Call Me Lightning (song)

Last updated
"Call Me Lightning"
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde cover.jpg
Single by The Who
from the album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
A-side "Dogs" (UK)
B-side "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (US)
Released16 March 1968 (US) [1]
14 June 1968 (UK)
RecordedJanuary, 25/26 February 1968 [2]
Studio IBC Recording Studios
(London, England) [2]
Gold Star Studios
(Los Angeles, California) [2]
Genre
Length2:25
Label Track
Songwriter(s) Pete Townshend
Producer(s) Kit Lambert
The Who singles chronology
"I Can See For Miles"
(1967)
"Call Me Lightning"
(1968)
"Magic Bus"
(1968)

"Call Me Lightning" is a song written by Pete Townshend, guitarist of the British rock band The Who. Townshend first recorded a home demo of the song in 1964. The Who's recording was a single released in March 1968 and it later appeared on the Who's fourth American album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour .

In the United States "Call Me Lightning" was the follow-up single to the Top 10 hit "I Can See for Miles" and reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 4 May 1968, [3] their 16th most successful single on the Hot 100. [4]

Billboard described the single as a "pulsating rocker with a happy beat." [5] Cash Box called it "an imaginative blend of rock-blues and rag" and praised "the potent group performance." [6] Record World said it "should turn into sales lightning as The Who do it. Hard, driving beat at its best from the group." [7]

The song features a prominent bass solo by John Entwistle. A promo film was made, and this later was included in the 1979 documentary The Kids Are Alright . "Call Me Lightning" was released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of the single "Dogs".

The US B-side, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", had been considered as a possible A-side single release, along with "Call Me Lightning," as the B-side. [1] "Call Me Lightning" received a mediocre reception from Who fans, and biographer John Atkins feels that "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was a better song, even though its horror film imagery was unsuitable for a single. [1] [8] Cash Box called "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" a "psychedelified throbber on the lid that could attract added attention." [6]

The song was behind the naming of the rock group Call Me Lightning.

Charts

Chart (1968)Peak
position
Australia Kent Music Report 30
Canada RPM [9] 35
Netherlands38
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [3] 40
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [10] 38

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References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Atkins 2000, p. 103
  2. 1 2 3 "Call Me Lightning - The Who". Thewho.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 "The Who Call Me Lightning Chart History". Billboard . Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. "The Who Chart History | Billboard". Billboard . Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  5. "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 16, 1968. p. 78. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  6. 1 2 "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 16, 1968. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  7. "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 16, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  8. Atkins 2000 , p. 104
  9. "RPM Top 100 Singles - May 4, 1968" (PDF).
  10. Hoffmann 1983 , p. 639

Bibliography