In the annals of rock history, few bands have left a mark as indelible as The Who. Emerging from the vibrant British music scene of the 1960s, they began as the High Numbers, releasing the forgettable single “Zoot Suit” in 1964. However, a pivotal decision to rename themselves The Who and place songwriting duties in the hands of guitarist Pete Townshend ignited a musical revolution. Their debut under the new moniker, “I Can’t Explain,” in 1965, heralded the start of an extraordinary two-decade journey, laying the groundwork for genres like punk, metal, power pop, and progressive rock. This list celebrates their unparalleled contribution to music, counting down 50 of their finest songs.
1. “Boris the Spider” (‘A Quick One’, 1966)
John Entwistle, often described by Townshend as a “very strange fellow,” penned this track, his first for The Who. It was a revelation to the band, showcasing his uniquely dark and humorous songwriting alongside his distinctive bass playing. Despite never being released as a single, “Boris the Spider” became a live staple and one of their most requested songs in concert. Interestingly, Jimi Hendrix was also a fan, reportedly citing it as his favorite Who song, perhaps recognizing the song’s unconventional structure where, as Townshend noted, “John’s the lead guitar.”
2. “Relax” (‘The Who Sell Out’, 1967)
Written just before Pete Townshend’s first experience with LSD, “Relax” stands out as an atypical moment of paisley-tinged power pop within The Who’s catalog. Echoing the psychedelic advice of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” – “Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream” – “Relax” evokes the soundscapes Syd Barrett was crafting with Pink Floyd at the time. Townshend’s Hammond organ playing creates a tranquil backdrop, subtly rising and falling. However, the song’s peaceful facade breaks down in its conclusion, erupting into a burst of acid-rock guitar that foreshadowed the explosive onstage jams that became a hallmark of The Who’s live performances in 1967 and 1968, although “Relax” itself was eventually dropped from their setlists.
3. “Another Tricky Day” (‘Face Dances’, 1981)
“Another Tricky Day,” despite not being released as a single, was deemed significant enough to warrant a music video, highlighting its strength amidst the mixed reception of the Face Dances album. In the album’s liner notes, Townshend credited keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick, who became a semi-official member of the band during this era, for providing “help and inspiration.” The song’s core sentiment is distinctly Who – a blend of defiance and introspection about music’s enduring power in the face of life’s challenges. Roger Daltrey’s vocals declare, “Rock & roll will never die,” a statement made with irony as The Who disbanded just a year later. Since their reunion, however, “Another Tricky Day” has become a recurring feature in their live shows.
4. “Going Mobile” (‘Who’s Next’, 1971)
This upbeat, Townshend-sung track was originally conceived for a car chase scene in the ambitious Lifehouse project, but found its home on Who’s Next. Townshend has stated that the inspiration came from “me riding around in the mobile caravan I’ve bought,” capturing the liberating feeling of driving in an air-conditioned car, leaving behind “the police and the tax man.” “Going Mobile” also marks one of Townshend’s early explorations into music technology, featuring his acoustic guitar processed through what he described as “one of the original crude guitar synthesizers… It sounds just like a duck, doesn’t it?”
5. “Overture” (‘Tommy’, 1969)
“Overture,” the five-minute instrumental that opens the rock opera Tommy, setting the stage for the album’s thematic and musical landscape, was a later addition to the project. Initially, Townshend intended to begin the narrative with “It’s a Boy,” but he explained to Rolling Stone in 1969 that “That would have been too blunt of an opening.” Instead, he created an instrumental introduction that juxtaposes the urgency of “See Me, Feel Me” with the exuberance of “Pinball Wizard,” stating, “This clues you in to a lot of themes and gives a continuity to the tracks.” “Overture” single-handedly elevated the concept of the rock album, pushing it into the realm of “rock opera.”
6. “Bargain” (‘Who’s Next’, 1971)
One of the most uplifting tracks on Who’s Next, “Bargain” owes a debt to guitarist Joe Walsh. In 1970, The Who toured with Walsh’s band, the James Gang, as their opening act. As a gesture of gratitude, Walsh gifted Townshend a Gretsch acoustic guitar, which Townshend then used when recording “Bargain.” The song’s origins lie in Townshend’s Lifehouse demos, initially conceived as “a love song, but a song about a higher love, a love between disciple and master,” reflecting his growing interest in Sufism and religious faith. “Bargain” evolved into a powerful expression of devotion, exploring “how much of a bargain it would be even to love everything in order to be at one with God.” Through multiple sessions with producer Glyn Johns at Olympic Studios in London, “Bargain” became a triumphant anthem, featuring Keith Moon’s explosive yet nuanced drumming and Roger Daltrey’s soaring vocals, perfectly capturing the song’s powerful emotion. Daltrey later reflected that Who’s Next songs like “Bargain” were “rooted inside of us.”
7. “Trick of the Light” (‘Who Are You’, 1978)
John Entwistle’s songwriting often explored themes of fear and insecurity, whether it was a furious wife (“My Wife”), alcoholism (“Whiskey Man”), a monstrous spider (“Boris the Spider”), or mortality (“Heaven and Hell”). In “Trick of the Light,” he tackles the anxieties of sexual performance. The song tells the story of a man so uncertain of his sexual abilities that he seeks validation from a prostitute, pleading for an honest assessment. Entwistle’s signature thundering bass and gravelly vocals make “Trick of the Light” an often-overlooked gem in The Who’s discography. Townshend, in the Who Are You liner notes, aptly described Entwistle’s playing on the track as sounding like “a musical Mack truck.”
8. “I Can’t Reach You” (‘The Who Sell Out’, 1967)
Originally titled “See, Feel, Hear You,” foreshadowing “See Me, Feel Me,” “I Can’t Reach You” is a rapturous, yearning pop song penned by Townshend shortly before he embraced Meher Baba as his spiritual guide. Reflecting on his state of mind at the time, Townshend admitted, “I can say without pretensions that I was looking for someone.” The song’s lyrics intentionally blur the lines between spiritual and romantic desire, leaving the object of yearning ambiguous. “I Can’t Reach You” also holds the distinction of being one of the first songs Townshend composed on piano. He humorously recalled that its refreshing simplicity was “caused by my inability to play!”
9. “Let’s See Action” (Non-album single, 1971)
Released between the landmark albums Who’s Next and Quadrophenia, “Let’s See Action” is a non-album single that finds Townshend in an unusually activist frame of mind. The song, featuring Nicky Hopkins’ boogie-woogie piano and tag-team vocals with Daltrey over acoustic guitar, was partly inspired by the teachings of Meher Baba, evident in its “everything is nothing” mantra. Townshend later described the song as being “about the people who act in a revolution, and the people that sit back. I thought it also said a lot about the way we forget our souls most of the time.” A more stripped-down demo version appeared on Townshend’s solo debut, Who Came First, in 1972.
10. “Young Man Blues” (‘Live at Leeds’, 1970)
The Who began performing Mose Allison’s jazz-blues standard “Young Man Blues” as early as 1964, when they were still known as the Detours. Townshend has acknowledged that the song’s energy and structure also influenced his early demos for “My Generation.” The Who recorded a version of “Young Man Blues” during the Tommy sessions, but ultimately chose to include their rendition of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Eyesight to the Blind” instead. By the time they recorded the explosive opening track for Live at Leeds (actually the fifth song in the set), “Young Man Blues” had evolved into a powerful showcase for the band’s live energy and a dynamic call-and-response between Daltrey and his bandmates.
11. “Heaven and Hell” (Non-album B-side, 1970)
“Heaven and Hell,” another John Entwistle composition, served as the energetic opening for nearly every show on The Who’s 1970 Tommy tour. This hard-driving, death-obsessed song acted as a high-octane warm-up for the band and the audience. Entwistle explained his intent: “I basically wanted to write a song with a big subject, an important subject rather than spiders or drunks.” He also revealed that an earlier version of the song had a different chorus, expressing ambivalence towards both heaven and hell: “I’d much rather stay in the middle with my friends because I don’t like the sound of either of them. I still don’t. I don’t fancy hell or heaven.” Entwistle also recorded a version of “Heaven and Hell” for his 1971 solo album, Smash Your Head Against the Wall.
12. “I’m a Boy” (Non-album single, 1966)
Released in August 1966, “I’m a Boy” signaled Pete Townshend’s departure from typical pop song themes, delving into more complex and socially relevant subject matter. The song, about a boy forced by his parents to dress as a girl, was originally intended for a rock opera called Quads, which Townshend ultimately abandoned. However, the theme of parental manipulation and childhood trauma resurfaced two years later when he began developing Tommy. Townshend reflected in 1993, “I’ve always addressed and acknowledged child abuse, the neglect of children, the misunderstanding of adolescence. The first song in which I addressed it was ‘I’m a Boy,’ but it’s always been there.”
13. “Christmas” (‘Tommy’, 1969)
“Christmas,” the opening track of side two of Tommy, is one of the opera’s most poignant moments. The song reveals the sadness of Tommy’s parents, who believe their deaf, dumb, and blind son cannot appreciate the holiday season. Townshend initially recorded a sparse, piano-based demo of “Christmas.” (The original lyrics contained the line “playing with himself, he sits and smiles,” which was later revised to introduce Tommy’s passion for pinball). When The Who got hold of the song, they transformed it into a bombastic, theatrical piece, with both Townshend and Daltrey sharing vocal duties. For a definitive live rendition of “Christmas,” the expanded Live at Leeds album is highly recommended.
14. “Long Live Rock” (‘Odds and Sods’, 1974)
“We were the first band to vomit in the bar,” Roger Daltrey cheekily proclaims in “Long Live Rock,” a self-aware anthem that both celebrates The Who’s history and pokes fun at the rock and roll lifestyle, referencing clueless promoters and ticket scalpers. Recorded in 1972, “Long Live Rock” was initially planned for Rock Is Dead – Long Live Rock, an autobiographical album project that was ultimately abandoned and morphed into Quadrophenia. “Long Live Rock” remained unreleased until the 1974 compilation Odds and Sods. In the liner notes, Townshend wryly commented, “there are dozens of these self-conscious hymns to the last 15 years appearing now, and here’s another one.”
15. “Slip Kid” (‘The Who by Numbers’, 1975)
The Who by Numbers, an intensely personal album, opens with “Slip Kid,” a cautionary message about the potential pitfalls of fame. Despite its deceptively upbeat melody, “Slip Kid” warns aspiring rock stars that “it’s a hard, hard world.” Townshend explained, “It came across as a warning to young kids getting into music that it would hurt them. It was almost parental in its assumed wisdom.” Years later, after the tragic events at Pearl Jam’s Roskilde festival set in 2000, where nine fans died, Eddie Vedder found solace in “Slip Kid.” “There’s a line [in the song], ‘There’s no easy way to be free,'” Vedder said in 2006. “I was thinking, ‘I couldn’t agree with you more.'”
16. “The Acid Queen” (‘Tommy’, 1969)
Townshend described Tommy‘s Acid Queen character as a metaphor for peer pressure – a “black-hearted gypsy who had promised to bring Tommy out of his autistic condition but was actually a sexual monster, using drugs to break him.” “The Acid Queen” is driven by Keith Moon’s chaotic drumming, Townshend’s powerful guitar riffs, and chilling lyrics (“His head, it shakes/His fingers clutch/Watch his body writhe”), creating a dark and dramatic atmosphere. When Tina Turner portrayed the Acid Queen in the 1975 film adaptation of Tommy, she brought an even more predatory dimension to the role than Daltrey’s vocal performance on the album. Townshend praised Turner’s performance as “stunning.”
17. “However Much I Booze” (‘The Who by Numbers’, 1975)
“However Much I Booze” from The Who by Numbers leaves little doubt about the toll substance abuse was taking on the band in 1975. In this starkly honest song, Townshend confesses that there “ain’t no way out” of his crippling alcohol addiction. “I forced the band into a corner with that material,” he admitted. Roger Daltrey reportedly refused to sing lead vocals on “However Much I Booze” (“I’ve never been drunk onstage in seven years,” he stated at the time), and The Who have not performed it live in over 40 years. Despite its uncomfortable honesty, “However Much I Booze” remains a revealing and deeply moving cry for help.
18. “Pictures of Lily” (Non-album single, 1967)
“Pictures of Lily” is rumored to have been inspired by an awkward encounter where Townshend’s parents caught him masturbating and questioned, “Why can’t he go out with girls, like other boys?” Regardless of its specific origin, “Pictures of Lily” stands as a groundbreaking moment of lyrical honesty and humor in rock music, exploring themes of adolescent sexuality and self-discovery. The song’s title was inspired by a picture of 1920s vaudevillian Lily Bayliss that Townshend’s girlfriend owned, although he later clarified, “It’s just a look back at the period in every boy’s life where he has pinups.” Daltrey’s “completely innocent” vocal delivery, combined with risqué promotional postcards, generated a mild controversy that contributed to the song’s Top 10 success.
19. “You Better You Bet” (‘Face Dances’, 1981)
“A surprise hit single for us,” Townshend recalled of “You Better You Bet.” “We even went back on Top of the Pops.” “You Better You Bet” is a tough, direct rocker that reflects Townshend’s increasing appreciation for punk rock, tightening up his songwriting style. Addressed to his new girlfriend, the lyrics also incorporate a touch of nostalgia, with Daltrey singing about getting drunk “to the sound of old T. Rex.” Daltrey, who has compared the song’s bouncy melody to Elvis Presley, considers “You Better You Bet” a standout track on 1981’s Face Dances, their first album after Keith Moon’s death: “‘You Better You Bet’ is still one of my favorite songs of all.”
20. “Who Are You” (‘Who Are You’, 1978)
“Who Are You” stands as one of The Who’s last great anthems, capturing Townshend’s disillusionment with the direction of rock music in the late 1970s and his search for authenticity amidst the prevailing malaise. “It’s actually a prayer,” Townshend later revealed. “I was trying to sort out who, where, what God was.” He wrote “Who Are You” after a heated business meeting about unpaid royalties escalated into a drunken night out. During this spree, Townshend encountered members of the Sex Pistols at the Speakeasy club. He famously fell to his knees before drummer Paul Cook, lamenting, “Rock has gone down the fuckin’ tubes.” This incident sparked the idea for “Who Are You,” which Townshend described as “an encyclopedia for up-and-coming groups about how not to get caught.” Producer Jon Astley helped refine the song from a lengthy demo into a more concise and powerful track, resulting in a Top 20 hit in both the US and UK, proving The Who’s continued relevance.
21. “5:15” (‘Quadrophenia’, 1973)
“5:15,” the lead single from Quadrophenia and the opening track of the album’s second disc, features call-and-response vocals between Daltrey and Townshend. Set against a backdrop of “polymorphous sexuality,” the lyrics depict a pill-fueled protagonist (“Out of my brain on the train”). The song is propelled by Townshend’s aggressive guitar work, Entwistle’s prominent horns, and Joe Cocker sideman Chris Stainton’s energetic piano. In contrast to the meticulous creation of much of Quadrophenia, “5:15” came to Townshend quickly. “While I was killing time between appointments,” he recalled, and was written and recorded in the studio on the same day.
22. “Pure and Easy” (‘Odds and Sods’, 1974)
“Pure and Easy” was a pivotal song from the abandoned Lifehouse project. It was intended to set the stage for the concept album’s narrative about an eternal musical note that unites humanity. When Townshend decided to scrap Lifehouse in favor of Who’s Next, the majestic “Pure and Easy” was left off the album, later appearing on Townshend’s 1972 solo album Who Came First and The Who’s 1974 compilation Odds and Sods. “It was the kernel behind Who’s Next,” Townshend explained. “But it never made it onto that record. In a sense, the heart [of Who’s Next] was missing.”
23. “Sparks” (‘Tommy’, 1969)
“Sparks,” a powerful instrumental track from Tommy, captures the raw energy of The Who’s live performances more effectively than any other song on the album. Townshend had envisioned Tommy including more interstitial material, such as battle sounds and pinball effects, but abandoned these ideas to complete the album more quickly. Originally titled “Dream Sequence,” “Sparks” took its final name from a 1962 collection of Meher Baba’s sayings, Sparks of the Truth, and incorporated a musical motif from “Rael,” a mini-opera featured on The Who Sell Out. Townshend later stated that the Live at Leeds version of “Sparks” “gets as close as what’s possible for that classical-rock thing.”
24. “Happy Jack” (Non-album single, 1967)
Townshend described “Happy Jack” as a whimsical, two-minute “nonsense song” inspired by the village idiots he observed as a child during family summers on the Isle of Man. He emphatically declared that “never in a million years will it be a hit for the Who.” Despite his reservations, manager Kit Lambert released “Happy Jack” as a UK single in 1966. Its infectious rhythm, endearing lyrics, and sweet harmonies surprised everyone, reaching Number 24 in the US charts. Townshend called it a “hard ego lesson.” Adding to the irony, Paul McCartney later told him that “Happy Jack” was his favorite Who song.
25. “A Legal Matter” (‘My Generation’, 1965)
“A Legal Matter” marked Pete Townshend’s vocal debut with The Who. This cheeky song about divorce served as the B-side to “The Kids Are Alright.” Roger Daltrey, who was married at the time, may have been hesitant to sing lyrics like “I gain and lose my women fast.” Townshend, however, viewed “A Legal Matter” as an outlet for his personal frustrations. “It’s terrible feeling like an eligible bachelor but with no women seeming to agree with you,” he explained. The song was later released as a single in its own right – ironically, the same week in 1966 that Keith Moon married model Kim McLagan.
26. “How Many Friends” (‘The Who by Numbers’, 1975)
When Townshend first presented the brutally honest and emotionally raw songs that would comprise The Who by Numbers to the band, Keith Moon reportedly walked over and embraced him. “How Many Friends” encapsulates the album’s desolate mood. “How many friends have I really got?/ You can count ’em on one hand,” Daltrey sings in this elegiac track, hinting at Townshend’s internal conflicts about his sexuality and his growing distance from The Who. Townshend later reflected on a deeper meaning within the song: “That rock itself was supposed to deliver something different. That was a hope that wasn’t fulfilled.”
27. “Sunrise” (‘The Who Sell Out’, 1967)
Amidst the satirical commercials, psychedelic soundscapes, and comedic interludes of The Who Sell Out, “Sunrise” emerges as a moment of serene beauty. This acoustic track features only Townshend’s voice and his Harmony 12-string guitar. The song’s bright melody, delicate fingerpicking, and melancholic lyrics provided a stark contrast to The Who’s usual chaotic energy. Not everyone in the band was enthusiastic about Townshend’s stylistic departure. “Keith didn’t want that on the record,” Townshend revealed in 1980. “In a way, that’s a bit of a giveaway to the fact that at the time I was studying a bit of this jazz thing. I wrote it for my mother to show her that I could write real music.”
28. “Magic Bus” (Non-album single, 1968)
“Magic Bus,” written in 1965, first appeared as an obscure 1967 single by the UK pop group The Pudding. The Who’s version transformed it into a psychedelic gem driven by a heavy groove, built around a Bo Diddley beat and a distinctive clave rhythm played by the band’s road manager/sound engineer Bob “Ben Pump” Pridden. “Magic Bus” exists in various recorded versions, but the eight-minute rendition on Live at Leeds, featuring Daltrey’s harmonica wailing, is arguably the most unhinged and electrifying. Martin Scorsese fittingly used this version to soundtrack Ray Liotta’s cocaine-fueled driving scene in Goodfellas.
29. “The Seeker” (Non-album single, 1970)
This anthem of spiritual seeking was not conceived in a tranquil ashram, but rather during a night of heavy partying on a US tour. Townshend wrote “The Seeker” in a “mosquito-ridden swamp [in Florida] at three in the morning, drunk out of my brain.” Loosely, he once said, “‘The Seeker’ [is about] what I call Divine Desperation.” The lyrics, prefiguring John Lennon’s “God,” name-check The Beatles, “Bobby Dylan,” and Timothy Leary, but none offer the answers he seeks. “We’re looking at each other,” Daltrey sings, “and we don’t know what to do.” Unusually, The Who self-produced “The Seeker” as producer Kit Lambert was recovering from a broken jaw. The raw, powerful mix resulted in The Who’s first single release after the success of Tommy. While “The Seeker” underperformed on the pop charts, it remained a potent statement. Townshend often played it acoustically at Meher Baba gatherings, and The Who’s live performances of the song were legendary – Townshend described it as “an elephant” that “finally stampeded itself to death on stages around England.”
30. “My Wife” (‘Who’s Next’, 1971)
“My Wife” was born from a domestic argument between John Entwistle and his wife, Alison. After the argument, Entwistle took his dogs for a walk and returned home with the song fully formed – “one of those instant songs,” he recalled. Entwistle played bass, piano, and horns on the thunderous track. The darkly humorous lyrics, about a wife’s violent reaction to rumors of her husband’s infidelity, are quintessential Entwistle. “She always thought it was very funny,” he said of Alison’s reaction to “My Wife.” “She always had the ambition to come on and hit me over the head with a rolling pin halfway through it when I was doing it onstage.”
31. “I’m Free” (‘Tommy’, 1969)
With its elastic guitar riff and uplifting chorus, “I’m Free” represents Tommy at its most optimistic. In his 2012 memoir, Townshend described it as the rock opera’s “moment of realization.” Like many songs from this period, “I’m Free” was influenced by the teachings of Meher Baba. Musically, the song’s shuffling rhythm was inspired by a more earthly source: The Rolling Stones’ 1968 classic “Street Fighting Man.” “When I finally discovered how [the Stones song] went,” Townshend said, “I thought, ‘Well, blimey, it can’t be that simple’ but it was … and I wanted to do it myself.”
32. “Tattoo” (‘The Who Sell Out’, 1967)
“Tattoo,” a clever and poignant coming-of-age story from Townshend’s “absurd album of melody and humor,” The Who Sell Out, exemplifies his early commitment to narrative songwriting. “Tattoo” was first demoed in Las Vegas during a three-day break from The Who’s 1967 US tour opening for Herman’s Hermits. Townshend later said he “was inspired by recent events on the road: Were we men or were we something else?” The guitarist was concerned Daltrey might be reluctant to sing lyrics about questioning one’s own masculinity. “He sang it really well,” Townshend recalled. “And I realized then … he’s got the same insecurities I do.”
33. “I’m One” (‘Quadrophenia’, 1973)
“I’m One” begins with Townshend’s heartbreaking high tenor vocals over acoustic guitar, before dramatically shifting gears in the second verse. The electric guitar enters like a switchblade, and the full band crashes in. “When I was a nipper, I always used to feel that the guitar was all I had,” Townshend explained when introducing the song live in 1973. “I wasn’t tough enough to be a member of the gang, not good-looking enough to be in with the birds, not clever enough to make it at school, not good enough with the feet to make a good football player. I was a fucking loser. I think everybody feels that way at some point.” “I’m One” powerfully captures feelings of isolation and inadequacy, resonating with listeners who have felt like outsiders.
34. “Blue, Red and Grey” (‘The Who by Numbers’, 1975)
In stark contrast to the grand scale of Quadrophenia, Townshend opted for a more intimate and stripped-down approach with The Who by Numbers, creating a confessional album exploring his personal insecurities and inner demons. “Blue, Red and Grey” offers a moment of unexpected optimism amidst the album’s darkness. This simple, yet beautiful, ode to appreciating life’s small joys was written on the ukulele and initially recorded as a home demo. Townshend was surprised when producer Glyn Johns insisted on including it on The Who by Numbers. “I said, ‘What? That fucking thing?'” Townshend recounted. “‘Here’s me wanting to commit suicide, and you’re going to put that thing on the record?'”
35. “So Sad About Us” (‘A Quick One’, 1966)
“I think it’s a terrific number,” Townshend said of “So Sad About Us” in 1966. “We do it onstage – but the final record was nothing like the original demo disc I made of it.” The Who recorded this sophisticated breakup song in 1966, although it was originally written for The Merseys, another band managed by The Who’s manager. The Merseys had a hit with their Townshend-produced version of the song that same year. With an intro reminiscent of The Byrds’ jangling guitars, “So Sad About Us” is a surprisingly vulnerable moment from The Who’s early, frenetic period. Although never released as a single by The Who, it has been covered by numerous artists, from The Jam to The Breeders.
36. “The Real Me” (‘Quadrophenia’, 1973)
“The Real Me,” the explosive opening track of Quadrophenia, immediately establishes the album’s intensity. John Entwistle delivers what is arguably his greatest recorded performance. As he proudly stated, the song is essentially “a bass solo with vocals.” “The Real Me” captures the central conflict of Quadrophenia‘s protagonist, Jimmy, who desperately seeks to be understood, screaming at his mother, his priest, and his psychiatrist, demanding that they truly see him. “You have the big, big, big bass of John Entwistle, the big, big drums of Keith Moon, the power chords, the huge voice of Roger Daltrey,” Townshend explained, “and what they’re actually saying is ‘I’m a pathetic little wimp.'”
37. “The Kids Are Alright” (‘My Generation’, 1965)
“It sounds symphonic,” Townshend said of “The Kids Are Alright.” Recorded during the same sessions as “My Generation,” “The Kids Are Alright” is another anthem celebrating the mod subculture, but replaces the angry defiance of “My Generation” with a more communal and compassionate spirit. Originally intended as the B-side to “My Generation,” it was elevated to single status at the insistence of producer Shel Talmy. While Keith Moon later claimed the mod image was imposed on the band, Townshend embraced it wholeheartedly. “As a force, they were unbelievable,” he told Rolling Stone in 1968. “Everybody just grooving on being a mod.”
38. “Pinball Wizard” (‘Tommy’, 1969)
When Townshend was developing Tommy, he played it for music critic Nik Cohn, who felt the emotionally intense opera was somewhat dark. “If it had pinball in it, would you give it a decent review?” Townshend asked. Cohn replied, “Of course I would. Anything with pinball in it is fantastic.” The resulting “rockaboogie” tune, as Townshend called it, became one of The Who’s most enduring and recognizable anthems. As he later reflected, “If I had failed to deliver the Who an operatic masterpiece that would change people’s lives, with ‘Pinball Wizard’ I was giving them something almost as good: a hit.”
39. “Behind Blue Eyes” (‘Who’s Next’, 1971)
Townshend once described “Behind Blue Eyes” as “the closest to a love song I’ve ever written and managed to get the Who to perform.” He has suggested that the song is about resisting temptation from a groupie while on tour in 1970. However, he has also stated that “Behind Blue Eyes” represents the villain in his Lifehouse project, who “was feeling he is forced into playing a two-faced role.” In this sense, Townshend identified with the lyrics: “I do tend to lie my way out of things more often than I should,” he admitted. Regardless of its precise meaning, the arrangement of “Behind Blue Eyes” – shifting from gentle acoustic verses to explosive electric choruses – is as complex and multifaceted as its lyrics.
40. “Substitute” (Non-album single, 1966)
“Substitute” was inspired by media comparisons of The Who to The Rolling Stones, often suggesting they were a lesser imitation. “It was written as a spoof of ’19th Nervous Breakdown,'” Townshend explained in 1971. “On the demo, I sang with an affected Jagger-like accent.” “Substitute” became a Top Five hit in the UK. For its US release, the line “I look all white, but my dad was black” was controversially changed to “I try going forward, but my feet walk back.” Even with this alteration, “Substitute” failed to chart in the US. Roger Daltrey remains critical of his vocal performance on the track: “I didn’t really find my voice until we got to Tommy,” he said.
41. “Eminence Front” (‘It’s Hard’, 1982)
Following the disappointing It’s Hard album in 1982, The Who would not record another album until 2006. “I hated it,” Daltrey confessed about It’s Hard. “I still hate it.” However, the album’s sole hit, “Eminence Front,” demonstrated that The Who could still bridge Townshend’s New Wave-influenced solo work with their classic Who’s Next-era sound. “‘Eminence Front’ was written around a chord progression I discovered on my faithful Yamaha E70 organ,” Townshend recalled. “I hesitate to try to explain what it was about. It’s clearly about the absurdity of drug-fueled grandiosity, but whether I was pointing the finger at myself or at the cocaine dealers of Miami Beach is hard to recall.”
42. “We’re Not Gonna Take It/See Me, Feel Me” (‘Live at Leeds’, 2001)
As documented at Woodstock, the Isle of Wight, and on the complete Live at Leeds reissue, Tommy‘s grand finale, “We’re Not Gonna Take It/See Me, Feel Me,” evolved into an even more epic and powerful performance over the course of more than 100 live renditions between 1969 and 1970. Townshend originally wrote “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as an anti-fascist song before conceiving Tommy, while “See Me, Feel Me” was partly inspired by memories of his abusive grandmother. Released as a single after The Who’s triumphant Woodstock performance, “See Me, Feel Me,” with its anthemic “Listening to You” coda featuring Daltrey at his rock-god peak, remains a highlight of Who concerts to this day.
43. “Getting in Tune” (‘Who’s Next’, 1971)
“I can’t pretend there’s any meaning hidden in the things I’m saying,” Roger Daltrey sings pensively at the beginning of “Getting in Tune” from Who’s Next. However, like most of Townshend’s songwriting, “Getting in Tune” is far from meaningless. Another song originating from the Lifehouse project, “Getting in Tune” encapsulates the diverse musical facets of The Who. It begins quietly with Nicky Hopkins’ piano and John Entwistle’s fluid bassline, gradually building into classic Who thunder, complete with Keith Moon’s dynamic and tempo-shifting drumming. While the lyrics “I’m gonna tune right in on you” might seem like standard love song fare, Townshend explained that they were inspired by the teachings of Indian Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan, particularly his idea that “music is one way of individuals getting in tune with one another.” This theme of connection and harmony resonates throughout much of Townshend’s work.
44. “I Can’t Explain” (Non-album single, 1964)
The Who’s debut single after changing their name from the High Numbers, “I Can’t Explain,” became a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1965, introducing them to a wider audience and launching their remarkable run of 1960s singles. “I Can’t Explain” is a power-pop explosion of adrenaline-fueled riffs and raw energy. “A blurter and burster,” Townshend described the song in 1968. Producer Shel Talmy, an American who had worked on The Kinks’ groundbreaking single “You Really Got Me,” played a significant role in shaping the song’s sound. Townshend greatly admired “You Really Got Me,” admitting, “It can’t be beat for straightforward Kink copying.” He added, “There is little to say about how I wrote this. It came out of the top of my head when I was 18-and-a-half.” Unsure of The Who’s studio capabilities, Talmy brought in session musicians, including a young Jimmy Page on guitar, as well as backing vocalists to enhance the harmonies. Despite these additions, the raw energy and distinct personality of The Who are unmistakable in “I Can’t Explain,” marking the opening chapter of their 50-year legacy.
45. “Baba O’Riley” (‘Who’s Next’, 1971)
Spirituality, sonic innovation, and the power and limitations of rock and roll culture all converge in “Baba O’Riley,” the epic opening track of Who’s Next. The title is a tribute to Townshend’s spiritual guru Meher Baba and avant-garde composer Terry Riley. (The “O'” in “O’Riley” was a nod to the jig-like section of the song driven by a fiddle, though synthesized). Riley’s influence is particularly evident in the song’s iconic opening keyboard riff – an effects-laden organ played in a hypnotic, repetitive pattern. Originally conceived for Townshend’s Lifehouse project, “Baba O’Riley” is, on one level, about a character in the narrative – a “farmer, out in the fields,” as Townshend described. However, the lyrics also reflect on the state of rock music at the dawn of the 1970s: “the absolute desolation of teenagers after the second Isle of Wight festival, and after the Woodstock festival, where everybody was smacked out on acid and 20 people had brain damage,” Townshend explained. “People were already running toward the culture and its promise of salvation. But not everyone survived.”
46. “Love, Reign O’er Me” (‘Quadrophenia’, 1973)
“Love, Reign O’er Me” is The Who’s most powerful ballad – a song so immense that the term “ballad” feels inadequate. Quadrophenia‘s grand finale was initially intended for a never-completed rock opera (working title: Rock Is Dead – Long Live Rock) based on The Who’s own history. A stripped-down home recording by Townshend appears on Scoop. “Love, Reign O’er Me,” subtitled “Pete’s Theme,” representing Townshend’s perspective within the main character’s experience, opens with the somber sounds of rain, thunderous drums, and reflective piano. A synthesizer melody emerges, and Daltrey’s vocals build to a cathartic climax, accompanied by what may be Keith Moon’s most breathtaking drum performance – legend has it, he destroyed a studio full of percussion instruments in the process. The title alludes to both spiritual and romantic love; it “refers to Meher Baba’s one-time comment that rain was a blessing from God,” Townshend wrote, acknowledging his spiritual mentor. Despite only achieving modest chart success as a shortened single (Number 76), “Love, Reign O’er Me” has undoubtedly soundtracked countless moments of romantic intensity and remains a cornerstone of The Who’s legacy.
47. “A Quick One, While He’s Away” (‘A Quick One,’ 1966)
By late 1966, Townshend had already produced a string of electrifying singles for The Who. However, he was eager to break free from conventional pop structures. The result was “A Quick One, While He’s Away,” a nine-minute “mini-opera” divided into six distinct movements. The song tells the humorous story of a woman who, missing her absent lover, ends up having an affair with a man named Ivor the Engine Driver. “A Quick One, While He’s Away” seamlessly blends elements of folk, blues, country, and hard rock. Originally intending to hire cellists for the song’s climax, budget constraints led The Who to instead chant the word “cello” repeatedly, creating a gloriously absurd and effective moment. The frenetic and humorous result was unlike anything else in 1966. Years later, Townshend found a deeper meaning in the song, seeing it as “the story that many of us postwar kids share of being sent away, and of losing a precious loved one and being greatly changed when they returned.”
48. “My Generation” (‘My Generation’, 1965)
Townshend reportedly wrote “My Generation” on his 20th birthday, May 19, 1965, while traveling by train from London to Southampton for a television appearance. Initially, the song was not intended as a youth rebellion anthem. It began as a Jimmy Reed-style blues, reflecting Townshend’s anxieties about the constraints of adulthood, famously captured in the line “Hope I die before I get old.”
“‘My Generation’ was very much about trying to find a place in society,” Townshend told Rolling Stone in 1987. “I was very, very lost. The band was young then. It was believed that its career would be incredibly brief.” Instead, “My Generation” became The Who’s defining song and their ticket to rock immortality. Townshend’s two-chord attack, Daltrey’s stuttering, defiant vocals, Moon’s chaotic drumming, and the R&B-influenced backing vocals of Townshend and Entwistle created a sense of escalating tension, culminating in a studio recreation of The Who’s legendary live instrument destruction. “My Generation” became their first British Top Five hit and a rallying cry for young mod rebels throughout England.
49. “I Can See for Miles” (‘The Who Sell Out’, 1967)
Townshend recorded a demo of “I Can See for Miles” in 1966. The Who’s managers were so confident in its hit potential that they decided to hold it back until a time when the band desperately needed a chart success. This delay allowed Townshend to meticulously craft his masterpiece. “It was written about jealousy but ended up being about the immense power of aspiration,” he later explained. “I spent a lot of time working on the vocal harmonies and structuring it.” He began recording at CBS Studios in London and completed the song months later at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, the same studio where Brian Wilson had created his similarly ambitious “Good Vibrations” the previous year. While “Good Vibrations” topped charts in both the UK and US, “I Can See for Miles” did not achieve the same commercial success in England (“Didn’t sell a single copy,” Townshend lamented. “I was humiliated”), but it reached Number Nine in America, becoming The Who’s highest-charting US single. Despite the UK disappointment, Townshend recognized the timeless quality of “I Can See for Miles,” later calling it “One of the best songs I’ve ever written.”
50. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (‘Who’s Next’, 1971)
“Won’t Get Fooled Again,” the epic closer of Who’s Next, stands as rock music’s – and Pete Townshend’s – ultimate declaration of independence. It’s a sonic storm of doubt, defiance, hypnotic synthesizer patterns, and thunderous power chords, punctuated by Roger Daltrey’s truly superhuman scream. “The song was meant,” Townshend stated in 2006, “to let politicians and revolutionaries alike know that what lay in the center of my life was not for sale.” However, with Daltrey’s primal howl, “as though his heart was being torn out,” as Townshend described it, the song transcended its initial intent, “became something more to so many people” – a thrilling testament to rock’s power to uplift and unite in the face of oppression. Originally written for Townshend’s ill-fated Lifehouse opera and first recorded in March 1971 during a discarded session with Mountain guitarist Leslie West, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” debuted live in April 1971, quickly becoming a staple of The Who’s concerts. Despite Townshend’s subsequent licensing of the song for television and film, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” has retained its raw power and lyrical contempt for demagoguery. At its core, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” – with its iconic image of Townshend kneeling, guitar in hand – is about music as a moral force and a source of salvation. “What is there,” Townshend confessed, “is prayer.”
This list provides a journey through the incredible songwriting and performance legacy of The Who, showcasing their evolution and enduring impact on rock music. From explosive anthems to introspective ballads, these 50 songs represent the breadth and depth of their artistry and solidify their place as one of the greatest bands of all time.
