The Seeker (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Seeker" is a song
written by Pete Townshend
and performed by English
rock
band The Who
, and featured on their 1971 compilation album
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
.
"I suppose I like this least of all the stuff", wrote Townshend the following year. "It suffered from being the first thing we did after Tommy
, and also from being recorded a few too many times. We did it once at my home studio, then at IBC where we normally worked then with Kit Lambert
producing. Then Kit had a tooth pulled, breaking his jaw, and we did it ourselves. The results are impressive. It sounded great in the mosquito-ridden swamp I made it up in, Florida at three in the morning drunk out of my brain with Tom Wright and John Wolff. But that's always where the trouble starts, in the swamp. The alligator turned into an elephant and finally stampeded itself to death on stages around England. I don't think we even got to play it in the States."
This is not entirely true, as the band did perform it for about two weeks on their 1970
American tour.
Released in the UK as Track 604036 on 21 March 1970, it reached #19 in the charts. Released in the U.S. as Decca 7-32670, it hit the Billboard charts on 11 April 1970, eventually peaking at #44. The Who revived the song briefly in 2000
and then extensively starting on the 2006-2007 tour
for Endless Wire
. Canadian progressive rock group Rush
included a version of "The Seeker" in their album Feedback
and again on their live album/DVD R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
and performed by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, and featured on their 1971 compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a compilation album of singles by British rock band The Who, released in 1971 as Track 2406 006 in the UK and as Decca DL 79184 in the US. It entered the US Billboard 200 chart on 20 November 1971, peaking at #11, and the UK chart on 3 December 1971, peaking at #9...
.
Background and writing
Around the time of song's release, Townshend explained its meaning in an interview with Rolling Stone: "Quite loosely, "The Seeker" was just a thing about what I call Divine Desperation, or just Desperation. And what it does to people. It just kind of covers a whole area where the guy's being fantastically tough and ruthlessly nasty and he's being incredibly selfish and he's hurting people, wrecking people's homes, abusing his heroes, he's accusing everyone of doing nothing for him and yet at the same time he's making a fairly valid statement, he's getting nowhere, he's doing nothing and the only thing he really can't be sure of is his death, and that at least dead, he's going to get what he wants. He thinks!""I suppose I like this least of all the stuff", wrote Townshend the following year. "It suffered from being the first thing we did after Tommy
Tommy (rock opera)
Tommy is the fourth album by English rock band The Who, released by Track Records and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Decca Records/MCA in the United States. A double album telling a loose story about a "deaf, dumb and blind boy" who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, Tommy was...
, and also from being recorded a few too many times. We did it once at my home studio, then at IBC where we normally worked then with Kit Lambert
Kit Lambert
Christopher "Kit" Sebastian Lambert was a record producer and the manager for The Who.-Early life:Kit Lambert was the son of noted composer, Constant Lambert...
producing. Then Kit had a tooth pulled, breaking his jaw, and we did it ourselves. The results are impressive. It sounded great in the mosquito-ridden swamp I made it up in, Florida at three in the morning drunk out of my brain with Tom Wright and John Wolff. But that's always where the trouble starts, in the swamp. The alligator turned into an elephant and finally stampeded itself to death on stages around England. I don't think we even got to play it in the States."
This is not entirely true, as the band did perform it for about two weeks on their 1970
The Who Tour 1970
The Who Tour 1970 was a series of performances and tours by The Who in support of both their Tommy and Live at Leeds albums.-History:As in most of 1969, the band's stage act was dominated by the stage performance of the rock opera Tommy, which had been the centerpiece of their show since the...
American tour.
Released in the UK as Track 604036 on 21 March 1970, it reached #19 in the charts. Released in the U.S. as Decca 7-32670, it hit the Billboard charts on 11 April 1970, eventually peaking at #44. The Who revived the song briefly in 2000
The Who Tour 2000
The Who Tour 2000 was in support of The Who's live album The Blues to the Bush and their first full-fledged tour as a five-piece band since 1982.-History:...
and then extensively starting on the 2006-2007 tour
The Who Tour 2006-2007
The Who Tour 2006–2007 was The Who's first worldwide concert tour since 1997, supporting their Endless Wire album.-History:In December 2005, Rolling Stone magazine announced that The Who would be touring in the summer of 2006, visiting Australia, Canada, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the...
for Endless Wire
Endless Wire (The Who album)
Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who released on 30 October 2006, through Polydor Records and the following day in the United States by Universal Republic. It was their first new album of original material in twenty-four years following the release of It's Hard in 1982...
. Canadian progressive rock group Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
included a version of "The Seeker" in their album Feedback
Feedback (Rush album)
Rhapsody praised the album, calling it one of their favorite cover albums. Allmusic reviewer Thom Jurek called the tracklist "amazing" and said "None of these tunes are done with an ounce of camp...
and again on their live album/DVD R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour is a live DVD by the Canadian band Rush, that was released on November 22, 2005 in Canada and the U.S. and November 28, 2005 in Europe, therein documenting the band's R30: 30th Anniversary Tour. The DVD was released in a standard and deluxe set...
.
Appearances
- Cover version appears in Guitar Hero III: Legends of RockGuitar Hero III: Legends of RockGuitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
. - It appears in American BeautyAmerican Beauty (film)American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged magazine writer who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela...
. - It appears in the opening few minutes of the Masterpiece Mystery Inspecor Lewis episode "Whom the Gods Would Destroy".
- It appears in Grand Theft Auto IVGrand Theft Auto IVGrand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
and its expansion packs,on the radio station Liberty Rock Radio. - It appears in the opening credits of The LimeyThe LimeyThe Limey is a 1999 American crime film, directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Peter Fonda and Barry Newman.Filming locations included Big Sur and L.A.-Plot:...
starring Terence StampTerence StampTerence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
. - It appears in the opening credits of "ReligulousReligulousReligulous is a 2008 American comic documentary film written by and starring comedian Bill Maher and directed by Larry Charles. The title of the film is a portmanteau derived from the words "religion" and "ridiculous"; the documentary examines and mocks organized religion and religious...
." - It is covered by RushRush (band)Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
.
Charts
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 21 |
| UK Singles Chart | 19 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 44 |