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.
Pictures of Lily
The Who Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I used to feel so bad
I got so sick of having sleepless nights
I went and told my dad
He said, son now here's some little something
And stuck them on my wall
And now my nights ain't quite so lonely
I don't feel so bad at all
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
Pictures of Lily solved my childhood problems
Pictures of Lily helped me feel alright
Pictures of Lily
Lily, oh Lily
Lily, oh Lily
Pictures of Lily
And then one day things weren't quite so fine
I fell in love with Lily
I asked my dad where Lily I could find
He said, son, now don't be silly
She's been dead since 1929
Oh, how I cried that night
If only I'd been born in Lily's time
It would have been alright
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
For me and Lily are together in my dreams
And I ask you, hey mister, have you ever seen
Pictures of Lily?
The Who's song "Pictures of Lily" tells the story of a young man who is struggling to sleep at night due to his own problems. When he tells his father about his restlessness, his dad suggests he try something new: stick some pictures of Lily on his bedroom wall. The young man takes his father's advice and it works perfectly; he can finally sleep soundly at night. He soon falls in love with the beautiful Lily, but when he asks his father where he can find her, his father reveals that Lily has been dead for many years. The young man is heartbroken but finds solace in dreaming of her and holding onto the pictures of Lily that changed his life.
The song's lyrics can be interpreted on several levels. On one level, it's a classic story of longing unrequited love with a seemingly tragic ending; on the other hand, it speaks to the power of art and the ways in which it can transform a person's life. It's also worth noting that on a more symbolic level, the song may be viewed as a tribute to the transformative power of music itself.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to wake up in the morning
The singer had a struggle starting his day.
I used to feel so bad
The singer's morning struggles made him feel terrible.
I got so sick of having sleepless nights
The singer was frustrated by his lack of rest.
I went and told my dad
The artist sought the help of his father for a solution.
He said, son now here's some little something
The father presents the artist with a solution.
And stuck them on my wall
The father put up something on the wall.
And now my nights ain't quite so lonely
The solution prevented the singer from feeling lonely.
In fact I, I don't feel bad at all
The artist is now completely free from negative feelings.
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
The solution was pictures of Lily.
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
The pictures helped the artist sleep better.
Pictures of Lily solved my childhood problems
The pictures helped the singer's childhood problems.
Pictures of Lily helped me feel alright
The pictures helped the artist feel good.
And then one day things weren't quite so fine
Something happened to make the singer's situation worse.
I fell in love with Lily
The singer fell in love with the person in the pictures.
I asked my dad where Lily I could find
The singer searched for the person in the pictures in real life.
He said, son, now don't be silly
The father didn't take the artist's desire seriously.
She's been dead since 1929
The person in the pictures is dead.
Oh, how I cried that night
The singer felt sadness after finding out the truth.
If only I'd been born in Lily's time
The singer wishes they were born in the same time as the person in the pictures.
It would have been alright
The artist believes everything would have turned out fine if they were born earlier.
For me and Lily are together in my dreams
The artist dreams about being with the person in the pictures.
And I ask you, hey mister, have you ever seen
The artist is asking if anyone else has seen pictures of Lily.
Pictures of Lily?
The song ends with the repetition of 'Pictures of Lily'.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PETER TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ClassicTVMan1981X
I used to wake up in the morning
I used to feel so bad
I got so sick of having sleepless nights
I went and told my dad
He said, "Son, now, here's a little something"
And stuck them on my wall
And now my nights ain't so lonely
In fact, I... I don't feel bad at all
I don't feel bad at all
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
Pictures of Lily solved my childhood problems
Pictures of Lily helped me feel all right
Pictures of Lily
Lily, oh, Lily
Lily, oh, Lily
Pictures of Lily
And then one day when things weren't quite so fine
I fell in love with Lily
I asked my dad where Lily I could find
He said, "Son, now, don't be silly!
She's been dead since 1929"
Oh, how I cried that night
If only I'd been born in Lily's time
It would've been all right
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
For me and Lily are together in my dreams
And I asked "Hey, mister, have you ever seen...?"
Pictures of Lily
@jelau4851
I just showed this song to my 14 y.o. grand-daughter, she was mesmerized, by the rockability of my young years. she appreciated.
@timothy790110
did you tell her what the song is about?
@polnoeceloe
I love the tight, dirty sound of the rhythm of the guitar along with the bass and the angelic voices on top. It's a pity that no one else plays like that
@z-rex6068
Ikr
@bryanchandler3486
Sniffing around in the powerpop genre would probably find you some similar sounds. The raspberries and Dave Edmunds come to mind
@groover5524
Pete had the talent for penning catchy 3 minute pop songs in the 60's . He also liked sneaking in some naughty subject matter !
@SkullPts
Ivor the engine driver.....
@subooking
Yeah m, I also think it’s cool how he incorporated a little bit of hard rock into it
@petesampras9613
Yes exactly, I Can See For Miles is actually about the glasses black market
@Lou-fu7bo
I think its not a pop, its a Real rock, bigbeat. I agree There is a s all piece od Hard Rock maybe..? By your oponion, Men,, what is rhe 1st. Hard Rock song in the History? I think it could be Kinks You"re really got me. Somebody says it could be Helter Skelter by Beatles...