Getting in Tune
| "Getting in Tune" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Who from the album Who's Next | ||||
| Released | 14 August 1971 | |||
| Recorded | June 7, 1971, Olympic Studios, London | |||
| Length | 4:50 | |||
| Label |
Decca (US) Polydor (UK) |
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| Writer(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
| Producer(s) | The Who, Glyn Johns | |||
| Who's Next track listing | ||||
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| 9 tracks |
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"Getting in Tune" is a song written by Pete Townshend and originally released by the Who on their 1971 album Who's Next. It was originally written as part of Townshend's abandoned Lifehouse project. Its lyrics describe the power of music, as well as reflect the inner contradictions Townshend was feeling at the time between his spiritual needs and his persona as a rock star. The music incorporates a number of changes in tempo and has been praised by critics for its use of dynamics.
"Getting in Tune" was originally conceived as part of Townshend's abandoned Lifehouse project. The song's lyrics begin by noting that the singer doesn't really have anything to say. Rather he claims that "I'm singing this note 'cause it fits in well with the chords I'm playing/I can't pretend there's any meaning here or in the things I'm saying." However, the singer is fed up with this superficiality, and thus is "Getting in tune to the straight and narrow." Music critic Robert Christgau considers this line the real theme of the Who's Next album. Another line notes that "I'm going to tune right in on you." It is left ambiguous whether he is referring to a woman or a spiritual figure. The lyrics reflect the contradictions Townshend was feeling between his desire for spirituality and self-understanding against his persona as a hard-drinking hard-partying rock star. Along with the previous song on Who's Next, "The Song Is Over," "Getting in Tune" also incorporates a theme of the power of music, both socially and spiritually. Author Chris Charlesworth interprets the song as using a band tuning up for a show as a metaphor for creating harmony among diverse groups.
The music begins with session musician Nicky Hopkins playing a gentle tune on the piano while John Entwistle plays bass.Roger Daltrey sings the opening lines softly, but explodes on the line "I'm going to tune right in on you," supported by Keith Moon's drum fills. The music then relaxes again. There is a duet in which Daltrey and Townshend exchange the line ""Getting in tune to the straight and narrow," a section Allmusic critic Tom Maginnis considers "the song's catchiest hook." However, the music becomes more frantic again towards the end. Moon provides laid back drumming throughout most of the song, but speeds up for the frantic portion of the song at the end. Unlike many other songs on Who's Next, the instrumentation for "Getting in Tune" does not include synthesizers.
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Wikipedia