Top Ten Judy Songs: Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) (#3)

Tweet

Well howdy! Oh, am I sore. I went for an after-Christmas hike yesterday, and I’m paying for it today. It was soooo worth it, as I’ll detail later. But first, it’s time to celebrate Judy! JUDY TRIVIA: Judy Garland (whose birth name was Frances Gumm) was, and is, such a gay icon that, during the closeted days, gays referred to themselves as “friends of Dorothy,” after Garland’s most memorable role. Now that you know that, we can celebrate our Judys (@JudyEv and @JStory07 ) with a song you know and have been waiting for. #3: Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band Your word for the day: Mondegreen. It’s a fancy word, going back to 1954 and Harper’s Magazine writer Sylvia Wright. She described, in an essay, the “art” of mishearing something and quoting the misheard poetry or lyrics. She based the word on mishearing a line in the poem The Bonnie Earl o’ Moray, “they have slain the earl o’ Moray and laid him on the green,” as “Lady Mondegreen.” No relation to the Beatles’ “Lady Madonna,” this “lady Mondegreen;” however, this song IS related to “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” John Fred Gourrier (1941-2005) misheard Lucy in the sky as “Lucy in disguise.” And a #1 hit was born. There’s a lot of pokes at the Beatles’ song: “lemonade pie” (“marmalade skies”) and “cantaloupe eyes (“kaleidoscope eyes”) are the most obvious ones. This song makes about as much sense as the Beatles’ song, too, so there’s that. I can’t find anything in Beatles history sites that mention if they were ever asked about this song; and, if so, what their reply was. They had good senses of humor, so they may have enjoyed it. After all, John Fogerty has embraced the “there’s a bathroom on the right” Mondegreen to the point where he actually sings “Bad Moon Rising” that way. Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) Written by John Fred Gourrier and Andrew Bernard Recorded by John Fred & His Playboy Band Released as a single, 1967 Got your brand new car: