Bo Diddley – Who Do You Love?

I remember this song as a teenager by George Thorogood. Bo Diddley was a little funkier than his rock and roll peers. He developed that wonderful riff that will live on forever where ever rock and roll is played. I could play this over and over on the guitar and never get tired of it. You can be a beginner at guitar but once you learn this…it sounds better than any other riff you can play…you can play it soft or loud…it doesn’t matter. The riff or  beat has been called “The Bo Diddley Beat.”

The rhythm to this version is just infectious. Bo Diddley (Ellas McDaniel) wrote this song. It was released in 1956 but did not reach the charts…that boggles the mind.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Bo Diddley’s original song at number 133 on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

You can be cool… but not Bo Diddley playing his square guitar cool… great guitarist and showman.

I always loved his square guitar. He built a guitar that looked like no other. He designed and constructed a custom built square shaped guitar for himself, he then commissioned Gretsch Guitars and Kinman Guitar Electrix to build further custom built square shaped models for him.

Solid Body :: G6138 Bo Diddley, "G" Cutout Tailpiece, Ebony Fingerboard, Firebird Red

From Songfacts

The title is a play on the word “Hoodoo,” which is a folk religion similar to Voodoo and also popular in the American South. Many blues musicians mentioned Hoodoo in their songs and like Diddley, conjured up images of the skulls, snakes and graveyards.

George Thorogood And The Destroyers recorded a popular cover on their 1978 album Move It On Over. In 1982, Diddley appeared in Thorogood’s video for “Bad To The Bone.” It was good timing, since MTV was new didn’t have many videos.

British blues rockers Juicy Lucy had a #14 hit in the UK in 1970 with their version of this song.

Who Do You Love?

I walk forty-seven miles of barbed wire
I use a cobra snake for a necktie
I got a brand new house on the roadside
Made from rattlesnake hide
I got a brand new chimney made on top
Made out of a human skull
Now come on take a walk with me, Arlene
And tell me, who do you love?

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Tombstone hand and a graveyard mind
Just twenty-two and I don’t mind dying

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

I rode a lion to town, used a rattlesnake whip
Take it easy Arlene, don’t give me no lip

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Night was dark, but the sky was blue
Down the alley, the ice-wagon flew
Heard a bump, and somebody screamed
You should have heard just what I seen

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Arlene took me by my hand
And she said ooo-wee, Bo, you know I understand

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

30 thoughts on “Bo Diddley – Who Do You Love?”

  3. Brilliant! This type of song is still played by modern bands today. I’ ll never forget the long version from Quicksilver Messenger Service on their album “Happy Trails”. The number is a feast of the finest quality.

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  4. it’s a rock classic. I like Bo’s original better than the George T. version I heard a lot as a youth (have to admit, never was a Thorogood fan) . That’s some guitar! That was the first thing I noticed when I opened this blog, the guitar in the pic!

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    1. I know…he was smart in doing that. it reminds me of the old cigar box guitars…that is I’m sure where he got the idea for it.
      Like you I like Bo’s version better also but I was introduced to the song by George’s version and I knew more people would know that version….Bo’s is excellent and hard to top!

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    1. The riff in the orginal isn’t as pronounced as with some other covers like the Last Waltz. The rhythm covers it up.
      I know the Townes version…it was on the album he was looking out a window I believe…forgot the name of it!

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  9. That one’s an absolute classic in my book that will never go out of style. I agree with Max Bo Diddley was a really cool guitarist. George Thorogood does a great job with his cover. He’s a guy I’d love to see one of these days, b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-badly! 🙂

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  11. It’s a great song that (along with Hey, Bo Diddley) has always been a fave of mine. Never saw him live, but did see Juicy Lucy who used to play at The Roundhouse. (And I seem to remember that other bands frequently used their speakers and amps. I remember those orange amps, particularly.)

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    1. I just saw a video on Juicy Lucy the other day…I would love to have one of those orange amps… It sure is fun to play on guitar…it’s very simple.

      did the anonymous not work? I have got hit with spam since cutting it over. I think back now…that is probably the reason I turned it off…everything went to spam…like 200 comments in two days.

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      1. I don’t use ‘anonymous’, I just fill in my email address and name. If you want to turn this off, do – I can do a sort of bunch of ’roundup’ comments in email instead, if you want.

        Hope you’re okay?

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      2. Oh I’m doing fine! I’m getting them like this. I’m interviewing for another job with the state Wednesday…37.5 hours a week no overtime ever…I wouldn’t know what to do.

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