You Ca n't Judge a Book by the Cover - wikipedia You Ca n't Judge a Book by the Cover This article is about the 1962 rock and roll song by Bo Diddley. For the popular saying, see Do n't judge a book by its cover. `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by the Cover '' Single by Bo Diddley from the album Bo Diddley B - side `` I Can Tell '' Released July 1962 ( 1962 - 07 ) Format 7 - inch 45 rpm record Recorded Chicago, June 27, 1962 Genre Rock and roll, rhythm and blues Length 2 : 43 Label Checker ( no. 1019 ) Songwriter ( s ) Willie Dixon Producer ( s ) Ralph Bass `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by the Cover '' is a 1962 song by rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley. Written by Willie Dixon, the song was one of Diddley 's last record chart hits. Unlike many of his well - known songs, `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by the Cover '' does not rely on the Bo Diddley beat. A variety of rock and other performers have recorded renditions of the song. Original song `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by the Cover '' is based on a sixteen - bar blues structure that `` boasts a beat that 's utterly compulsive and primordial, but closer to a way - speeded up walking rhythm than to the standard Diddley pattern ''. Willie Dixon 's lyrics use `` a series of metaphors of all sorts of things you ca n't judge by their appearances before landing on the title phrase ''. You ca n't judge an apple by looking at a tree You ca n't judge honey by looking at the bee You ca n't judge a daughter by looking at the mother You ca n't judge a book by looking at the cover In his autobiography, Dixon explained that the lyrics were `` his ( Bo Diddley 's ) bag 100 %... and when I told him about it, he like it immediately ''. Diddley 's original recording breaks the fourth wall by encouraging the listener to turn his or her radio up after the first verse. In 1962, the song reached number 21 on the Billboard magazine R&B chart and number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later renditions `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by the Cover '' has been recorded by a variety of artists, often with variations in the title, such as `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by Its Cover '' or `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover ''. An early lineup of the Rolling Stones made a demo recording of the song in October 1962. In 1963, the Yardbirds with Eric Clapton recorded a live version of the song at the Crawdaddy Club in London during the sessions that produced the Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds album. In 1964, the song was performed on Germany 's Beat - Club television program by the Syndicats, featuring guitarist Steve Howe. In 1966, folk singer Tom Rush recorded it for the album Take a Little Walk with Me. Also in 1966, garage band Shadows of Knight released their first album `` Gloria '' which included their own version. The Monkees recorded it their Live 1967 album with lead vocals by Mike Nesmith. On January 26, 1972, Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales performed an up - tempo version of the song in closing a concert set at Symphony Hall, Boston. Later versions include those by Cactus ( 1970 Cactus ), Long John Baldry on his 1972 album Everything Stops for Tea, the Beat Farmers ( 2003 Live at the Spring Valley Inn, 1983 ), and the Fabulous Thunderbirds ( 1992 Hot Stuff ). Hank Williams, Jr. recorded it as a duet with Huey Lewis on his 1986 album, Montana Cafe, and Roy Buchanan ( with Delbert McClinton ) ( 2011 Alligator Records 40th Anniversary Collection ). The Strypes included a version on their 2012 debut EP Young Gifted & Blue. Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band 's seventh studio album Goin ' Home, released in May 2014, includes a version of the song with vocals by longtime vocalist ( and rhythm guitarist ) Noah Hunt and guest vocalist Pastor Brady Blade Sr. On January 22, 2018, a cover was released featuring SZA and an eclectic group of up - and - coming artists from a variety of genres for MasterCard 's Start Something Priceless Movement. The other artists include The Tracks, Radkey, Victoria Canal, William Prince, Noe Socha, and Ruby Ibarra. They were chosen for having triumphed over adversity to succeed. `` Some have overcome a disability, such as Noe Socha who is blind, or Canal who is missing a hand, while others have overcome prejudice, such as Radkey who are a black rock group. '' References Jump up ^ The original Checker 45 lists 2 : 43 ; later reissues list 3 : 10 -- 3 : 16. ^ Jump up to : Whitburn, Joel ( 1988 ). Top R&B Singles 1942 -- 1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin : Record Research. p. 118. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 068 - 7. ^ Jump up to : Unterberger, Ritchie. `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by Its Cover -- Song Review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved October 6, 2010. Jump up ^ Dixon, Willie ; Snowden, Don ( 1989 ). I Am the Blues. New York City : Da Capo Press. p. 149. ISBN 0 - 306 - 80415 - 8. Jump up ^ `` Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales, Symphony Hall, January 26, 1972 ''. jerrygarcia.com. Jerry Garcia Family LLC. Retrieved June 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` SZA And Other Rising Stars Cover ' You Ca n't Judge A Book By The Cover ' ''. UPROXX. 2018 - 01 - 23. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 02. Jump up ^ Jardine, Alexandra. `` All the Artists in This pre-Grammys MasterCard Music Video via McCann Have Overcome Adversity ''. Creativity Online. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 02. Bo Diddley Singles `` Bo Diddley '' / `` I 'm a Man '' ( 1955 ) `` Diddley Daddy '' / `` She 's Fine, She 's Mine '' ( 1955 ) `` Pretty Thing '' ( 1955 ) `` Diddy Wah Diddy '' ( 1956 ) `` Who Do You Love ? '' ( 1956 ) `` Hey ! Bo Diddley '' ( 1957 ) `` Before You Accuse Me '' ( 1958 ) `` Say Man '' ( 1959 ) `` Road Runner '' ( 1960 ) `` You Ca n't Judge a Book by the Cover '' ( 1962 ) Studio albums Go Bo Diddley ( 1959 ) Have Guitar, Will Travel ( 1960 ) Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger ( 1961 ) Bo Diddley ( 1962 ) Two Great Guitars ( 1964 ) Super Blues ( 1967 ) A Man Amongst Men ( 1996 ) Live albums Bo Diddley 's Beach Party ( 1963 ) Hey... Bo Diddley : In Concert ( 1986 ) Live at the Ritz ( 1988 ) Compilation albums Bo Diddley ( 1958 ) His Best ( 1997 ) Collaborators Billy Boy Arnold Lester Davenport Harvey Fuqua Willie Dixon Jody Williams Norma - Jean Wofford Johnnie Johnson Related articles Discography Bo Diddley beat Rock and roll Checker Records Leonard Chess Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=You_Can%27t_Judge_a_Book_by_the_Cover&oldid=824398843 '' Categories : 1962 singles Bo Diddley songs The Yardbirds songs Songs written by Willie Dixon 1962 songs Checker Records singles Sixteen bar sections Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk About Wikipedia Deutsch Norsk nynorsk Edit links This page was last edited on 7 February 2018, at 02 : 41. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who wrote you can't judge a book by its cover
Answer: Willie Dixon