The Who song Roger Daltrey will always regret: “We never discussed it”
As the British Invasion began to reach across the pond to America, The Who quickly became one of the biggest names in music. Although they may not have had the same credibility afforded to acts like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, Pete Townshend’s unique approach to writing resonated with millions of people who wanted more than traditional rock and roll. While Roger Daltrey served as the emotional translator of Townshend’s words, there was one song he was upset about not singing.
When the band first came together, it’s not like Daltrey and Townshend hit it off from the get-go. Even though Townshend could see the potential in having someone like Daltrey out front, he would later say that he had doubts about the singer’s vocal capabilities, which involved him singing on a handful of Who songs.
What Daltrey couldn’t provide in vocal stamina, he more than made up for in his potential as a frontman. Creating the archetype of what many think of as the all-star rock frontman, Daltrey was known to put himself through the physical wringer throughout the band’s career, often swinging the mic stand to the point where it looked like you would never see the microphone again.
As the band settled in to create their first full-length album, one Townshend track was about to lay the groundwork for history. Becoming an anthem for rock, ‘My Generation’ took a hard look at what was happening to the genre at street level, with Townshend getting the most out of just two chords for most of the song.
Outside of their massive hit, much of the album of the same name would be full of tracks left over from the band’s days playing to various Mods in the London club scene. While many of the tracks included the band dipping into the sounds of R&B and early rock and roll, Townshend delved into serious territory for the first time on the song ‘A Legal Matter’.
Set to a power-pop-tinged melody, Townshend created a song that revolved around a man who wanted to go back to his old flame but knew that he would get in trouble with the law if he returned. Although Townshend took the main melody of the track, Daltrey would later regret that he wasn’t able to sing it.
After going through his own bout of legal trouble, Daltrey thought he was better suited for the piece, saying, “I was getting divorced at the time. It would’ve been more personal if I sang it. I never even thought about what songs Pete and I would sing. If he wanted a song, I would go, ‘Great, you sing it, go.’ I wasn’t going to interfere with the ego. I’d wind him up a bit. We never discussed it, and I never challenged it.”
Throughout their career, The Who seemed to operate as their rock and roll democracy. Although there was a clear role for every member of the band, no one seemed to outshine any of the others, with Keith Moon providing the steady pulse, John Entwistle as the erratic low-end master, and Roger Daltrey bringing as much heart as possible into every vocal performance. Then again, there isn’t anyone who sings a song quite like the songwriter, and Pete Townshend has always been the heart behind everything.
Since Townshend reserved songs for himself, some reveal a little more about him than he wanted to. Not having to conform to what Daltrey’s usual vocal range was, Townshend is free to be himself throughout most of those tunes, either making the occasional joke track or picking up the slack for a song that Daltrey couldn’t do himself.
As the years went on, there was no arguing with Daltrey’s talents as a singer. With Townshend writing more operatic pieces like Tommy and Quadrophenia, Daltrey would become one of the most technically gifted vocalists of his time, putting his voice through hell on songs like ‘Love Reign O’er Me’. Townshend may have been the beating heart behind The Who, but without Daltrey singing, the band would not have been nearly as successful.
