The Who Lyrics Allow Townshend to Share an Engaging Narrative

The Who lyrics make for an interesting study when you consider the fact that unlike many of their British counterparts in the 60’s, the band was interested in pushing the boundaries of what could be accomplished in popular music. Their early tracks like ‘My Generation’ and ‘The Kids Are Alright’ dealt with the common themes of youthful rebellion and relationships, combining coming of age with an incisive social intelligence. While they had their share of straight ahead rock and roll songs, it was clear from the beginning that songwriter and guitarist Pete Townshend was quite interested in telling stories through his lyrics.

Early on these stories were somewhat allegorical and vague, as with ‘Happy Jack’, but the first in-depth lyrical exploration undertaken by the band can be found in the 1966 release of ‘A Quick One While He’s Away’. 9 minutes long, The Who divided the song into six movements and the lyrics outline what happens to a woman who is abandoned by her lover and then details their eventual reunion and reconciliation. Many critics point to this track, included as the final song on the album ‘A Quick One’, as representing the embryonic beginnings of Townshend’s desire to create a ‘rock opera’.

‘The Who Sell Out’ would take the interim step between the overt narratives of the rock operas ‘Tommy’ and ‘Quadrophenia’. The Who lyrics on this album loosely follow the theme that the album listener is hearing a pirate radio broadcast, and the album also contains more snippets of Townshend’s artistic stretching, with certain tracks foreshadowing some of the themes that would be further developed in ‘Tommy’.

The full blown lyrical and musical masterpiece ‘Tommy’ and its follow-up ‘Quadrophenia’ saw The Who completely abandon anything resembling a standard pop or rock song and instead focus entirely on a cohesive storyline. Despite such esoteric subjects as pinball and total sensory deprivation, the work still managed to spin off several successful radio singles and was embraced by fans and critics alike as a monument to what could be accomplished in the medium. The story of ‘Quadrophenia’ was much more down to Earth, despite the schizophrenia of the opera’s main character,. It was a straight-ahead tale of a young man’s navigation through the confusing world of social expectations, disillusionment and finally redemption.

While other artists may have tackled political and social issues head on, Townshend and The Who preferred to construct elaborate lyrical landscapes within which to situate their opinions and messages. The metaphors found in their music are as vibrant and poignant today as they were 30 years ago.

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