Tommy's based almost entirely on the Joan Crawford film The Story of Esther Costello. Compare the plots With her marriage to womaniser Carlo Landi (Rossano Brazzi) in ashes, wealthy and childless Margaret Landi (Joan Crawford) finds an emotional outlet in patronizing a 15-year-old deaf, dumb, and blind Irish girl named Esther Costello (Heather Sears). Esther's disabilities are the result of a childhood trauma and are psychosomatic rather than physical. As Costello makes progress with Braille and sign language, she is seen as an example of triumph over adversity. Carlo gets wind of Margaret's new life and re-enters the scene. He views Esther as a source of cheap financial gain and arranges a series of exploitative tours for her under a mercenary manager Frank Wenzel (Ron Randell). One day when Margaret is absent from the Landi apartment, Carlo seduces and rapes the now 16-year-old Esther. The shock restores the girl's sight and hearing. When Margaret learns of her husband's business duplicities and the rape, she consigns Esther to the care of a priest and a young reporter who loves her (Lee Patterson). Margaret then kills Carlo and herself.
That’s a great point. I think we miss keeping that perspective in mind. Sure, song X is a great song, but think about it in comparison to its peers ... wow.
It's much more like Tommy if you actually see it. Carlo Landi is the lover while Frank Wenzel is Uncle Ernie.
1921 Opens with the intro heard in Overture with some dreamy piano added. The song finally comes to rest on a G chord at :18 with some Pete style suspended chords. Pete vocals sound great with a somewhat somber modal melody. At :37 it shifts to the E flat chord and then B flat......another "borrowing" from the Overture. Brilliant use of the harmonic material. At :49 the chorus shifts to C minor and it fits the lyrics. Pete does the Stairway To Heaven type riff with the descending bass line under the chord but he came first. At 1:05 a bridge enters and then rises out in trademark Pete fashion. At 1:28 it rises out again and the call and response is in conflict. You didn't see it....yes I did. Cool use of call and response by Roger and Pete. At 1:41 the verse returns and the chorus follows. At 2:21 the coda enters and is a foreshadowing of a song that will show up later in the album. The song ends on an E flat chord and does not resolve and leaves us asking a musical and lyrical question that is not answered.....more brilliant use of open ended cadences that match the lyrics perfectly. A fine song that incorporates modal mixing brilliance and use of music from Overture but with genius variation. The more you hear from the album the more you realize just how brilliant the Overture is. I won't say anymore on that I promise. Regardless, the story unfolds and the songwriting has yet to dip one second in quality.
I am glad you folks are discussing the story. I was hoping to leave that up to someone else. It is not exactly what you call a simple story!
Thanks for posting. IIRC, Pete decided not to add overdubs so it would be easier to play the album live and have it sound like the studio version.
1921. I've always liked this tune and it sounds as it could have been part of an actual classical opera. The best part is the chorus with the counter-vocals.
Odd thing about this song is that it's the moment where Tommy's father kills his mother's boyfriend, and musically...Nothing happens! The father makes to kill the guy ("I can brave bad weather"), then there's a chord change and "What about the boy, he saw it all!" Uh, saw what? Couldn't the boyfrtiend at least get a guitar solo to die by? (Seriously, I think this is why some listeners found the plot hard to grasp).
1921 The Who Got a feeling '21 Is going to be a good year Especially if you and me See it in together So you think '21 Is going to be a good year It could be good for me and her But you and her, no never! I had no reason to be over optimistic But somehow when you smiled I could brave bad weather What about the boy? What about the boy? What about the boy? He saw it all! You didn't hear it You didn't see it You won't say nothing to no-one Never in your life You never heard it Oh, how absurd it all seems Without any proof You didn't hear it You didn't see it You never heard it, not a word of it You won't say nothing to no-one Never tell a soul What you know is the Truth Got a feeling '21 Is going to be a good year Especially if you and me See it in together Got a feeling '21 Is going to be a good year Especially if you and me See it in together I had no reason to be over optimistic But somehow when you smiled I could brave bad weather Songwriters: PETE TOWNSHEND
i never noticed the response part from roger "i heard it" etc till now, i mustve played this a thousand times as a kid but i had a cheap plastic record player and i guess it didn't pick up that detail.....i don't think ive heard this album since then (30+ years) ...i guess im due for a relisten ps always loved the 'when you smile i can brave bad weather' part
Say what one will about Oliver Reed’s singing ability, but atleast the soundtrack version brings the action across with drama and clarity. I do wish The Who version did the same because it is otherwise terrific.
In the 1968 Rolling Stone interview Pete mentions that Tommy will be BORN deaf, dumb and blind. The introduction of this tragic incident was a major step forward in the composition. It changes everything. As Pete says in the soundtrack version of “Amazing Journey”, “the guilty are safe but always accused by his empty eyes”.
I'm wondering if anyone has ever asked Pete about the similarities between the two? It was a popular movie in Britain in 1957. The film was not rated and Pete would of been 12 at the time.
I was watching the late movie one night and when the ex-husband and the crook try to exploit Esther I was thinking 'this is just like Tommy' then it got a lot more like Tommy. Someone mentioned it once in an article but apart from that none's made the connection.
Skip past this comment if you've no tolerance for teenage stupidity! I worked at a bakery in high school and college, and beyond. I always thought that the cover of Tommy was the band baked into a lattice pie. Honi soit qui mal y pense!
I listened to the demos again this afternoon (inspired by this thread). I figured he just wanted to bring it closer to the end of World War 1. Rather than Captain Walker going missing in some obscure colonial battle.