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.
Bony Moronie
The Who Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's as skinny as a stick of macaroni
I see her rock and roll with her blue jeans on
Not very fat, just skin and bones
I love her and she loves me
Boy, how happy now we can be
Makin' love underneath the apple tree
My one and only, she's my heart's desire
She's a real upsetter, she's a real live wire
Gonna get married on a night in June
Rock and roll by the light of the silvery moon
I love her and she loves me
Boy, how happy now we can be
Makin' love underneath the apple tree
Told her mama and her papa too
Just exactly what we're gonna do
We're gonna get married on a night in June
To rock and roll by the light of the silvery moon
I love her and she loves me
Boy, how happy now we can be
Makin' love underneath the apple tree
The Who's song "Bony Moronie" is a simple but catchy tune about a man who is in love with a girl named Bony Moronie. The opening lines describe her as being as skinny as a stick of macaroni, but the singer loves her just as she is. He sees her rocking and rolling with her blue jeans on, looking stylish and full of energy. The rest of the lyrics talk about the couple's love for each other and their plans to get married under the light of the silvery moon.
The song's theme is essentially a celebration of love and relationships, regardless of body type or appearance. It's a reminder that looks aren't everything and that true love is about more than just physical attraction. The reference to rock and roll and marriage under the moon adds to the song's romantic and nostalgic appeal, capturing a sense of youthful idealism and innocence.
Overall, "Bony Moronie" is a fun and lighthearted song that captures the spirit of young love and the simple pleasures of life. It's easy to see why it has become a classic, and it remains a beloved favorite among fans of The Who.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a girl named Bony Moronie
I have a girlfriend named Bony Moronie
She's as skinny as a stick of macaroni
She is incredibly thin and looks like a stick of macaroni
I see her rock and roll with her blue jeans on
I see her dance to rock and roll music while wearing blue jeans
Not very fat, just skin and bones
She is not fat at all, just skin and bones
I love her and she loves me
We are in love with each other
Boy, how happy now we can be
We are incredibly happy together
Makin' love underneath the apple tree
We have a romantic relationship and make love under an apple tree
My one and only, she's my heart's desire
She is my one and only and the person I desire the most in my heart
She's a real upsetter, she's a real live wire
She is a wild and unpredictable person who can cause chaos
Gonna get married on a night in June
We are going to get married on a specific night in June
Rock and roll by the light of the silvery moon
We will celebrate our wedding by dancing to rock and roll music under the light of the moon
Told her mama and her papa too
We informed her parents about our wedding plans
Just exactly what we're gonna do
We told them exactly what we are planning to do
Contributed by Michael L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TheBeatlesFanatic231
Great cover of the original. Also are you going to upload more videos on your second channel ?
Ian Weil
@JumpStartation Could you send me the audio to the concert through like Google Docs or something? I too prefer that version, and I was too late when I decided I wanted to download it.
If you do send me it, please send me it in mp3 format, because I don't want to go through a whole big process of converting it.
Thanks :)
jumpstartation
@Ian Weil No, but it did show up as being banned in more countries than usual. I removed it because I thought it seemed the most likely to be blocked of all my other uploads. If I get three strikes, my channel is banned, so I took it down to prevent myself from getting up to two strikes at a time.
It's a shame—the CD is vastly superior to the DVD (and I'm not just saying that).
Anyway, keep an eye on the other channel. There's an upload in progress as we speak!
Ian Weil
Speaking of the strike, did your upload of the Isle Of The Wight have anything to do with it? It was a great upload.
jumpstartation
More full concerts on the other channel since YouTube has limited this one to 15-minute uploads until October, 2014. I haven't had much of a chance yet due to being too busy, but I'm definitely going to move back into the swing of things with a lot more time available to me now.
If you haven't already seen it, I put this video up to explain the whole situation: The Who - Channel Migration
Fender Guitars
THE WHO ; Rocking !! !!
mclifford34
Is the picture from the 4/26/71 show?
jumpstartation
It was definitely taken at the Young Vic during their April 1971 rehearsals. I am fairly certain that it was taken on April 26, 1971, though if it wasn't then it was within the week.
Red Al Eartt
Too slow
Thomas Pühringer
No.