You're No Good - Original Version

Original Version

The original version of "You're No Good" was cut by Dee Dee Warwick for Jubilee Records in 1963 with production by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller but the song first became a hit in November 1963 when recorded by Betty Everett for Vee-Jay Records of Chicago. The single peaked at number fifty-one on the Hot 100, and at number five on "Cashbox's R&B Locations" chart.

Vee-Jay's head a&r man Calvin Carter found the song while visiting New York City in search of material for his label's roster and he originally intended to cut "You're No Good" with Dee Clark but, he recalled; "when I went to rehearsal with the tune, it was so negative, I said, 'Hey, guys don't talk negative about girls, because girls are the record buyers. No, I better pass on that.' So I gave the song to Betty Everett." During the playback of Everett's track her label-mates the Dells "were sitting on the wooden platform where the string players would sit... just stomping their feet on this wooden platform to the beat of the song as it was playing back... I told the engineer 'Let's do it again, and let's mike those foot sounds, 'cause it really gave it a hell of a beat.' So we did that, and boom, a hit."

In the UK the Swinging Blue Jeans had the hit version of "You're No Good" reaching No. 3 in the summer of 1964: this version also charted in France at No. 26 and was successful enough regionally in the US to reach No. 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was also mentioned in Elliott Smith's Waltz #2 on the album XO.