Call Me Lightning (song)
"Call Me Lightning" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by The Who | ||||
from the album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour | ||||
A-side | "Dogs" (UK) | |||
B-side | "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (US) | |||
Released | 16 March 1968 (US)[1] 14 June 1968 (UK) | |||
Recorded | January, 25/26 February 1968[2] | |||
Studio | IBC Recording Studios (London, England)[2] Gold Star Studios (Los Angeles, California)[2] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:25 | |||
Label | Track | |||
Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
Producer(s) | Kit Lambert | |||
The Who singles chronology | ||||
|
"Call Me Lightning" is a 1968 song by British rock band The Who, written by guitarist Pete Townshend. It appears on their fourth American album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour and the compilation album The Ultimate Collection. In the United States, it was the follow-up single to their first U.S. Top 10 hit "I Can See for Miles" and reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 4 May 1968,[3] their 16th most successful single on the Hot 100.[4] Billboard described the single as a "pulsating rocker with a happy beat."[5] The song features a prominent bass solo by Entwistle. A promo video was made for the song, and this video was featured in the 1979 documentary The Kids Are Alright. The song was released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of "Dogs".
The B-side, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", had been considered as a possible single release, along with "Call Me Lightning," but it was released as the B-side of "Call Me Lightning" instead.[1] The song received mediocre reception from the Who and their fans, and biographer John Atkins feels that "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was a better song than "Call Me Lightning", even though its horror film imagery was unsuitable for a single.[1][6]
The song was behind the naming of the rock group Call Me Lightning.
Chart performance[]
Chart (1968) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia KMR | 30 |
Netherlands | 38 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] | 40 |
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[7] | 38 |
References[]
Citations
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Atkins 2000, p. 103
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Call Me Lightning - The Who". Thewho.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The Who Call Me Lightning Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "The Who Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 16, 1968. p. 78. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ Atkins 2000, p. 104
- ^ Hoffmann 1983, p. 639
Bibliography
- Atkins, John (2000). The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963-1998. MacFarland. ISBN 9781476606576.
- Hoffmann, Frank (1983). The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950–1981. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810815957.
- The Who songs
- 1968 songs
- Songs written by Pete Townshend
- Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert
- 1960s rock song stubs