A Quick One, While He's Away

The Who

About A Quick One, While He's Away

"A Quick One, While He's Away" is a 1966 song in six movements written by Pete Townshend and recorded by the Who for their second album A Quick One. The song also appears on the album BBC Sessions. In the performance on their Live at Leeds album Townshend calls the nine-minute "epic" track a "mini-opera" and introduces it as "Tommy's parents". The song tells the story of an unnamed girl whose lover has been gone "for nearly a year". Her friends inform her that they "have a remedy"; the remedy comes in the form of Ivor the Engine Driver. When the lover returns, the girl confesses her infidelity, and she is ultimately forgiven. 


Year:
1970
13:44
36 

Lyrics currently unavailable…


The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica), Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar, keyboards), John Entwistle (vocals, bass) and Keith Moon, (drums, vocals). They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction. The Who have sold about 100 million records, and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as 17 top ten albums, with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone. more »

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10 facts about this song

Album Release
"A Quick One, While He's Away" is a song from The Who's 1966 album "A Quick One."
Length
The song is significantly longer than most of the songs being released at the time, clocking in at roughly nine minutes.
Genre defining
It is often credited as the first rock opera, predating The Who's own full-length rock opera, "Tommy."
Song Structure
Unlike most conventional songs of its time, "A Quick One, While He's Away" is made up of six shorter works, making it more similar to classical works with multiple movements.
Story-Telling
The song's narrative spans infidelity, remorse, and reconciliation, unfolding as a mini-opera.
Composition
It was composed by Pete Townshend, the band’s guitarist.
Live Performances
"A Quick One, While He's Away" was performed live at the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus, a concert film event from 1968. This remains one of its most famous live performances.
Famous Cover
The song was covered by Green Day during their live album "Bullet in a Bible."
Distinctiveness
The song is marked by unconventional and distinct vocal excitations, singing the word "cello" in the place of an actual cello performance.
Cultural Reference
Part of the song is included in Wes Anderson's movie Rushmore.

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