Drowned (song)
| "Drowned" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Who from the album Quadrophenia | ||||
| Released | October 19, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | May 1972 and June 1973, Olympic Studios, London (except "The Kitchen" in Battersea, London in Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio) | |||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 5:26 | |||
| Label |
Track/Polydor (UK) Track/MCA (US) | |||
| Writer | Pete Townshend | |||
| Producer | The Who, Kit Lambert, Glyn Johns | |||
| Quadrophenia track listing | ||||
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"Drowned" is a song written by Pete Townshend, the guitarist for The Who, for their sixth album, Quadrophenia.
Lyrics and music
The oldest song featuring on Quadrophenia ("Joker James", though hailing from the Tommy era, did not feature on the album), "Drowned" was initially written as an ode to Meher Baba in early 1970. Townshend sang it facing the tomb of Meher Baba on his first visit to India in January 1972. According to Townshend, "When the tragic hero of Q[uadrophenia] sings it, it is desperate and nihilistic. In fact, it's a love song, God's love being the ocean and our 'selves' being the drops of water that make it up. Meher Baba said, 'I am the Ocean of Love.' I want to drown in that ocean, the 'drop' will then be an ocean itself.""[1] In Quadrophenia, "Drowned" tells of how Jimmy contemplates drowning himself in the water. At the end, seagulls, crowd noises and waves can be heard, along with Pete Townshend walking along singing the sixth verse of "Sea and Sand". The piano part was borrowed from the song "Hitchcock Railway" by Joe Cocker. The section of music coming directly before the third verse was later slightly reworked and used in the song "5.15".
Live performances
"Drowned" is one of the most performed songs by the Who from Quadrophenia, being played throughout their tours, and because it required no backing tapes, it was often performed as a full band jam. Though Roger Daltrey sings on the album cut and the original Quadrophenia tours, Pete Townshend took up lead vocals after the death of Keith Moon and Daltrey played harmonica. From the 1996-97 tours onwards, it has been played as an acoustic-guitar-only solo performance by Townshend.
The Who albums and videos featuring "Drowned"
In order of release;
- Quadrophenia
- Hooligans
- Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live
- Live at the Royal Albert Hall/The Who & Special Guests: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
- Tommy and Quadrophenia Live
- Live from Toronto
Cover versions
The jam band Phish covered "Drowned" and the song "Sea and Sand" on their live album New Year's Eve 1995 – Live at Madison Square Garden, and have played an extended version of "Drowned" in several of their concerts since.
Personnel
- The Who
- Roger Daltrey – lead vocals
- Pete Townshend – lead vocals in live performances, lead and rhythm guitars, sound effects
- John Entwistle – bass guitar, horns
- Keith Moon – drums, percussion
- Featuring
References
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