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I Can't Explain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "I Can't Explain" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Who | |||||
| B-side | "Bald Headed Woman" | ||||
| Released | January 15, 1965 (UK) February 13, 1965 (US) |
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| Format | Vinyl record (7") | ||||
| Recorded | November 1964, at Pye Studios, London, UK | ||||
| Genre | Rock, Pop | ||||
| Length | 2:04 | ||||
| Label | Brunswick 05926 (UK) | ||||
| Writer | Pete Townshend | ||||
| Producer | Shel Talmy | ||||
| The Who singles chronology | |||||
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"I Can't Explain" is a song released by English rock band The Who in 1965, written by Pete Townshend and produced by Shel Talmy. It was released as the A-side of the first single the band released as "The Who" (their original name being The High Numbers).
"I Can't Explain" was also released as the opening song of The Who's 1971 compilation album Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy. In the liner notes, Townshend notes the song's similarity to its contemporary hit single "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks: "It can’t be beat for straightforward Kink copying. There is little to say about how I wrote this. It came out of the top of my head when I was 18 and a half."[1] The Who used "I Can't Explain" throughout their live performance history. It was used in many (if not all) of their live performances, often as the opener, and continues to be a staple today.
Although it is rumoured that Jimmy Page played the guitar solo in the song, it is not true. Page was called in as a session player, but The Who refused to let him play. They settled on letting Page play lead guitar on the single's B-side, "Bald Headed Woman".
A snippet of the song was also performed by Elton John in his cover version of "Pinball Wizard" for the soundtrack to the 1975 film Tommy.
David Bowie recorded a version of this song for his Pin Ups album in 1973. It was also covered by heavy metal band Scorpions in their 1989 Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads, and reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
The Clash used the main riff as the basis of two songs, "Guns On The Roof," and "Clash City Rockers."
The original version by The Who is ranked #371 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
| The Who |
|---|
| UK Singles |
|
1964: "Zoot Suit" 1965: "I Can't Explain", "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", "My Generation" 1966: "Substitute", "A Legal Matter", "The Kids Are Alright", "I'm a Boy", "La-La-La-Lies", "Ready Steady Who" (e.p.), "Happy Jack" 1967: "Pictures of Lily", "The Last Time", "I Can See for Miles" 1968: "Dogs", "Magic Bus" 1969: "Pinball Wizard" 1970: "The Seeker", "Summertime Blues", "See Me, Feel Me" 1971: "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Let's See Action" 1972: "Join Together", "Relay" 1973: "5:15" 1975: "Overture", "Squeeze Box" 1978: "Who Are You" 1981: "You Better You Bet", "Don't Let Go the Coat" 1982: "Athena" 1984: "Twist and Shout (live)" 2004: "Real Good Looking Boy" 2006: "Wire & Glass", "It's Not Enough", "Tea & Theatre" |
| B-sides |
|
1964: "I'm the Face" 1965: "Bald Headed Woman", "Daddy Rolling Stone", "Shout and Shimmy" 1966: "Circles" (aka "Instant Party"), "The Ox", "In the City", "The Good's Gone", "I've Been Away" 1967: "Doctor, Doctor", "Under My Thumb", "Someone's Coming" 1968: "Call Me Lightning", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" 1969: "Dogs Part II" 1970: "Here for More", "Heaven and Hell", "Overture" 1971: "I Don't Even Know Myself", "When I Was a Boy" 1972: "Baby Don't You Do It", "Waspman" 1973: "Water" 1975: "See Me Feel Me.Listening to You", "Success Story" 1978: "Had Enough" 1981: "The Quiet One", "You" 1982: "A Man Is a Man" 1984: "I Can't Explain (live)" 2004: "Old Red Wine" 2006: "Mirror Door" |
| Other US Singles |
|
1969: "I'm Free" 1971: "Behind Blue Eyes" 1974: "The Real Me" 1979: "Long Live Rock" 1981: "Daily Records", "Did You Steal My Money", "How Can You Do It Alone" 1982: "Eminence Front", "Cry If You Want", "Dangerous", "It's Hard" |