Who Do You Love

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.