"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)
Released16 March 1968 (US)[1]
14 June 1968 (UK)
RecordedJanuary, 25/26 February 1968[2]
StudioIBC Recording Studios
(London, England)[2]
Gold Star Studios
(Los Angeles, California)[2]
Genre
Length2:25
LabelTrack
Songwriter(s)Pete Townshend
Producer(s)Kit Lambert
The Who singles chronology
"I Can See For Miles"
(1967)		 "Call Me Lightning"
(1968)		 "Magic Bus"
(1968)

"Call Me Lightning" is a song written by Pete Townshend, guitarist of the British rock band The Who. Townshend first recorded a home demo of the song in 1964. The Who's recording was a single released in March 1968 and it later appeared on the Who's fourth American album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour.

In the United States "Call Me Lightning" was the follow-up single to the 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] Cash Box called it "an imaginative blend of rock-blues and rag" and praised "the potent group performance."[6] Record World said it "should turn into sales lightning as The Who do it. Hard, driving beat at its best from the group."[7]

The song features a prominent bass solo by John Entwistle. A promo film was made, and this later was included in the 1979 documentary The Kids Are Alright. "Call Me Lightning" was released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of the single "Dogs".

The US B-side, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", had been considered as a possible A-side single release, along with "Call Me Lightning," as the B-side.[1] "Call Me Lightning" received a mediocre reception from Who fans, and biographer John Atkins feels that "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was a better song, even though its horror film imagery was unsuitable for a single.[1][8] Cash Box called "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" a "psychedelified throbber on the lid that could attract added attention."[6]

The song was behind the naming of the rock group Call Me Lightning.

Chart performance

Chart (1968) Peak
position
Australia KMR 30
Canada RPM[9] 35
Netherlands 38
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 40
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[10] 38

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Atkins 2000, p. 103
  2. 1 2 3 "Call Me Lightning - The Who". Thewho.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 "The Who Call Me Lightning Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "The Who Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 16, 1968. p. 78. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  6. 1 2 "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 16, 1968. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  7. ↑ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 16, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  8. ↑ Atkins 2000, p. 104
  9. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - May 4, 1968" (PDF).
  10. ↑ 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.
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