If The Beatles can do it, why can’t we? That seemed to be the theory espoused by John Fred, leader of John Fred & The Playboy Band, when he and his cohorts recorded the surprise 1968 chart-topper “Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)”.
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A veteran of the music world by the late 60s, Fred piggybacked off the style of a Fab Four classic to create his most popular song. It turned out to be his only hit of that magnitude. But it still has a home on oldies radio formats everywhere.
A Tall Act to Follow
John Fred Gourrier hailed from Louisiana, which is where he recorded his earliest singles in the 50s when still a teenager. He crossed paths with some of the top names in the New Orleans blues-rock scene during that stretch. A few of his singles gained local notoriety and even some national airplay.
But Fred put his music on hold to pursue an education. Thanks to his athletic ability and height (6’5”), he earned a basketball scholarship. Once he graduated, he was right back out there, trying his luck on the rock and roll scene again.
As the 60s progressed, Fred began to play music more akin to the popular styles of the day. That meant aping the rocking, slightly psychedelic sounds of that era’s bands. He changed his group’s name from the Playboys to the Playboy Band to ensure no confusion with the band led by Gary Lewis. A girl he saw one day wearing oversized glasses spurred his imagination to write his breakthrough hit.
Judging “Judy”
The girl in question wore sunglasses so large that she seemed to be hiding her face. That led to the title “Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)”. When Fred had heard The Beatles’ song “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, he thought John Lennon was singing “Lucy in disguise.” Making the connection, he and bandmate Andrew Bernard decided to write a kind of parody of the Fab Four track.
When Fred and Bernard played the song for the first time for the other group members, they allegedly hated what they heard. The nonsensical lyrics seemed to be a recipe for disaster. But Fred insisted on recording it, which they did in a frenetic arrangement with some bold flourishes.
John Fred & The Playboy Band released “Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)” in late 1967. By the start of ’68, it was a surprising No. 1 hit. Fred and company never came close to matching that success again, but the band’s leader stayed active in various outlets within the music world until his death in 2005.
Behind the Lyrics of “Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)”
You have to hand it to Fred and company for going all-in with their fantastically bizarre lyrics. “Lemonade pies/With your brand new car” is how the narrator follows up after identifying the heroine. Fred sings, “Cross your heart/With a living bra,” because, well, why not?
The middle eight continues on this off-kilter path. “Taking everything in sight,” Fred sings. “Except for the strings on my kite.” At the end of the song, the narrator turns on Judy, calling her a “circus of horrors.” “You made me a life of ashes,” Fred complains. “I guess I’ll just take your glasses.”
Fred and company did their parodic job so well that you wonder if they were tripping themselves when they wrote the song. In any case, they certainly gave us a memorable lead character: a spectacle with spectacles.
Photo via Paula Records / Wikimedia Commons
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