Pinball Wizard

Single infobox
Name = Pinball Wizard


Artist = The Who
from Album = Tommy
B-side = "Dogs, Part Two"
Released = March 7, 1969
Format =
Recorded = February 7, 1969 at Morgan Studios, London, UK
Genre = Rock
Hard rock
Length = 3:01
Label = Polydor
Decca (U.S.)
Writer = Pete Townshend
Producer = Kit Lambert
Reviews =
Last single = "Magic Bus"
(1968)
This single = "Pinball Wizard"
(1969)
Next single = "Go to the Mirror!"
(1969)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Tommy
Type = studio
prev_track = "Fiddle About"
prev_no = 12
this_track = "Pinball Wizard"
track_no = 13
next_track = "There's a Doctor"
next_no = 14 "Pinball Wizard" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the English rock band The Who, and featured on their 1969 rock opera "Tommy". The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached #4 in the UK charts.

tory

The lyrics are written from the perspective of a pinball champion, called "Local Lad" in the "Tommy" libretto book, astounded by the skills of the opera's eponymous main character, Tommy Walker: "That deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball", and "I thought I was the Bally table king, but I just handed my pinball crown to him".

Townshend once called it "the most clumsy piece of writing [he'd] ever done" [Remaster Liner Notes to Tommy "Deaf, Dumb and Blind Boy" by Richard Barnes] ; nevertheless, the song was a gigantic commercial success and one of the most recognized tunes from the opera. It was a perpetual concert favourite for Who fans due to its pop sound and familiarity.

Position on the album

The song was introduced into "Tommy" as an afterthoughtFact|date=February 2007. In late 1968 or early 1969, when The Who played a rough assembly of their new album to critic Nik Cohn, Cohn gave a lukewarm reaction. Following this, Townshend, as "Tommy's" principal composer, discussed the album with Cohn and concluded that, to lighten the load of the rock opera's heavy spiritual overtones (Townshend had recently become deeply interested in the teachings of Meher Baba), the title character, a "deaf, dumb, and blind" boy, should also be particularly good at a certain game. Knowing Cohn was an avid pinball fan, Townshend suggested that Tommy would play pinball, and Cohn immediately declared "Tommy" to be a masterpieceFact|date=February 2007. The song "Pinball Wizard" was written and recorded almost immediately.

Covers

The song was featured in a medley with another song from "Tommy" ("See Me, Feel Me") in a recording by the British easy-listening pop group The New Seekers in 1973. This version reached #16 on the UK charts.

The song was performed by Elton John in Ken Russell's 1975 theatrical adaptation of "Tommy". This version was released as a single in 1975 in the US, and in 1976 in the UK, where it reached #7 in the latter year. Elton John's version uses a piano in the place of the acoustic guitar in the original, and features additional lyrics specially written for the movie by Townshend, as well as a short sample of The Who's earlier "I Can't Explain". John continues to perform the song in his Las Vegas Red Piano Show and on tour. To date, it is the only cover of a Who song to reach the top ten.

Rod Stewart performed the song for the 1972 orchestral version of Tommy, and it is included on several of Stewart's greatest hits compilations. According to the book The Duh Awards by Bob Fenster, Rod Stewart asked Elton John if he should accept an offer to sing in Tommy. Elton told him no way, "Don't touch it with a barge pole." A year later, The Who asked Elton John to sing the same song. Elton grabbed his barge pole and took the offer. "I don't think Rod's quite forgiven me for that," he commented years later.

The song was also performed by Tenacious D as the closing song at shows on their 2006-2007 tour, usually as part of a medley of Tommy songs.

On the TV show "", Storm Large sung Pinball Wizard as her opening song on the first Live week as well as being the First to Sing

McFly covered the song in 2005. It was given a video and used as a b-Side.

On the BBC Radio 4 series "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue", Tim Brooke-Taylor once sang Pinball Wizard to the tune of Jerusalem.

Genesis would insert part of Pinball Wizard into their Turn It On Again medley live in the 80s.

The Flaming Lips covered the song at the VH1 tribute to The Who.

Thunder did a cover of "Pinball Wizard" to be featured on "Hollywood Rocks" CD produced with Classic Rock magazine

Other

Pinball Wizard is also a track in the videogame Rock Band 2

References