I Can See for Miles
"I Can See for Miles" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Who | ||||
from the album The Who Sell Out | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released |
| |||
Recorded |
| |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
Producer(s) | Kit Lambert | |||
The Who singles chronology | ||||
|
"I Can See for Miles" is a song by the English rock band the Who, recorded for the band's 1967 album The Who Sell Out. Written by guitarist Pete Townshend,[4] it was the only song from the album to be released as a single.
Recording
Recorded in several separate sessions in studios across two continents, the recording of "I Can See for Miles" exemplifies the increasingly sophisticated studio techniques of rock bands in the late 1960s, such as those used for
Critical reception
The song is ranked number 40 on
It was ranked number 262 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2010.[12] In 2012, Paste ranked the song number four on their list of the 20 greatest The Who songs,[13] and in 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the song number two on their list of the 50 greatest The Who songs.[14]
Personnel
- Roger Daltrey - vocals
- Pete Townshend - backing vocals, guitar
- John Entwistle - backing vocals, bass
- Keith Moon - drums
Charts and legacy
"I Can See for Miles" reached number 10 in the
The song may have inspired the Beatles' "Helter Skelter". Paul McCartney recalls writing "Helter Skelter" after reading a review of The Who Sell Out in which the critic claimed that "I Can See for Miles" was the "heaviest" song he had ever heard. McCartney had not heard the song but wrote "Helter Skelter" in an attempt to make an even "heavier" song than the one praised in the review, "to be the most raucous vocal, the loudest drums, et cetera".[18]
According to Setlist.fm the last time it was played in concert was 17th June 2023 in Florence, Italy[19]
References
- Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-4422-4010-0.
- ^ a b Unterberger, Richie (5 July 2012). "I Can See for Miles". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- ^ "Show 49 – The British are Coming! The British are Coming!: With an emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. [Part 6] : UNT Digital Library". Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ Charlesworth, C. "The Who Sell Out Liner Notes". thewho.net. Archived from the original on 10 December 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made Archived 4 February 2002 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Rocklist.net....NME Greatest Singles Lists..." rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s – Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles". Billboard. 30 September 1967. p. 15.
- Cash Box. 30 September 1967. p. 34.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Who: 'I Can See for Miles'". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ "I Can See for Miles ranked #262 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. 11 December 2003. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ Tremml, Brian (7 November 2012). "The 20 Best Songs by The Who". Paste. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "The Who's 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "The Who". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- Billboard.com. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Atkins, John. The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963–1998. McFarland. p. 89.
- ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
- ^ "The Who Setlist at Firenze Rocks Festival 2023". setlist.fm. Retrieved 19 March 2024.