“Pinball Wizard” by The Who has long been considered a classic, but did you know it was written in a petty attempt to get a good review?
Nearing the end of the recording process for Tommy, the band’s 1969 rock opera, Pete Townshend played the songs they had in the can for rock journalist, Nik Cohn. On top of his affinity for music, Cohn is an avid pinball player. When the album fell short for Cohn, Townshend knew exactly what to do to earn his favor back.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: 5 Beatles Songs that Paul McCartney Dislikes]
“I just remember saying to him, with maybe an element of sarcasm, ‘So, if it had pinball in it, would you give it a decent review?” Townshend told Uncut (quote via Ultimate Classic Rock). “He went, ‘Of course I would. Anything with pinball in it’s fantastic.’ And so I wrote ‘Pinball Wizard,’ purely as a scam.”
Though it started out as a playful jab at Cohn, it became the standout from Tommy. In the U.K., the song peaked at No. 4. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. It even earned a rendition by another rock giant, Elton John, in 1974. Despite the song’s success, Townshend has always felt the song was “clumsy.”
“This is awful, the most clumsy piece of writing I’ve ever done,” he said in the liner notes of the 2003 Tommy reissue (per SongFacts). “I’m embarrassed. This sounds like a Music Hall song. Sure plays a mean pinball. I scribbled it out and all the verses were the same length and there was no kind of middle eight.
“It was going to be a complete dud, but I carried on,” he continued. “I attempted the same mock baroque guitar beginning that’s on ‘I’m a Boy’ and then a bit of vigorous kind of flamenco guitar. I was just grabbing at ideas, I knocked a demo together and took it to the studio and everyone loved it.”
Well, everyone but Townshend. His distaste for the song is unfortunate, given that it quickly became a staple in The Who’s live shows. According to Setlist.fm, “Pinball Wizard” is The Who’s second most played song of all time. It comes second only to “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
When you write as many songs as Townshend has, it stands to reason at least one would fall short. It just so happens that the one song Townshend hates the most became one of their biggest hits. Go figure.
(Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for The Who)
More Features
-
Photo by Stanley Bielecki/ASP/Getty Images -
th September 1976: British rock group Queen at Les Ambassadeurs, where they were presented with silver, gold and platinum discs for sales in excess of one million of their hit single 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The band are, from left to right, John Deacon, Freddie Mercury (Frederick Bulsara, 1946 – 1991), Roger Taylor and Brian May. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) -
Left to right: Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, of British heavy rock group Led Zeppelin, performing at Earl's Court, London, May 1975. The band were initially booked to play three nights at the venue, from 23rd to 25th May, but due to public demand, two more concerts were later added, for 17th and 18th May. Total ticket sales were 85,000. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry -
Badfinger performs at Pasadena Civic Auditorium Pasadena, CA 1972; Various Locations; Mark Sullivan 70's Rock Archive (Photo by Mark Sullivan/Contour by Getty Images) -
12th April 1982: Laid back American country singer Don Williams performing in the Country Music Festival at Wembley. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
INGLEWOOD – FEBRUARY 19: Prince performs live at the Fabulous Forum on February 19, 1985 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
