The Who – Eminence Front

Song

"Eminence Front" is a song written and sung by Pete Townshend of the Who. It appears as the sixth track on the group's 1982 studio album, It's Hard. The single reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background and recording

In the song, Townshend sings about the delusions and drug use of the wealthy and hedonistic. The lyrics describe a party in which people hide from their problems behind a façade. Townshend has introduced the song in live performances with: "This song is about what happens when you take too much white powder; it's called 'Eminence Front'". In an interview, Townshend explained:

"Eminence Front" was written around a chord progression I discovered on my faithful Yamaha E70 organ. I hesitate to try to explain what it was about. It's clearly about the absurdity of drug-fueled grandiosity, but whether I was pointing the finger at myself or at the cocaine dealers of Miami Beach is hard to recall.

In the originally released version, there is a timing flaw or a syncopation in the first chorus, where Townshend sings "behind an eminence front" at the same time Daltrey sings "it's an eminence front", with Townshend one syllable behind. A more linear-sounding remixed version appears on the 1997 re-release of It's Hard (a live version, recorded on the band's final stop on their 1982 tour in Toronto, appears as a bonus track on the re-release). Additionally, the remix has Townshend's vocals panned centrally rather than hard right in the stereo field. The lyrics are often misunderstood by the listener.

Release

"Eminence Front" was scheduled to be released as a single in the UK by Polydor Records in 1982; the catalog number was WHO 7 but the single was never released. The picture sleeve, by Richard Evans, depicted a 1930s Art Deco house in Miami. Single in its picture sleeve was finally released in 2017 as part of The Who's The Polydor Singles 1975-2015 box set.

A promotional video was produced, shot at a rehearsal in Landover, Maryland, during their 1982 US tour. Footage from the Who's 1982 concert at Shea Stadium was also used in the video.

Critical reception

In a wholly negative review of It's Hard, Robert Christgau gave faint praise to "Eminence Front" as the album's high point, sarcastically noting how the aging Townshend "discovers funk. Just in time. Bye." Cash Box said that it "rides along on Pete Townshend’s cleanly slicing guitar and the band’s patented synth sound" as well as a "strong bottom" from the drums and bass guitar."

 Rolling Stone ranked the song as the Who's tenth best song, stating, "'Eminence Front' showed they could connect Townshend's new wave-influenced solo work with the classic sound of Who's Next."

In popular culture

The song was played during the opening scene of Miami Vice, Season 3, Episode 3 "Killshot", which premiered October 10, 1986.

Eminence Front has been used as the intro music for Dallas Mavericks games since it was adopted during the 2000–01 NBA season, the team's final season at the Reunion Arena.

The song was chosen by Mavericks marketing executive Matt Fitzgerald, who stated that he was looking for a song with an instrumental introduction which builds to a crescendo in the same manner as the Alan Parsons Project's "Sirius", which is used in the same way by the Chicago Bulls:

"We tried many different songs during our last season in Reunion Arena... Then one day in my car, I was listening to a Who CD and 'Eminence Front' came on. We tried it, the Mavs fans responded in a very positive way, so it became our signature player introduction song"

In a 2019 interview, Townshend said that its adoption by the Mavericks was "a wonderful use of the song... I must have known [the team used it] , because I must have given permission, but I had forgotten".

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Album

It's Hard è il decimo album in studio del gruppo rock inglese The Who, pubblicato nel 1982.

La canzone Athena è stata ispirata da Theresa Russell, musa di Pete Townshend e, inizialmente, avrebbe dovuto intitolarsi Theresa.

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Artist

The Who sono uno storico gruppo musicale rock britannico originario di Londra, considerato tra le maggiori band Rock 'n Roll di tutti i tempi, con oltre 100 milioni di dischi venduti. Le prime apparizioni dal vivo degli Who risalgono al 1964, con quella che è considerata la storica formazione del gruppo: Pete Townshend (chitarrista, e autore della maggior parte delle canzoni), Roger Daltrey (voce), John Entwistle (basso elettrico) e Keith Moon (batteria).

Dopo un breve periodo da portabandiera del movimento Mod inglese, gli Who raggiungono il successo nel 1965, con l'uscita dell'album My Generation, il cui omonimo brano si dimostra essere il primo inno generazionale, nonché uno dei pezzi ancor oggi più conosciuti e rappresentativi della band, oltre ad essere inserito nel 2004 all'undicesimo posto tra le 500 migliori canzoni secondo Rolling Stone.

Gli Who nel corso della loro carriera hanno piazzato 27 singoli nei primi 40 posti delle classifiche di vendita britanniche e statunitensi, oltre a raggiungere la top ten con 17 album (ottenendo nel contempo 18 dischi d'oro, 12 di platino, e 5 multi-platino solamente negli Stati Uniti).

Grande pubblico

Gli Who raggiungono il grande pubblico a partire dal 1965 con una serie di singoli di successo, grazie anche alle trasmissioni di alcune radio pirata di oltremanica come Radio Caroline, tra i quali vanno ricordati I Can't Explain e Substitute.

In A Quick One, pubblicato nel 1966, è possibile notare il progredire della ricerca musicale di Townshend verso la realizzazione di un'opera rock a carattere teatrale, che si concretizzerà poi in Tommy (1969) e nella più matura Quadrophenia(1973), nel cui film associato si fece notare un giovanissimo Sting.

Del 1979 è anche il documentario sulla storia del gruppo Uragano Who (The Kids Are Alright). Tra i protagonisti della Swinging London, furono molto influenzati dalla musica dei loro contemporanei Beatles e Rolling Stones, di cui continuarono il fenomeno della British invasion.

Ebbero una notevole influenza su altre band a loro volta, lasciando un'onda lunga che va dai Led Zeppelin ai Sex Pistols, dagli U2agli Oasis passando per i Pearl Jam.

The sun shines
And people forget
The spray flies as the speedboat glides
And people forget
Forget they're hiding
The girls smile
And people forget
The snow packs as the skier tracks
And people forget
Forget they're hiding.

Behind an eminence front
Eminence front - It's a put on.

Come on join the party
Dress to kill
Won't you come and join the party
Dress to kill.

The drinks flow
People forget
That big wheel spins, the hair thins
People forget
Forget they're hiding
The news slows
People forget
The shares crash, hopes are dashed
People forget
Forget they're hiding.

Behind an eminence front
Eminence front - it's a put on

Come on join the party
Dress to
(x4)
Dress to kill
Dress yourself, dressed to kill.

Il sole splende
e la gente dimentica
gli spruzzi svolazzano mentre i motoscafi scivolano sulle onde
e la gente dimentica
dimentica che si sta nascondendo.
Le ragazze sorridono
e la gente dimentica
la neve si ammucchia mentre gli sciatori zigzagano
e la gente dimentica
dimentica che si sta nascondendo.

Dietro una facciata di rispettabilità
una facciata di rispettabilità – c’è un falso.

Su, unisciti alla festa
mettiti in ghingheri
non ti va di unirti alla festa?
Mettiti in ghingheri

Le bevande scorrono
la gente dimentica
la grande ruota gira, i capelli si diradano
la gente dimentica
dimentica che si sta nascondendo.
Le notizie languono
e la gente dimentica
le quotazioni crollano, le speranze distrutte
la gente dimentica
dimentica che si sta nascondendo.

Dietro una facciata di rispettabilità
una facciata di rispettabilità – c’è un falso.

Su, unisciti alla festa
mettiti in
(x4)
mettiti in ghingheri
mettiti in, mettiti in ghingheri