Water is a song by English rock 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...

 originally appearing as the B-side

A-side and B-side

A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

 to "5.15" in 1973, and again to the single "Love, Reign o'er Me

Love, Reign o'er Me

"Love, Reign o'er Me" is a song by the English rock band The Who. Written by guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, "Love, Reign o'er Me" was released on October 23, 1973 as the second single from the band's sixth studio album and second rock opera, Quadrophenia. It is the final song on the...

."

Background

After the success of Tommy in 1969, Pete Townshend began work on Lifehouse. For the first recordings, Pete produced several demos at his Eel Pie Studios which were related to "Lifehouse".

Meaning

It was during these sessions that "Water" was first recorded in the Spring of 1970. The plot in Lifehouse revolved around a totalitarian society without rock music. In this society, there is also rampant pollution which becomes a teenage wasteland. Water talks of the toughness of everyday life and how:

"They need water,

And maybe somebody's daughter."

Live History

"Water" was played by The Who from 1970 until 1971, including at the final show at the Young Vic on April 26, 1971. It made its first live appearance at the first show at the Metropolitan Opera House

Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)

The Metropolitan Opera House is an opera house located on Broadway at Lincoln Square in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the theater opened in 1966. It replaced the former Metropolitan Opera House at Broadway and 39th St...

 in New York on June 7, 1970.

Album Appearances

The following Who albums feature "Water":

• Who's Next
  Who's Next
  Who's Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band The Who, released in August 1971. The album has origins in a rock opera conceived by Pete Townshend called Lifehouse. The ambitious, complex project did not come to fruition at the time and instead, many of the songs written for the project...
  
  (1995 Reissue & Deluxe Edition)
• Odds & Sods (1998 remastered CD)
• Rarities Volume I & Volume II
  Rarities Volume I & Volume II
  Rarities Volume I & Volume II is a two-album series collecting songs by The Who, released in 1983 on Polydor in the UK.The very first release in this series was a single LP titled "Join Together" issued by Polydor in Australia and New Zealand in the late 1970s...
  
  
• Two's Missing
  Two's Missing
  Two's Missing is a compilation album by English rock band The Who.-Track listing:Side one#"Bald Headed Woman"  – 2:09#"Under My Thumb"  – 2:35#"My Wife"  – 6:38...
  
  
• The 1st Singles Box
  The 1st Singles Box
  The 1st Singles Box is a box set compilation of singles recorded by the Who throughout their history. The album was released exclusively in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2004. It was considered the counterpart to the other compilation album by the Who, entitled Then and Now...
  
  
• Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970

Live Video/DVD Appearances

• Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live
  Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live
  Thirty Years of Maximum R&B is a 1994 compilation video of English rock and roll band The Who. The compilation covers the band live from 1965 to 1989 and is edited together with interviews with band members Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Pete Townshend...
  
  (version of "Water" recorded at the Tanglewood Music Shed
  Tanglewood Music Center
  The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops designed to provide an intense training and networking experience...
  
   on July 7, 1970)
• Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
  Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (film)
  Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 is concert film of The Who's concert at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. While the concert occurred on August 30, 1970 at 2:00 am, a VHS was not released until 1996. A compact disc of the concert was also released in 1996...
  
  (recorded on August 29, 1970)