Love Is Strange

At a concert at Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Mickey and Sylvia heard Jody Williams play a guitar riff that Williams had played on Billy Stewart's debut single "Billy's Blues". "Billy's Blues" was released as a single in June 1956. Sylvia Robinson claims that she and Mickey Baker wrote the lyrics, while Bo Diddley claims that he wrote them. The first recorded version of "Love Is Strange" was performed by Bo Diddley, who recorded his version on May 24, 1956, with Jody Williams on lead guitar. This version was not released until its appearance on ''I'm a Man: The Chess Masters, 1955–1958'' in 2007. Mickey & Sylvia's version was recorded several months later on October 17, 1956. == Charts and accolades ==

"Love Is Strange" peaked at number 1 on Billboard magazine's most played by jockeys R&B Singles chart on March 6, 1957, and number 11 on the Hot 100. In 2004, "Love Is Strange" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its influence as a rock and roll single. == Cover versions ==

Full covers and adaptations Samplings Part of the song was sampled for the 2012 Pitbull hit "Back in Time" from Men In Black 3. ==In popular culture==

The song was featured in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing and included on the soundtrack, which is one of the best-selling albums of all time. The spoken part is parodied by Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma of Blue Öyster Cult in a live recording of "7 Screaming Diz-Busters" on their 1975 album On Your Feet or on Your Knees: Bloom: I know Lucifer so well I call him by his first name! Dharma: What do you call him? Bloom: I call him, hey Lu! Dharma: And if he don't answer? Bloom: I say, hey Lu... lover boy... The song is parodied in the 1973 New York Dolls song "Trash", where singer David Johansen quotes "Oh how do you call your loverboy? ... Trash!" then later uses the same melody for several bars. The song is "covered" by the fictional Scottish band "the Majestics" in the BBC Television series Tutti Frutti (1987), starring Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Maurice Roeves, Jake D'Arcy and Stuart McGugan. The spoken part is referenced by Lou Reed at the end of his song "Beginning of A Great Adventure" on his 1989 album New York. He had married Sylvia Morales in 1980. The song appears also in the 1993 TV miniseries Lipstick on Your Collar, where Mickey and Sylvia become the two main characters. It also gained a following after appearing in Deep Throat (1972). The song was also played in the Terrence Malick film Badlands (1973) and in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino when Robert De Niro sees Sharon Stone for the first time. The song also is played in the 2000 HBO series The Sopranos, season two, episode 6 ("The Happy Wanderer"). It can also be heard playing in the second episode of The Wire. ==References==