The Who developed from an earlier group, the Detours, and established themselves as part of the pop art and mod movements, featuring auto-destructive art by destroying guitars and drums on stage. Their first single as the Who, "I Can't Explain", reached the UK top ten, followed by a string of singles including "My Generation", "Substitute" and "Happy Jack". In 1967, they performed at the Monterey Pop Festival and released the US top ten single "I Can See for Miles", while touring extensively. The group's fourth album, 1969's rock opera Tommy, included the single "Pinball Wizard" and was a critical and commercial success. Live appearances at Woodstock and the Isle of Wight Festival, along with the live album Live at Leeds, cemented their reputation as a respected rock act. With their success came increased pressure on lead songwriter Townshend, and the follow-up to Tommy, Lifehouse, was abandoned. Songs from the project made up 1971's Who's Next, which included the hit "Won't Get Fooled Again". The group released the album Quadrophenia in 1973 as a celebration of their mod roots, and oversaw the film adaptation of Tommy in 1975. They continued to tour to large audiences before semi-retiring from live performances at the end of 1976. The release of Who Are You in 1978 was overshadowed by the death of Moon shortly after.
Kenney Jones replaced Moon and the group resumed activity, releasing a film adaptation of Quadrophenia and the retrospective documentary The Kids Are Alright. After Townshend became weary of touring, the group split in 1982. The Who occasionally re-formed for live appearances such as Live Aid in 1985, a 25th anniversary tour in 1989 and a tour of Quadrophenia in 1996–1997. They resumed regular touring in 1999, with drummer Zak Starkey. After Entwistle's death in 2002, plans for a new album were delayed. Townshend and Daltrey continued as the Who, releasing Endless Wire in 2006, and continued to play live regularly.
The Who's major contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall stack, large PA systems, use of the synthesizer, Entwistle and Moon's lead playing styles, Townshend's feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera. They are cited as an influence by hard rock, punk rock and mod bands, and their songs still receive regular exposure.
The Who is one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. Their appearances at Monterey and Woodstock helped give them a reputation as one of the greatest live rock acts and they have been credited with originating the "rock opera". The band has sold over 100 million records worldwide.
The group's contributions to rock include the power chord, windmill strum and the use of non-musical instrument noise such as feedback. The band influenced fashion from their earliest days with their embrace of pop art and the use of the Union Jack for clothing. The guitar-smashing incident at the Railway Hotel in 1964 is one of Rolling Stone magazine's "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock 'n' Roll".
Pink Floyd began to use feedback from their early shows in 1966, inspired by the Who, whom they considered a formative influence. Shortly after arriving in London in 1966, Jimi Hendrix visited Marshall's music shop demanding an amp setup like Townshend's and manipulated electronic noises in ways that Townshend had pioneered. The Beatles were fans and socialised with Moon in particular during the mid-1960s. In 1965, Paul McCartney said the Who "are the most exciting thing around" and was inspired to write "Helter Skelter" in the group's "heavy" style; John Lennon borrowed the acoustic guitar style in "Pinball Wizard" for "Polythene Pam".
The loud volume of the band's live show influenced the approach of hard rock and heavy metal. Proto punk and punk rock bands such as the MC5, the Stooges, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Clash and Green Day cite the Who as an influence. The Who inspired mod revival bands, particularly the Jam, which helped other groups influenced by the Who become popular. The Who influenced hard rock bands such as Guns N' Roses. In the mid-1990s, Britpop bands such as Blur and Oasis were influenced by the Who. The Who have also influenced pop punk band Panic! at the Disco.
The Who has inspired many tribute bands; Daltrey has endorsed the Whodlums, who raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Many bands have covered Who songs; Elton John's version of "Pinball Wizard" reached No. 7 in the UK.
American Woman
The Who Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
American woman, mama let me be
Don't come a hangin' around my door
I don't want to see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Than spend my time growin' old with you
Now woman, I said stay away
American woman, listen what I say-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
American woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Don't come a knockin' around my door
Don't want to see your shadow no more
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else's eyes
Now woman, I said get away
American woman, listen what I say-ay-ay-ay
American woman, said get away
American woman, listen what I say
Don't come a hangin' around my door
Don't want to see your face no more
I don't need your war machines
I don't need your ghetto scenes
Colored lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else's eyes
Now woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Go, gotta get away, gotta get away now go, go, go
I'm gonna leave you woman
Gonna leave you woman
Bye-bye bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye
You're no good for me
I'm no good for you
Gonna look you right in the eye
Tell you what I'm gonna do
You know I'm gonna leave
You know I'm gonna go
You know I'm gonna leave
You know I'm gonna go-o, woman
I'm gonna leave you woman
Goodbye American woman
Goodbye American chick
The Who's song American Woman has been interpreted in many ways over the years, but one thing is certain: the lyrics are all about an American woman who pursues a man and who he does not want any part of. The song was initially seen as an anti-war protest song, implying that America itself was the woman in question, and that the men of Canada – the band's home country – wanted nothing to do with the violence and aggression that were prevalent in the United States at that time. However, the lyrics can also be interpreted more literally, as they seem to be about one man's troubled relationship with a specific American woman who keeps pursuing him.
The song's message is crystal clear from the beginning, with lyrics like "American woman, stay away from me" and "Don't come a hangin' around my door." The singer is not interested in the woman, and he is determined to make that clear. However, despite his protests, she won't go away, as evidenced by lines like "Don't come a knockin' around my door" and "I don't want to see your face no more." The singer becomes more and more frustrated and angry as the song progresses, with lines like, "I don't need your war machines/I don't need your ghetto scenes." In the end, he declares that he is leaving the woman, saying things like "Gonna leave you woman" and "Goodbye American woman."
Line by Line Meaning
American woman, stay away from me
I don't want to be near an American woman or have any contact with her.
American woman, mama let me be
I want to live my life without an American woman and don't want my mother to force me to be with one.
Don't come a hangin' around my door
Don't come to my house and try to engage with me in any way because I don't want to see you.
I don't want to see your face no more
I have no interest in seeing you again or having anything to do with you.
I got more important things to do
I have other important things to focus on in my life that I feel deserve more attention than dealing with an American woman.
Than spend my time growin' old with you
I would rather focus on other things instead of spending time with an American woman and growing old with her.
Now woman, I said stay away
I have made it clear that I don't want to be near you and now I'm telling you again to stay away from me.
American woman, listen what I say-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
I'm emphasizing that I want the American woman to listen to me and understand that I don't want to be around her.
American woman, get away from me
I want the American woman to get away from me and leave me alone.
Don't come a knockin' around my door
I don't want the American woman to come knocking on my door and trying to engage with me.
Don't want to see your shadow no more
I don't want to see any trace of the American woman, even her shadow on my doorstep or anywhere else.
Colored lights can hypnotize
The American woman might be using her looks or charm to attract me and draw me in like colored lights can hypnotize someone.
Sparkle someone else's eyes
I don't want to be the one that the American woman is trying to impress or gain the attention of. Let her do that with someone else.
Now woman, I said get away
I am very clear in telling the American woman to get away from me and leave me alone.
American woman, listen what I say-ay-ay-ay
I want the American woman to really hear me and understand that I don't want her around me or in my life.
American woman, said get away
I'm repeating my previous message and telling the American woman to get away from me.
Don't come a hangin' around my door
I don't want the American woman to come to my house and try to get my attention or engage with me.
Don't want to see your face no more
I really don't want to see the American woman again and want to be completely done with her.
I don't need your war machines
I don't want to deal with any American woman's way of life and culture, which might involve war and conflict.
I don't need your ghetto scenes
I don't want to be a part of the American woman's life or any scenes from the ghetto she may be a part of.
Now woman, get away from me
I am repeating my message again and telling the American woman to get away from me.
American woman, mama let me be
I don't want the attention of any American woman and I want my mother to understand this.
Go, gotta get away, gotta get away now go, go, go
I want to escape from the American woman and really need to get away from her now.
I'm gonna leave you woman
I am making it clear to the American woman that I am going to leave her and not be a part of her life.
Bye-bye bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye
I'm saying a final goodbye to the American woman and emphasizing that I want nothing more to do with her.
You're no good for me
I realize that the American woman is not good for me and I don't want to be with her.
I'm no good for you
I recognize that I'm not good for the American woman and we are better off without each other.
Gonna look you right in the eye
I'm going to have an honest conversation with the American woman and tell her exactly how I feel about our relationship.
Tell you what I'm gonna do
I'm going to tell the American woman that I want to leave her and end our relationship.
You know I'm gonna leave
I want the American woman to understand that I have made the decision to leave her and end our relationship.
You know I'm gonna go
I'm telling the American woman that I am going to leave her and not be a part of her life anymore.
You know I'm gonna leave
I am emphasizing to the American woman that I am serious about my decision to leave her.
You know I'm gonna go-o, woman
I'm making it clear to the American woman that I am leaving her and want to have nothing more to do with her.
I'm gonna leave you woman
I want to reiterate that I am leaving the American woman and will not be a part of her life anymore.
Goodbye American woman
I'm saying a final goodbye to the American woman and terminating our relationship.
Goodbye American chick
I'm using a colloquial term to say goodbye to the American woman and end our relationship.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: Burton Cummings, Gary Peterson, Michael Kale, Randy Bachman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@babettelock2106
2023 and still loving The Guess Who . They ARE classic rock.
@paulinechapman5669
Amen..🇨🇦
@bonniegarrison9741
This kind of music made the 60s&70s worth living.
@scottmurphy650
I feel so blessed to have grown up in the 60's and had this fantastic music to listen to.
@Tropicaya
Living?
The Vietnam war was LIVING?
@texas6065
This Song automatically brings up images of my Deceased husband. This was one of his favorit songs. I miss him dearly after 45 yrs of being married it's hard not to.
@AustinBigWig
I am so very sorry for your loss. You are in my prayers.
@nacygass9465
Me too,mine
@trevorgallagher9930
I'm sorry. I hope you're holding up OK.
@mznubianqueenbri2you730
🫂💗💗💗💗Sip to your husband you're 😢 In my prayers 🙏🏿