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"Call Me Lightning"
Single by the Who
from the album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
A-side	"Dogs" (UK)
B-side	"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (US)
Released	16 March 1968 (US) 14 June 1968 (UK)
Recorded	January, 25/26 February 1968
Studio	IBC Recording Studios (London, England) Gold Star Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Pop rock power pop
Length	2:25
Label	Track (UK) Decca (US)
Songwriter(s)	Pete Townshend
Producer(s)	Kit Lambert
The Who singles chronology
"I Can See For Miles" (1967) "Call Me Lightning" (1968) "Magic Bus" (1968)

"Call Me Lightning" is a song written by Pete Townshend, guitarist of the English rock band the Who. Townshend first recorded a home demo of the song in 1964. The Who's recording was a single released in March 1968 and it later appeared on the Who's fourth American album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour.

In the United States "Call Me Lightning" was the follow-up single to the Top 10 hit "I Can See for Miles" and reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 4 May 1968, their 16th most successful single on the Hot 100.

Billboard described the single as a "pulsating rocker with a happy beat." Cash Box called it "an imaginative blend of rock-blues and rag" and praised "the potent group performance." Record World said it "should turn into sales lightning as The Who do it. Hard, driving beat at its best from the group."

The song features a prominent bass solo by John Entwistle. A promo film was made, and this later was included in the rockumentary film The Kids Are Alright (1979). "Call Me Lightning" was released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of the single "Dogs".

The US B-side, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", had been considered as a possible A-side single release, along with "Call Me Lightning," as the B-side. "Call Me Lightning" received a mediocre reception from Who fans, and biographer John Atkins feels that "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was a better song, even though its horror film imagery was unsuitable for a single. Cashbox called "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" a "psychedelified throbber on the lid that could attract added attention."

The song was behind the naming of the American indie rock band Call Me Lightning.

Charts

References

Citations

1. ^ Atkins 2000, p. 103
2. ^ "Call Me Lightning - The Who". Thewho.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
3. ^ "The Who Call Me Lightning Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
4. "The Who Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
5. "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 16, 1968. p. 78. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
6. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 16, 1968. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
7. "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 16, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
8. Atkins 2000, p. 104
9. "RPM Top 100 Singles - May 4, 1968" (PDF).
10. Hoffmann 1983, p. 639

Bibliography

• Atkins, John (2000). The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963–1998. MacFarland. ISBN 9781476606576.
• Hoffmann, Frank (1983). The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950–1981. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810815957.

• The Who songs
• 1968 songs
• Songs written by Pete Townshend
• Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert
• Track Records singles