"Zoot Suit" b/w "I'm the Face" was the first single of the British 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 ...

, who recorded it under the name the High Numbers in an attempt to appeal to a mod audience. "Zoot Suit" was written by Peter Meaden, the band's first manager. The song is a direct copy of "Misery" by the American R&B group

the Dynamics The Dynamics were an American R&B group from Detroit, Michigan. The Dynamics were formed in the early 1960s. Their first hit was 1963's "Misery", which formed the basis for the Who's first record, " Zoot Suit". In the late 1960s the group was ...

, while the B-side, "I'm the Face", is a copy of Slim Harpo's "I Got Love If You Want It." The single was meant for a mod audience, but failed to chart. The band changed their name back to The Who, found new management, and released their own composition "

I Can't Explain "I Can't Explain" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend, and produced by Shel Talmy. The song was issued as a single on 15 January 1965 in the United Kingdom, on the Brunswick label, and on the Decca label in ...

", which became a top ten hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Both songs embraced mod culture - a zoot suit being a fashionable item of clothing for mods, and a "Face" being mod slang for a well-respected member of mod society.

Album/single appearances

"I'm the Face" appeared on '' Odds & Sods'' in 1974 (2:37 full-length version in stereo). "I'm the Face" was again released as a B-side single to "

Long Live Rock "Long Live Rock" is a 1972 single by The Who, written by Pete Townshend. A different version of the song was performed by Billy Fury's character in the film ''That'll Be the Day'' (a film which featured Who drummer Keith Moon). The original Who ...

" along with a live version of "

My Wife "My Wife" is a song by the British rock band the Who, written by bass guitarist John Entwistle. It was originally released in 1971 on ''Who's Next'' and later as the B-side of the single "Baba O'Riley" on 6 November 1971 in Europe by Polydor Re ...

" for the UK single but was dropped on the U.S. single. Both "Zoot Suit" and "I'm the Face" appeared on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

to the 1979 film based on the Who's 1973 album ''

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, Whil ...

'' (fade-out versions in mono, 1:59 and 2:32, respectively). The chorus of the song "Cut My Hair" from ''Quadrophenia'' contains a line quoting "Zoot Suit" ("Zoot suit, white jacket with side vents five inches long"). "Zoot Suit" b/w "I'm the Face" was reissued in 1980 and reached #49 in the UK. "Zoot Suit" (short mono version) is the opening track from the compilation album ''

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 ...

'' released in October 2014. Both songs were featured 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 t ...

'' box set (short remixed stereo versions). "I'm the Face" appeared on '' Odds & Sods'' 1998 remix/remaster re-release (short remixed stereo version). It was released in 2015 in 24/96 high resolution as a HD track for download ('' Odds & Sods'' album on HD tracks, 2:37 full-length stereo version). Both songs appeared on the Quadrophenia

2000 remix/remaster re-release (short remixed stereo versions). Both songs (short mono versions) were featured on the first (Fontana) 45 single in the Brunswick singles box set, subsequently released as the first two tracks (also the short mono versions) on the "Maximum A's & B's" CD box set (2017) comprising all the Fontana/Brunswick/Reaction/Track/Polydor singles. Both songs were released on the '' Odds & Sods'' 2020 Record Store Day limited edition 2LP (both in full-length versions in stereo).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoot Suit I'm the Face 1964 debut singles The Who songs Fontana Records singles Songs involved in plagiarism controversies 1964 songs