Magic Bus (song)
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| "Magic Bus" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by The Who | ||
| from the album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour | ||
| B-side(s) | Someone's Coming (US) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (UK) |
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| Released | July 27, 1968 (US) September 18, 1968 (UK) |
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| Format | 7" vinyl | |
| Recorded | May 29, 1968 at Advision Studios, London and mixed at Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles sometime between June 30 and July 7, 1968 | |
| Genre | Rock & Roll |
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| Length | 03:21 | |
| Label | Decca Records 32362 (US)
Track Records 604024 (UK) |
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| Writer(s) | Pete Townshend | |
| Producer(s) | Kit Lambert | |
| Chart positions | ||
| The Who singles chronology | ||
| "Dogs" (1968) |
"Magic Bus" (1968) |
"Pinball Wizard" (1969) |
Magic Bus is one of The Who's most popular songs. It was released in 1968, and has been a concert essential. It reached #26 in the United Kingdom and #25 in the United States.
It was written at the time of My Generation, by Pete Townshend, but was never released untill later.
It is usually performed as a duet, where the driver vows to drive his bus to his girlfriend every day, and the onlooker inquiring into the bus's sale. The delivery of the lyrics is not in the nature of an auctioneer's argot (because there is no intention of selling it) but a reverse auction (e.g., If you don't want fifty, how about twenty) where the buyer really doesn't want to buy it, as it is clear that the seller really doesn't want to sell it. Different performances of this song bring out different subtleties, often with a twist to each one to set it apart from a previous performance. Some versions appear to be using the bus as a metaphor for drugs. It is worth noting that in some performances of Tommy, Daltrey sings "Hey you smoking mother nature, You missed the bus", a possible allusion to Magic Bus.
One of its most legendary performances can be heard on Live at Leeds. This version stretches out to nearly eight minutes, complete with Roger Daltrey playing harmonica and Pete Townshend performing a funky Bo Diddley riff.
In summer 2006, the song was featured on television commercials for Nissan's Quest minivans.
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