"I'm a Boy" is a 1966 rock song 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 ...

for

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 ...

. The song was originally intended to be a part of a rock opera called ''Quads'', which was to be set in a future in which parents can choose the sex of their children. The idea was later scrapped, but this song survived and was later released as a single. __TOC__

Overview

The song is about a family who "order" four girls, but a mistake is made and three girls and one boy are delivered instead. The boy dreams of partaking in sports and other boy-type activities, but his mother forces him to act like his sisters and refuses to believe the truth ("I'm a boy, I'm a boy, but my Ma won't admit it"). The track was produced by

Kit Lambert Christopher Sebastian "Kit" Lambert (11 May 1935 – 7 April 1981) was a British record producer, record label owner and the manager of The Who. Biography Early life Kit Lambert was born on 11 May 1935, the son of composer Constant Lamb ...

IBC Studios The IBC Recording Studios were independent recording studios located at 35 Portland Place in London, England. In the 1960s and 1970s, the studios become internationally famous after being used by recording artists like the Kinks, the Who, Bee Gee ...

around 31 July–1 August 1966 and released just over three weeks later on 26 August 1966, with "In the City" as 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 ...

. The single was successful in the British Isles, reaching number 2 in 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 ...

and Number 7 in Ireland. It failed to repeat that success in the US. The original recording (released as a single), which features

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 ...

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

arrangement prominently in the mix, is available on the album ''Who's Missing''. The version included on most compilations, between the original 1966 release and ''

The Who Hits 50! Billed as The Who Hits 50!, The Who's 2014–16 tour was a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band. Roger Daltrey has referred to this tour as the band's "long goodbye" hinting that it will be the final tour for The Who. The tour co ...

'', is exactly the same recording, with French horns removed. A different, slower version was recorded in London in the week of 3 October 1966 and was intended for an early version of ''

A Quick One ''A Quick One'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 9 December 1966. A version of the album with an altered track listing was released under the name ''Happy Jack'' on Decca Records in April 1967 in the Unit ...

'' titled ''Jigsaw Puzzle'', but was later released on '' Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy'' in 1971. Another similar version was released on a bonus disc of '' The Ultimate Collection'' in 2002 and is unique to that album. The song was performed at the Who's concert at

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, released in album format as ''

Live at Leeds ''Live at Leeds'' is the first live album by English rock band The Who. It was recorded at the University of Leeds Refectory on 14 February 1970, and is their only live album that was released while the group were still actively recording and p ...

.'' On the ''Live at Leeds'' album,

comments on the song by saying:

"In the City"

Released as the B-side of the single was "In the City", the only song credited to the songwriting collaboration of John Entwistle and

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 ...

. Entwistle referred to it as rip-off of

Jan and Dean Jan and Dean was an American rock music, rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf mu ...

, a group that was a favorite of Moon's. The track was later included on the 1995 reissue of ''

''.

References

Sources

* {{Authority control The Who songs 1966 singles Songs written by Pete Townshend Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert Decca Records singles Reaction Records singles 1966 songs