The Who’s 50 Greatest Songs
From power-pop anthems to operatic epics to stadium-size rockers and beyond
In the summer of 1964 a young British rock band called the High Numbers released their debut single “Zoot Suit,” and watched it disappear without a trace. The supremely-forgettable song was written by their manager Pete Meaden; a few months later, when they headed back into the studio, they decided to rename themselves the Who and let guitarist Pete Townshend try his hand at songwriting. It was a wise decision. The first single released was “I Can’t Explain,” which kicked off a stunning two-decade run of music that paved the way for punk, metal, power pop and progressive rock. Check out our list of their 50 best songs.
[A version of this list was originally published in March 2016]
From Rolling Stone US