- My Wife
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"My Wife" B-side to "Baba O'Riley" by The Who from the album Who's Next Released 6 November 1971[1] Recorded May 1971 at Olympic Studios, London, England[2] Genre Hard rock Length 3:40[2] Label Decca Writer John Entwistle Producer The Who, Glyn Johns Who's Next track listing - "Baba O'Riley"
- "Bargain"
- "Love Ain't for Keeping"
- "My Wife"
- "The Song Is Over"
- "Getting in Tune"
- "Going Mobile"
- "Behind Blue Eyes"
- "Won't Get Fooled Again"
"My Wife" is a song by British rock band The Who, written by bassist John Entwistle. It was originally released in 1971 on Who's Next, and later as the b-side of the popular single "Baba O'Riley" on November 6, 1971 in the United States by Decca Records.[1]
Contents
Background
"My Wife" was the fourth track on "Who's Next" and was recorded at Olympic Studios sometime in May 1971. While it did appear on Who's Next it was thought that it was not a part of the Lifehouse project[2] which was confirmed in 2000, when it was not included in Pete Townshend's Lifehouse Chronicles box set.
Lyrical Meaning
The song is about a man who went out and got drunk and was gone for a period of time (due to being locked up in the drunk tank) and is in fear of his wife because she thinks he was gone because he was spending time with another woman. The song describes all the things he needs or needs to do to protect himself from her wrath.
Song Structure
"My Wife" is arguably John Entwistle's highlight on "Who's Next" being that he takes on the lead vocals, bass guitar, piano, and horn section.[3]
Unusually, this song does not feature a guitar solo, which is most likely because Entwistle could only "write on bass guitar or in my head, just transfer it to manuscript paper, or piano,"[4] and did not play the guitar. Instead of a guitar solo, in the longer breaks between verses there is a horn solo by Entwistle. At the end of the song Roger Daltrey comes on singing "she's comin', she's comin'". This song is in the key of B major.
Personnel
- The Who
- John Entwistle – lead vocals, bass guitar, brass, piano
- Pete Townshend – guitars
- Roger Daltrey – vocals
- Keith Moon – drums, percussion
The Kids Are Alright Soundtrack Version
"My Wife (Live at Kilburn State Theatre '77)" B-side to "Long Live Rock" by The Who from the album The Kids Are Alright Released 1 April 1979[5] Recorded 15 December 1977 at Gaumont State Theatre in Kilburn, London, England[5] Genre Hard rock, punk rock Length 5:58 Label Polydor Writer John Entwistle Producer The Who The Kids Are Alright track listing "Young Man Blues"
(8)"My Wife (Live at Kilburn State Theatre '77)"
(9)"Baba O'Riley"
(10)In 1979 "My Wife" was again released as a b-side single, this time to Long Live Rock. This version was recorded live and released on The Kids Are Alright. What is rare about this version is that it was the only song released from The Who's 1977 concert at the Kilburn State Theatre in London.[5] The rest of the songs were not released until 2008 on the The Who at Kilburn: 1977 DVD. The song is unlike the studio version as it has a guitar solo by Townshend but no piano or horns and different lyrics during Daltrey's part.
Live and Compilation Appearances
The song was performed first on the Who's Next Tour and quickly became a live staple until Entwistle's death in 2002. It is featured on the following live and compilation albums by The Who:
- Blues to the Bush
- The Who Live at the Royal Albert Hall
- View from a Backstage Pass
- Who's Greatest Hits
- Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
- The Ultimate Collection
John Entwistle Solo Versions
In November 1973, John Entwistle re-recorded the song and released it on his third solo album Rigor Mortis Sets In. A live version of the song was featured on the two-disc compilation album So Who's the Bass Player? The Ox Anthology which was released on March 22, 2005.
Reception
During an interview Pete Townshend described "My Wife" as "the best new rock number on the album[Who's Next]."[4]
Critic Mark Deming called "My Wife" the "comic relief" on "Who's Next".[6]
Because of excessive live performances John Entwistle wrote "The Quiet One" to replace this song, although he would still perform the song for his solo career and his later performances with The Who.[7]
See also
- "Heaven and Hell"
- "Boris the Spider"
- "The Ox"
References
- ^ a b "Discography - Behind Blue Eyes". thewho.com. http://www.thewho.com/index.php?module=discography&discography_item_id=41&discography_tag=singles. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c (1995, 1971) Album notes for Who's Next by The Who, p. 17 [CD liner]. MCA Records (MCAD-11269).
- ^ Who's Next 1995 Reissue liner Notes (Pages 2)
- ^ a b http://www.thewho.net/articles/townshen/crawdaddy_71.htm
- ^ a b c "Discography - Long Live Rock". thewho.com. http://www.thewho.com/index.php?module=discography&discography_item_id=51&discography_tag=singles. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/song/t3567162
- ^ www.thewho.net. Face Dances Liner Notes. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
John Entwistle Studio albums
& CompilationsCollaborations One of the Boys • Fabulous Poodles • Rough Mix • McVicar • Un autre monde • You'll Never Walk Alone • The Iron Man • When You're a Boy • A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who • Ringo Starr and His Third All-Starr Band-Volume 1 • Baptizm of Fire • The Deep End, Volume 1 • Edge of the WorldSongs Related articles Categories:- The Who songs
- B-side songs
- Songs written by John Entwistle
- 1971 singles
- 1979 singles
- Songs produced by Glyn Johns
- English-language songs
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