411 Music Ten Deep 8.6.09: Top Ten Songs by The Who

Posted by Andrew Moll on 08.06.2009

Ten Deep is back and better than ever with this week's list of the best songs ever from The Who. We've got "Baba O'Riley, "My Generation," "Won't Get Fooled" and more, but which one came in at number one? Find out in this week's edition of 411 Music Ten Deep.



(Disclaimer: All opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of 411 Music and its staff.)


Welcome everybody to the third edition of Ten Deep, presented by 411 Music. My name is Andrew Moll and must first apologize for not being here last week, but these things happen sometimes. I'll make up for it this week with a brand spaning new list that you're sure to enjoy. But before we get started with that, let's go over some of the comments you guys left from the last time I was here, when I listed my Top Ten Songwriters.



There are so many others that should have made the list before most of these guys. Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Paul Simon, Carly Simon, Joe Henry, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Joe Jackson, Ian Anderson.... For that matter, Cole Porter, Rogers/Hart, Gilbert and Sullivan, the Gershwin brothers....

If you're going to call these the "Deep" Ten, dig a bit before you make the list.
Posted By: Sly Reference (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 11:43 PM

If you don't think I know anything about rock music, then you definitely don't want to hear my take on the work of George Gershwin. In fact, here is my take:

"Rhapsody in Blue" is a great song.

That's it. That's all I have.

With I Wanna be Your Lover, Why You wanna treat me so bad, Dirty Mind, When you were Mine, Sister, Do Me, Baby, Little Red Corvette, When Doves Cry, Purple Rain, The Beautiful Ones, I Would Die 4 U, Another Lonely Christmas, 17 Days, Pop Life, Condition of the Heart, Nothing Compares 2 U, Anotherloverholenyohead, Kiss, Forever in my Life, Strange Relationship, Adore, The Cross, When 2 R in Love, Anna Stesia, The Future, Vicki's Waiting, Joy in Repetition,Thieves in the Temple, Money Don't Matter Tonight, 7, Eye Hate U, One Kiss at a Time, The Greatest Romance that's ever been told, If Eye was the Man in yo life, the marrying kind, and Reflections, Prince didn't make this list?
Posted By: antpooh (Registered) on July 23, 2009 at 01:13 AM

Touché.

Good list overall.

But how about Will Sheff from the band Okkervil River ? I think he's currently the best songwriter out there.
Posted By: Asylum (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 01:59 AM

I love Will Sheff and I love Okkervil River. One of my favorite bands from the last few years.

Cobain? Really? Christ...

Cobain and Nirvana were over-rated. Nirvana was the grunge version of a god damned boy band, but instead of appealing to little girls, they appealed to fuckheads that were convinced everything in life sucked and everyone was out to keep them down. MTV did its part in pushing them down America's throats 24/7 as the new face of the "grunge movement" even though there were other bands that were far more talented - Soundgarden or Alice In Chains, anyone?

The only good thing to come out of Nirvana was Dave Grohl.
Posted By: Scott B (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 11:41 AM

You're not the only person to comment on Cobain that had the opinion that he and Nirvana have been overly praised in the last fifteen or so years. I can understand why you'd be frustrated at seeing a band that you don't like being highly regarded on pretty much every rock and roll list out there, including mine. I guess I just don't see what it is with Nirvana that is so polarizing for some people.

No mention of Warren Zevon? FAIL
Posted By: Guest#5601 (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 12:03 AM

Ben Harper
Posted By: rob (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 01:58 AM

No Tori Amos? Interesting, would have at least mentioned here at some point even if she didn't make the top 10.
Posted By: greg (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 09:18 AM

I see one person on here as the foresight to mention David Allan Coe, nice job. However, no mention of Leonard Cohen from anyone? I know he's not as hip as some of the cool picks, but find me darker lyrics than "The Future" or better lyrics than "Tower of Song".
Posted By: Guest#1774 (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 06:06 PM

I like all the songwriters mentioned here and a few others that came up in the comments, but I'm not familiar enough with their work to in good conscience put them on the list, unfortunately.

Not a shock to me that no hip hop artists such as Rakim, 2Pac, GZA and Nas are even given an honorable mention. This website is biased against the hip hop genre. This list fucking blows.
Posted By: Bite Me (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 03:52 PM

Well then you're gonna miss out on the upcoming list of the Top Ten Hip-Hop albums, coming soon to Ten Deep.

No way in hell Britt Daniel, Paul Westerberg, or Eddie Vedder are better songwriters than Brian Wilson. You may like them more, but that doesn't mean that they are *better*, if that makes any sense.
Posted By: MissyNEVERWearssocksWithShoes (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 02:44 PM

And now we come to one of the problems that arise when doing a column like this. Obviously, personal bias and opinion is going to come into play when putting together a list of the greatest whatever in history. But I realize there needs to be some recognition of a larger context and popular opinion. Maybe Britt Daniel isn't the "classic" songwriter that Brian Wilson is, but I still prefer his work. Unfortunately I then run the risk of just making this a listing of my favorites , which is misleading since I never specified it as such. So, from now on if a list is primarily made up of my own tastes without much regard for the larger context, I'll make sure you know it's a list of favorites, and not necessarily the "greatest." But just so you know, my personal tastes will always be evident; otherwise, there'd be no point in me writing the column at all.

C'mon, Pete Townsend as an honorable mention? You're joking.

Decent list would have 100% added Pete Townshend...he deserves to be top 5 in m opinion.

A bunch of people mentioned Pete Townshend, and I have to be honest here, I may have dropped the ball on this one. The Who are one of my favorite bands and how I excluded Townshend from the overall top ten, I'm not exactly sure. Surely it was an oversight as I was caught up in my love for Spoon. Or I was drunk. One or the other. But feat not because I am making up for this week by counting down the Top Ten Songs by The Who!



Top Ten Songs by The Who


The Who were the leaders of Britain's Mod scene in the mid-1960s, just after the Beatles became megastars in the United States and ignited the British Invasion. The thing that separated The Who from many of their peers was their passion and energy, exemplified by drummer Keith Moon's manic and tumbling style. Combined with John Entwistle's nimble bass work, Roger Daltrey's stunning vocal abilities and Pete Townshend penchant for crafting both catchy pop-rock songs and expansive arena-rock epics, The Who became one of the world's biggest bands and ushered in a new style of rock, one they dubbed "Maximum R&B." Sadly, Moon dies in 1978 and Entwistle as well in 2002, but the group lives on with Daltrey and Townshend still playing to sold-out stadiums across the world. So this week, we present to you ten of their greatest works and most explosive performances. But first, the honorable mentions:

Some Honorable Mentions: "A Legal Matter," "A Quick One While He's Away," "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "Bargain," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Boris the Spider," "Happy Jack," "My Wife," "Pictures of Lily," "Pinball Wizard," "The Real Me," "The Seeker"


10. "Who Are You"


The story goes that in 1977 Pete Townshend was despondent over the future of the Who and dealing with the fact that punk music had taken the Who's energy and updated it for a new generation of fans. So one night, Townshend goes to a local bar and gets drunk when he finds out two members of the Sex Pistols are also present. After telling the men that The Who had become irrelevant and it was up to the Pistols to continue on with what the Who had started. He then stumbled out of the bar before winding up passed out in a nearby doorway. Townshend managed to bargain with a local policeman that recognized the guitarist that if he could walk away on his own power, he wouldn't be arrested. He was able to make to a subway station and make his way home where he told his wife, "I've been to Hell." Townshend would transcribe the events of that evening for "Who Are You."





For this song, Townshend continues his use of synthesizers to highlight the driving force of many Who songs, while the band sounds as tight as they ever had. They help build the tension early in the song before the song bursts into the first verse as Daltrey bellows, "I woke up in a Soho doorway/A policeman knew my name/He said "You can go sleep at home tonight/If you can get up and walk away." Each member of the band delivers a great performance, with Daltrey's booming voice as he wails, "Who the fuck are you," Entwistle's nimble and melodic bass, and Townshend's great ability to compose a layered rock track. But much of this song, like many Who songs, is owned largely by Moon who is absolutely on the mark throughout and helps gives the song a bit of welcome bombast. The Who rarely sounded as confident and assured as they did on the track, perhaps the group's last great song. Plus, it makes me want to watch CSI.




9. "Won't Get Fooled Again"


Few songs define the term "epic" as well as "Won't Get Fooled Again," the last song from Who's Next. Opening with a slow building synthesizer, the anticipation rises as we wait for the bombast to begin. After about thirty seconds the rest of the band comes in full force and we're off to the races. Once again, the instruments are all layered and combined perfectly as they provide a primal sonic experience. But for all the passion that they music delivers, the lyrics are surprisingly cynical. The song was released in 1971, right after the peak of the antiwar movement. Townshend, like many others became disenchanted with the failures of the flower power movement. That disappointment and pessimism is all over the lyrics, giving the song a context that isn't completely in line with the music. When Daltrey yells, "I'll tip my hat to the new constitution/Take a bow for the new revolution/Smile and grin at the change all around me/Pick up my guitar and play/Just like yesterday/And I'll get on my knees and pray/We don't get fooled again," he passionately details the feelings of many in the era of Vietnam.





In actuality, there is a sense of tension throughout the song that is begging to be dealt with at some point. Daltrey is unable to find a moment of real catharsis through the tale of cynicism. It's all highlighted by Moon's drumming bursts that routinely sound barely contained within the song but manage to also be the song's backbone, giving it all the fury it needs to be successful. Townshend's choppy and powerful guitar chords also give the song energy while his synthesizer lines hover just beneath the surface, giving the song a real mysterious quality, while also adding to the sense of tension that I mentioned earlier. That tension resolves itself after the song's break down in which a synthesizer line is the only thing heard and rushes forward to its inevitable breaking point. Moon's drums rumble in and then Daltrey's delivers rock's most famous scream, one that encapsulates the frustration that many felt at the time. It's followed by one of Townshend's most well-known lines, as Daltrey sings, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss," and then the song finishes with one final burst. This is one of Townshend's most ambitious tracks and the Who's most primal one, as well. Plus, it makes me want to watch CSI: Miami.




8. "Love Reign O'er Me"


Quadrophenia was another attempt from Townshend to create a rock opera, this time telling the story of Jimmy, a mod in the 1960s struggling to find his place and come to terms with the world around him. Over the course of a couple days, we see Jimmy deal with his job, his parents, and his own disillusionment concerning the mod movement he had believed in. These events lead to Jimmy to stand on a rock by the sea and reflecting back on these past few days and attempting to understand it all. That search is summed up on Quadrophenia's last song, "Love Reign O'er Me." Beginning with a piano-led orchestral part, dubbed "Pete's Theme," the piano and strings give a soft backdrop as Daltrey confesses, "Only love/Can make it rain/The way the beach is kissed by the sea/Only love/Can make it rain/Like the sweat of lovers/Laying in the fields." After that however, Moon's pounding drums come in at the same time as Townshend's wailing guitars. It all leads to one of Roger Daltrey's shining moments, as he screams, "Love, reign o'er me," for everything he's worth.





The whole thing ends up as almost operatic and over-the-top, but the whole thing is so earnest and sincere that none of that matters. All that does matter is the pure emotion that the song puts out. It's impossible not to be moved by Daltrey's declarations, because although some may find them cheesy, the delivery is powerful that there's no other option but to be moved by it. The song wraps up Jimmy's story in an emotional, if conveniently concise, way and gives the type of anthemic and far-reaching rock music that would dominate The Who's sound throughout the 1970s. This song in particular is Daltrey at his rock god best, screaming the song's title and making the song of their most emotional and exhausting. It leaves the listener almost fatigued from the emotional trip that Daltrey and the rest of the band take them on and it's fitting the song fades out after one last blast of sound from Moon and Townshend.




7. "Substitute"


While "Love Reign O'er Me" positioned Daltrey as the howling rock god, "Substitute" actually positioned him as a bit of an underdog, and really a replacement for what someone really wants. The composition is also vastly different from the previous few songs, but that's the difference between The Who of the 1960s and The Who of the 1970s. "Substitute" is an insanely catchy pop-rock song that also has some killer vocal harmonies. It should also be noted that the rhythm section of Moon and Entwistle give the song a real heaviness that helps separate it from just a simple pop-rock tune. In fact, that's the case for a lot of early Who songs, as Moon's barely contained drums give off a sense of chaos and the unexpected that predates punk rock. But that doesn't take away from the melody that Townshend wrote here, one that's infectious and timeless.





The song also contains some of Townshend's most brilliant lyrics. They detail a guy that is simply standing in for who his girl is actually looking for. Daltrey sings, "But I'm a substitute for another guy/I look pretty tall but my heels are high/The simple things you see are all complicated/I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated, yeah." But many of the lyrics deal with the illusions in life, and not just a wronged guy. Townshend's last lyrics are amongst his best and most humorous, as he has Daltrey sing, "Substitute me for him/Substitute my coke for gin/Substitute you for my mum/At least I'll get my washing done." Of course, "Substitute" is known for having probably the best single lyric that Townshend ever came up with: "I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth." That line exemplifies the kind of tongue-in-cheek attitude that made up a lot of early Who songs. The mod style allowed them to be young and full of energy, and that combined with a great pop sensibility make "Substitute" a classic.




6. "Magic Bus"


Unlike any other song in the Who catalog, "Magic Bus" has a unique arrangement, full of acoustic guitars, castanets and other percussions unusual for rock music. The song also gives of a psychedelic vibe that wasn't present in a lot of their work. Daltrey sings about the bus that he takes everyday to see his girlfriend, and it's never clear if the bus he refers to is a real thing, or if it's actually magical and part of fantasy. Either way, the song is loose and fun and, once again, showcases the amazing talents of Keith Moon. No other drummer that I know of would have been able to incorporate his manic and frenzied style of drumming into a quasi-psychedelic song about a possibly magic bus that is highlighted by acoustic guitars, castanets, and a rhythm taken right from Bo Diddley. But Moon manages to make it work, giving more proof that he's one of rock's most talented drummers.





For all it's possible psychedelic connotations, the lyrics also have a real innocent sweetness to them, as Daltrey sings, "Every day I get in the queue/To get on the bus that takes me to you/I'm so nervous, I just sit and smile/Your house is only another mile." Later as the song breaks down, Daltrey repeatedly pleads to the bus' driver, "I want it" before quickly being refuted with a stern, "You can't have it!" But eventually Daltrey wins him over and is given the bus so he can "drive my baby every way." The tension and urgency builds as the song goes along, which is something that would characterize a lot of Who songs in the decade to come. The composition for this song also feels less tight and compact than many of those Who songs to come, but it works for this song and the loose feeling that came up earlier. If this was the band's only foray into the world of flower power than it was done in the only way that The Who could have done it; with a bit of disconnect from the scene and also some dashing rock fury that made them so great.




5. "The Kids Are Alright"


"The Kids Are Alright" was featured on The Who's first album and its astonishing for a guy as young and as early in his career as Pete Townshend was at the time, that he would be able to craft a song with such skill and maturity. The song itself is pure pop, with its catchy guitars and infectious harmonies. It could have easily fit on early Beatles records because of all those qualities. Of course, The Beatles never had Keith Moon sitting behind the drum kit, and you better believe his furious presence makes its impact on the song. His style was the type of thing that made The Who stand out, since no other British or American rock band at the time could boast to having such power in its rhythm section. But the song works because it's devoid of any irony and instead is simple and earnest, a quality that's evident in the straight-forward melody, in addition to Townshend's reflective and vulnerable lyrics.





Ostensibly, the lyrics are about a guy letting his girl stay with his friends while at the same time he's pondering if he should leave the group for good. Daltrey sings, "I don't mind other guys dancing with my girl/That's fine, I know them all pretty well/But I know sometimes I must get out in the light/Better leave her behind with the kids, they're alright/The kids are alright." But Townshend's maturity shines through on lyrics like, "I know if I go things would be a lot better for her/I had things planned, but her folks wouldn't let her," and also, "Sometimes, I feel I gotta get away/Bells chime, I know I gotta get away/And I know if I don't, I'll go out of my mind." There's a subtext to the lyrics in that Townshend is clearly thinking about the mod scene and his place in it. But while the protagonist is contemplating leaving the group, there is still something keeping him there, whether it be a girl or the sense of belonging and security. This would seem to intimate that Townshend isn't ready to leave the mod scene either. Of course, over time The Who would move away from this sound, but at the time it was an important question that helped shape a Who classic.




4. "I Can't Explain"


This was The Who's first big hit in Britain and deservedly so. With its infectiously choppy guitars and harmonies, this is a gem of the early Who sound. This is three chord rock at its best as the Who was clearly taking inspiration from many of the garage rock bands of the time, as well as their British counterparts The Kinks. The opening chords of the song are urgent and precise, as they immediately make an impression on the listener. From then on, you're hooked as they slash through and leave their mark for good. The melody here is also amazing as it shifts from the urgency of the first verse to a more tender side as Daltrey sings, "Can't explain/I think it's love/Try to say it to you/When I feel blue/But I can't explain."





Of course, for all that tenderness and catchy melody, there's apparently a wrinkle to it that probably isn't obvious on first listen. According to Townshend the lyrics detail a pilled-up mod who is unable to coherently express himself, making this more than a just a simple love song. But the music betrays that idea, since the melodies are so inviting, making it seem like the protagonist is actually in love, or perhaps some of the changes in melody are moments of clarity for him. It's really interesting to see where The Who started here, as a young Maximum R&B band that focused on short, choppy songs that got in and out quickly but stayed in your heads for days, and where they ended up, as an arena rock band full of bombast and theatrics that aimed for the top of the mountain each time out. I like both versions of the band, but for some reason the younger version of The Who has always resonated more with me because of the hooks and fun in songs like this one.




3. "I Can See for Miles"


Another one of the great early Who songs, "I Can See For Miles" manages to bridge the gap between that and the later Who as this one has a real epic feel to it. The opening riffs and drum fills set the stage for Daltrey to come in as the jilted lover, singing "I know you've deceived me, now here's a surprise/I know that you have 'cause there's magic in my eyes/I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles." Daltrey seems to be at his best vocally when he has a chip on his shoulder, and never is that more evident than on Townshend's "F-You" lyrics. He holds nothing back with lines like, "You took advantage of my trust in you when I was so far away/I saw you holding lots of other guys and now you've got the nerve to say/That you still want me/Well, that's as may be/But you gotta stand trial/Because all the while/I can see for miles and miles." Townshend also shows more of his genius later in the song when the song gets to the lyrics about the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal, the song goes into a higher key. It's a nice piece of songwriting by Townshend that shows why he's one of the best ever.






I know I've mentioned many times how Keith Moon can take over a song and turn it into a classic simply by sheer force of will and it's no different here. In fact, I don't think he was ever better than he was here, with his continuous drum fills helping to give the song the proper atmosphere, one that keeps going and going while Daltrey repeats, "I can see for miles and miles." The tension between the woman and her wronged boyfriend builds and builds throughout the song, and that's mainly because of Moon's work. His drumming at the start of the song is stellar to say the least, but it's all the more impressive as the song goes along towards its breaking point. That breaking point never actually comes though, as the song and the chorus fades out at the end, making it seem more like there is something far out in the distance that can't really be reaches. If you're interested in finding out why Keith Moon is so highly regarded, look no further than this song since it's the best example of his excellence. This was a exceptionally written song that he took to the next level through his revelatory performance.




2. "Baba O'Riley"


We already took a look at the last song from Who's Next and now we get to its first track, "Baba O'Riley. The epic feeling is immediate right from the start as a rapid synthesizer line leads to the rest of the band coming in, first with a piano line and then Moon and the rest of the band delivering the goods. Daltrey wails, "Out here in the fields/I fight for my meals/I get my back into my living/I don't need to fight/To prove I'm right/I don't need to be forgiven." Right from there it's clear that the band is locked in the best groove that they were ever able to create, and it's impossible not to get caught up in it. We then get another one of The Who's famous musical moments as the song breaks down and Townshend himself sings the classic line, "Don't cry, don't raise your eye/It's only teenage wasteland." Daltrey picks up from there and keeps the song on its epic track.





More of Townshend's tremendous lyrics follow, with Daltrey singing with his best bravado, "The exodus is here/The happy ones are near/Let's get together/Before we get much older." After he reassures us it's only teenage wasteland, Daltrey gives us another epic moment, as he yells "They're all wasted!" This leads us to a breakdown of just synthesizer and cello that builds in speed and intensity, and the result is astonishing. There's no way to listen to this part of the song without being moved and it's the type of thing you're not likely to hear many other arena rock bands do. This breakdown continues on and eventually Moon adds his own frantic part to it and as it goes you can't possibly imagine it going on much further since they're playing so hard and fast. After a little while the song does reach its end, with drum, cello and synthesizer all finishing in one last flourish. This is a tale of two songs, with the first one being more great blues-style hard rock from The Who with Daltrey providing the swagger that the song needs. The second song is the instrumental towards the end, and they both combine to make a legendary song that'll be heard on classic rock radio for as long as there is classic rock radio. Plus, it makes me want to watch CSI: NY.




1. "My Generation"


Rock music is supposed to be young, loud, subversive, explosive and full of attitude. No song better fits that criteria than "My Generation," the song that provided the template for any punk rock group that wanted to upset the establishment. Beginning with a furious riff from Townshend and Entwistle, Daltrey delivers his most iconic vocal performance, stuttering his way through lines like, "People try to put us d-down/Just because we get around/Things they do look awful c-c-cold/I hope I die before I get old." That last line is also one of rock's most famous the type of line that shouldn't be taken too seriously but also demonstrates a disconnect between generations. I'm sure it sounds foolish for Daltrey to sing that lyric now, but the attitude behind is always present. A minute into it, each member gets a moment to shine, with Townshend having a solo, but Entwistle owning his solo with his always excellent bass work. Of course it should be mentioned that Moon is simply awesome here, but I guess that might as well go without saying at his point. The key changes help to keep the listener on their toes, since they can never get completely comfortable with where the song is, especially if they weren't part of that so-called generation.





I can't think of another song in the history of rock that combined pissed-off fury with exceptional songwriting and musicianship as well as this one, and that's why it's considered such a classic. Just a few years ago, Rolling Stone named it the twelfth greatest song in rock history because it's held up so well as more than just an angry proto-punk song. It's an example of how anger can be channeled into something great and influential, like "My Generation." Lyrics like, "Why don't you all f-fade away/And don't try to d-dig what we all s-s-say/I'm not trying to cause a b-big s-s-sensation/I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-generation," resonate still today just as well as they did when they were written. The last minute of this song shows that kind of frustration as Townshend uses feedback to his advantage to create a sense of chaos while he and Daltrey repeat "my generation" as Moon goes as crazy as he should. The lyrics and music stand as Townshend's shining moment and greatest achievement, a song written forty-plus years ago that still maintains a power that is riveting and exciting. If you need a song to describe The Who to somebody, play them this song. It's their most energetic, influential, and best song.



That'll do it for this week folks, thanks for reading. If you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to let me know, and make sure to leave your own lists in the comments. I'll see you all next week. And if you're out on your bike tonight, do wear white.