"Eminence Front" is a song by The Who, written and sung by lead guitarist Pete Townshend. It appears as the sixth track on the group's tenth studio album It's Hard (1982). The single entered Billboard Hot 100 on 25 December 1982, reaching number 68.[3][4]
| "Eminence Front" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of the cancelled UK single | ||||
| Single by the Who | ||||
| from the album It's Hard | ||||
| B-side | "One at a Time"[2] | |||
| Released | December 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Arena rock,[1] funk[2] | |||
| Length | 5:39 | |||
| Label | Polydor (UK) Warner Bros. (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
| Producer(s) | Glyn Johns | |||
| The Who singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Promo music video | ||||
| "Eminence Front" by the Who on YouTube | ||||
Background and recording
editIn the song, Townshend sings about the delusions and drug use of the wealthy and hedonistic. The lyrics describe a party in which people hide from their problems behind a façade. Townshend has introduced the song in live performances with: "This song is about what happens when you take too much white powder; it's called 'Eminence Front'."[5] In an interview, Townshend explained:
"Eminence Front" was written around a chord progression I discovered on my faithful Yamaha E70 organ. I hesitate to try to explain what it was about. It's clearly about the absurdity of drug-fueled grandiosity, but whether I was pointing the finger at myself or at the cocaine dealers of Miami Beach is hard to recall.[6]
In the originally released version, there is a timing flaw or a syncopation in the first chorus, where Townshend sings "behind an eminence front" at the same time Daltrey sings "it's an eminence front", with Townshend one syllable behind. A more linear-sounding remixed version appears on the 1997 re-release of It's Hard (a live version, recorded on the band's final stop on their 1982 tour in Toronto, appears as a bonus track on the re-release). Additionally, the remix has Townshend's vocals panned centrally rather than hard right in the stereo field.[citation needed]
Personnel
editThe Who:
- Pete Townshend – lead vocals, lead guitar, yamaha E70 organ, backing vocals
- Roger Daltrey – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- John Entwistle – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Kenney Jones – drums
Additional Personnel:
- Tim Gorman – electric piano
Release
edit"Eminence Front" was scheduled to be released as a single in the UK by Polydor Records in 1982; the catalog number was WHO 7 but the single was never released. The picture sleeve, by Richard Evans, depicted a 1930s Art Deco house in Miami.[7] The single in its picture sleeve was finally released in 2017 as part of The Who's The Polydor Singles 1975-2015 box set.[8] It was released as a promotional 12" single in both the US and UK, and as a 7" single in the US and Canada.
Critical reception
editIn a wholly negative review of It's Hard, Robert Christgau gave faint praise to "Eminence Front" as the album's high point, sarcastically noting how the aging Townshend "discovers funk. Just in time. Bye."[2] Cash Box said that it "rides along on Pete Townshend's cleanly slicing guitar and the band's patented synth sound" as well as a "strong bottom" from the drums and bass guitar."[9] Rolling Stone ranked the song as the Who's tenth best song, stating, "'Eminence Front' showed they could connect Townshend's new wave-influenced solo work with the classic sound of Who's Next."[6]
In popular culture
editThe song has been used as the intro music for Dallas Mavericks games since it was adopted during the 2000–01 NBA season, the team's final season at the Reunion Arena.[10]
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1982–1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 68 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[12] | 5 |
References
edit- ^ Sheffield, Rob (27 September 2022). "100 Best Songs of 1982". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
...one final blast of greatness with "Eminence Front", one of their meatiest, beatiest arena-rousers...
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (25 January 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017.
- ^ "Discography". thewho.com. Archived from the original on 14 March 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ "Billboard". Billboard.
- ^ The Archivist (11 October 2011). "Video Classics: Eminence Front". Wnew.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ^ a b Browne, David; Fricke, David; Dolan, Jon; Grow, Kory; Gehr, Richard; Greene, Andy; Hermes, Will (3 March 2016). "The Who's 50 Greatest Songs: 10. 'Eminence Front' ('It's Hard', 1982)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "THE POLYDOR SINGLES BOX 1975 – 2015". thewho.com. The Who. 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 4 December 1982. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ Christiansen, Thor (22 October 2019). "What Pete Townshend of The Who thinks about the Mavs' intro song (which he wrote)". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ "The Who Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "The Who Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.