The Who Top 40 countdown! (please do not list spoilers/predictions)

First 2 for 2 day!

34 Love Ain’t for Keeping - Had this at 25. Short but memorable song from Who's Next

33 The Punk and the Godfather - Had this at 9. First of my Top 10 songs to make it and one of my favorites from Quadrophenia

3/8 overall

 

Ditto

I think being 1/8 on my favorite band is actually a good thing.

 

Had Love @31.

Punk didn't make my Top 40 but easily could have. Another case of too many great songs and Punk didn't make my off the top of my head immediate without further thought Top 40. But it deserved to (along with another 100 Who songs)...

 

#34 Love Ain’t for Keeping

#33 The Punk and the Godfather

Neither in my Top 40 so 3/8 so far. Does anyone else feel a strange sort of guilt when obviously great songs are listed and you don't have them in the Top 40. Almost like you have let the songs down somehow?

 

40 Overture (1)
39 Sea and Sand (20)
38 Sparks (5)
37 Tattoo (21)
36 Happy Jack (not ranked)
35 I'm One (27)
34 Love Ain’t for Keeping (not ranked)
33 The Punk and the Godfather (39)

6 of 8
Happy Jack: While i love this song because is so much fun and so strange as a song, different from anything else, but i didn’t have enough room to include it in my list. There’s other songs more important to me. Great drums, good riff and it’s something only Pete Townshend could create. The video is hilarious. I know is Roger who sings it but his voice is different here. Very versatile because he gave the song a narrative tone that i like.
I’m One: This one is special for me. The reflexive tone of the song, Pete vocals is perfect for this kind of song. He really wrote songs that an insecure kid like i was back then i could relate to. He was writing for me and for everyone who was not a cool kid. I love when The Who fooled us with songs that start as a ballad but then suddenly becomes a rocker. Only them could do that with class.
Love Ain’t for Keeping: Not in my list, while a like it, there’s many more songs that i like better than this one. Love the acoustic guitars, the harmony vocals and the lyrics.
The Punk and the Godfather: This is an amazing song from Quadrophenia, the riff, the bass, the different parts and Roger vocals are amazing. My favorite moment is when Pete comes in with the “I have to be careful not to preach..” and then the second harmony vocals enters with “And on the dance floor…” Amazing!!

 

Love Ain't For Keeping - this is my first true shock result so far. I love all Lifehouse/WN-era songs, but this one would be behind 10+ others, so I'll be fascinated to see if I just differ from the group, or if they will all make it!

Punk and Godfather - was my #9. One of my two very-favorite tracks from my very-favorite album. I'll never forget the first time I heard it, I was at my friend's, and we listened to his older brother's copy. I had chills, and insisted we play it again. I played it this week, and I STILL get chills. I'm so pleased to see this one made it - great voting, you all!

I am now 3/6 overall, and 2/2 from Quadrophenia

 

I logged in too late on Saturday to (finally!) submit my list. Had a great time making it all the same. Created a Spotify playlist of my contenders for the Top 40 and played it at home, work, in the car, etc. for a couple of weeks. Four days into the reveal, no real surprises considering the depth of the catalog and the range of albums, periods, eras that will each have its fans. I am 3 for 8 so far, with I'm One, at #19, being my highest rated to appear so far. More in line with the results, I went with Happy Jack at #38 and Sparks at #36. Tattoo was on the bubble at #42.

 

I feel the opposite ... I was only confident that I had a proper top 40 once I knew that I was excluding great songs. On the U2 top 40 I definitely felt that I was casting round for songs to fill the bottom quarter of my list.

 

Got both today. A mini rally for me. 4 out of 8 so far. Love the bridge in The Punk Meets the Godfather..beautiful

 

I had Love Ain’t For Keeping at no. 28 - my estimation of this straightforward but hugely effective song has gone up over the years. The early Pete sung version and the excellent Young Vic one bump it up a bit too.

I had Punk & The Godfather at no. 16 - PT laying bare his own perceived hypocrisy, veering between the anthemic and the vulnerable? Yes please!

6/8 so far

 

#34 Love Ain’t for Keeping
My #10! I can see why many might dismiss this one, especially on that particularly strong album. I think those reasons might be some of the same reasons I myself embrace the song. It's light and breezy, doesn't go on too long, and it just feels so good - I love the laidback groove on this one, the loose acoustic texture, those backing vocal harmonies behind the solo/interlude section. Daltrey sounds fantastic on the verse, it just fits in his vocal range so nicely. That's the Who's Next version...then there's the NY Record Plant Session version that Townshend sings, where the tempo is faster and the guitars more distorted, so that's a cool alternate take. Townshend's demo is also a good listen. The ranking engine working out this as my #10 surprises me, I think I have to again credit that to just how relaxed the groove feels, and how the song doesn't overstay its welcome. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Tales from Topographic Oceans fan, long songs don't bother me. But I think there's something great when a song is only as long as it needs to be, just comes in and goes back out, especially in the context of an album where a few songs do go on quite a bit.

#33 The Punk and the Godfather
I didn't rank this one. I love everything on Quadrophenia as a whole, but I'd say it's 50/50 between songs that really jump out at me and that I absolutely love, and others that I just think are perfect in the context of the album but that I don't reach for individually. For me this song is one of the latter type. I'll listen to it and enjoy it, but when the poignant strains of "I'm One" fade in right after it, I'm more engaged immediately by something that moves me.

 

1 for 2 for today's reveal (3 for 8 overall)

Love Ain't For Keeping - This one came in at #31 on my list. Out of 8 songs from Who's Next that made my list, It was the 7th highest ranked.

The Punk And The Godfather - This one did not make my final list. It was under consideration as one of my 110 songs, but it only finished in my top 60. Good song that I enjoy more in the entire Quadrophenia setting. Also, really enjoy this one when performed live rather than listening to the studio version.

 

Yeah you should've!

 

"Love Ain't for Keeping" is at #39 on my list. An excellent Who's Next track -brief, but powerful.

2/8 so far.

 

Wow, what a cool version, haven't heard that one before. Thanks.

 

I'm definitely getting the vibe that my bottom 15 or so will not be on this list at all, which is just fine, I guess.

I love "Love" but it didn't make my list; Punk was 5 for me and surprised it wasn't higher for all of us, I think as a standalone supernimble and powerful rocker it dominates QUAD. And that middle-eight is one of the BEST MIDDLE EIGHTS OF ALL TIME!!

 

Love Ain't For Keeping is my #46. Great song but up against too many others. Recurring theme for many of us. I enjoy the various alternate versions

Punk and the Godfather is my #38. This was an early fave from Quadrophenia for me but has faded a little bit over the years. But still top 40 worthy as there are no songs that are less than good on the album in my books.

 

#34 Love Ain’t for Keeping. (My #13)

It might be slight but there isn’t a wasted note on this tune, the guitar licks and harmonies are awesome.

A nice little pop tune to remind us that the clouds will pass, let the people you care about know that you love them and a bit of Baba Meher metaphors about drowning in love which we will see more of on Quad.

#33 The Punk and the Godfather (dnr)

It rocks, I like the my generation part and love, love it when Pete comes in with the “pounding stages like a clown.
And on the dance floor broken glass” section. So great.

I just have so many other songs on Quad and by this band in general that I didn’t rank it but I have no problem seeing it here.

 

1/2

Love Ain't For Keeping #58
The Punk And The Godfather #34

5/8

 

Love Ain’t For Keeping - just snuck in as my no. 40. It may be ‘slight’ by Who standards but it’s also lovely and when trying to think of favourites beyond my obvious choices the refrain jumped into my mind.

The Punk and the Godfather - I had to play this again to remember how it goes. It’s another of those songs that for me just gets lost in the flow of Quadrophenia and doesn’t stand out as an important song in its own right.

 

1/2 today, 3/8 overall.

Love Ain’t For Keeping - #20 on my list. @SRC summed this one up well.

The Punk and The Godfather - made my shortlist but just missed out of my top 40. Listening again today and could easily have been placed. Pretty much all of the 80 I shortlisted would’ve been worthy and there are probably others that missed out just because I was unfamiliar with them prior to starting this process.
Luckily for me I still have some Who songs that almost feel like new songs due to ignoring the post Moon albums in the past.

 

34. Love Ain't For Keeping - my #23. Love it. I don't know how it would have tied into the Lifehouse narrative, whether these are characters in the story or not, but I've always just taken it as one of Pete's most openly romantic tunes. It works as such beautifully. The gentle acoustic treatment, in the midst of all the power and fury around it, makes it even more appealing to me. The lovely angelic harmonies of Pete and John even more so. Another lovely open, honest vocal from Roger.

Short and sweet, it just seems to say 'cherish our love, love this beautiful moment' and such lovely sentiments. I'm a sucker for all of that.

I just convinced myself that I should have ranked this higher.

33. The Punk and the Godfather - my #5. This is one of the key tracks that blew my mind when listening to the album in my local library as a teen. I didn't know what it was about, just loved the confrontational sound, periodically alleviated by gentler passages.

The narrative of the song wasn't clear to me for the longest time - I think I took it as dressing down political leaders (which could work pretty well too). I understand now that it is actually about Jimmy experiencing a 'never meet your heroes' moment - being disillusioned after meeting his (and the mods') favorite rock stars, perhaps even The Who themselves. Of course, Jimmy's doomed attempts at defining his identity and modeling himself after mod leaders pop up again a few songs later in Bell Boy.

The band is in great form here, with John in particular wandering up and down on his fretboard, coming up with amazing, melodic lines at every turn. That guitar 'riff' is fantastic! Many of my favorite riffs of Pete's are in fact powerfully strummed chords, like here, and also Bell Boy, Pinball Wizard, The Seeker and Amazing Journey. Great juxtaposition of Roger's powerful, defiant vocals and Pete's contemplative ones.

I never heard the 'M-m-m-my generation' until now! I remember hearing Roger sing it in live versions, and wondered what made him do that. That's awesome - not too late to learn something new, even for a long-time fan.

2 for 2 today! 4 of 8 overall - so far doing much better than in the Queen ranking. But it's early, I know...

 

You just reminded me of something I've wondered for a while and I never remembered to ask - so might as well here - does anyone know what the synthesized vocals are saying at the end of The Rock? It repeats a refrain and I've never been able to work out what the disguised words are meant to be?

 

Love Ain't For Keeping is my #20. I'm a big fan of acoustic Who songs and this one hits the sweet spot.

The Punk & The Godfather is my #10. It's a perfect Who song that has all the elements I love. Power chords, dynamics, beautiful bridge, Roger and Pete vocals, great bass, great drums, great lyrics. It's a classic that hasn't been overplayed.

I'm 6/8.

 

Neither of these were on my list.