The Real Me

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"The Real Me"

Single by The Who
from the album Quadrophenia
B-side(s)	"I'm One"
Released	January 12, 1974
Format	7" single
Recorded	May 1972
Genre	Rock
Length	3:30
Label	Track Records/MCA
Writer(s)	Pete Townshend
Producer(s)	The Who
Chart positions
#92 (US)
The Who singles chronology
"Love, Reign o'er Me" (1973)	"The Real Me" (1974)	"Postcard" (1974)

"The Real Me" is a song written by Pete Townshend on The Who's second full-scale rock opera, Quadrophenia in 1973. This is the second track on the album. It concerns a boy named Jimmy, a young English Mod with four distinct personalities. The song describes how he angrily deals with several individuals to identify "the real me."

The song features an impressive bass performance by John Entwistle. According to a 1996 interview with Entwistle by Goldmine Magazine, the bass part was recorded on the first take. Entwistled claimed he was "joking around" when he played the part, but the band loved it and used it in the final version.^[1]

"The Real Me" is also featured on the 2002 Who compilation The Ultimate Collection, with a slightly modified opening.

[edit] Cover versions

In 1989, American glam metal band W.A.S.P., led by a longtime Pete Townshend admirer Blackie Lawless, recorded "The Real Me" for their album Headless Children. Lawless states this song means the most to him out of all the songs his band has recorded, although he didn't write it. According to Lawless, Townshend once told him that no one had covered a The Who song like W.A.S.P. did.^{[citation needed]} The song has become a staple of W.A.S.P. live shows ever since.

The song was covered by Pearl Jam within their song Daughter on September 29, 1996 in New York. Fastball also covered the song for 2002 album Substitute, The Songs Of The Who an album of Who cover versions performed by various other bands and artists.