The Who songs that disgust Pete Townshend: “I’m so embarrassed”
When an artist hates one of their own songs, it’s natural to assume it’s because of one of two reasons: overexposure or bad experiences during the recording process. Sometimes, however, there are other, more insidious reasons why they might develop a strong distaste, like when Pete Townshend felt that one of their tracks was so fake he grew a violent hatred for it.
When looking at stories like these, the word “hate” feels particularly cutting. How can an artist have such a strong reaction to something they once made and probably loved? In Townshend’s world, however, there are many reasons why a song or musical idea might suddenly feel wrong, and one of them is inauthenticity. If it doesn’t feel real, it’s no good, despite how much others love its accessibility or formulaic appeal.
Sometimes, the appreciation isn’t there to begin with. Sometimes, Townshend doesn’t see what others are seeing, and his ideas and explorations seem like meaningless drabbles to him. Others might praise his creation, telling him, “You’ve written a hit!” with unabashed passion, but in his mind, there’s nothing great about flawed arrangements rooted in nothing in particular.
Other times, Townshend’s disapproving wag of his finger develops over time, etched in something bigger or more inexplicable than simply developing a dislike for a certain sound, lyric, or melody. In these instances, they’re more connected to people, memories, and instincts, sometimes reflecting Townshend’s broader view about just how important it is to remain real and not deceive audiences.
There’s a fine line between musical mastery and subpar near-misses, and Townshend claims to know which three songs in The Who’s discography fall into the latter category. These are the ones that constantly play on his mind, the ones that he wishes would disappear entirely, leaving him in the blissful haze of those that don’t conjure up reminders of those disdainful decisions and avoidable mistakes.
The songs Pete Townshend hates:
‘Dreaming From The Waist’
That dreaded word, “hate”, feels almost taboo in some scenarios, mainly because it reveals a part of someone who doesn’t feel grateful for or gracious towards their own projects or creations. And, when certain songs mean something to fans, expressing a deep-seated dislike for them can turn certain people sour, leaving them wondering why someone they idolise would disregard and invalidate their feelings with such outright vehemence.
Still, Townshend hates ‘Dreaming From The Waist’. Hates it. But he doesn’t hate it because he hates the song itself; he hates it because of how much it reminds him of how much Roger Daltrey used to love to play it. “‘Dreaming From The Waist’ is the song I hate more than anything on Earth. In fact, I think I hate it most because it’s a song Roger used to like to play,” he once said.
‘Sister Disco’
As much as Townshend grew to dislike ‘Dreaming From The Waist’, he once said he disliked ‘Sister Disco’ more, again for a reason that concerns Daltrey. In fact, Townshend admitted that he hated ‘Sister Disco’ so much because ot how deceitful Daltrey was while playing it, and how much he would want to trick the audience into believing a narrative that was far from the truth.
“‘Sister Disco’ I hate even more than ‘Dreaming From The Waist’ because there is a point in which every time we’ve done it where Roger comes over to me, stands next to me and makes some kind of soppy smile, which is supposed to communicate some kind of Everly Brothers relationship we have for the audience, which isn’t actually there,” he said, adding that he hated “the act” of pretending to be friends when, instead, he would look at him and go, “You fucking wanker”.
<em>‘Pinball Wizard’</em>
Incidentally, Townshend and Daltrey share a common gripe when it comes to their disdain for the hits. But rather than being bothered by inauthentic songs or situations, Townshend is specifically frustrated with ‘Pinball Wizard’ because it attempts the one thing most musicians feel they should avoid: writing songs to appease others or chase commercial success.
While Townshend later admitted he only wrote the song to impress a journalist, he also felt that it held nothing special, and felt surprised at the reaction he gained from others afterwards. To him, the song was nothing more than a heartless mess around, and so having it praised felt like he had cheated the system somehow.
“I thought, ‘Oh, my God this is awful, the most clumsy piece of writing I’ve ever done,” he once said, admitting that he thought it sounded like “a Music Hall song”. He added: “Oh my God, I’m embarrassed. […] I was just grabbing at ideas. I knocked a demo together and took it to the studio, and everyone loved it. Damon Lyon-Shaw said, ‘Pete, that’s a hit.’ Everybody was really excited, and I suddenly thought, ‘Have I written a hit?’ It was just because the only person that we knew would give us a good review was a pinball fanatic.”
