The Concept of The Who’s ‘Tommy’ Explained

After years of planning and talking about the project, The Who released their acclaimed rock opera, Tommy, in 1969. Nearly all of its tracks were written by Pete Townshend. He had been working on the project for years before it finally materialized. It was largely his vision, too. Townshend was inspired by Indian spiritual mentor Meher Baba and wanted to explore his teachings through music.

Tommy is considered The Who’s breakthrough album. It was a huge critical and commercial success for The Who and is still one of their most beloved works, with over 20 million albums sold. It was turned into a movie in 1975, directed by Ken Russell and featuring Tina Turner as “the Acid Queen” and Elton John as the “Pinball Wizard.” In 1993, it became a Broadway musical, and it’s also been adapted into a ballet, orchestral performance, and opera.

While it wasn’t the band’s first time playing with a concept, Tommy was their first rock opera. Quadrophenia would follow just a few years later.

What Is ‘Tommy’ About?

Tommy follows a boy of the same name, which is also the nickname of British soldiers during World War I. His father goes missing and is presumed dead during the war, before Tommy is born. After Tommy’s birth, his mother begins a new romantic relationship with a man named Frank. When Tommy’s father unexpectedly returns home nearly six years later and finds them together, Frank kills him, all while Tommy watches.

Frank tells Tommy he “didn’t hear it, didn’t see it” and “won’t say nothing to no one.” As a result of the trauma, Tommy becomes “deaf, dumb, and blind.” As he grows up, his family attempts to cure his condition through visits to a cult and a figure known as the Acid Queen. She “treats” Tommy with LSD, but neither her treatment nor his family’s other attempts. He’s also abused at the hands of both his cousin and uncle. Eventually, Tommy goes on to become a pinball wizard and messianic spiritual leader, only to be abandoned by his own followers.

“Tommy was suffering the result of his parents being brutalised by the fact that they fell in love during a war,” Townshend said in a 1993 interview.

Townshend also explained the larger meaning of the album and the ways Tommy is a stand-in for humanity.

“The boy’s life starts to represent the whole nature of humanity – we all have this self-imposed deaf, dumb and blindness – but this isn’t something I’m over heavy on,” he said. “I’m more concerned about what actually happens in his life.”

Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns