| "La-La-La-Lies" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Who | ||||
| from the album My Generation | ||||
| B-side | "The Good's Gone" | |||
| Released | 11 November 1966 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 12–13 October 1965 | |||
| Studio | IBC in Central London | |||
| Length | 2:12 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
| Producer(s) | Shel Talmy | |||
| The Who singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"La-La-La-Lies" is the fourth track on the Who's debut album My Generation . It was written by lead guitarist Pete Townshend. [2]
Townshend wrote the song during the summer of 1965, and the band recorded it consistently with his home demos. [3] According to Townshend, the song "wasn't as good as this before I did it with Keith [Moon]. It's not my favourite one on the LP. It reminds me a bit of Sandie Shaw." [4] Music journalist, Chris Charlesworth calls the melody "attractive". [5] Charlesworth particularly highlights Moon's unusual drumming, in which Moon uses only his tom-toms during the verses and refrain and incorporates cymbals only for the bridge and the solo. [5] Allmusic critic Richie Unterberger calls it one of the "highlights" of My Generation. [6] But Steve Grantley and Alan G. Parker describe the song as being "so-so" and "pretty conventional". [2] But they too acknowledge the power of Moon's "intermittent controlled" drum patterns and remark that it contains a preview of some elements of later Who songs, such as Townshend's "tentative crash chords". [2] Who biographer John Atkins concurs that the song is rather conventional and describes it as a "straight pop song". [3]
Nicky Hopkins joins the band on piano for the song, and author Mike Segretto claims that his "hyper piano runs contribute much amphetamine fuel to it. [7] Segretto also believes that the "shuffling rhythm" was influenced by Martha and the Vandellas' "Heat Wave". [7] Segretto claims that like "The Kids Are Alright," also from My Generation, "La-La-La-Lies" "transform[s] the romantic song into something defiant", in this case by declaring that his love is strong enough to withstand the "slander of jealous parties". [7]
In common with several songs off My Generation, a theme of "La-La-La-Lies" is the "illusion of identity". [8] Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh called it "as personal as anything Pete Townshend ever wrote". [8] The lyrics criticize a friend who lies about the singer. [8] This makes the song a little different from other similarly themed Who songs, as in many of the band's songs about lying their complaint is that someone is lying to them; in "La-La-La-Lies" the complaint is that someone is lying about them. [9] Christopher Ketcham sees "La-La-La-Lies" as representing a related theme common to several Who songs: the difficulty of seeing "the other". [10] Ketcham sees this as also being a theme of Quadrophenia and songs such as "My Generation" and "Who Are You". [10]
In November 1966, the song was released in Britain as the fourth single from the My Generation album without the permission of the Who. [5] [2] This was done by the song's producer Shel Talmy, who owned the rights to the song, in the midst of his legal dispute with the band, in order to compete with the singles the band wanted to release. [3] [7] The single reached the top 20 in Sweden, but did not chart in the United Kingdom. [2] Charlesworth suggests that the song would have performed better on the chart had it not been competing with The Who's own "Happy Jack". [5] It was backed with "The Good's Gone".
Live at Leeds is the first live album by English rock band the Who. It was recorded at the University of Leeds Refectory on 14 February 1970, and is their only live album that was released while the group were still actively recording and performing with their best-known line-up of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon.
"Going Mobile" is a song written by Pete Townshend and originally released by the Who on their 1971 album Who's Next. It was originally written for Townshend's abandoned Lifehouse project, with lyrics celebrating the joy of having a mobile home and being able to travel the open road. The Who's lead singer Roger Daltrey did not take part in the recording of the song, leaving the rest of the band to record it as a power trio; Townshend handles the lead vocals, guitars, and synthesizers, with John Entwistle on bass guitar and Keith Moon on drums. The song has attracted mixed reviews from music critics. This is one of only two songs on Who's Next not to feature Daltrey.
"I Can See for Miles" is a song by the English rock band the Who, recorded for the band's 1967 album The Who Sell Out. Written by guitarist Pete Townshend, it was the only song from the album to be released as a single.
"The Song Is Over" is a song by the English rock band the Who, appearing on Who's Next. It was originally to be the ending song on Lifehouse. It takes place after the police invade the Lifehouse Theatre and the concert goers disappear.
"Getting in Tune" is a song written by Pete Townshend and originally released by the Who on their 1971 album Who's Next. It was originally written as part of Townshend's abandoned Lifehouse project. Its lyrics describe the power of music, as well as reflect the inner contradictions Townshend was feeling at the time between his spiritual needs and his persona as a rock star. The music incorporates a number of changes in tempo and has been praised by critics for its use of dynamics.
"A Legal Matter" is a song written by Pete Townshend and recorded by the British rock band the Who for their debut album My Generation. It was recorded on 12 October 1965 at IBC Studios, and released both as the B-side to "The Kids Are Alright" in the U.S., and as the A-side of a single that reached number 32 in the UK. Both singles were released by Shel Talmy without the permission of the Who and were a result of a legal dispute between Talmy and the band at the time and an attempt to sabotage the release of the band's chosen single "Substitute".
"Love Ain't for Keeping" is a song written by Pete Townshend and originally released by the Who on their 1971 album Who's Next. Its themes include the joy of physical love, the power of nature and the need to live for the moment.
"Drowned" is a song written by Pete Townshend, the guitarist for the Who, for their sixth album, Quadrophenia.
"Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Who. It was written by Pete Townshend and released on their 1967 album The Who Sell Out. The best known version of the song has an arrangement using acoustic guitar and Latin percussion instruments.
"Don't Let Go the Coat" is a song written by Pete Townshend and first released on The Who's 1981 album Face Dances.
"Another Tricky Day" is the ninth track on The Who's album Face Dances, written by Who guitarist Pete Townshend.
"Tattoo" is a song written by Pete Townshend that was first released by The Who on their 1967 album The Who Sell Out. A "rite of passage" song, "Tattoo" tells the story of two teenaged brothers who decide to get tattoos in their attempts to become men. Themes of the song include peer pressure to conform and young men's insecurity about their manhood. The song has been heavily praised by critics and has appeared on several of The Who's live and compilation albums. It has also been covered by Tommy Keene and Petra Haden.
"Odorono" is a song written by Pete Townshend that was first released by English rock band The Who on their 1967 album The Who Sell Out. Townshend sings the lead vocal rather than normal Who lead singer Roger Daltrey. The song praises the virtues of an actual American deodorant named Odorono.
"Bargain" is a song written by Pete Townshend that was first released by the Who on their 1971 album Who's Next. It is a love song, although the intended subject of the song is God rather than a woman. The song has been included on several compilation and live albums. It was also included on several of Townshend's solo projects. Critics have praised the song's lyricism and power, as well as the performance of the band on the song. Townshend acknowledged during the Who's concert at the Prudential Center in Newark on 19 March 2016 that this is his favorite song on the album.
"Happy Jack" is a song by the British rock band the Who. It was released as a single in December 1966 in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 3 in the charts. It peaked at No. 1 in Canada. It was also their first top 40 hit in the United States, where it was released in March 1967 and peaked at No. 24. It was included on the American version of their second album, Happy Jack, originally titled A Quick One in the UK.
"The Good's Gone" is a song by English rock band the Who, written by their guitarist Pete Townshend. Initially recorded and sequenced as the third track of their debut My Generation in December 1965, it was released as the B-side to "La-La-La-Lies" in November 1966. Heavily inspired by Ray Davies song "See My Friends", Townshend wrote the track with blues in mind.
"Dreaming from the Waist" is a song by The Who, written by Pete Townshend and released on the group's 1975 album The Who by Numbers ; it also served as the B-side of the "Slip Kid" single, released in 1976 in the United States. The track's lyrics deal with sexual frustration and the restlessness associated with getting older, while the music features a bass solo from John Entwistle.
"Trick of the Light" is a song written by bassist John Entwistle for The Who's eighth studio album, Who Are You. It was released as the second single from the album, atypically with another Entwistle song, "905" on the B-side, but did not chart.
"It's Hard" is a song written by Pete Townshend that featured on British rock band The Who's tenth album, It's Hard, of which it was the title track. It was released as the third and final vinyl single from the album in 1983, backed with the John Entwistle written song "Dangerous", but failed to chart, although it reached number 39 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. This would become the last Who single of new material until "Real Good Looking Boy" in 2004, and the last album single by them until "Black Widow's Eyes", two years later.
"However Much I Booze" is a song by The Who, written by Pete Townshend that is the second track on their 1975 album The Who by Numbers.
