Who Do You Love? Trivia Quiz

Answer: barbed wire

"I walk forty-seven miles of barbed wire"

The lyrics of this song consist of a number of outrageous statements intended to impress the listener. Bo Diddley has said that the idea originated when he heard some kids in the street using a changing rhythm to outdo each other in a bragging competition. He engaged in a bit of competition himself, attempting to outdo the statements made by Muddie Waters in his 1954 rendition of Willy Dixon's 'Hoochie Coochie Man'.

Shortly after Bo Diddley released his single of 'Who Do You Love?' in 1956, it found its way into the repertoire of a number of other singers, despite not having any initial sales success. One of them was the legendary Ronnie Hawkins, who subsequently recorded the song (missing the question mark in its title) in 1963 with his backing band, the Hawks.

Answer: cobra

"I use a cobra snake for a necktie"

When the song was included on his first compilation album, 'Bo Diddley', released in 1958, it had more commercial success than the original single release. It had become a staple part of his repertoire, and appeared on a number of later compilation albums, both as the original recording and in live performance versions. It was unusual for him, as he did not use the rhythm pattern so strongly associated with his name that it is called "the Bo Diddley beat"; instead, it was in 2/4, with a rockabilly feel similar to Chuck Berry's 'Maybelline'.

In 1965, John P. Hammond released a version on his album 'So Many Roads'. This version, which featured the musical support of a group then known as the Hawks, later to become familiar as The Band, used a Bo Diddley beat arranged with a blues rock feel. The guitar work of Robbie Robertson on this version has been widely admired.

Answer: rattlesnake hide

"I got a brand new house on the roadside
Made from rattlesnake hide"

Snakes again. Presumably the courage and skill required to kill and skin enough rattlesnakes to cover a house is impressive; personally, I favor a nice brick veneer. Live performances of 'Who do You Love?', both by Bo Diddley and by other musicians, often included spontaneous additions in the spirit of the original, as well as extended guitar solos.

In 1968 Quicksilver released a 25-minute version compiled from performances at Fillmore East and Fillmore West, as the entire first side of their 'Happy Trails' album. Since it was too long for airplay, an abridged version was released as a single, and made it to the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Answer: skull

"I got a brand new chimney made on top
Made out of a human skull"

I am not even going to try to envisage how that would work! This is one of the places where a sinister element creeps into the lyrics, suggesting that there could be issues associated with this desperate attempt to outdo the other fellow. The title itself has been suggested to carry this implication, with "Who do" sounding the same as "Hoodoo", an African-American religion involving rituals and spells. While the occult power is supposed to be used for healing and restoration, it can be misused - and that is often the context in which it has been portrayed in US mainstream media.

'Who Do You Love' has been performed in many unexpected musical forms. In 1966 the Misunderstood recorded a psychedelic rock version, which was released as the B-side of their classic song 'I Can Take You to the Sun'.

Answer: take a walk

"Now come on take a walk with me, Arlene
And tell me, who do you love?"

Finally, it is clear why all these ridiculous and/or bizarre statements are being made, and the girl enters the picture. Next comes the chorus, in which the title is repeated multiple times; following each, guitarist Jody Williams provides a musical response, featuring his characteristic fuzzy overdriven sound effect.

In 1966 folk singer Tom Rush recorded 'Who Do You Love?' for his album 'Take a Little Walk with Me'. This was only the first of a number of interpretations from him. A slightly different single version was released in the same year, making it onto the Boston charts; a second single released in 1971 made an appearance on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart - maybe not the most impressive commercial chart, but a chart. In 2013 he released 'Celebrates 50 Years of Music', which included a performance recorded at Boston Symphony Hall.

Answer: tombstone

"Tombstone hand and a graveyard mind"

This verse starts with a suggestion of desperation - now he has presented his current assets and is ready to attempt anything necessary to make an impression, even if it could lead to death.

In 1970 Juicy Lucy, the band of Glenn Ross Campbell who had previously been part of Misunderstood, released a blues-rock version of 'Who Do You Love' that made it to 14th spot on the UK Singles Chart. This was later included in the video game 'Shellshock: Nam '67', a reasonably tasteless third-person shooter game.

Answer: 22

"Just twenty-two and I don't mind dying"

When Bo Diddley wrote the lyrics, he was 28. That probably sounds a bit too mature for the persona he is creating, and 22 rolls nicely off the tongue.

Ronnie Hawkins, who had been performing 'Who Do You Love?' since the late '50s, performed it with the Band (his former backing band, as the Hawks) in the concert that was recorded and filmed as 'The Last Waltz' in 1976. Nobody looked 22.

Answer: lion

"I rode a lion to town, used a rattlesnake whip
Take it easy Arlene, don't give me no lip"

Lions and rattlesnakes, oh my! The singer has made sure that Arlene will be impressed with his prowess, then adjures her to stop protesting - perhaps she had indicated some doubt as to the veracity of his statements.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers released a blues rock version of 'Who Do You Love?' on their 1978 album 'Move it on Over'. Like many other cover versions, it used a Bo Diddley beat instead of the original's modified cut shuffle beat. They made reference to this change with some added lyrics: "Snakeskin shoes baby put 'em on your feet, Got the good time music with a Bo Diddley beat".

Answer: ice-wagon

"Night was dark but the sky was blue
Down the alley, the ice-wagon flew
Heard a bump, and somebody screamed
You should have heard just what I seen"

Things are getting dangerous, but our hero has made it through the events of the night. Unspecified events were clearly noteworthy, but not to be discussed in detail here and now.

George Thorogood's version of 'Who Do you Love?' became one of his signature songs. In 1985 He and Bo Diddly combined to perform 'Who Do you Love?' in the Philadelphia Live Aid concert.

Answer: Yes

"Arlene took me by my hand
And she said ooo-wee, Bo, you know I understand"

At least, for now. It strikes me that a girl who is so easily persuaded to choose someone to go with may not be all that reliable as a long-term companion, but that's another story. Or song.

In 2010, 'Who Do You Love?' was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, a recognition of its historical significance in the music industry, by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. It has been included on a number of lists of "Some number of greatest hits" over the years, and may well see more honours bestowed in the future.