Pinball Wizard by The Who

One of the strangest plot turns in the rock opera Tommy involves the deaf, dumb and blind hero becoming a pinball champion, playing by sense of smell. Composer Pete Townshend later admitted that the idea came from a rock critic he was friends with, Nik Cohn of New Musical Express, who was an avid pinball player. Cohn became one of the first to rave about Tommy.

“Pinball Wizard” prompted a battle between superstars Elton John and Rod Stewart. The latter was originally offered the part of the Local Lad in the Tommy movie where he’d sing the song; Rod asked his friend Elton if he thought it would be a good career move, Elton advised him to turn it down…then wound up taking the part himself.

As Keith Moon drum songs go, this one is fairly straightforward and doesn’t throw you as many curves as “Won’t Get Fooled Again” or “Young Man Blues.” That doesn’t quite make it a walk in the part, however: There’s still a lot of frantic kick-stomping and a lot of uncalled-for fills. But it’s one of Moon’s steadier patterns so you can get it with a few rehearsals.

The guitar part combines the best bits of the electric and acoustic leads that Townshend plays throughout the song. The rhythm takes some getting used to, but the main challenge will be the acoustic chords that require you to stretch your pinky while the other fingers are busy. Get through the acoustic intro and you’re halfway there.

The bass part is fairly repetitive, but the main pattern keeps you busy running up the neck. Master it and you won’t have to deal with too many variations.

Townshend and Daltrey make sure this song still gets played at every Who concert.