28] It peaked at no. 5 on April 20.[29] [30] It was still in the chart at no. 17 on May 25.[31] If there was any further chart action for the single in the following week, it couldn't be shown as Cash Box had replaced the Argentina's Best Sellers chart with the Brazil's Best Sellers (Rio de Janeiro) chart.[32] On June 8, the Argentina's Best Sellers chart was back. There was no further chart action shown for the single in the top 20 range.[33]

With Billboard, the chart progress of "Judy Disfrazada" showed a debut at no. 4 in the Buenos Aires Top Ten on the week of April 6, 1968.[34] There was another version of "Judy Disfrazada" by Bárbara y Dick in the same chart. It was at no. 7.[35] From April 13 to May 4, there was no Buenos Aires Top Ten category in Billboard Hits of the World section so further progress isn't shown.[36] [37] [38] [39] The Argentina section was now included in the May 11 issue. There was no charting of Swete's single in the top ten range.[40]

Appearances

"Judy In Disguise" was included on Anthony Swete's self-titled album, released on Clan Celentano BF ES LP 7021 in 1970.[41]

Other versions

Gary Lewis and the Playboys recorded a version which was released on their Now! album, released on Liberty LST-7568 in 1968. Reviewed in the June 1 issue of Cash Box, "Judy in Disguise" and "Young Girl" were noted as the album's highlights.[42]

Punk band Frank Xerox and The Copy Cats a.k.a. The Speedometors recorded a version of "Judy in Disguise". It was backed with "Rock Show" and released on Arista ARIST 160 in 1980.[43] [44]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: John Fred And His Playboy Band's "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)". . October 26, 2018 . With “Judy In Disguise"...Fred came up with a dizzily silly novelty song that made fun of the Beatles’ psychedelic surrealism...Instead, it’s a big, stiff, bouncy R&B song with strings and horns.... June 14, 2023.
  2. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: John Fred And His Playboy Band's "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)". . October 26, 2018 . With “Judy In Disguise"...Fred came up with a dizzily silly novelty song that made fun of the Beatles’ psychedelic surrealism...Instead, it’s a big, stiff, bouncy R&B song with strings and horns.... June 14, 2023.
  3. Gross, Mike. "'Backyard Studios'—New Sound Frontier." Billboard, 27 April 1968, 1.
  4. Book: Kasser, Tom . Lucy in the Mind of Lennon . . Oxford . July 2013 . 978-0-19-974760-3.
  5. Web site: Seven things you didn't know about "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" . blog.oup.com . Oxford University Press . July 9, 2013 . November 29, 2015.
  6. Book: Bronson, Fred . Billboard Book of Number One Songs . registration . 1997 . Billboard Books . 9780823076413.
  7. Web site: GGo-Set National Top 40 - 20 March 1968 . www.poparchives.com.au.
  8. Web site: Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1968 . www.top100singles.net.
  9. Web site: Timo . Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit JEA - JOP . Sisältää hitin . August 13, 2015 . July 27, 2020.
  10. Web site: InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque Artiste commençant par F . InfoDisc . Select "John FRED & HisPLAYBOY Band" from the artist drop-down menu . July 27, 2020 . fr.
  11. Web site: Indice per Interprete: F . . July 27, 2020 . it.
  12. Web site: All Japan Pop 20 charts 1967-1970 . UKMIX Forums . July 27, 2020.
  13. Web site: flavour of new zealand - search listener . www.flavourofnz.co.nz . July 27, 2020.
  14. Web site: SA Charts 1965–March 1989 . December 22, 2019.
  15. Web site: Listas de superventas: 1968 . July 27, 2020.
  16. The Hot 100 Chart . Billboard . 2 January 2013 . July 27, 2020.
  17. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 1/27/68 . cashboxmagazine.com . July 27, 2020.
  18. Web site: AMR Top Singles of 1968 . www.top100singles.net.
  19. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 1968 . Ultratop . July 27, 2020.
  20. Web site: Canada . Library and Archives . Image: RPM Weekly . www.bac-lac.gc.ca . July 17, 2013 . July 27, 2020.
  21. Web site: Top 20 Hit Singles of 1968 . December 22, 2019.
  22. Web site: Swiss Year-End Charts 1968 - swisscharts.com . swisscharts.com . July 27, 2020.
  23. Web site: Sixties City - Pop Music Charts - Every Week of the Sixties.
  24. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1968/Top 100 Songs of 1968 . www.musicoutfitters.com . July 27, 2020.
  25. Web site: Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1968 . dead . December 21, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161009061908/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1968YESP.html . October 9, 2016.
  26. Second Hand Songs - Doblame, Moldeame by Anthony Swete
  27. 45Cat - Anthony Swete - Discography, Argentina
  28. Cash Box, March 16, 1968 - Page 80 Cash Box Argentina, Argentina's Best Sellers, This Week 10, Last Week _
  29. Cash Box, April 20, 1968 - Page 77 Cash Box Argentina, Argentina's Best Sellers, This Week 5, Last Week 6
  30. Cash Box, April 27, 1968 - Page 61 Cash Box Argentina, Argentina's Best Sellers, This Week 6, Last Week 5
  31. Cash Box, May 25, 1968 - Page 55 Cash Box Argentina, Argentina's Best Sellers, This Week 17, Last Week 11
  32. Cash Box, June 1, 1968 - Page 58
  33. Cash Box, June 8, 1968 - Page 69 Cash Box Argentina, Argentina's Best Sellers
  34. Billboard, April 6, 1968 - Page 45 Billboard HITS OF THE WORLD, BUENOS AIRES, This Week 4, Last Week _
  35. Billboard, April 6, 1968 - Page 45 Billboard HITS OF THE WORLD, BUENOS AIRES, This Week 7, Last Week 8
  36. Billboard, April 13, 1968 - Page 55 Billboard HITS OF THE WORLD
  37. Billboard, April 20, 1968 - Page 51 Billboard HITS OF THE WORLD
  38. Billboard, April 27, 1968 - Page 53 Billboard HITS OF THE WORLD
  39. Billboard, May 4, 1968 - Page 53 Billboard HITS OF THE WORLD
  40. Billboard, May 11, 1968 - Page 51 Billboard HITS OF THE WORLD, Argentina
  41. Popsike - LP 33 Anthony Swete ?– Anthony Swete Italy 1970 Clan Celentano Funk / Soul
  42. Cash Box, June 1, 1968 - Page 40 Cash Box Album Reviews, Pop Best Bets
  43. My Life's a Jigsaw, Wednesday 27 April 2011 - Frank Xerox And The Copy Cats - Judy In Disguise (1978)
  44. Offizielle Deutsche Charts - FRANK XEROX AND THE COPY CATS, JUDY IN DISGUISE SINGLE

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