One Last Hit and the Who

OLH cover The Who

Experiencing the Who live was one of the joys of my youth. In 1969 alone, I saw them five times - twice at Fillmore East, in Maryland with Led Zeppelin, and the heavenly week that included Tanglewood with Jefferson Airplane and B.B. King, then Woodstock. (Where Pete Townshend swatted Abbie Hoffman off the stage with a Gibson SG similar to the one on One Last Hit's cover.)

Their albums were another pleasure, from the sheer exuberance of The Who Sings My Generation through the landmark Who's Next and beyond.

As I was writing One Last Hit, I discovered that they were Joe Portugal's favorite band when he was a kid. Partly because, like Joe's, Pete Townshend's guitar style is more rhythm- than lead-oriented. (Like mine too; no surprise there.) As a result, there were several references to the group in the first draft.

The day I mailed that draft off to my publisher was the day John Entwistle died. I knew immediately that I had to deal with Joe's reaction to The Ox's passing, which I did in the next version. And within a few days it was clear to me that the book had to be dedicated to John. (The italicized line on the dedication page is from his song "Heaven and Hell.")

As the final draft was taking shape, the idea of naming the chapters after songs by the band and its members popped into my head. I pulled the appropriate discographies off the Internet and sat down to see if my scheme would work. It did. Some of the choices were obvious; for others I found more subtle connections. There were a couple ("Won't Get Fooled Again," for instance) that I really wanted to use but couldn't find a place for.

Below is a list of the titles I came up with, along with the songwriter, recording artist, and title and release date of the first album they appeared on. (Non-Who songwriters are in italics.) Album names are links to the appropriate listings on the All Music Guide.

Chapter/song title   Written by   Recorded by   First appearance Yr
A Little Is Enough   Pete Townshend   Pete Townshend   Empty Glass 80
Getting in Tune   Pete Townshend   The Who   Who's Next 71
Guitar and Pen   Pete Townshend   The Who   Who Are You 78
I'm a Boy   Pete Townshend   The Who   Meaty Beaty
Big and Bouncy		 71
Fiddle About   John Entwistle   The Who   Tommy 69
Young Man Blues   Mose Allison   The Who   Live at Leeds 70
Instant Party   Pete Townshend   The Who   The Who Sings
My Generation		 65
Behind Blue Eyes   Pete Townshend   The Who   Who's Next 71
Fallen Angel   John Entwistle   John Entwistle   Too Late the Hero 81
Daily Records   Pete Townshend   The Who   Face Dances 81
Love Is Coming Down   Pete Townshend   The Who   Who Are You 78
Trick of the Light   John Entwistle   The Who   Who Are You 78
Doctor Doctor   John Entwistle   The Who   Magic Bus 68
Sleeping Man   John Entwistle   John Entwistle   Too Late the Hero 81
Another Tricky Day   Pete Townshend   The Who   Face Dances 81
It's a Boy   Pete Townshend   The Who   Tommy 69
We're Not Gonna Take It   Pete Townshend   The Who   Tommy 69
My Generation   Pete Townshend   The Who   The Who Sings
My Generation		 65
Boris the Spider   John Entwistle   The Who   A Quick One 66
Amazing Journey   Pete Townshend   The Who   Tommy 69
Let's See Action   Pete Townshend   Pete Townshend   Who Came First 72
A Legal Matter   Pete Townshend   The Who   The Who Sings
My Generation		 65
Did You Steal My Money   Pete Townshend   The Who   Face Dances 81
I Can't Reach You   Pete Townshend   The Who   The Who Sell Out 67
What Kind of People Are They?   John Entwistle   John Entwistle   Smash Your Head
Against the Wall		 71
So Sad About Us   Pete Townshend   The Who   A Quick One 66
A Quick One, While He's Away   Pete Townshend   The Who   A Quick One 66
Had Enough   John Entwistle   The Who   Who Are You 78
Cobwebs and Strange   Keith Moon   The Who   A Quick One 66
The Kids Are Alright   Pete Townshend   The Who   The Who Sings
My Generation		 65
Let My Love Open the Door   Pete Townshend   Pete Townshend   Empty Glass 80
Rough Boys   Pete Townshend   Pete Townshend   Empty Glass 80
What Are We Doing Here?   John Entwistle   John Entwistle   Smash Your Head
Against the Wall		 71
Magic Bus   Pete Townshend   The Who   Magic Bus 68
Who Are You   Pete Townshend   The Who   Who Are You 78
Talk Dirty   John Entwistle   John Entwistle   Too Late the Hero 81
Slip Kid   Pete Townshend   The Who   The Who by Numbers 75
Run Run Run   Pete Townshend   The Who   A Quick One 66
I Was Just Being Friendly   John Entwistle   John Entwistle   Whistle Rymes 72
Go to the Mirror   Pete Townshend   The Who   Tommy 69
Cache Cache   Pete Townshend   The Who   Face Dances 81
Underture   Pete Townshend   The Who   Tommy 69
Empty Glass   Pete Townshend   Pete Townshend   Empty Glass 80
Going Mobile   Pete Townshend   The Who   Who's Next 71
I Can See for Miles   Pete Townshend   The Who   The Who Sell Out 67
Say It Ain't So, Joe   Murray Head   Roger Daltrey   One of the Boys 77
Cat's in the Cupboard   Pete Townshend   Pete Townshend   Empty Glass 80
The Song Is Over   Pete Townshend   The Who   Who's Next 71
Happy Jack   Pete Townshend   The Who   Happy Jack 67
Too Late the Hero   John Entwistle   John Entwistle   Too Late the Hero 81
Love Is a Heart Attack   John Entwistle   John Entwistle   Too Late the Hero 81


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Last Updated: January 7, 2005