The Who: I'm Free

It’s Thirtysomething Thursday where we look at songs that charted between 30 and 39 on Billboard’s Hot 100. This week’s selection comes from one of my favorite bands: The Who. As part of rock opera “Tommy,” “I’m Free” was the second of three singles from the album; the others were “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me.” The single charted at 37.

According to Pete Townshend, the rhythm of the song was inspired by Charlie Watts’ drumming on the Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man.” This unusual rhythm was no small feat to pull off, as Keith Moon couldn’t play it. John Entwistle relayed that Keith had another rhythm pattern in his head and couldn’t hear what Pete wanted.

This required Townshend and Entwistle to play the snare, hi-hat cymbals, and the tambourine parts. Moon was later brought in to provide the fills. Apparently, this was a bit difficult to pull off live, as Townshend and Entwistle were playing guitar and bass. To compensate, Pete apparently gave exaggerated visual cues for the primary rhythm of the song so Moon could play it.