Top Ten Songs by the Who
1. Baba O’Reilly – Who’s Next? – 1971 – Also known as “Teenage Wasteland,” Baba O’Reilly is the greatest opening song on any classic rock record. Period. The use of synthesizers on all of Who’s Next is just about perfect, and this song sets the bar and tone right away. The fantastic complexity of the intro solo then makes way for three simple chords – a perfect pairing that just play rocks. Added to this is a Keith Moon fill and his manaical-but-solid beating of the drums, which I will never say anything negative about. A cymbal crash comes and Roger Daltry’s melodic yelling breaks into the opening lyrics: Out here in the fields / I fight for my meals. The grit and boldness of the lyrics, drums, and guitars are beautifully juxtaposed with the synthesizer, Daltrey’s voice, and the bridge. Barring that, it just plain rocks.
2. My Generation – The Who Sings My Generation – 1965 – Their breakthrough song, My Generation became an iconic statment for the Mod culture in Britain and for the 60s in general, by design (see no. 9). Like many songs of the British Invasion, it is remarkably simple: 3 main chords, AB-AB-AB-AB format, and remarkably basic lyrical construction. The one twist of the song from a composition standpoint is Daltrey’s stuttering of the vocals, which makes one pay more attention to them. But given the message and their influence by the blues, this is perfect, and more complexity would have killed the song. How can anyone deny the force of a song that says Things they do look awfully cold / I hope I die before I get old that doesn’t drown its message with pretension, overpowering bass or effects?
3. Blue, Red and Gray – The Who By Numbers – 1975 – Pete Townsend could absolutely rock as a guitar player, but he also boasts a softer songwriting ability that, in his prime, fell just short of the ability of Paul McCartney. Instead of overpowering guitar licks, Entwistle’s thumping bass, and Moon’s fills, we have Pete playing a ukele. And it works. I don’t think I’m exagerating when I say that this song has more passion and soul than John Lennon’s Imagine or many of the great softer songs of Elton John. A song about loving all of life, the Blue, Red, and Gray has an energy that could lift even the hardest of hearts. Pete’s voice when he sings: the people on the hill, they say I’m lazy / but while they sleep, I sing and dance screams of honest feeling, something many musicians lose along the way.
4. 5:15 – Quadrophenia – 1973 – In my opinion, this is the best song on their best album. The opening piano with Daltrey’s vocals repeats a common theme on the album (namely, the prime theme of song 4, Cut My Hair), but it sounds wonderful on its own. Then we shift themes and are blasted with horns, a perfect brass intro that shows the tension through all of the album. Much like the Beatles, the Who were adept at utilizing a plethora of instruments to perfection, and on 5:15, the horns just pop, paying homage to their roots and raising the tempo of the A section of the song, providing a contrast to the moderately-paced, softer B-section (Inside-outside, leave me alone…). The perfect song for that album.
5. Pure and Easy – Who’s Next? – 1971 – Who’s Next features a bunch of supurb songs that work fantastically as singles but fail in the scheme of the overall album. In my opinion, Pure and Easy is one of those songs. It’s a work of art – the opening drums and chord progression to Roger’s vocals can make any dull day dark – but it doesn’t work well with Behind Blue Eyes, Baba O’Reilly, My Wife, etc. Part of this is that the Lifehouse concept fell apart, but I wish the boys would have done something else, becasue many listeners underrate this song because of the album it’s on; give it a listen by itself and try keeping a the mood down when the opening beats ring out.
6. A Quick One While He’s Away – Live at Leeds – 1970 – This makes the cut for three reasons. First, a lot of things the band did were – much like the Beatles – right in line with the new and the innovative in music, even if they weren’t the first to do it. The Who never rested on their laurels and advanced musically well beyond the My Generation days. A Quick One While He’s Away has six parts, much like the prog rock that would come to dominate over the next 5 years. They releseased Tommy – a rock opera – the year before, and so I’ve included this as a nod to their musical growth covering the 1969-1970 time period. Second, the closing section you are forgiven is memorable for days on end. Third, Live at Leeds is the best live album in the history of recorded rock music, and it demands at least one recording on the list.
7. Love Reign O’er Me – Quadrophenia – 1973 – It would be impossible to leave the closing anthem of Quadrophenia off the list. The piano is brilliant but simple, the vocals are screamed with honesty, and the song serves as the cohesive exclamation point to one of the greatest albums ever produced. While the answer/conclusion to the Mod’s dilemma is both hackneyed (love is the answer) and confusing (many listeners have no clue of the story going on, and the ending is completely ambiguous), it’s hard to imagine a better way to end a concept album.
8. The Real Me – Quadrophenia – 1973 – Can I talk a little more about Quadrophenia? The Real Me barely beat out Doctor Jimmy for this spot, but I chose it because eight years after My Generation, the Who still managed to speak directly to the same group of people. Whereas in the former, they were talking to Mods, on Quadrophenia, they were talking to older Mods who had grown in eight years and had to adjust to life. The Real Me introduces this conflict of the album and it does it with just enough imperfection to make it a rock and roll classic in my book. And it’s a song where the speaker is talking to a doctor, his mother, and a minister. Imagine that.
9. I Can See For Miles – The Who Sell Out – 1967 – The Who were always – always – an image-conscious band who fully understood the power of marketing and loved playing with the idea. On The Who Sell Out, they made a brilliant parody album – replete with advertisements, mind you – that mimics the commerciality of modern music while being a masterpiece in its own right. I Can See For Miles barely beats out Armenia, City In the Sky as the best song on the record. The chorus will remain in the listeners head for at least a week. Seriously, try it!
10. Bargain – Who’s Next? – 1971 – Featured on a commercial a few years back, Bargain is the perfect immediate follow-up to Baba O’Reilly. It’s opening string composition prodives a classical and folksy complement to the 4-part closing cacaphony of the previous song. Then – much like its predecessor – the smooth intro gets smashed to bits by a pounding Keith Moon solo and harsh, almost gutteral lyrics. The Who were masters at combining tones and instruments to create intrasong tension, and Bargain is a perfect example; it’s almost as though the soundtrack nature of the strings and accoustic guitar compete with the guitars, drums, and bass, and it works darned near perfectly.
What failed to make the cut:
The Kids Are Alright – Great pop song from their early days; it would certainly be in the next 5.
We Won’t Get Fooled Again- The most overrated song in their catalog, it’s most redeeming quality is a rather loud scream that, quite honestly, pales in comparison to the vocals on Love Reign O’er Me.
Magic Bus – A popular single, Magic Bus is a simple ditty on which they are pop stars. On the ten I’ve listed above, they are musicians. Know the difference?
Happy Jack – While somewhat known, it’s far too gimmicky to make the cut.
Apologies to: the late John Entwistle, the underrated, enigmatic and supurb bass player who wrote many of their good songs (Boris the Spider, My Wife), but none that made my list here.
