Captain Beefheart – Diddy Wah Diddy

I’ve heard Captain Beefheart off and on through the years. To put it lightly…he was different.

Captain Beefheart was born Don Van Vliet and was a prodigy sculptor in his childhood. I first heard about him from a Beatles book…as I did with a lot of the artists I know. John and Paul were fans of his albums Trout Mask Replica and Safe As Milk.

This is one of Captain Beefheart’s most conventional and accessible songs and it has a nasty sound to it that I like. It has a great blues feel to it. Like Frank Zappa…he wasn’t for everyone. Speaking of Frank Zappa, he grew up with Vliet in California and they hung out as teenagers. Both of them bring something different to the table.

I would like to explore more of his music in the future. His music can be very abstract as he will switch tempos and experiment. I go in knowing I’m not going to be hearing many radio-friendly songs and I found a lot of songs that I like. I’ve been listening to Captain Beefheart closely for a few weeks now… I like a lot of what I’m hearing. He took chances like no one else.

This song was released as a promotional single back in 1966 with the B side as  “Who Do You Think You’re Fooling.” Diddy Wah Diddy was written by Willie Dixon and Bo Diddley. Bo Diddley released this song in 1956.

There are two stories about how he got his name – the one he gave to David Letterman was that he chose it because he had a “beef in his heart” about how humanity was ruining the environment.

The second was in one of  Frank Zappa’s biographies. “His girlfriend, Laurie, lived in the house with him, along with his Mom (Sue), his Dad (Glen), Aunt Ione and Uncle Alan… The way Don got his ‘stage name’ was, Uncle Alan had a habit of exposing himself to Laurie. He’d piss with the bathroom door open, and if she was walking by, mumble about his appendage – something along the lines of: ‘Ahh, what a beauty! It looks just like a big, fine beef heart.”

I have more to come from Captain Beefheart. I want to dip into some of his non-conventional songs.

The B-Side Who Do You Think You’re Fooling

Diddy Wah Diddy

I gotta gal down in Diddy Wah Diddy
(Diddy Wah)
Ain’t no town an it ain’t no city
(Diddy Wah)
She loves her man, just is a pity
Crazy ’bout my gal in Diddy Wah Diddy

(Diddy Wah)
This little girl is sweet as she could be
(Diddy Wah)
I know she’s in love with me
(Diddy Wah)
A lovely face, she’s so pretty
(Diddy Wah)
But she’s still way down in Diddy Wah Diddy

(Diddy Wah, Diddy Wah, Diddy)
(Diddy Wah, Diddy Wah, Diddy)
(Diddy Wah, Diddy Wah, Diddy)

Ain’t no town, an it ain’t no city
But oh, how they love in Diddy Wah Diddy)

(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)

(Diddy Wah)
She kissed me all the time
(Diddy Wah)
She gonna turn me outta my mind
(Diddy Wah)
Anything, she says she’s ready
(Diddy Wah)
Run right back to Diddy Wah Diddy
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)

Ain’t no town, ain’t no city
Lord, how they love in Diddy Wah Diddy)

(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, 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. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

39 thoughts on “Captain Beefheart – Diddy Wah Diddy”

      2. Listen to a few songs from Trout Mask Replica…in some you get an urge to turn away but a bigger urge to listen to see what happens. It’s totally fascinating Randy. He challenges your senses…

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  5. Well I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard any Captain Beefheart before – I certainly couldn’t name any of his songs or hum them in my head, anyway. Given how weird the Trout Mask cover was and his name , I really thought he’d be a lot more ‘out there’. Both of these are decent enough bluesy rockers that while not precisely up my alley seem like they could have had some halfways-decent mainstream appeal.

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      1. Somehow I was expecting more like Eno at his most avant garde…kind of ‘Here’s 48 ghetto blasters playing 48 different pieces simultaneously then recorded and played backwards’, you know?
        I like a fair bit of Zappa stuff though he’s a now & then listen, not every day.

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      2. Oh…this guys other stuff goes beyond Zappa to me…it is OUT there lol…I’m going to post some more….this was the most normal song he has I believe…from what I heard.

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  6. Love this Max. Im a fan (you knew that). Just heard then original a couple days ago. First heard this by the T-Birds. This tune was more conventional for him. Look forward to more CB and how he hits you. The origin of the name has me chuckling.

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    1. LOL… yes I would bet on that second story if I were a betting man. Yea he is really interesting…thats the word I use…I was telling Randy he challenges you to keep up with him on most of his stuff…no rules at all.

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      1. I think, after a few years listening you put your young cool dude ego aside and start to listen to what you like- could be a bit of jazz, a bit of gospel, a bit of thrash, a bit of Lawrence Welk- well, some things are beyond the pale- sorry Larry, my ears are a no-Polka zone.

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  11. Captain Beefheart of course makes me think of Frank Zappa, friend and label mate, which makes me think of Edgard Varèse, who Zappa cites as a major influence as a composer. That leads to Henry Threadgill, Pulitzer prize winning composer (and member of AACM – the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, which spawned the Art Ensemble of Chicago) who also cites Varèse as an influence. I’m featuring Threadgill Tuesday (with some of his more accessible music, as you did with Beefheart).

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    1. I thought that you would know him…I knew him but only in spots…this is the one I thought I would do my first post..
      I’ll be looking forward to it!

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  13. Pingback: Captain Beefheart – Diddy Wah Diddy – MobsterTiger

  14. This actually got a little air play in Los Angeles when it was released as a single. Right before Mannfred Mann, and we know who won that music label battle.

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  15. Well I’d recommend:

    • Lick My Decals Off, Baby
    • Clear Spot
    • Spotlight Kid
    • and Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)

    These will give you a good representation of some of Beefheart’s best work.

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