The Top 100 Songs of Pete Townshend
by: Garrett Jennings @GarJennings
I think Pete
Townshend is the greatest songwriter of his generation and deserves so much more
praise than he currently gets. So here are the Top 100 Songs of Pete
Townshend but just his solo or solo influenced material - nothing that The
Who recorded. (If you want to see the Top 200 Songs of The Who - click
here.)
1) Let
My Love Open the Door - This
might seem obvious to list this song, his biggest hit, as number one. But
it really showed that he was able to make very contemporary (1980's) pop songs
that were completely different than anything The Who were doing at the time.
Album: Empty Glass
2)
Slit Skirts This song
got and still gets steady radio air play on classic rock stations. Great
music with interesting lyrics is Townshend's calling card.
Album: All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
3) White
City Fighting This song features David Gilmour of Pink Floyd on lead guitar
which of course got people talking about a possible Supergroup.
Album: White City
4)
My Baby Gives It Away Pete
Townshend recorded an album called "Rough Mix" with Ronnie Lane from The Small
Faces. It is a gem of an album that everyone needs to discover.
Album: Rough Mix
5)
Rough Boys This
is such a rocking song that all the Who fans thought that it should have been on
a Who album. It really captures the early days of MTV when rock videos
were so important.
Album: Empty Glass
6)
Prelude/Face Dances Part 2
The Who had an album called Face Dances so this song was titled
"Face Dances part 2" but you have to play Prelude right before it. This
song is a time capsule for the early 80's.
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
https://youtu.be/EKXvqYxn6xA and https://youtu.be/yiQI2x7RKYM
7)
Give Blood This
song also features David Gilmour on lead guitar.
Album: White City
https://youtu.be/VfggghQENsU?t=40s
8) Keep
Me Turning I was glad to see this song was on "Truancy: The Very Best of
Pete Townshend" because it meant that there were others who realized or would
soon realize how great this song is.
Album: Rough Mix
9) A
Little is Enough It's quite a challenge to create a musical sound that is unique
from the band that made you famous and unique from everything else that is out
there -yet- continue to experiment and make every song sound different from the
other songs on the album. Townshend really accomplished this with this album.
Album: Empty Glass
10)
Stardom in Acton This is a very nostalgic song bringing me back to the
80's, cranking it when it came on the radio in my car, and singing the wrong lyrics
"stardom and acting".
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
11)
Crashing By Design Townshend's lyrics are like reading a novel with
well developed characters yet is so married to the music it is seamless.
Album: White City
12)
Heart To Hang Onto This song was written by Townshend but is a duet with Ronnie
Lane. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam is a huge Who/Townshend fan and has sung
this with Townshend at quite a few concerts.
Album: Rough Mix
13)
And I Moved Townshend said he originally wrote this song for Bette Midler
but I guess she passed on it. It's a beautiful song.
Album: Empty Glass
14) Somebody Saved Me The
story goes that this song's real meaning is someone saving him from a heroin
addiction.
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
15)
Brilliant Blues Townshend wrote so many songs that should have been mega-hits
that it makes you wonder what kind of hit could it be if another current artist
covered it.
Album: White City
16)
Misunderstood Again, a Townshend song where a character is well defined.
Album: Rough Mix
17)
I Am an Animal Aside from "Who's Next" side 1 and 2, and
Quadrophenia (all 4 sides) I would put "Empty Glass" side 1 up against any Who
album side.
Album: Empty Glass
18)
North Country Girl - This is a cover of a traditional Scottish song but
still a great song on a great album.
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
19)
Hiding Out Great rhythms along with great lyrics and melody. This
could be a hit if covered by Ziggy Marley.
Album: White City
20)
Street In The City This song conjures an entire movie script in my mind.
Pete let me know if you want me to write it!
Album: Rough Mix
21)
Jools and Jim This song features Townshend's scathing lyrics
ripping into 2 "rock critics" who were seemingly condoning the death of Keith
Moon.
"Did
you read the stuff that Julie said?/Or little Jimmy with his hair dyed red?/They
dont give a shit Keith Moon is dead/Is that exactly what I thought I read?
...Typewriter
bangers, youre all
just hangers on/Everyones human cept Jools and Jim/Late copy churners, rock
and roll learners/ Your
hearts are melting in pools of gin."
Album: Empty Glass
22) The
Sea Refuses No River This
song was written by Townshend as he was going through rehab and I can see it
empowering other people going through it.
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
23)
Secondhand Love This
is another song that I think would have been a huge hit if covered by Eric
Clapton as a blues/rock song. Don't get me wrong - I love Townshend's treatment of
this song also, but I think Townshend is such a great writer and deserving of a
lot more top 10 hits!
Album: White City
24)
A Friend is a Friend Townshend was inspired by the children's
book "The Iron Man" by Ted Hughes. This led to a stage production and then
the movie "The Iron Giant". This is a great song but wasn't used in the
movie since it was a different adaptation.
Album: The Iron Man
25)
Gonna Get Ya The album "Empty Glass" was so good that it created a lot of
"what if's". What if Keith Moon hadn't died in 1978 but successfully rehabbed?
What if "Empty Glass" was a Who album? It would probably have been a huge
album for The Who and this song in particular is such a rocker, it would have
been a
classic rock radio staple for years to come. But I'm sure Townshend hates
to hear these scenarios - suffice it to say that this is an awesome song on an
awesome album.
Album: Empty Glass
26) Stop
Hurting People Would you believe it if I told you that Townshend wasn't in
the Songwriter's Hall of Fame? Perhaps his rep got tarnished because of
legal allegations - but if the voters of that Hall would
research they will see that there was never any evidence of
wrong-doing. Add to that - Townshend has done more for
charities (along
with Roger Daltrey) than any other musician in the 5 decades that the 2 of them
have been making music! Together they have raised over
30 million pounds for The Teenage
Cancer Trust.
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
https://youtu.be/srNy0e8kSsY
27) Come
To Mama It's hard to write an article about Townshend's songwriting and not
simply copy and paste his poetic lyrics "His pride is like a bandage/He is
wrapped in a warm cocoon/His pride is like heroin/He is back inside the womb His
pride is like an ocean/Encircled by a reef/His pride's a hypnotic potion/His
memory is a leaf Her pride is like an armor/Flaming ring of fire/Her pride is
like a blindness/An ever tightening wire Her pride is like a razor/A surgeon's
purging knife/Her pride is like a censor/She's slashed out half her life"
Album: White City
28)
Now and Then I know that Townshend fans love this song based on crowd reaction
when he performs it live. Now we just have to get the rest of the world to
discover this song.
Album: Psychoderelict
29)
Empty Glass Another very introspective song by Townshend.
"My life's a mess I wait for you to pass/I stand here at the bar, I hold an
empty glass"
Album: Empty Glass
30)
Uniforms Nobody can make a melodic social commentary like Townshend.
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
31) I Am
Secure There are not too many artists that can stand on
stage with just an acoustic guitar and sing their own songs and deliver like
Townshend.
Album: White City
32) You
Came Back Townshend
would record demo tapes and present them to the members of The Who for song
selection for Who albums. Some of the songs not used ended up on
Townshend's "Scoop" albums. I've always loved those albums because it gave
a glimpse into Townshend's songwriting process. This song is about
reincarnation.
Album: Scoop
33)
Keep on Working Townshend
wrote this when he was having some money issues. I love the trademark
Townshend harmonies and production.
Album: Empty Glass
34)
Exquisitely Bored This is a very cool song - we need more radio
stations to play these songs that fall somewhere between rock and pop.
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
35)
Face the Face Pete
Townshend's father Cliff Townshend played clarinet and sax for a jazz orchestra
and I get the feeling Pete wanted to record a song that had some swing to it.
Fun song.
Album: White City
36) Never
Ask Me I have
always thought that Tony Bennett should cover this song along with some Who
songs like "Our Love Was" and "Sunrise".
Album: Another Scoop
37) Cats
In The Cupboard
Here is another rocking song from "Empty Glass". (Again -
what if Moon were alive for this one - it would have been a huge Who hit.)
Album: Empty Glass
38)
Communication A little experimental but a very cool song.
Album: All The Best
Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
39)
All Lovers Are Deranged This
song was written by Townshend (lyrics) and David Gilmour (music) for Gilmour's
solo album "About Face" but I really like Townshend's recording on "Scoop 3".
Album: Scoop 3
40)
Sheraton Gibson Townshend's first solo albums were dedicated to his spiritual
mentor Meher Baba. The best of these songs were compiled in the album "Who
Came First". There is some great acoustic guitar picking on his Gibson in
this song.
Album: Who Came First
41) Life
To Life This song was used in the opening credits of the movie
"Playing for Keeps" in 1986.
Album: Gold
https://youtu.be/L_0CWxR5AY4?t=14s
42)
After the Fire Townshend wrote this as a song that The Who would
perform at Live Aid but then it ended up on Roger Daltrey's solo album "Under a
Raging Moon".
Album: Deep End Live!
https://youtu.be/I09C-owWw5s?t=1m
43) A
Fool Says This
song is from the musical "The Iron Man". There is beautiful guitar work
throughout this album.
Album: The
Iron Man
44)
English Boy This
song is another rocking song from a somewhat experimental album.
Album: Psychoderelict
45)
Mary Another gem from Townshend's "Scoop" album.
Album: Scoop
46)
Driftin' Blues This is an old blues standard that Townshend
covers with impeccable reverence.
Album: Another Scoop
https://youtu.be/QGLd09CEIos?t=6s
47)
Squirm There
is some awesome acoustic guitar work on this song that he wrote for his young
son.
Album: Scoop 3
48)
Sleeping Dog Simple but beautiful song.
Album: Who Came First
49)
Greyhound Girl I considered adding this song to my
Top 200 Songs of The Who
since it is a song that is part of Townshend's Lighthouse concept album which
became the album "Who's Next". But this song was the B-side to the single
for "Let My Love Open the Door" and Pete Townshend made this beautiful live
recording of it, so it definitely belongs on this list.
Album: Lifehouse Chronicles
https://youtu.be/e2P_SbMTRRQ?t=18s
50) Save
It For Later Townshend
loved this "English Beat" song and did such an interesting cover of it I had to
add it to this list.
Album: Deep End Live!
https://youtu.be/pQ0zMDJKkbg?t=45s
51) I
Won't Run Any More Townshend
wrote this album as a Broadway musical - but if it did end up on Broadway it
would be the most rocking musical that Broadway has ever seen.
Album: The Iron Man
https://youtu.be/VYLYDy47iJI?t=33s
52)
Predictable There are a lot of great songs on this album that perhaps was sort
of lost by dialog between and sometimes within some of the songs. There is
a non-dialog version of the album that I would recommend (nothing against
Townshend's original concept but I just love the music).
Album: Psychoderelict
53)
Unused Piano: 'Quadrophenia' As the title indicates this is some
unused piano from one of the greatest rock achievements of all time, The Who's
"Quadrophenia".
Album: Scoop
54)
Praying The Game Great guitar work and orchestration.
Album:
Another Scoop
55)
Collings Very cool acoustic instrumental.
Album: Scoop 3
56) His
Hands This a
fairly epic instrumental song considering it was on such an unassuming album.
Album: Who Came First
57)
Barefootin' Here
is another cover of an old blues song but Townshend did such a fun cover of this
I had to add it to this list.
Album: Deep End Live!
58)
Rough Mix This song was written by Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane and
featured Charlie Watts on drums and Eric Clapton on lead guitar.
Album: Rough Mix
59)
Was There Life Another beautiful song that should be covered by
a female singer and perhaps on a Broadway stage.
Album: The Iron Man
https://youtu.be/9ahirDlbQS4?t=24s
60)
Don't Try To Make Me Real Another great song that didn't get the
attention it deserves.
Album: Psychoderelict
61)
Things Have Changed Written by Pete Townshend in 1965 but surprisingly never
recorded by The Who. It would been a huge hit if covered by the Beatles or
the Stones.
Album: Scoop
62) Girl
In A Suitcase Perhaps the greatest song about blow-up dolls.
Album:
Another Scoop
https://youtu.be/641in4173t4?t=5s
63)
Wistful Another very cool acoustic instrumental.
Album: Scoop 3
64)
There's A Heartache Following Me Here
is a very nicely done cover of the Jim Reeve's classic.
Album: Who Came First
65) Till
The Rivers All Run Dry Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane covered this Don Williams
classic for their album "Rough Mix".
Album: Rough Mix
66) All
Shall Be Well It took over 20 years for Townshend to win a Tony for "Tommy"
so perhaps this album will get the Broadway attention it needs some day in the
future.
Album: The Iron Man
67)
Let's Get Pretentious Once again, great song, somewhat lost in the dialog of the
play intertwined, but Townshend's sense of humor always comes through in his
songwriting.
Album: Psychoderelict
https://youtu.be/l9Oc73vBkSo?t=15
68)
To Barney Kessel Townshend wrote and recorded this song as a
tribute to the jazz guitarist Barney Kessel.
Album: Scoop
69)
Prelude Townshend
was adept at writing all kinds of music, much of which could have been for movie
scores.
Album:
Another Scoop
70)
Dirty Water There are a couple different versions of this song
on Townshend "Scoop" albums but this probably the most fun version.
Album: Scoop 3
71) New
Life / Reprise Townshend always said that he wrote for Roger Daltrey's voice but
he can really write for all the voices of a full Broadway cast.
Album: The Iron Man
72)
Parvardigar This is quite an epic song for a spiritual song.
Album: Who Came First
73)
Outlive The Dinosaur Cool
tune.
Album: Psychoderelict
74)
Good Question (aka Brrr) On Townshend's first "Scoop" album
there is a demo of the Who classic "So Sad About Us" followed by a song titled "Brrr".
This song was recorded as a bonus song for the "Rough Mix" album and called
"Good Question".
Album: Rough Mix (bonus track on reissue)
75)
Variations on Dirty Jobs Once again, some amazing orchestration which
could be part of a movie score.
Album: Scoop 3
76)
Over The Top (w/ John Lee Hooker) Just
like Townshend pushed The Who to uncharted territory in the rock world, he also
took John Lee Hooker into an area he never traveled before.
Album: The Iron Man
77)
I Am Afraid Another cool song from the Psychoderelict album.
Album: Psychoderelict
78)
How Can I Help You Pete Townshend and his girlfriend Rachel
Fuller had a web music show called "In The Attic" where songs like this were
developed.
Album: Truancy: The Very Best of Pete Townshend
79)
The Shout Townshend
influenced so many artists that came after him but he also incorporated the
artists that influenced him into his music as well.
Album:
Another Scoop
https://youtu.be/2GQzFa5uY9c?t=56s
80) I
Like It The Way It Is Another
beautifully orchestrated song.
Album:
Scoop 3
81) I Believe My Own Eyes - Newly written song for the Tommy Broadway production which won the Tony Award for Best Original Score.
https://youtu.be/NKap8hDJn1g?t=12s
82)
I Eat Heavy Metal (w/ John Lee Hooker) John Lee Hooker sings
the part of the title character in this musical "The Iron Man".
Album: The Iron Man
83)
Evolution (w/ Ronnie Lane) This song features Ronnie Lane on
vocal who also wrote the song. Both Lane and Townshend play some great
acoustic guitar on this song. I love this song.
Album: Who Came First
84)
Nowhere To Run (w/ Ronnie Lane) This song features Ronnie Lane
on vocal who also wrote the song. Both Lane and Townshend play multiple
instruments on the wonderful "Rough Mix" album.
Album: Rough Mix
85)
Fast Food (w/ Nina Simone) Nina Simone playing the part of the
Space Dragon in the musical "The Iron Man'.
Album: The Iron Man
86)
The Love Man Another gem only found on the reissued album as a
bonus track.
Album: Who Came First (reissue bonus track)
https://youtu.be/fTZ27n7Tka0?t=14s
87)
Annie (w/ Ronnie Lane) This
song features Ronnie Lane on vocal who also wrote the song (with Eric Clapton).
Both Lane and Townshend play multiple instruments on the wonderful "Rough Mix"
album.
Album: Rough Mix
88)
Dance it Away This song features the unmistakable John Entwistle
bass and also Kenney Jones on drums, so it has a definite Who sound.
Album: All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
(reissue bonus track)
89)
Content There aren't too many rock stars that can make you think
philosophically or feel spiritually.
Album: Who Came First
90)
April Fool This
song features Ronnie Lane on vocal who also wrote the song. Both Lane and
Townshend play multiple instruments on the wonderful "Rough Mix" album.
Album: Rough Mix
91)
Uneasy Street It's
always amazing to me when great songs like this are almost forgotten and only
released as a reissue bonus track.
Album: Psychoderelict (reissue bonus track)
92)
Catmelody (with Ronnie Lane) This
song features Ronnie Lane on vocal who also wrote the song. Both Lane and
Townshend play multiple instruments on the wonderful "Rough Mix" album.
Album:
Rough Mix
93)
Chameleon (w/ Des Horsfall Lyrics by Katy Lane) This
song is a tribute to Ronnie Lane with the lyrics written by Ronnie's wife Katy
Lane and co-written by Pete Townshend. Pete sings and plays guitar along
with Des Horsfall and his band Kuschty Rye.
Album: The Bastard's Tin by Des Horsfall's Kuschty Rye
https://youtu.be/LpI9czCXQNY?t=15s
94)
Man Watching Once again,
it's
always amazing to me when great songs like this are almost forgotten and only
released as a reissue bonus track.
Album: All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
(reissue bonus track)
95) Night School
Once again,
it's
always amazing to me when great songs like this are almost forgotten and only
released as a reissue bonus track.
Album: White City
(reissue bonus track)
https://youtu.be/7WMOnfiu40k?t=2s
96) Just Breathe (w/ Rachel Fuller) Pete
Townshend plays guitar and co-wrote this song with his girl friend (now wife) Rachel
Fuller.
Album: In The Attic
https://youtu.be/gGfoa0_9SXA?list=PLXoL0jbNkR4i6tb931Dtf1jDUi9FLKhGs
97)
It Must Be
Done (w/ Nathan Barr) Pete Townshend co-wrote this song with Nathan Barr for the
TV show "The Americans".
Album: from the TV show
"The Americans"
https://youtu.be/InGj5CVmBnI
98)
It Was You
(Chaos & Co. or The Naturals) This article is celebrating the songwriting of Pete Townshend so
I had to include the first song he ever wrote. I'm not sure why The Who
(or as they were known back then The Detours and then The High Numbers)
never recorded it. But it was covered by two different bands: "Chaos
& Co." and "The Naturals".
Album: single releases in
the 1960's
https://youtu.be/THPC4ab6VY4
or
https://youtu.be/0vZ2qxJOETc
99)
Travelator, Pt. 2 (w/
Jean-Michel Jarre) Pete Townshend co-wrote this song with
Jean-Michel Jarre. So, Pete
Townshend's musical journey has gone from blues to Pop to Maximum R&B to rock
operas to stadium rock to anthem rock to 80's rock to avant garde rock to
singer-songwriter acoustic to experimental rock to soundtracks to orchestrated
rock and now to electronica.
Album: Electronica 1: The Time Machine
100) On
The Road Again Pete
Townshend played this cover of the "Canned Heat" song for a Woodstock revival.
He played it again for a benefit for the Maryville Academy, a children's
charity outside of Chicago. The Who and Pete did charity concerts with
Eddie Vedder and made over a million dollars for the Maryville Academy.
Album: Pete Townshend Live: A Benefit For Maryville Academy
https://youtu.be/N5IHNuIqmdU?t=1m52s
Honorable Mentions:
Love On the Air (w/ David Gilmour) Pete
Townshend wrote the lyrics for this song with David Gilmour writing the music.
Album: About Face (by David Gilmour)
https://youtu.be/08MbgGY7X8g
"Uncertain Girl"
- unreleased song rumored to be released on a future album.
https://youtu.be/x2kzxLBhasI
"No Message in a Broken Heart"
- Pete Townshend demo.
https://youtu.be/52s_qV5LhpM
"Why Can't You See I'm Easy" -
Pete Townshend demo, for an album that never came out, it was supposed to be a follow-up to Who's next.
https://youtu.be/szcWPjp4eR8
"Riot in the Female Jail" -
Pete Townshend Demo.
https://youtu.be/j15RmCZ7Tnw
"Broken Nails" -
Pete Townshend Demo.
https://youtu.be/60nbEJmdwDw
"Corrina, Corrina" - cover of
the Bob Dylan song to support Amnesty International.
https://youtu.be/QG4eu2Y8rU4?t=4m4s
"Something in the Air"
- from "Thunderclap Newman" with Pete Townshend on bass and
he also produced this #1 hit.
https://youtu.be/k8zmkzshUvE
"I Am The Answer"
- from "Simon
Townshend" with Pete Townshend on backing vocals and he also produced this song.
https://youtu.be/UZJscCKfj30
"Joy" - from "Mick Jagger" with
Pete Townshend on guitar.
https://youtu.be/0THvuiPNIIU
"Join My Gang"
-
recorded by "Oscar" but written by
Pete Townshend.
https://youtu.be/LAqvRp1tOgk
and here is the only recording of
Pete performing this song.
https://youtu.be/i5-kb6j3ank
"Lazy Fat People"
- from
Pete Townshend's "Twenty/Scoop 4" album (very limited release).
https://youtu.be/B_MTz5czV6w
About the author: Garrett Jennings is a freelance writer and life-long fan of The Who (and rock music). I plan on blogging additional Top 100 lists from different musical artists. You can follow me on Twitter at @GarJennings