DJ Allyn – The Soundtrack for my Life

Behind Blue Eyes ~ The Who  

The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. The band reached international success, became known for their energetic live performances, are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and ’70s, and recognized as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.

The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with a pioneering instrument destruction stage show, as well as a series of top ten hit singles (including the celebrated “My Generation”) and top five albums, beginning in 1965 with “I Can’t Explain”. They first hit the top ten in the USA in 1967 with “I Can See for Miles”. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top five albums for the group in the USA, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who’s Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), and Who Are You (1978) among others.

Keith Moon died in 1978, after which the band released two more studio albums, the top five Face Dances (1981) and the top ten It’s Hard (1982), with drummer Kenney Jones, before officially disbanding in 1983. They reformed on several occasions to perform at special events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour (1989) and the Quadrophenia revival tours of 1996 and 1997. In 2000, the three surviving original members began to discuss the possibility of recording an album of new material. These plans were delayed following the death of John Entwistle in 2002. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey continue to perform as The Who. In 2006 they released the studio album Endless Wire, which reached the top ten in the USA and UK.

Behind Blue Eyes

“Behind Blue Eyes” is a song written by Pete Townshend of The Who for his Lifehouse project. It first appeared on The Who’s 1971 Who’s Next album, along with a number of other remnants from the project.

The song is one of the most well-known of The Who’s recordings. It starts off with a solo voice singing over a finger-picked guitar, later adds in bass guitar and ethereal harmonies, eventually breaks out into full-scale rock anthem when a second theme is introduced near the end, and wraps up by a brief reprise of the quieter first theme. Songs written in alternating sections were something of a trademark of Townshend’s writing of the period, going back at least to Tommy, where it was used in “Christmas” and “Go to the Mirror!” The guitar riff at the end of the rock anthem section is also used after the bridge during the song Won’t Get Fooled Again, perhaps serving as a link between the two songs when Who’s Next was intended to be a rock opera. (Some musical themes from Tommy and Quadrophenia appear in multiple places.)

The lyrics are a first-person lament from a man in the Lifehouse story, variously identified as ‘Brick’ or ‘Jumbo’, who is always angry and full of angst because of all the pressure and temptation that surrounds him, and the song was intended to be his “theme song” had the project been successful. (The lyrics of the rocking section near the end were actually written by Townshend as a prayer when he was a disciple of Meher Baba after being tempted by a groupie, and incorporated into the song when it was written.)

The version of “Behind Blue Eyes” on the original Who’s Next album was actually the second version the band recorded; the earlier version appears as a bonus track on the remastered CD release, which features Al Kooper on Hammond Organ.

No one knows what it’s like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it’s like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies

But my dreams
They aren’t as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That’s never free

No one knows what it’s like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you!

No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through

But my dreams
They aren’t as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours only lonely
My love is vengeance
That’s never free

When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool

And If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
And If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it’s like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

• Audio from the 1971 album, Who’s Next:

Other Songs Posted for this Artist

• September 20, 2009 -- I Can See For Miles ~ The Who
• September 11, 2009 -- Pinball Wizard ~ The Who
• July 17, 2009 -- Won’t Get Fooled Again ~ The Who
• June 20, 2009 -- Baba O’Riley ~ The Who
• September 30, 2008 -- My Generation ~ The Who
• December 31, 2007 -- Love Reign O’er Me ~ The Who