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.
Take Me Home
Roger Daltrey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
© 1987 Chappel Music, Inc.,ASCAP
Forty days of living hell
Force nine gale, broken sail
What a story I could tell
Forty days of ocean roar
Stars fall, girls call, take me home
Walking through this empty town
Cuts me up and brings me down
I'm shipwrecked on my own
Passing cars striptease bars
And I'm drinking all alone
Lost dreams, gull screams, take me home
But this machine inside my head
Remembers every word she said
But this machine inside my head
Is telling me this dream is dead
And leaves me drifting high and dry
Read light beauty calls me in
Smoky haze, shifty gaze
And the dead night smells of gin
As rage and emptiness collide
Just feel a burning deep inside
Waves growl, winds howl, take me home
Someone please now rescue me
From the chains of the sea
I'm drifting endlessly
Someone please set me free
I'm sinking helplessly
"Take Me Home" by Roger Daltrey is a song that tells a tale of someone who's been at sea for 40 days, and now that he's back on land, he's trying to find his way back home but realizes that he's lost touch with the world he once knew. The song is highly emotional, and the lyrics express a sense of confusion and longing for a life that is now just a distant dream.
The opening lines of the song, "Forty days of living hell, force nine gale, broken sail, what a story I could tell," set the scene for the journey that the singer has just returned from. He describes the storms and adversities he faced during his time at sea. However, as he sets foot back on land, he's lost and doesn't feel like he belongs. He's shipwrecked on his own, and passing cars and striptease bars are a reminder of the world he once knew.
The chorus of the song, "Take me home," is a cry for the singer's longing to go back to his previous life, which is now a distant memory. The line "But this machine inside my head is telling me this dream is dead and leaves me drifting high and dry" demonstrates the inner turmoil he's feeling. The dream of going back home is dead, and he's now lost at sea, trying to find his way back to his former self.
Line by Line Meaning
Forty days of living hell
I experienced a very difficult time for forty days
Force nine gale, broken sail
I experienced strong winds and damage to my sailing equipment
What a story I could tell
I have a compelling story to share based on my experiences
Forty days of ocean roar
I had to endure the sound of the ocean for forty days
Now two nights to kill on shore
I have two nights to spend on land
Stars fall, girls call, take me home
I yearn to go back to my home, where the stars shine and people call for me
Walking through this empty town
I'm taking a walk around a town that seems deserted
Cuts me up and brings me down
This experience hurts me emotionally and depresses me
I'm shipwrecked on my own
I feel stranded and alone
Passing cars striptease bars
I notice cars passing by and adult entertainment establishments
And I'm drinking all alone
I'm consuming alcohol by myself
Lost dreams, gull screams, take me home
I feel like my hopes and ambitions are gone, and the screaming seagulls make me long for home
But this machine inside my head
My mind has a robot-like quality
Remembers every word she said
My mind recalls everything a woman said to me
Is telling me this dream is dead
My thoughts are telling me that my aspirations are no longer feasible
And leaves me drifting high and dry
I feel like a deserted boat, with nothing but air to keep me afloat
Read light beauty calls me in
I'm attracted to the beauty emanating from a neon sign
Smoky haze, shifty gaze
I perceive the environment to be smoky and the people's expressions to be suspicious
And the dead night smells of gin
The night feels lifeless and smells like alcohol
As rage and emptiness collide
My anger and feeling of nothingness are in direct opposition
Just feel a burning deep inside
I experience an intense feeling of passion
Waves growl, winds howl, take me home
The sound of the ocean and winds makes me desire to return to my home
Someone please now rescue me
I'm in need of someone to save me
From the chains of the sea
I want to be free from the ties of the ocean
I'm drifting endlessly
I feel like I'm aimlessly moving without direction
Someone please set me free
I'm asking for liberation from my current situation
I'm sinking helplessly
I'm in the process of submerging without any control
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: AXEL BAUER, MICHEL MAURICE ELI, NIGEL HINTON, ROGER DALTREY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Teubidélice scarface
Forty days of living hell
Force nine gale, broken sail
What a story I could tell
Forty days of ocean roar
Now two nights to kill on shore
Walking through this empty town
Cuts me up and brings me down
I'm shipwrecked on my own
Passing cars striptease bars
And I'm drinking all alone
Stars fall, girls call, take me home
But this machine inside my head
Remembers every word she said
But this machine inside my head
Is telling me this dream is dead
And leaves me drifting high and dry
Read light beauty calls me in
Smoky haze, shifty gaze
And the dead night smells of gin
As rage and emptiness collide
Just feel a burning deep inside
Stars fall, girls call, take me home
But this machine inside my head
Remembers every word she said
But this machine inside my head
Is telling me this dream is dead
And leaves me drifting high and dry
Someone please now rescue me
From the chains of the sea
I'm drifting endlessly
Someone please set me free
I'm sinking helplessly
But this machine inside my head
Remembers every word she said
But this machine inside my head
Is telling me this dream is dead
And leaves me drifting high and dry
Jay Bowden
Great song well done Mr. Daltrey.
Thunderbird
J'adore Roger aussi ! Axel Bauer, en grand fan des Who, a dut être très honoré de cette reprise ! Mais c'est clair que cette chanson n'est pas faite pour Daltrey ! En général, une adaptation d'un tube dans une autre langue n'en fait pas une bonne chanson :)
didier d'agostino
aller ! c'est pas si mal !sur ça change de la musique des WHO ! On le préfère avec le groupe ,mais bon ...bien quand même ( Axel est plus "dedans" sur ! )mes amitiés d'un batteur-compositeur "pro" !
Myriemah Bethy
J'aime bien cette reprise, mais elle n'a pas la magie mystérieuse de celle d'Axel Bauer
Francois Boucher
…yep… c'est vrai. La version d'Axel est stupéfiante. Mais c'est un bel hommage.
Miko Montgomery
I'm glad this got covered. It's not as good as the French original, but so what?
It gives more mileage to a great song. Daltrey has good taste. But please... check out the original version from Axel Bauer.
Stanley Masterson
The Axel Bauer version is complete GARBAGE compared to this. This Roger Daltrey version is 1000x better
Julien Pithois
@Stanley Masterson don't you feel alone sometimes?
Johan Beck
Perhaps but the "Axel Bauer version" is the original. This is just the Daltrey version
Miko Montgomery
@Stanley Masterson Garbage? OMG. You've got it backward.