Who Do You Love? by Bo Diddley

Album: Greatest Hits (1957)

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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 Bo Diddley did here, conjured up images of the skulls, snakes and graveyards.

The song finds Diddley working his Hoodoo on a potential love interest, trying to impress the lady with tales of his great adventures, like riding a lion into town with a rattlesnake whip.
Bo Diddley's original version didn't get much attention and never charted, but subsequent cover versions did, first in 1967 when the garage rock group The Woolies took it to #95 in 1967. Quicksilver Messenger Service did a psychedelic take on the song in 1969 that reached #91, and the folk singer Tom Rush reached #105 with his 1971 rendition.

The most popular cover, though, is by George Thorogood And The Destroyers. Their 1978 version didn't chart but became a popular song on Classic Rock radio after they had some hits in the '80s.
Bo Diddley, who died in 2008, was known for a distinctive beat best heard on his 1955 self-titled song (yes, Bo Diddley wrote a song called "Bo Diddley"), but "Who Do You Love?" is more of a shuffle. Cover versions of "Who Do You Love?" often incorporate the Bo Diddley beat, including the ones by George Thorogood and Tom Rush. In that way, these covers serve as a tribute to Diddley.
George Thorogood took every opportunity to raise the profile of Bo Diddley. They met in 1979 after Thorogood recorded this song and became friends. Thorogood got Diddley on MTV by putting him in his video for "Bad To The Bone," which was big on the network in 1982 (MTV didn't have many videos to choose from back then). Thorogood also brought Diddley on stage during his Live Aid set in 1985 to play this song.
British blues rockers Juicy Lucy had a #14 hit in the UK in 1970 with their version of this song.
A lesser-known cover you might enjoy is by Brownsville Station, the band led by Cub Koda who brought us "Smokin' In The Boy's Room." The included it on their 1978 album Air Special, produced by Tom Werman, whose credits include the first three Cheap Trick album and some of Ted Nugent's most popular songs.

"The whole Brownsville album is really good and didn't get any attention," he told Songfacts. "Our version of 'Who Do You Love' – and there have been about eight versions – I think is much better than George Thorogood's version, which got all the airplay. Cub Koda was great. He had a great feel. He used a Sears guitar, and we recorded it through the speaker that was built into the guitar case. It was the rattiest, cheesiest possible set-up, but boy, it sounded really good."

Comments: 18

Raymond Welsh from Birkenhead, Wirral, UkWhy did Bo Diddley make two different versions of the same song? The one in question is "Who Do You Love". One version is from the soundtrack movie 'La Bamba'.
Kathy from AzQuicksilver Messenger Service covered Who Do You Love...fantastic, fantastic guitar...
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 5th 1967, the Woolies' covered version of "Who Do You Love" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at #97, the following week it stayed at #97, and then on its third week on the chart it peaked at #95 and that was also its last week on the Top 100...
It was the Lansing, Michigan quintet’s only Top 100 record.
Robert from Atlanta, GaI thought the Rolling Stones covered this song.
Dogawful from New Orleans, LaIs it 'Graveyard Mine' or 'Graveyard Mind'?

Tombstone hand and a graveyard mine, just 22 and I don't mind dying....
Fred from Laurel, MdBTW, for any who might not know, an "ice wagon" is a hearse.
Fred from Laurel, MdYou can add Tom Rush (a folk/alternative rock singer, "No Regrets", "Kids These Days") to that list of covers--the first version I heard of this song. That was 1966-7 or thereabouts.
***
Around that time, Tom Rush also did a song named "Mr. Blue"--not the do-wop song, whose actual title is "Goodnight My Love," by the Fleetwoods. This "Mr. Blue" is a song based on the pre-Orwell, 1928 dystopian (= opposite of utopian) novel of that name by Miles Connolly. The chorus went something like, "What will it take to whip you into line? / A broken heart? A broken head? / It can be arranged. It can be arranged."
Nico from Amstelveen, NetherlandsApart from those mentioned,I've found versions by: Albert Lee, Blues Project, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Golden Earring, Jack Johnson, John Hammond, Misunderstood,Red Devils, Rolling Stones & Bo Diddley, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Preachers, The Woolies, The Yardbirds (feat. Eric Clapton), CCR (? not Creedence) and Van Morrison.
I see I missed out Bob Seger, so far....
If I burn them on CD, I will not play it in the car: too much risk of geting a ticket for speeding!
Joe from Perth, Australialos lobos with bo for the la bamba movie at the start with ritchies brother riding his motorbike
Ressie from Medford, OrThis song brings back a random memory - the first time I met my now-fiance's father, I was 16 years old and scared to death of the man. Dad was driving, my fiance got in the back of the truck and made me sit up front with Dad! It seems so lame now, but I was almost shaking at the time! I remember Dad making small talk, and I have him yes/no answers, pressed against the door as far as I could, fiddling with the seatbelt in my hands. "Who do you love..."...I had to laugh that the one I loved would make me do that. Like I said, it's lame now, but that's what makes our adolescent memories so fun.
Alvin from Hinsdale, IlTownes Van Zandt, the great songwriter, also covered "Who Do You Love?".
Malicious Matt from SquatneyJust one of the coolest songs ever written. Love the lyrics!
Warrinder from A Town, CanadaThe Doors did it live.
Nicole from Hampstead, Ncyeah didnt the doors cover this song also???
Rick from San Juan, United StatesThe Woolies did a "garage" cover of "Who Do You Love" in 1966.
Jason Lee from New York, NyYes he does.
Don from San Antonio, TxDoesn't Ronnie Hawkins play it in The Last Waltz?
Steve from Hamilton, CanadaA much-covered song. Besides Thorogood's, I know of versions by Ronnie Hawkins, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Doors, Bob Seger and a British band called Juicy Lucy.

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