Naked Eye (The Who song)

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"Naked Eye"
Song by The Who
from the album Odds and Sods
Released4 October 1974
Recorded1970–71
Genre Rock
Length5:10
Label MCA
Songwriter(s) Pete Townshend

"Naked Eye" is a song by the Who, written by Pete Townshend. The song was performed live beginning in 1969 and a studio version was released on the 1974 compilation album Odds and Sods .

Contents

Background

The roots of "Naked Eye" lay in a descending riff in the key of "F" played during the Who's end-of-show improvisations during their North American Tour in mid-1969. [1] [2] The Who closed their performance at Woodstock with one of these "Naked Eye" improvisations, cultimating in Townshend smashing his Gibson SG and flinging it into the crowd. [3]

After Townshend developed "Naked Eye" into a full song, a studio version was originally set to be released on a 1970 EP entitled 6 Ft. Wide Garage, 7 Ft. Wide Car, which was also to include "Water", "I Don't Even Know Myself", "Now I'm a Farmer", and "Postcard", [2] but this record never materialized. [4] "Naked Eye" was eventually completed in the spring of 1971 during the sessions for Who's Next , which included several numbers originally intended for the ultimately unreleased rock opera Lifehouse . [4]

While "Naked Eye" never saw release on a studio album, Townshend said it was "one of our best stage numbers". [2] The song's riff appeared as part of the long "My Generation" medley on Live at Leeds , and the full song appeared on the album and film of their performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. [1]

Reception

Author Mike Segretto wrote that "Naked Eye" is about "the self-delusions that guide us through our relationships" and is a plead for open communication. He also noted that Roger Daltrey sang the song's emotionally sensitive verses, while Townshend sang the angry one, a reversal of their usual roles. [5]

John Atkins, author of The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963–1998, wrote that "Naked Eye" is "dynamic and philosophical" and was a memorable part of the Who's live repertoire, but the studio version failed to capture its energy. He considered the 1971 performance at the Young Vic Theatre, available as a bonus track on CD reissues of Who's Next , to be the definitive version. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 Howard, Will (30 June 2025). "'Naked Eye': The Who hit that never was". Far Out . Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Cady, Brian. "'Odds & Sods' liner notes". The Hypertext Who. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  3. ↑ Harkins, Thomas E. (2019). Woodstock FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Fabled Garden. Guilford, Connecticut: Backbeat. p. 183. ISBN   978-1-61713-666-5 . Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 Grantley, Steve; Parker, Alan (2010). The Who by Numbers: The Story of the Who Through Their Music. London: Helter Skelter. p. 126. ISBN   978-1-9051-3926-2.
  5. ↑ Segretto, Mike (2014). The Who FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Fifty Years of Maximum R&B. Milwaukee: Backbeat. p. 361. ISBN   978-1-48036-103-4 . Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Atkins, John (2000). The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963–1998. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 134–136, 167. ISBN   0-7864-0609-7 . Retrieved 26 July 2025.
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