Daltrey was born in the Chiswick area of London, the same working class suburban neighbourhood that produced fellow Who members Pete Townshend and John Entwistle. He showed academic promise as a child in the English state school system, ranking at the top of his class on examinations that led to his enrollment at the Acton County Grammar School for boys. His parents, Harry and Irene, hoped he would eventually continue on to study at a university, but obeying the rules and learning from his teachers were not in the plans of the self-described "school rebel."
He made his first guitar from a block of wood and formed a band called, "The Detours." When his father bought him an Epiphone guitar in 1959, he became the lead guitarist for the band. Soon after, interested in nothing but rock and roll, he was expelled from school. He became a sheet metal worker during the day, while practising and performing nights with the band at weddings, pubs and men's clubs. At the time, the band included Daltrey on lead guitar, Pete Townshend on rhythm guitar, John Entwistle on bass, Doug Sandom on drums and Colin Dawson on lead vocals. After Colin Dawson left the band, Daltrey switched to vocals and Townshend to lead guitar.
Early on, Daltrey was the band's leader, earning a reputation for using his fists to exercise control when needed, despite his small stature. According to Townshend, Roger "ran things the way he wanted. If you argued with him, you usually got a bunch of fives." He generally selected the music they performed, including songs by The Beatles, various Motown artists, James Brown, and other rock standards. In 1964, he also helped decide on a new name for the group that had been suggested by Townshend's roommate, Richard Barnes — "The Who."
The Who
With the band's first record deal in early 1965, Townshend began writing original material and Daltrey's dominance of the band began to recede. (Their second single, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere was the only song on which Daltrey and Townshend collaborated.) As Townshend developed into one of rock's most accomplished composers, Daltrey's vocals became the vehicle through which Townshend's visions were expressed, and he gained an equally vaunted reputation as an incomparably powerful vocalist. His habit of swinging the microphone around by its cord on stage became a signature sign of his exuberance.
Daltrey's stuttering expression of youthful anger, frustration and arrogance in the band's breakthrough single, My Generation, captured the revolutionary feeling of the 1960s for many young people around the world and became the band's trademark. Later, his scream near the end of Won't Get Fooled Again became a defining moment for the band.
Yet, in the midst of the band's success, Daltrey repeatedly found himself fighting to keep the other members of The Who away from the drug and alcohol dependence that he believed would destroy them. He once flushed drummer Keith Moon's pills down the lavatory and, when Moon protested, knocked him down with one punch. Later, in October, 1973, with Townshend at a low point after struggling through the Lifehouse and Quadrophenia projects while Daltrey was experiencing some success with his solo projects and acting roles, tension between the two created more sparks. During a recording session (in an incident that Daltrey claimed was overblown), Townshend whacked the singer over the head with his guitar and Daltrey responded by knocking Townshend unconscious, again with a single blow. With each of The Who's milestone achievements, Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophenia, Daltrey was the face and voice of the band as they defined themselves as the ultimate rebels in a generation of change. When Tommy appeared as a feature film in 1975, Daltrey played the lead role and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture".
Solo music career
Roger Daltrey's first solo album, Daltrey
While he has always considered The Who his primary ambition in life, Daltrey has released eight solo albums. 1973's Daltrey was not the first solo release by a member of The Who, following albums by both John Entwistle and Pete Townshend. The top single off the album, "Giving It All Away," reached number five in the UK and the album, which introduced Leo Sayer as a songwriter, made the Top 50 in the United States. The emotional range displayed in Daltrey proved that the singer was capable of operating outside the context of The Who and of expressing his own moods, not just Townshend's.
When Sayer launched his own career as an artist, Daltrey called on a widening group of friends to write for and perform on his albums. Paul McCartney contributed the new song "Giddy" to "One of The Boys", where the band included Eric Clapton, Alvin Lee and Mick Ronson.
McVicar was billed as a soundtrack album for the film of the same name, which Daltrey co-produced and starred in. But since it featured all the other members of The Who — Townshend, Entwistle and Kenny Jones — it could almost have passed as a Who album. McVicar included two hit singles, Free Me and Without Your Love and was Daltrey's best-selling solo recording.
The title track to Under a Raging Moon was a tribute to Who drummer Keith Moon, who died in 1978. Each of the album's tracks, including "Let Me Down Easy" by Bryan Adams, expresses the frustration of growing older as only a man who sang "Hope I die before I get old" can. On Rocks in the Head, Daltrey is credited (along with Gerard McMahon) for co-writing seven of the eleven tracks.
Daltrey celebrated his fiftieth birthday in 1994 by performing at Carnegie Hall in a show called, "Daltrey Sings Townshend," accompanied by The Juilliard Orchestra, Townshend, Entwistle, Irish dancers and a group of folk musicians. Later he had a short weekly series on BBC Radio 2, presenting a personal choice of rock'n'roll.
PARADE
Roger Daltrey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the back of a street parade
And their I am, right side of your TV screen
Slightly out of focus
But unmistakably serene
Never made the big time
But I was in that scene.
How in no time so it seems
The hero meet his princess
The king found his queen
But in real life
There's only in between
I've never been a hero
But I was in that scene.
Hollywood exist still
Cause there's a sign upon the hill
We buy the maps, and make the tours
To touch the world of, motion, pictures.
So here I am
Until the good time end to be
I've never made the big time
But I was in that scene
Hollywood exist still
Cause there's a sign upon the hill
We buy the maps, and make the tours
To touch the world of, motion, pictures.
A star died today
And they had a little street parade
And all the other stars turned out
To say how nice he'd been
Someone at the back
Flowing with the stream
Never made the headlines
But I was in that scene.
Someone at the back
Flowing with the stream
Never made the headlines
But I was in that scene.
Someone at the back
Flowing with the stream
Never made the headlines
But I was in that scene.
In the song "Parade" by Roger Daltrey, the defining theme is about the experience of being a part of the entertainment industry, and never quite making it to the top but still being a significant part of the scene. The opening lines of the song talk about coming through the back of a street parade, and being slightly out of focus but unmistakably serene – a metaphor for being a part of the entertainment world but not quite in the spotlight. The singer reflects on how in movies, the hero always seems to find his princess, or the king finds his queen, but in real life, there’s only the in-between. He may never be a hero, but he was in that scene.
The song also touches on Hollywood's continued existence as a symbol of aspirations and dreams, with the sign on the hill being a beacon of that hope. The song’s storyline includes the idea of attending a street parade for a much-loved star who had died, with all the other stars, no matter how big or small, turning out to say how lovely he had been. The singer identifies himself as the "someone at the back, flowing with the stream" who never made the headlines but was in that scene. That line encapsulates the sentiment of the song, which is about taking the chance to be a part of something that is bigger than oneself and being content with the memories and experiences that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I came through today
I was present
At the back of a street parade
I was part of the crowd
And their I am, right side of your TV screen
I appeared on TV, in the background
Slightly out of focus
Not the center of attention
But unmistakably serene
Looking calm and happy
Never made the big time
Never became a big star
But I was in that scene
But I was part of the action
Oh I was thinking about in films
I was thinking about the world of movies
How in no time so it seems
How quickly
The hero meet his princess
The hero finds love and happiness
The king found his queen
The king finds his match
But in real life
But in reality
There's only in between
There's only the ordinary moments
I've never been a hero
I've never been a protagonist
But I was in that scene
But I was present in that moment
Hollywood exist still
Hollywood still exists
Cause there's a sign upon the hill
Because there's a famous sign on the hill
We buy the maps, and make the tours
We visit Hollywood as tourists
To touch the world of, motion, pictures.
To experience the world of movies
So here I am
So I am here
Until the good time end to be
Until the good times end
A star died today
A famous person died
And they had a little street parade
A parade was held in their honor
And all the other stars turned out
Other famous people were present
To say how nice he'd been
To praise the deceased person's character
Someone at the back
Someone in the crowd
Flowing with the stream
Going along with the crowd
Never made the headlines
Was not a newsworthy event
But I was in that scene.
But I was present in that moment.
Someone at the back
Someone in the crowd
Flowing with the stream
Going along with the crowd
Never made the headlines
Was not a newsworthy event
But I was in that scene.
But I was present in that moment.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: PHILLIP GOODHAND-TAIT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Slurpy R
J’adore. Cette chanson est vraiment sublime.
Merci Roger D 🙏👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻💝
Claude Hercot
Merveilleuse voix...
Kev Hurley
Thank you so much for this, most excellent...
Jacob van Dijk
Beauty!
antero barros
my first album
Pierre TEODORI
Guitare : Hank Marvin (The Shadows)