"Fiddle About" 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 ...

. It was featured on their 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 ...

''. It is one of the two songs on ''Tommy'' written by bass guitarist

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 ...

, the other being " Cousin Kevin".

Composition

The song is in the key of

D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

, is just one second over a minute and a half long and is given exposition from the previous mini-song " Do You Think It's Alright?". It features a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

styled guitar and bass riff with the inclusion of a

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...

, played by Entwistle. The song mainly consists of short verses sung by Entwistle with the chorus of "Fiddle About... Fiddle About... Fiddle About", sung by both Entwistle and

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 ...

coming after. As the song fades out, the chorus switches to Daltrey and Entwistle repeatedly singing "Fiddle... Fiddle... Fiddle" before ending. This, alongside Entwistle's first written piece on the rock opera, "Cousin Kevin" are considered to be the most disturbing songs by the Who, for their themes of abuse, especially with "Fiddle About" relating to

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

. "Fiddle About" is also semi-autobiographical to guitarist and lead 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 ...

's past with sexual abuse as a child. Ultimately, Townshend who was very sensitive to the topic asked Entwistle to write it for him.

Plot

In this rock opera, the title character and protagonist Tommy Walker is a young deaf, dumb and blind boy who is often neglected and abused by his family. At this point in the story, Tommy's parents leave him to be looked after by his uncle Ernie while they go out. Ernie, knowing well of Tommy's condition, with lyrics such as "you won't shout as I fiddle about" being said, molests the boy and is never caught for this crime.

Live versions

In most live renditions of "Fiddle About", Entwistle sings lead with Daltrey accompanying as on the studio release. During the Who's 1989 tour,

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...

sang "Fiddle About" along with singing "Tommy's Holiday Camp" as Uncle Ernie.

Personnel

lead vocals, bass guitar,

backing vocals *

electric guitar *

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

{{John Entwistle The Who songs Songs written by John Entwistle Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert 1969 songs