As The Who’s primary songwriter, Pete Townshend was always thinking on a large scale. Some of his big ideas were brought to life with the concept albums Tommy and Quadrophenia, and on the tracks intended for his abandoned Lifehouse project, many of which appeared on Who’s Next. It took Townshend until his fifth album away from The Who to write and record a solo concept album. White City: A Novel, which was released in 1985, is about everyday life in a large council estate in London’s West End, near where Townshend grew up.
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White City begins with “Give Blood,” so it’s our introduction to Townshend’s story about a poor and fractured neighborhood. On other tracks, he delves into an array of topics, from violence to masculinity to social divisions; on “Give Blood,” Townshend touches on all three of these themes. However, he couches them from a particular angle that puts the rest of the album into larger perspective.
“Give Blood”: Not Just an Anti-War Song
At first glance, the message of “Give Blood” seems simple and straightforward. After a grand and energetic instrumental introduction, the song’s lyrics begin with a verse about the thanklessness of shedding one’s own blood, ostensibly on behalf of a patriotic cause.
Give blood
But you may find that blood is not enough
Give blood
And there are some who’ll say it’s not enough
Give blood
But don’t expect to ever see reward
Give blood
You can give it all but still you’re asked for more
In the second verse, Townshend expands on the theme, adding that the act of “giving blood” feeds into political and social inequalities with lines like Parade your pallor in inequity.
So, Townshend is clear in his urging to be cautious with sacrificing oneself for one’s country or some other entity. He is equally clear in identifying an alternative, when in the chorus, he repeatedly advises us to Give love / And keep blood between brothers.
What’s less clear is what Townshend’s message is responding to. The lyrics to “Give Blood” don’t offer any clues, but in his extended White City project, Townshend makes his motivation for writing the song abundantly clear. In addition to the album, Townshend made a film based on the concept called White City: The Music Movie. The video includes an interview with Townshend in which he says that he—and the English post-war generation in general—was “brainwashed” to believe that “success was tied up with the pursuit of heroism.”
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In his quest to become a hero, Townshend left home to pursue his rock and roll career. While making the album and movie, he became fascinated with people who stayed behind in White City and neighborhoods like it. He viewed those who didn’t try to leave as rejecting the cultural orthodoxy and living life according to their own rules. By repudiating the pursuit of heroism, as defined by the cultural mainstream, they weren’t playing into the idea of sacrificing themselves for the betterment of those who don’t have their best interests in mind.
The Recording of “Give Blood”
Townshend did not play guitar—or any other instruments—on “Give Blood.” The song came out of a jam performed by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, bassist Pino Palladino, and drummer Simon Phillips. Townshend wrote the lyrics and vocal melody around the instrumental that the other three improvised.
In an instructional video for Drumeo, Phillips surmised that the only reason Townshend recorded “Give Blood” at all was because he accidentally booked him for the White City sessions a week too early. With no material ready for Phillips to record, Townshend retrieved a demo for “Give Blood” in order to give him something to work on.
The Impact of “Give Blood”
“Give Blood” was the second single released from White City. Unlike its predecessor, “Face the Face,” it did not crack the Billboard Hot 100. It did receive substantial airplay on album-oriented rock stations, though, peaking at No. 5 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. These two singles helped propel White City to the second-highest placement on the Billboard 200 among Townshend’s six solo albums, tying All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes with a peak position of No. 26.
In 2021, the Global Blood Fund used “Give Blood” to promote World Blood Donor Day. As part of the promotion, Global Blood Fund released several covers of the song performed by African musicians. Eddie Vedder also covered the song in some of his live performances in 2021 and 2022.
While “Give Blood” did not achieve the level of success that either “Face the Face” or Townshend’s biggest solo hit, “Let My Love Open the Door,” did, it still reigns as one of his best and most popular songs that he has recorded as a solo artist. The song has a grandeur and message that are worthy of the ambitions he had for the White City project.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
