"New Song" is the first track from

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 ...

's album ''

Who Are You ''Who Are You'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 18 August 1978 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States. Although the album received mixed reviews from critics, it was a ...

''. It was 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 ...

Lyrics

The lyrics of "New Song" are about

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is cap ...

's demand for bands to clone their previous hits.

, the author of the song, once said, "This is a diatribe against the requirements of FM radio (at the time) for every band of the day to produce 'clones' of their earlier successful airplay hits. This was my signal to everyone that I had decided to deal a wonky deck full of theatrical parodies and anachronisms. Needless to say, the song didn't get airplay and neither did it make the critics happy. Great sounding cut, such a pity it is full of such cynical sentiment."

Music

Like many of ''Who Are Yous songs, "New Song" features a slick production sound, as well as the use of synthesizers. New Song' was the first song I ever wrote on a polyphonic synthesizer," Townshend said. "It was blocked out on an ARP OMNI, that company's first polyphonic machine. It may have been the first multi-voice synth ever. But I cheated quite a lot; it had only one filter and envelope-shaping amplifier."

Release and reception

"New Song" was first released on the ''Who Are You'' album. It was not released as a single. ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' critic Richie Unterberger called the song one of ''Who Are Yous "blustery attempts at contemporary relevance", despite noting the track as a highlight from said album. Greil Marcus of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' said, "'New Song,' the first cut, rams home the guilt of having taken a free ride: 'I write the same old song, with a few new lines/And everybody wants to cheer me.'"The Who Who Are You Album Review
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References

{{authority control Songs written by Pete Townshend 1978 songs The Who songs