Real Good Looking Boy

[Cpt. Overkill]

So, I just got finished playing Real Good Looking Boy and...

*Hides behind flame shield*

Its quite obvious its about Kieth Moon.

"She said,
'Son, well, you know,
you're an ugly boy.
You don't really look like him

In this long line
There's been some
real strange genes
You've got 'em all
You've got 'em all
With some extras thrown in'"

"You arrived in my life like a fragrance and
you help me find a way to laugh"

[strife0869]

It's actually about Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend

[pmpboarder]

What!? I thought they wrote it about me. :(

[OakTea]

It's actually about Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend

Yup.


Pete: "REAL GOOD LOOKING BOY is a song I wrote quite a few years ago about two young men who worry about their looks. One of them, based on me - hopes and believes he might look like his best friend who is a conventionally handsome fellow. (He is disavowed of this notion by his mother). The second, based on Roger - hopes and believes he will one day turn out to be like the young Elvis. (He, more happily, sees part of his dream come true). They both find love in later life."

Either way, it's an awesome song and I love it. :)

[Strutter]

Yeah I love the song too, it's awesome.

[Weeksy77]

"Real Good Looking Boy" is about Elvis.

Regardless of the Townshend babble posted above, it's the most common story told to the press about the song.

[toMsons1987]

Great song, yea songs about himself..

[chillzatl]

"Real Good Looking Boy" is about Elvis.

Regardless of the Townshend babble posted above, it's the most common story told to the press about the song.

correct. Just saw a thing with The Who over the weekend and they were in the studio (with starky) recording it for something and they were talking about it having to do with Pete first seeing Elvis as a boy.

[CM_Drunk]

Its def one of my surprise favorites out of that pack. I really didnt think id like it, being off of Endless Wire. But its a damn good song.

[siee]

Best The Who song.

[whofan]

"Real Good Looking Boy" is about Elvis.

Regardless of the Townshend babble posted above, it's the most common story told to the press about the song.
*Buzzer*

*Audience Awws in disappointment*

Oh! I'm so sorry, but that's completely wrong. Thanks for playing, your consolation prize is a years supply of Automatic Transmission from Translube International, remember if it needs lubing call Translube.

The song was originally written by Pete Townshend concerning his own upbringing and living in the shadow of Elvis. He stated that the meaning changed to the one Oaktee quoted when it was recorded by Roger, who essentially took the song and added such a passion to it, that Pete felt that it had become about the both of them.

While the song does reference Elvis, it is not about Elvis.

I don't know what press outlets you watch/read, but I have never once heard a band member state that the song was about Elvis, and believe me, I've read A LOT of interviews, press releases, personal blogs, articles, and snippets about the song (Hey, it was the first new Who song since "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" in 1989, what did you expect I would do at this monumental occassion?)

[brobot]

No matter what it's about I love that damn song.

[Weeksy77]

*Buzzer*

*Audience Awws in disappointment*

Oh! I'm so sorry, but that's completely wrong.

I'm gonna debate you there a little bit having witnessed the following scene description during their last Australian Tour (this is from Rock Radio .com by the way):

"Pete Townshend says The Who's Elvis tribute showcases his personal tragedy

One of the highlights of the current Who shows is their 2004 tribute to Elvis Presley, titled "Real Good Looking Boy." The song chronicles Pete Townshend's first impressions of "The King" as an 11-year-old, and how his music and message helped shape his teenage and adult life.

During the song, various film clips of Presley run on the stage's multiple screens, including two 1960 shots of a post-army Presley frozen on the sides of the stage.

Townshend told us that he wishes the band's nightly presentation of the song could delve further into Presley's state of mind: "The tragedy of Elvis and the tragedy perhaps of the way that it's being presented onstage by the Who, which is, it's the tragedy that's being presented. Which is that there's this beautiful, beautiful man and if we wanted to carry it to it's conclusion, what we should be doing is we should be looking at whether or not Elvis ever had any pleasure, or fun, or serenity, or contentment in the last couple of years of his life. But the appearance is that he didn't."

"Real Good Looking Boy" includes passages from Presley's 1962 Top Two hit "Can't Help Falling In Love." It was originally released on the band's compilation The Who: Then And Now - 1964-2004, and was the band's first original studio track in 15 years.

The Who's first studio album in 24 years, titled Endless Wire, debuted last week at Number Seven on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Who performed on Monday, November 13th, in Salt Lake City at the Delta Center."

But to again clarify - Townshend in particular has given multiple meanings to his music dependant on who's interviewing him, what medium he's being interviewed in, and also just on a whim - I love The Who, but I don't care what it's about - the music is just great.

[whofan]

I'm gonna debate you there a little bit having witnessed the following scene description during their last Australian Tour (this is from Rock Radio .com by the way):

"Pete Townshend says The Who's Elvis tribute showcases his personal tragedy

One of the highlights of the current Who shows is their 2004 tribute to Elvis Presley, titled "Real Good Looking Boy." The song chronicles Pete Townshend's first impressions of "The King" as an 11-year-old, and how his music and message helped shape his teenage and adult life.

During the song, various film clips of Presley run on the stage's multiple screens, including two 1960 shots of a post-army Presley frozen on the sides of the stage.

Townshend told us that he wishes the band's nightly presentation of the song could delve further into Presley's state of mind: "The tragedy of Elvis and the tragedy perhaps of the way that it's being presented onstage by the Who, which is, it's the tragedy that's being presented. Which is that there's this beautiful, beautiful man and if we wanted to carry it to it's conclusion, what we should be doing is we should be looking at whether or not Elvis ever had any pleasure, or fun, or serenity, or contentment in the last couple of years of his life. But the appearance is that he didn't."

"Real Good Looking Boy" includes passages from Presley's 1962 Top Two hit "Can't Help Falling In Love." It was originally released on the band's compilation The Who: Then And Now - 1964-2004, and was the band's first original studio track in 15 years.

The Who's first studio album in 24 years, titled Endless Wire, debuted last week at Number Seven on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Who performed on Monday, November 13th, in Salt Lake City at the Delta Center."

But to again clarify - Townshend in particular has given multiple meanings to his music dependant on who's interviewing him, what medium he's being interviewed in, and also just on a whim - I love The Who, but I don't care what it's about - the music is just great.
We can agree on that last bit, the music is amazing.

However, just a quick glance at the lyrics can tell anyone that it's not about Elvis, that it just references him.

Yes, Townshend has subscribed multiple meanings to the song, but even the above snipet does not even imply that the song is ABOUT Elvis.

That's what's being debated here,

What the story does say is:
1) The song is about Pete's first impressions of Elvis and how Elvis' music and message shaped teenage life for Townshend (First paragraph)

2) The real tragedy is how The Who are presenting Elvis onstage and how Townshend wishes he could delve deeper into Elvis' state of mind on a nightly basis.

Perhaps you can point out to me where in that article it states that the song is ABOUT Elvis?

[Weeksy77]

Perhaps you can point out to me where in that article it states that the song is ABOUT Elvis?

That depends on your definition of about - Rather than argue back and forth with you all night about it - let me say that I personally take it to be about Elvis in the sense that he features heavily in the overall story of the song, and indeed in the quote there that Pete provided - I don't believe that the average music listener would see that on stage or read that story and think that it wasn't about Elvis on some general level.

Yes - it's not about him in the sense that it's "The Elvis Story!" but that's the beauty of Rock and Roll - everyone takes the stories and make them fit in with their own perspective.....

[brobot]

Isn't the intro the piano to Can't Help Falling in Love and they do have the lyric "fools rush in" in the song. I have to admit Rock Band was the first time I heard the song and at the start my wife asked if it was Elvis.

[BT67]

Isn't the intro the piano to Can't Help Falling in Love and they do have the lyric "fools rush in" in the song. I have to admit Rock Band was the first time I heard the song and at the start my wife asked if it was Elvis.

When I first heard this and the intro started I was like I know that piano part, now it all makes sense. The song is awesome and the first time I heard it was in Rock Band.... HMX Thank You !!!!

[whofan]

Isn't the intro the piano to Can't Help Falling in Love and they do have the lyric "fools rush in" in the song. I have to admit Rock Band was the first time I heard the song and at the start my wife asked if it was Elvis.
Indeed the piano intro, and the middle section are taken from "Can't Help Falling In Love" (one of my favourite Elvis songs).

It seems that a lot of this disagreement is based around the word "About".

I'm using about in the sense that the song is not directly relating to Elvis. Generally when people use the word "About", it means that the song/poem/etc is directly relating to them.

i.e. That song is about Me.
"Electric Eye" is about Big Brother acts of government.
The Genesis album "Duke" is about a guy who gets lost in a fantasy world
"Pinball Wizard" is about Tommy's rise to stardom as a pinball player.

see where I'm going with this? All of those things are the central focus of the song. The central focus of "Real Good Looking Boy" is the narrator (Pete/Roger), NOT Elvis.

Elvis is just a fringe character in the overall story, a comparisson point to narrator.

Like I said, look at the lyrics and tell me it's ABOUT Elvis.

[chillzatl]

*Buzzer*

*Audience Awws in disappointment*

Oh! I'm so sorry, but that's completely wrong. Thanks for playing, your consolation prize is a years supply of Automatic Transmission from Translube International, remember if it needs lubing call Translube.

The song was originally written by Pete Townshend concerning his own upbringing and living in the shadow of Elvis. He stated that the meaning changed to the one Oaktee quoted when it was recorded by Roger, who essentially took the song and added such a passion to it, that Pete felt that it had become about the both of them.

While the song does reference Elvis, it is not about Elvis.

I don't know what press outlets you watch/read, but I have never once heard a band member state that the song was about Elvis, and believe me, I've read A LOT of interviews, press releases, personal blogs, articles, and snippets about the song (Hey, it was the first new Who song since "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" in 1989, what did you expect I would do at this monumental occassion?)


As I said, I watched a show on MHD about the Who last weekend, where they were talking about writing various songs and specifically talking about Real Good Looking Boy while re-recording it in the studio and Pete said "it originally started out as a song about my relationship as a boy with Elvis, but when Roger sang it it became about him and his relationship with Elvis because of what he put into the song". The beginning of the song is very specifically about Elvis.

From the horses mouths.

[brobot]

I think that song is about Pete and Roger with a twist of Elvis inspiration. Listening to the song you can tell that Daltrey sings as if though the song is something near and dear to him, he sings it with alot of heart.

[RockBandRocker]

Isn't the song about being like your idols?

The way I understand the song is that you have "a real good looking" hero that you want to be. But the reality is you could never be like them because "your an ugly" person in the sense that you DON'T resemble your idol at all and that you could never achieve hero status.

I take it to be about hero worship (not just Elvis).

[whofan]

As I said, I watched a show on MHD about the Who last weekend, where they were talking about writing various songs and specifically talking about Real Good Looking Boy while re-recording it in the studio and Pete said "it originally started out as a song about my relationship as a boy with Elvis, but when Roger sang it it became about him and his relationship with Elvis because of what he put into the song". The beginning of the song is very specifically about Elvis.

From the horses mouths.
I think you're twisting words to get an interpretation you want here.

Townshend states that the song is: "it originally started out as a song about my relationship as a boy with Elvis, but when Roger sang it it became about him and his relationship with Elvis because of what he put into the song".

You see, the song is not ABOUT Elvis, but about the narrator (Roger/Pete) and their relationship to Elvis. Elvis is a fringe character used as a comparison towards the narrator. That is to say that Elvis is REFERENCED in the song (quite heavily), but is not the central character, the narrator is.

Thus the song is ABOUT the narrator, with references to Elvis throughout.

[whofan]

Isn't the song about being like your idols?

The way I understand the song is that you have "a real good looking" hero that you want to be. But the reality is you could never be like them because "your an ugly" person in the sense that you DON'T resemble your idol at all and that you could never achieve hero status.

I take it to be about hero worship (not just Elvis).
In regards to that point, I've always taken it to be the opposite.

The lyrics go:
"Now I Know How So-Called Beauty Lies
God Gave Him A Face,
But He Gave Me Something Above,
God Gave Me Grace,
And He Gave Me Your Sweet, Sweet Love"

That to me says "Well, I'm not like him, and that's a good thing". Like I said, I always took it to be "Well, you can't be like your idols, but you've got something more going for you than they do".

[Weeksy77]

I think it just illustrates like all good music that it's completely up for interpretation by the person listening to it.

Try putting "What is 'Real Good Looking Boy' about?" into Google and look at the massive amounts of varying thoughts there are.

No-one's right or wrong here, we all just have our own opinions - just enjoy the fact that there's a thread without people getting flamed left & right!

EDIT: Whofan - I actually very much admire your strong feelings on it - but we'll have to just agree to disagree on this occasion!

[chillzatl]

I think you're twisting words to get an interpretation you want here.

Townshend states that the song is: "it originally started out as a song about my relationship as a boy with Elvis, but when Roger sang it it became about him and his relationship with Elvis because of what he put into the song".

You see, the song is not ABOUT Elvis, but about the narrator (Roger/Pete) and their relationship to Elvis. Elvis is a fringe character used as a comparison towards the narrator. That is to say that Elvis is REFERENCED in the song (quite heavily), but is not the central character, the narrator is.

Thus the song is ABOUT the narrator, with references to Elvis throughout.


are you not twisting the words to get the interpretation you want? I didn't twist anything, I simply paraphrased Pete's own words. Take it up with him if you want to be super anal about it.

[brobot]

i think it just illustrates like all good music that it's completely up for interpretation by the person listening to it.

Try putting "What is 'Real Good Looking Boy' about?" into Google and look at the massive amounts of varying thoughts there are.

No-one's right or wrong here, we all just have our own opinions - just enjoy the fact that there's a thread without people getting flamed left & right!

That is very true. We are having a nice civil discussion and that is a very nice change of pace.

I do think that this is a beautiful song.

[RockBandRocker]

That to me says "Well, I'm not like him, and that's a good thing". Like I said, I always took it to be "Well, you can't be like your idols, but you've got something more going for you than they do".

^ Well that makes sense, because your hero could let you down.

[whofan]

I think it just illustrates like all good music that it's completely up for interpretation by the person listening to it.

Try putting "What is 'Real Good Looking Boy' about?" into Google and look at the massive amounts of varying thoughts there are.

No-one's right or wrong here, we all just have our own opinions - just enjoy the fact that there's a thread without people getting flamed left & right!

EDIT: Whofan - I actually very much admire your strong feelings on it - but we'll have to just agree to disagree on this occasion!
I'm down with agreeing to disagree. I just hope that everyone sees what I'm trying to illustrate here.

chillzatl, I'm willing to drop it here if you are willing to as well. However, the quote from Pete clearly states that the song is about a Boy and his relationship to Elvis.

That'll be my last words on the subject. It's been a fun debate all! Thanks to everyone for keeping it civil and not resorting to flaming.

[S1ckH4nds]

Awesome how so many people can have so many different interpretations of a song's meaning, and yet, all enjoy it. I think it was the surprise of the pack for me, as I hadn't heard it prior to playing it (I didn't realize it was released "recently", in other words).

[BStu78]

are you not twisting the words to get the interpretation you want? I didn't twist anything, I simply paraphrased Pete's own words. Take it up with him if you want to be super anal about it.

You're skipping over an important point. While yes, the song is about Elvis, the key is that the "Real Good Looking Boy" is not Elvis. Its the song's narrator. The narrator ultimately isn't singing "about" Elvis, but about themselves and their relationship with Elvis. So, in a sense both sides are right, but to be fair that's already what the "Its not about Elvis" side was saying. Indeed, when people are pondering what the song is about, they are most apt to wonder who the "Real Good Looking Boy" is and that is clearly not Elvis but the narrator's own perception of himself in response to Elvis.

[Cpt. Overkill]

Wow, I didnt quite expect this topic to do anything.

My brothers and I had a friend over and we decided to play some The Who (Quite awesome IMO) and we picked Real Good Looking Boy. We sometimes screw around and play like Kieth Moon (God, he was a weird dude, but he was such a beast!) and my little brother was doing it, and then I heard the lyrics and jokingly said that it was obviously about Kieth Moon. Zeleii, who was singing, missed a couple of phrases due to laughter after he sang about how he gave him a laugh.

Wait, Real Good Looking boy is off of one of they're newer albums?

[whofan]

Wow, I didnt quite expect this topic to do anything.

My brothers and I had a friend over and we decided to play some The Who (Quite awesome IMO) and we picked Real Good Looking Boy. We sometimes screw around and play like Kieth Moon (God, he was a weird dude, but he was such a beast!) and my little brother was doing it, and then I heard the lyrics and jokingly said that it was obviously about Kieth Moon. Zeleii, who was singing, missed a couple of phrases due to laughter after he sang about how he gave him a laugh.

Wait, Real Good Looking boy is off of one of they're newer albums?
"Real Good Looking Boy" was released as a single in 2004 b-sided with "Old Red Wine" (A Tribute to bassist John Entwistle, first premiered in 2002 at the September 28, 2002 Toronto concert during the "My Generation" Jam).

It was subsequently released on the compilation album "Then And Now! 1964-2004" that same year.

It represents the first studio recording under "The Who" name since the group released "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" as a single and "Dig" and "Fire" from the Pete Townshend solo album "The Iron Man: A Musical" in 1989. It was a glorious day for Who fans around the world

[Riastlin]

I agree that this song has achieved a status similar to a lot of good music and literature in that the meaning is in the eye of the beholder so to speak. Often times a reader or listener can discern a meaning that was completely unintended by the author. Does that make the reader/listener wrong? Not in my mind because a good piece of literature/music really can mean different things to different people, regardless of the author's intent. What's important is that the piece has touched the reader/listener, not in what way that it touched the person.

All that being said, I had never heard "Real Good Looking Boy" before Rock Band. Now its one of my favorite songs.

And for the record, this song is clearly about aliens and Tom Cruise's attempts to bring them to Earth. :p