"Dogs" is a
UK single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
written by
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
and released by
the Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
in June 1968. It reached number 25 on the
UK singles chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, lower than any single the band had released in several years.
[ The ]B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
of the UK single was " Call Me Lightning". Both songs were originally released mixed in mono only, as they were not intended for album release.
Background
The lyrics of "Dogs" were inspired by Townshend's friend Chris Morphet who had a fascination with greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...
. Morphet contributes harmonica and backing vocals. The song references two dogs who raced in the 1968 English Greyhound Derby, "Camira Flash" and "Yellow Printer".
"Dogs" was recorded at London's Advision Studios in May 1968. Townshend booked this studio as it was one of the first in the UK to install professional reel-to-reel eight-track equipment. Prior to this The Who had only recorded in the UK at studios with a maximum of four tracks.
Critics have suggested that the song is similar to " Lazy Sunday", which had been a recent hit. John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band's only member ...
also thought it sounded like the Small Faces
Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The band w ...
and that it would have been better if they had recorded it. Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band The Who.
Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Ge ...
concurred, stating that the song was Townshend's "tribute to Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73).
Lane formed Small Faces in ...
" and that "it’d have been better if Pete had just given the song to Ronnie in the first place. As a Who record, it was all a bit frivolous for me.”[ Townshend thought this was one of the songs recorded during a period when the group went "slightly mad."
A subsequent song "Dogs (Part Two)" was later released as the B-side of "]Pinball Wizard
"Pinball Wizard" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the English rock band the Who, featured on their 1969 rock opera album ''Tommy''. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts ...
" in 1969.[ Despite the titles the two songs are musically unrelated.][ "Dogs (Part Two)" is an instrumental credited to Keith Moon. Both "Dogs" songs were included on the 1987 U.S. collection '']Two's Missing
''Two's Missing'' is a compilation album by English rock band The Who.
Album content
Released in 1987 on vinyl, cassette and CD, ''Two's Missing'' gathered singles and EP tracks that hadn't appeared on album or CD. The album cover design is b ...
''. That album is out of print, but "Dogs" is available in a 1990s era stereo remix on the box set '' 30 Years of Maximum R&B''; a stereo mix of "Dogs (Part Two)" was included on the bonus disc of the ''Tommy
Tommy may refer to:
People
* Tommy (given name)
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
'' deluxe edition in 2003. It was once again released in mono as it was included in the two-disc edition of ''The Who Hits 50!''.
Reception
''Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' magazine describes the song as "mockney music-hall."[ ''Uncut'' praised its whimsy, imaginative arrangement and "tumultuous rhythm."][ Who biographer John Atkins praises its "soaring melodies, interesting chord changes and irresistible hook lines" and particularly praises "one really tremendous descending melody" at the 2:28 mark.][ Atkins claims that it is "probably the most underrated song ever released by The Who" and goes so far as to state that it "can be seen as a masterpiece of 1960s pop."][ On the contrary, author Mat Snow described the song as "amusing and zany but melodically unfocused."]
Personnel
* Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band The Who.
Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Ge ...
– lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
* Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
– electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
, piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, co-lead vocals, backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
* John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band's only member ...
– bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
, co-lead vocals, backing vocals
* Keith Moon
Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Moon grew ...
– drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
, percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
* Chris Morphet – harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
, backing vocals
References
{{authority control
The Who songs
1968 singles
Songs written by Pete Townshend
Track Records singles
1968 songs
Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert