i say irony with a question mark because ive given up trying to determine what is actually ironic and what is just alanis morissette ironic. happy independence day all of you americans out there. independence day really has special meaning for me. it means that i typically get at least one day off work (sometimes two), that i will probably be at a lake or a pool, and that there will be tons of delicious food, namely tons and tons of ribs. and delicious watermelon, perhaps the food i most associate with summer. it also means that i will probably get to see some cool artists that i love over the weekend for free (see yesterdays post for more info). oh yeah, and that im free to do what i want any old time. for the most part.

thats why im going to be bringing you a track by one of my favorite classic rock artists in the history of the universe, none other than the who. the obvious play here would be to post “im free”, a great track off their rock opera “tommy”, but im all about not taking the easy way out. well, thats not true at all, but humor me a little here. last summer (i just looked it up, and cant believe it was that long ago), vh1s annual rock honors show honored the who, and it was pretty awesome. a slew of modern day artists that i all enjoy played pretty much every single one of my favorite songs by the who, and they all did these songs total justice in my opinion. we got pearl jam performing “the real me” and “love reign o’er me”, my favorites from quadrophenia. we got the flaming lips performing a medley from tommy including the class “see me, feel me” (and have i mentioned how pumped i am to finally see them live in a few weeks at pitchfork festival? im sure i have). and, among others, we got incubus performing “i can see for miles”, my favorite track of the moment by the who.

what is it about this song that stands out to me over the millions of other classic tracks by the who that we all know and love? again, its the contrast of majors and minors. the track starts out in a minor key, and even the first chorus is in a minor key, and then it becomes major with double time drum beats. then the chorus is minor again. then major again. then minor again. then super super major. with tasty wailling guitars just as the song fades to black. whats not to love? if you dont like this song, especially on today, independence day, then you are unamerican. but a lot of you actually are from other countries, so even if you like this song, you are still unamerican. not that its a good or bad thing, its just a fact.

the who – i can see for miles


buy this track on itunes
buy this track on itunes