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.
Welcome
The Who Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be one of the comfortable people
Lovely bright home
We're drinking all night
Never sleeping
Milkman come in!
And you baker
And you shoe maker
Come to this house!
Into this house
Come to this house
Be one of us
Make this your house
Be one of us
You can help
To collect some more in
Young and old people
Lets get them all in!
Come to this house!
Into this house
Ask along that man who's wearing a carnation
Bring every single person
From Victoria Station
Go into that hospital
And bring nurses and patients
Everyone go home and fetch their relations!
Come to this house
Be one of the comfortable people
Lovely bright home
Drinking all night never sleeping
Excuse me sir, there's more at the door
There's more at the door
There's more at the door
There's more at the door
There's more at the door
There's more at the door
There's more at the door
There's more at the door
There's more
We need more room
Build an extension
A colorful palace
Spare no expense now
Come to this house
Be one of us
Come into this house
Be one of us
Come to this house
Into this house
Welcome
The Who's song "Welcome" is a welcoming anthem, inviting everyone to come and join the comfortable people. The lyrics speak of a bright and lovely home where people drink all night and never sleep. The song invites the milkman, baker, old lady, and shoe maker to join the party. The song says that everyone is welcome, young or old, to help collect more people to join in the fun. The lyrics directly talk about asking the man with a carnation to join, and bringing every single person from Victoria Station, and even the nurses and patients from the hospital. The song explicitly mentions that everyone should go home and fetch their relations to join in the festivities.
The song continues, saying that they need more room to build an extension, a colorful palace, and spare no expense. The message throughout the song is clear: come join us, be part of the comfortable people, and make this your home. The song's upbeat melody and catchy lyrics create a sense of inclusivity and belonging. The song seems to indicate that everyone can be happy and content if they join this welcoming party of the comfortable people.
Line by Line Meaning
Come to my house
Please come over to my place
Be one of the comfortable people
Join us and feel at home among us
Lovely bright home
Our house is beautiful and well-lit
We're drinking all night never sleeping
We're having a good time, partying all night long without sleeping much
Milkman come in!
Even the milkman is welcome to join us
And you baker
And you, the baker, are also welcome
Little old lady welcome
Even the little old lady is welcome here
And you shoe maker
And the shoe maker, you are welcome too
Come to this house!
Please come inside this house
Into this house
You are invited to enter this house
Be one of us
We want you to feel like you belong here with us
Make this your house
We want you to feel comfortable enough to make this place feel like home for you
You can help
We need your help to gather more people
To collect some more in
We want to extend the invitation to more people and welcome them in
Young and old people
Everyone, regardless of age, is welcome
Lets get them all in!
We want everyone to be here and have a great time
Ask along that man who's wearing a carnation
Inviting that man in the group who's wearing a carnation on his shirt
Bring every single person
We want everyone to be included
From Victoria Station
Inviting everyone commuting from Victoria Station
Go into that hospital
Inviting nurses and patients from the hospital
And bring nurses and patients
Welcoming everyone at the hospital
Everyone go home and fetch their relations!
Asking everyone to invite their family members to join us
Excuse me sir, there's more at the door
Someone else is at the door waiting to be welcomed inside
We need more room
We want more people to join and enjoy the party
Build an extension
We are willing to expand the house to accommodate more people
A colorful palace
We want to create a grander and more colorful place to host everyone
Spare no expense now
We are willing to spend everything to make this party grander
Welcome
We welcome you to our house with open arms
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JJ
on Won't Get Fooled Again - Original Album Version
It was Racist
Philip Kassabian
on Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
The Who have so many great songs it's difficult to even describe.
Philip Kassabian
on See Me, Feel Me
Yet another excellent song by The Who one of the best bands of the 1960's.
Philip Kassabian
on I Can't Explain
A really good song by The Who.
Philip Kassabian
on I Can See for Miles
A song that definitely gets stuck in your head.
Philip Kassabian
on My Generation
An amazing song by The Who.