"Go to the Mirror!" is a song written by

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...

the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

. It appears as the fifteenth track on the group's first

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

, ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tommy (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army * Tommy Giacomelli (born 1974), Brazilian fo ...

'' (1969). "Go to the Mirror!" is included on the list of

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

About

Author Chris Charlesworth describes "Go to the Mirror!" as a "key ''Tommy'' song." The song advances the plot describing Tommy's healing process progressing through his ability to see his reflection. It is sung by a doctor who tells Tommy's parents that, after numerous tests, there is nothing medically wrong with him, and his problems, while very real (''"He seems to be completely unreceptive / The tests I gave him show no sense at all"''), are

psychosomatic Somatic symptom disorder, also known as somatoform disorder or somatization disorder, is chronic somatization. One or more chronic physical symptoms coincide with excessive and maladaptive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors connected to those symp ...

(''"All hope lies with him, and none with me"''). However, as they are trying to reach him, Tommy's subconscious is also trying to reach out to them (''"See me, feel me / Touch me, heal me"''). In the movie version of ''

'', the doctor is played by

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

. In the Broadway musical's original 1993 production, the song was sung by

Norm Lewis Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and baritone singer. He has appeared on Broadway and in London's West End, film, television, recordings and regional theatre. He is also noted for his wide vocal range. Lewis was the second ...

and

Alice Ripley Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' Next to Normal'' (2009 T ...

, who played the Doctor and his Assistant, respectively. In the Film Version, the line "Go to the Mirror Boy,” the track’s title, is left out of the lyrics, as well as the "Listening to You" verse which was included in the original version by The Who. The song invokes two recurring themes of the album, "

See Me, Feel Me "See Me, Feel Me" (aka Listening To You/See Me, Feel Me and See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You) is a song from English rock band The Who's 1969 album '' Tommy''. It consists of two overture parts from ''Tommy'', the second and third parts of the a ...

", and "Listening to You", which first appear (in lyric form) as the "Christmas" interlude, and is also the song cycle's finale (as part of the track " We're Not Gonna Take It"). This version in "Go to the Mirror!" is sung by Pete Townshend rather than

Roger Daltrey Sir Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Who, known for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. His stage persona ear ...

. Though Daltrey sings the majority of Tommy's parts, here he has been singing as the Doctor, so Townshend singing as Tommy provides effective contrast. The original demo Townshend recorded for the song includes one extra verse not used in the final recording, ''"I've kicked him, licked him, rubbed him, hit him, loved him / Everything in vain to let him know / I'm here my son, your dad, I wait for your sign / And in my heart frustration overflows."'' The song was also to be followed by the 10-second track titled "Success," but it was ultimately dropped. The repeating chords in this song are E, B, and A. After two lines with those chords, the third line goes from a G# into a C#m (then two hits on a B chord to end the line.) The fourth and final line of the chorus is almost all on A chords and ends on a B7.

Release

"Go to the Mirror!" was released as a single in Australia, backed with "I'm Free".

Personnel

– lead vocals *

– guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, co-lead vocals *

John Entwistle John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band the Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band ...

– bass guitar, backing vocals *

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 1946 – 7 September 1978) was an English musician who was the drummer for the rock band the Who. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music, he was noted for his unique style of playing and ...

– drums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Go To The Mirror! The Who songs Songs written by Pete Townshend 1969 singles Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert Polydor Records singles 1969 songs