"
I'm a Boy" is a
1966 rock
song written by
Pete Townshend for
his band
The Who. The song was originally
intended to be a part of a rock opera called 'Quads' which was to
be set in the future where parents can choose the gender of their
children. The idea was later scrapped, but this song survived and
was later released as a single.
The family in the story asked for four girls, but instead got three
girls and one boy. This song is the boy's lament at the mistake.
The song is often regarded as an early precursor to Townshend's
epic
rock operas later on in
The Who's career, especially
Tommy.
The track was produced by Kit Lambert at IBC Studios
around July 31-August 1, 1966, and released just
over three weeks later on August 26, 1966 with "In the City" as the
B-side. The single was successful, reaching number two on
the
UK singles chart. It failed to
repeat that success in the USA.
The original recording (as released as a single), which featured
John Entwistle's French horn
arrangement prominently in the mix, is available on the album
Who's Missing. The
version that has been included on most compilations since is
exactly the same recording but with the French horns removed.
A different, slower version was recorded in London in the week of
October 3, 1966 and was intended for an early version of
A Quick One 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 legendary concert at Leeds
, released in
album format as Live at
Leeds.On the
Live at Leeds album,
Pete Townshend comments on the song by
saying:
The single's B-side, "In the City", inspired
The
Jam's
song of the same
name. The latter borrows its
chord
progression and a part of its lyrics from the Who song.
References