Tommy by The Who | Teen Ink

Tommy by The Who

October 8, 2009
By Zero_K DIAMOND, Moosic, Pennsylvania
Zero_K DIAMOND, Moosic, Pennsylvania
83 articles 0 photos 435 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life's no fun if you're not insane, otherwise you grow up to be an accountant." -Moi


Shortly after Beatlemania struck, while the Fab Four were busy churning out hits, there was also The Who. Before my time, you say? How should I know? Actually, The Who is the name of the band, I wasn’t asking you to guess.

The Who were known for songs such as “Behind Blue Eyes”, and “My Generation”, but what they were most famous for was their rock opera “Tommy”, which soon became bigger than The Who themselves.

At first listen, you may think that the songs on “Tommy” tell a simple story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy going through life and playing pinball until he is eventually cured, becomes a motivational speaker, and finally opens up a holiday seaside camp where he teaches young children to play pinball with blindfolds and earplugs: you would be wrong. Pete Townshend (Guitar, Keyboard, Vocals) who came up with and wrote most of the songs for “Tommy” intended the story to be about different states of consciousness; the fact that though we have all of our senses we are blind to reality. “Tommy” also touches on issues face by many children in the world: trauma, murder, sex, drugs, child molestation, bullying, illusion, delusion, spiritual awakening, religion, betrayal, faith, rejection, superstardom, success, charlatanism, and pinball.

“Tommy” brings to the surface many troubling issues, but most importantly: the songs are good and they play them well. I would recommend “Tommy” to everyone who loves music. And who doesn’t?


The author's comments:
That deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pin ball!!!

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This article has 1 comment.


Sunshineyday said...
on Oct. 28 2009 at 4:39 pm
I was watching a film adaptation of Tommy on TV it was playing on VH1 classic, but it seemed very interesting and I wish I had been able to watch all of it, but I caught it near the end/2nd half and couldn't follow it. but your review makes me want to look into the movie and the songs from it (forgot what album) again.