| "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" | |
|---|---|
| Single by John Fred and his Playboy Band | |
| Released | 1968 |
| Genre | Pop rock |
| Length | 2:55 |
| Writer(s) | John Fred, Andrew Bernard |
"Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)" 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 by Fred with bandmate Andrew Bernard.
The song was inspired by Fred's listening to The Beatles' hit, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". He mistakenly believed the lyrics 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, drums, breathing sounds, and unusual dissonant string sounds.
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."[1] However, Fred was the band leader and insisted on that ending, or the other members would be fired from the band. "Judy in Disguise" went on to knock "Hello, Goodbye", a Beatles tune, off the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in January 1968.
The song also reached #1 in Germany[2] and Switzerland, and [3] #3 in Great Britain.[4]
Gary Lewis and the Playboys released a cover version 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 electropop version in 1979.