Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)

"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" is a song that was a hit for the Louisiana-based John Fred & His Playboy Band in late 1967. The song was jointly written and composed by Fred and bandmate Andrew Bernard.

"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)"
Single by John Fred & His Playboy Band
from the album Agnes English
B-side	"Out of Left Field"
Released	October 1967
Genre	Pop rock
Length	2:55
Label	Paula Records
Songwriter(s)	John Fred Gourrier Andrew Bernard
Producer(s)	John Fred Gourrier Andrew Bernard

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 thought the lyrics were "Lucy in disguise with diamonds" when he first heard the selection.)[1][2]

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."[3]

Chart performance

In January 1968, the song reached number one in the US and became a gold record. It also hit number one in Germany,[4] Switzerland,[5] and Australia,[6] and number 3 in both Canada[7] and the United Kingdom.[8]

Weekly charts Chart (1967–68) Peak position Australia (Go-Set)[6] 1 Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 3 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 32 France (IFOP)[14] 31 Germany (Official German Charts)[4] 1 Italy (FIMI)[15] 44 Ireland (IRMA)[16] 3 Japan (All Japan Pop 20)[17] 6 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] 3 New Zealand (Listener)[20] 10 Norway (VG-lista)[21] 3 South Africa (Springbok)[22] 1 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] 3 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[8] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[24] 1 US Cash Box Top 100[25] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1968) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[26] 14 Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[27] 26 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[28] 24 South Africa (Springbok)[29] 15 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 2 UK Singles[31] 49 US Billboard Hot 100[32] 25 US Cash Box[33] 13

Cover versions

• Los Quandos released a Spanish version in 1968 for one of their EP's, with the title of "Judy con disfraz" with Spanish lyrics by Julio Guiu Sr.
• Patrick Zabé released a French version in 1967, with the title of "Les Lunettes".
• 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.
• Jello Biafra released a live version as part of his 2015 live album of New Orleans rock and soul covers, Walk on Jindal's Splinters.
• The Residents recorded in 1975 for the first track of Side B, titled Hitler Was a Vegetarian, for their 1976 album The Third Reich 'n Roll.
• Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings released a cover as part of their 2007 compilation album Jukebox.
• The band Cracked Actor released a cover of the song on the B-side of their Nazi School 7" single in 1981.

See also

• List of number-one hits of 1968 (Germany)
• List of number-one hits of 1968 (Switzerland)
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1968 (U.S.)
• List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

1. Kasser, Tom (July 2013). Lucy in the Mind of Lennon. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-974760-3.
2. "Seven things you didn't know about "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"". blog.oup.com. Oxford University Press. July 9, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
3. Bronson, Fred. Billboard Book of Number One Songs.
4. "Offiziellecharts.de – John Fred & His Playboy Band – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". GfK Entertainment Charts.
5. "Swisscharts.com – John Fred & His Playboy Band – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". Swiss Singles Chart.
6. "GGo-Set National Top 40 - 20 March 1968". www.poparchives.com.au.
7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 100165." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
8. "John Fred and the Playboy Band: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
9. "Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1968". www.top100singles.net.
10. "Austriancharts.at – John Fred & His Playboy Band – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
11. "Ultratop.be – John Fred & His Playboy Band – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
12. "Ultratop.be – John Fred & His Playboy Band – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" (in French). Ultratop 50.
13. Timo (13 August 2015). "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit JEA - JOP". Sisältää hitin. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
14. "InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque Artiste commençant par F" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "John FRED & HisPLAYBOY Band" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
15. "Indice per Interprete: F" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Judy in Disguise With Diamonds". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
17. "All Japan Pop 20 charts 1967-1970". UKMIX Forums. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – John Fred & His Playboy Band" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
19. "Dutchcharts.nl – John Fred & His Playboy Band – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
20. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
21. "Norwegiancharts.com – John Fred & His Playboy Band – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". VG-lista.
22. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 22 December 2019.
23. "Listas de superventas: 1968". 27 July 2020.
24. "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
25. "Cash Box Top 100 1/27/68". cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
26. "AMR Top Singles of 1968". www.top100singles.net.
27. "Jaaroverzichten 1968". Ultratop. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
28. Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
29. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1968". Retrieved 22 December 2019.
30. "Swiss Year-End Charts 1968 - swisscharts.com". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
31. http://www.sixtiescity.net/charts/68chart.htm#top100
32. "Top 100 Hits of 1968/Top 100 Songs of 1968". www.musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
33. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1968". Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2019.