"1921" is a song by the English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

, written by guitarist and primary writer,

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...

. It appears in the band's 1969

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

album, ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tommy (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army * Tommy Giacomelli (born 1974), Brazilian fo ...

''.

Plot

After assuming her

missing Missing or The Missing may refer to: Film * ''Missing'' (1918 film), an American silent drama directed by James Young * ''Missing'' (1982 film), an American historical drama directed by Costa-Gavras about the 1973 coup in Chile *, a Belgian film ...

husband had died in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Ms. Walker takes on a new lover. As the couple optimistically celebrates the upcoming new year of 1921, Captain Walker unexpectedly returns home. In a fit of blind rage, Captain Walker accidentally kills the lover in front of his and Ms. Walker's young son, Tommy. The two parents coerce Tommy into believing that he had seen nothing and to tell no one of what he had seen.

Composition

The song is in the keys of

C major C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...

and

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

and begins with an

arpeggio An arpeggio () is a type of Chord (music), chord in which the Musical note, notes that compose a chord are individually sounded in a progressive rising or descending order. Arpeggios on keyboard instruments may be called rolled chords. Arpe ...

, first played on piano and then continued by the electric and acoustic guitar for the remainder of the song.

Themes

As one of the opening tracks of the rock opera, "1921" is used as the leading cause to the events of the album, along with it creating motifs for the overall story. The traumatic event of Tommy witnessing the murder of a man, from the hands of his own father, puts his psyche into a state of complete psychosomatic isolation from the world. Tommy is left to grasp with the realities of this painful experience, which develops into Tommy's desire to build an identity for himself and to be seen, especially when he becomes blind, deaf and dumb because of this murder which his parents never bring up again in order to save themselves from persecution. It can also be inferred that the "You didn't hear it" chorus is meant to parallel Tommy's "

See Me, Feel Me "See Me, Feel Me" (aka Listening To You/See Me, Feel Me and See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You) is a song from English rock band The Who's 1969 album '' Tommy''. It consists of two overture parts from ''Tommy'', the second and third parts of the a ...

" theme as Tommy is berated by his parents to keep the murder a secret that creates an inner imaginary world and "plunges him into an autistic state of sensory deprivation", which segues into the following song, " Amazing Journey".

Personnel

lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano *

John Entwistle John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band the Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band ...

backing vocals, bass guitar *

Roger Daltrey Sir Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Who, known for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. His stage persona ear ...

backing vocals *

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 1946 – 7 September 1978) was an English musician who was the drummer for the rock band the Who. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music, he was noted for his unique style of playing and ...

drums

Bibliography

* *

References

{{Tommy 1969 songs The Who songs Songs written by Pete Townshend Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert