Both sides of their only official single release, Zoot Suit / I'm the Face (released on major mod label Fontana in 1964), were works of plagiarism; respectively, "Zoot Suit" and "I'm the Face" were Meaden's reworkings of "Misery" by The Dynamics, and "I Got Love If You Want It" by Slim Harpo. Both were well-known mod songs; by all accounts, angered mods were the primary cause the single's failure. The band quickly broke off their association with Meaden, and would shortly earn the mods' affection, and indeed became one of the most emblematic "mod" bands of all time.
In 1974, The Who released the album Quadrophenia, their second rock opera, its lyrical subject matter being a search for identity during the heyday of the mods. Fittingly, lyrical references to "I'm the Face" and "Zoot Suit" appeared in the songs "Cut My Hair" and "Sea and Sand", respectively. "Zoot Suit" later appeared on the soundtrack for the film adaptation of Quadrophenia, whereas the two aforementioned album cuts were used only in abridged forms.
The High Numbers' only single was released alongside two other studio cuts ("Leaving Here" and "Here 't Is") as part of The Who's box set Thirty Years of Maximum R&B. A number of High Numbers performances also exist in bootleg audio, or video form; most notably, this includes one, or several, performances during their residency at the Marquee Club in London.
Shepherd's Bush, West London, United Kingdom
Here 't Is
The High Numbers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said whoa, whoa, whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa),
I love my baby (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, my baby love me (whoa, whoa, whoa),
And now when we get together (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, how happy we could be (whoa, whoa, whoa).
And I say all day (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, I said all night (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, my baby treated me right (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, I sayin' all night long (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, I said all night long (whoa, whoa, whoa).
Said all day (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, I said all night too (whoa, whoa, whoa),
And now when we get together, baby (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, no tellin' what we might do (whoa, whoa, whoa),
Yeah, I said all night long (whoa, whoa, whoa),
And I said all night long (whoa, whoa, whoa).
And now, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa),
And I say whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa).
The High Numbers’ song “Here ’t Is” is a simple and straightforward track that celebrates the vocalist’s love for his significant other. The repeated “whoa, whoa, whoa” showcases the singer’s excitement and enthusiasm to express how happy he is with his partner. He explains how much he loves and appreciates his baby and how much his baby loves him back. Whenever they are together, they both feel joyful and satisfied.
The lyrics are repetitive but they embody a sense of joy and contentment, which is evident from the vocalist’s tone and presentation. The song’s lyrics are relatively clean as opposed to some other rock songs of that era. The chorus “all night long” is repeated several times, emphasizing how they spend time together and how much fun it is to hang out with each other. The song’s simplicity is infectious and conveys a sense of playfulness and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa, whoa, whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm towards the subject matter.
I love my baby (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Professing love for the singer's significant other.
Yeah, my baby love me (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Acknowledging that the singer's significant other feels the same way.
And now when we get together (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Referring to when the artist and their significant other are in each other's company.
Yeah, how happy we could be (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Expressing joy and contentment when the artist and their significant other are together.
And I say all day (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Stating that the singer is continuously talking about their significant other throughout the day.
The reason well I'm so happy (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Implying that the singer's happiness is due to their significant other's presence in their life.
Yeah, my baby treated me right (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Expressing that the artist has been treated with kindness and respect by their significant other.
Said all day (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Reiterating that the artist talks about their significant other frequently throughout the day.
Yeah, I said all night too (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Pointing out that the artist also talks about their significant other during the nighttime hours.
Yeah, no tellin' what we might do (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Implying that the singer and their significant other engage in unpredictable and exciting activities when they are together.
And now, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Reverting back to expressing excitement and enthusiasm towards the subject matter.
And I say whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa)
Reiterating the singer's excitement and enthusiasm towards the subject matter.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ELLAS MCDANIEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rennie Kontak
The Who existed before the High Numbers!
They were known as The Detours until February 1964 and then became The Who.
Keith Moon joined them in late April of that year.
"Zoot Suit"/"I'm the Face" was the first record released by The Who, or The High Numbers as they were called for this recording as per their manager at the time, Peter Meaden, between July and November of 1964.
Interesting history during their first year of existence!
ref: http://thewho.com/album/zoot-suit/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who
lyonslaforet
Everything musically perfect was in place before the High Numbers became the Who!
Callum Sparks
Would of loved to be a mod in the sixties, I bet they were great times!!!!
jkrogstad5
agreed. and keith sounds so good here. just played the song, and it gives u a work out with the symbal work.
Shakimono Veras
The Moonster is on fire