Who Do You Love? (2005 Film) - Original Song

Original Song

"Who Do You Love?" is one of Bo Diddley's strongest lyrical efforts. It has been called "an enduring lyric archetype on the order of "Johnny B. Goode" and "Hoochie Coochie Man". The lyrics relate a Louisiana/Mississippi hoodoo theme, but "transplanted to the Southwest":

I walked forty-seven miles of barbed wire, use a cobra snake for a neck tie

Got a brand new house on the roadside, made from rattlesnake hide

I got a brand new chimney made on top, made from a human skull

Now come on baby let's take a little walk, and tell me "who do you love?..."

The hoodoo appears to work: "Arlene took me by my hand, she said 'oo-ee daddy I understand', who do you love?..."

Musically, "Who Do You Love?" is an uptempo song centered around one-chord with guitar flourishes complementing the vocals. It has a strong rhythm, but unlike later interpretations, it does not use the signature Bo Diddley beat. Instead the song uses a "modified cut shuffle beat" or 2/4 time, giving it an almost rockabilly feel, similar to Chuck Berry's "Maybellene".

"Who Do You Love?" was recorded in Chicago on March 12, 1956, one year after his debut recording, the self-titled "Bo Diddley". Joining Bo Diddley (vocal and guitar) was Jody Williams, who contributed the distinctive "stinging" guitar lines, along with his long-time percussionist Jerome Green (maracas) and Frank Kirkland or Clifton James (drums). The song was released as a single on Checker Records, a Chess Records subsidiary, and included on his first compilation album, Bo Diddley, released in 1958. "Who Do You Love?" appears on numerous later compilations, including His Best.