You (The Who song)
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| "You" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Who | |
| from the album Face Dances | |
| Released | 16 March 1981 |
| Recorded | July–December 1980 |
| Studio | Odyssey Recording Studios (London, England) |
| Genre | Heavy metal[1] |
| Length | 4:31 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | John Entwistle |
| Producer(s) | Bill Szymczyk |
"You" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by bassist John Entwistle and sung by Roger Daltrey. It is one of two songs written by Entwistle for Face Dances (the Who's first studio album without drummer Keith Moon); the other song being "The Quiet One". "You" was released as the B-side on the "Don't Let Go the Coat" single.
Background
[edit]The song was intended to appear on one of Entwistle's solo studio albums, but drummer Kenney Jones (who replaced deceased Moon) convinced him to use the song for the Who.[2] Jones said "When I first joined (the Who), John (Entwistle) and I used to go down to Shepperton and just work out and have a play. He was working on this song and trying to arrange it, we both sort of arranged it together. I just loved it so much, he was going to put it on his solo album, and I said 'I think that's a definite Who song. You can't do that.' I made him sit on it for a year until we actually started recording. I'm so pleased I did it is definitely one of those exciting songs."[3]
"You" was never performed live by the Who but it was played by Entwistle's solo bands.
Critical reception
[edit]Authors Alan Parker and Steve Grantley said that the song was "possibly the worst lyrics John ever penned." They also said that the lyrics "highlight just how desperate for material the band were."
[2]But it's notable that these two couldn't begin to write a better song.
References
[edit]- ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1981". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 399–401. ISBN 9781493064601.
- ^ a b Grantley/Parker, Steve/Alan. The Who by Numbers: The Story of The Who Through Their Music. Helter Skelter.
- ^ "The Hypertext Who › Liner Notes › Face Dances". Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
