Listening Booth – The Who, “Imagine a Man”
As much as the Who staked their claim as rock legends on high-octane numbers like "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "My Generation", I find that often it's the more contemplative songs where they really shine. Take, for instance, this cut from 1975's The Who By Numbers. The lyrics are bleak but the music...the music is startlingly simple and beautiful. Did Pete Townshend ever write a better ballad?
I'm not sure, but this is certainly a worthy contender. Here's "Imagine a Man":
Imagine a man
Not a child of any revolt
But a plain man tied up in life
Imagine the sand
Running out as he struts
Parading and fading, ignoring his wife
Imagine a road
So long looking backwards
You can't see where it really began
Imagine a load
So large and so smooth
That against it a man is a
