"Heaven and Hell" is a song by English rock band

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 ...

written by group bassist John Entwistle. The studio version (originally recorded for an April 1970 BBC session), which appeared on the B-side of the live "Summertime Blues" single, is currently available on the ''

Thirty Years of Maximum R&B ''Thirty Years of Maximum R&B'' is a box set by British rock band, The Who released by Polydor Records internationally and by MCA Records in the U.S.; since 2003, it has been issued in America by Geffen Records. The set consists of four CDs th ...

'' boxed set, '' Who's Missing'', and ''

Odds & Sods ''Odds & Sods'' is an album of studio outtakes by British rock band the Who. It was released by Track Records in the UK and Track/MCA in the US in October 1974. Ten of the recordings on original eleven song album were previously unreleased. ...

'', although several live versions of the song exist on official releases. The song was one of many Entwistle B-side singles and one of his live staples.

Lyrical meaning

The song's lyrics talk of the places known as Heaven and Hell. The song describes Heaven as "a place where you go if you've done nothing wrong," and Hell as "a place where you go if you've been a bad boy." John Entwistle stated his stance on Heaven and Hell in an interview:

The last lyric ballot of the song: 'Why can't we have eternal life, And never die, Never die?' "I've always been obsessed with the idea of Heaven and Hell. Not obsessed that it's true, but just obsessed that it's sort of legend, there's such a person as the devil.

Live history

"Heaven and Hell" first appeared in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

and was used to start live shows during The Who's ''

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'' tours in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

– 70, including the shows recorded for ''

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 ...

'', '' Live at Hull'', ''

At Kilburn 1977 + Live at the Coliseum ''The Who at Kilburn: 1977'' is a film of two live performances by British rock band the Who released as a two-disc DVD set on 17 November 2008 by Image Entertainment. The first disc included the band's performance at the Gaumont State Cinema ...

'', and '' Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970'', although the version at Leeds was not released until the album's remastering.The Who ''At Kilburn 1977'' booklet The band opened their early morning set at

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

with the song. After 1970, the song was replaced by another Entwistle composition, "

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", in the act. It was briefly brought back in October 1975 during the beginning of the UK leg of

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, but after that was never performed live again by The Who, although Entwistle continued to perform it at his solo shows regularly.

Entwistle solo versions

The song was re-recorded by Entwistle for his solo album, '' Smash Your Head Against the Wall'', a longer version featuring a horn section. This version was included on the Entwistle compilation album '' So Who's the Bass Player? The Ox Anthology''.

References

{{authority control 1970 singles The Who songs Songs written by John Entwistle 1970 songs