The Who - Tommy

Image Credit: liveforlivemusic

Released in 1969, Tommy is The Who's rock opera about a boy named Tommy who, due to a childhood trauma, loses his sight, hearing and speech. The album talks about him, his parents, his struggles, and also comments on the society in general. It is an album I found in the comments section of an Instagram post, and was not disappointed. Tommy was later adopted into a feature film in 1975. Let's jump right in!

The Trauma

The first track Overture starts with the music from the whole album, a kind of musical summary of the entire album, blended together. The lyrics sing of Captain Walker, Tommy's dad, who didn't come home from fighting in the World War 1, presumed MIA, and how Tommy's mom is gonna have to raise her unborn son alone. In It's a Boy, Tommy is born, still with no signs of his father. In 1921, we hear Cap Walker, alive, singing about how the year 21 is gonna be a good year as he returns home, only to find his wife with another lover. In a burst of rage, he kills the lover, but Tommy sees the whole act. His parents then try to tell him that he didn't see or hear anything, and won't speak a word of it to anyone, even as he tries to tell them that he saw it and he heard it. This is a great trauma to him that renders him "deaf, dumb and blind".

The Deaf, Dumb and Blind Boy

Tommy is now a "deaf, dumb and blind boy", who sees elaborate musical dreams, and is in his own world, as discussed in Amazing Journey. His subconscious sees a tall stranger in his dreams, one with a 'glittering gown' and 'golden beard' who Tommy sees as his leader and guide in the world inside his head. Sparks is a musical dream Tommy has in his own little world inside his head.

Efforts to Cure the Boy

In Eyesight to the Blind, Tommy's parents, in an effort to cure him, talk to a pimp, who claims to know a woman, a prostitute, who can cure him. He claims that "She brings eyesight to the blind", when she shakes, "the dumb begin to talk", and "Just a word from her lips/And the dumb begin to hear". Christmas is a commentary on how the cheery festival brings excitement and smiles to children, but Tommy cannot interpret this, as it is just another blank day for him, as he sits playing pinball, picking his nose and poking his tongue at everything. His parents ask "How can he be saved?"

Cousin Kevin. Image credit: greatshakes on Tumblr

Cousin Kevin is a heartbreaking and horrific track about well, his cousin Kevin, who is an all-out sadist. He is a bully, who finds pleasure in torturing Tommy. When their parents leave them alone, seeing that Tommy cannot tell anyone, he is the perfect subject. He thinks of ways to torture him, sticking pins in his fingers, tread on his feet, make a cigarette burn on his arm, or push him down the stairs.

The Acid Queen played by Tina Turner in the 1975 movie.

Image credit: Letterboxd on Twitter

The Acid Queen is the prostitute talked about in the previous track, Eyesight to the Blind. Tommy's parents try to cure him by leaving him with her. In what is considered a rite of passage in many cultures, the acid queen gives Tommy his first sexual experience, and some hallucinogens. It makes Tommy respond a little, with a shaking head, and clutching fingers. However, it isn't enough to cure him. Underture is an instrumental track that sees Tommy have another one of his musical dreams, trying to interpret the experience he had with the acid queen.

Seeing Tommy not responding to anything, in Do You Think It's Alright? Tommy's parents want some time to themselves, so they decide to leave him with his uncle Ernie, even though "He's had a few too many tonight". Uncle Ernie, in Fiddle About, seeing Tommy is the perfect victim, who can't see or hear, who won't shout or scream, and continues to molest him.

Image credit: Discogs

Even though he cannot see or hear, Tommy finds he can play pinball very well. Other kids watch him play and wonder how he is so good at it. Pinball Wizard talks about this Savant Syndrome. He becomes so popular in arcades that kids begin to follow him around, referred to as his disciples.

The Cure

Tommy's parents never give up on their quest to heal him. His father finds a doctor in There's A Doctor I've Found and is excited to try if he can heal Tommy. The doctor in Go to the Mirror! runs some tests on Tommy and finds that there is no problem with his senses, his eyes react to light and he can hear, but there is a mental block due to which he is the way he is. The doctor says it is up to Tommy and not up to him for the cure, and asks Tommy to go to the mirror. Looking at the mirror, Tommy addresses someone who he adores and feels motivated by. it could be the stranger he saw in his dreams, the tall stranger. Meanwhile, his father feels helpless and wants to know what goes on inside his son's head. Tommy's mother asks him 'Tommy Can You Hear Me', and asks what she can do to help and cheer him, calling out to her son. Smash the Mirror sees Tommy's mother come to the mirror and talk to him, feeling that he can see himself but not her. Her temper rises and she ends up smashing the mirror in a loud crash. This ends up curing him!

Newfound Consciousness and Following

Tommy is now conscious in Sensation, and feels that he is an absolute sensation, being full of confidence. He sees himself as a messiah who knows all the answers. The followers he gained in Pinball Wizard are now his disciples (foreshadowing much?). Miracle Cure sees the news of Tommy's healing spread over the news as they write "Pinball Wizard in a miracle cure" as he gains more followers. Sally Simpson tells the tale of a crazed young follower of Tommy who was obsessed with him, which tells us the effect and the amazing following that he gathered. Sally's parents refused to let her go to Tommy's sermon he did on Sunday, but she was determined to go. She spent all afternoon getting ready, and sneaked out to go. The crowd went crazy as Tommy went up on stage. Sally got up on the stage and ran towards Tommy and brushed him on the face. It was then that a uniformed officer threw her off the stage as she hit a chair and an ambulance carried her away. Tommy remembers the day when the crowds grew wild, but Sally, now married to a musician, remembers it with a scar on her face. Boy I feel bad about Sally! I'm Free sees Tommy experience freedom, which tastes of reality to him. He accepts himself as a messiah, and wants people to follow him. This is further solidified in Welcome, as he invites people into his house, and builds his empire by telling his followers to find more people that would follow him. It seems like Tommy is getting a bit drunk on power, as he builds a holiday camp to fit in more people.

Tommy's Holiday Camp is almost an advert for his new camp where people can 'holiday forever. The funny thing is that Uncle Ernie is his partner who sings this.

Tommy's Fall

In his camp, Tommy makes his followers experience what he did for most of his life. He makes them deaf, dumb and blind, "put on your eye shades", "put in your ear plugs"; and makes them play pinball, as he did. He makes this a necessity in order to follow him, and takes away their pleasures, alcohol, drugs. This angers his followers greatly as they refuse to follow him anymore, chanting "We're Not Gonna Take It". Tommy further tries to take away their speech, as his uncle Ernie guides them to their pinball machine. However, the followers are not pleased with this, as they forsake him, again chanting "We're not going to take it", and protest how they'll forget him altogether. Tommy feels insecure again, a little boy as he remembers the time before his consciousness, calling out for help. The album ends on Tommy calling out again to the tall figure from his dreams, who has been the one thing in his life that always was and is permanent, someone he looks up to.