I Am The Sea
| "I Am the Sea" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Who | |
| from the album Quadrophenia | |
| Released | October 1973 |
| Recorded | May–July 1973 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 2:08 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend |
| Producer(s) | The Who |
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"I Am the Sea" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by British rock band The Who. Written between May and July 1973,[1] as part of the rock opera Quadrophenia,[2] the song is known for its short nature and use of weather-related,[3] animal, and whispering sound effects.[1]
The first song on the album, it begins the story of Jimmy, the protagonist of the story, who is sitting upon a rock, surrounded by the sea[4]—what has been described as an 'oceanic consciousness.'[5] It sets up the 'sea and sand' theme of the album (a metaphor what has been termed the 'mod glories of his recent past'), and the rest of the songs all explain how Jimmy got to be on the rock in the first place. Recent criticism has compared the ebb and flow of the sea with Jimmy's life, in a manner that 'reminds one of Joseph Conrad.[1] The song has also been discussed in terms of being a philosophical contribution, particularly Townshend's repetitive lyric—'I am the sea'—as referencing 'his own divinity'; 'I am' being a name of God.[5]
Recording
The song is a sound collage that references various other parts of the album,[3] and was assembled by playing nine separate tape recorders, containing various tracks of the other recordings along with other sound effects. The combination of these tapes were then fed into the master.[6]
Lyrics
The lyrics of the song are relatively short, consisting of less than 35 words.[7] Most of the song is filled with sound effects like the crashing of waves and rain. For the entire duration of the song, either waves or rain can also be heard in the background during the brief appearance of spoken words.[5] Townshend has described it as 'a series of impressions, of memories,'[4] The first spoken words do not appear in the song until more than a minute after it begins.
Despite its shortness in nature, the song makes references to multiple other songs in the Quadrophenia album throughout the lyrics. The line 'Is it me?' refers to the chorus of "Doctor Jimmy", 'Bell boy, bell boy' makes reference to the song "Bell Boy". The line 'Love, reign o'er me' is directly taken from the song by the same name, and 'can you see the real me?' is a quote from the song "The Real Me".
In relation to the storyline of the rock opera, I Am The Sea introduces the 'Four Faces of Jimmy' that are referenced throughout Quadrophenia; the 'romantic' (Is it me?), the 'beggar' (Love, Reign o'er Me), the 'lunatic' (Bell boy, bell boy) and the 'tough guy' (Can you see? The real me?).[3] Townsend himself has stated that he never decided how Jimmy's story would end; having placed him upon the rock in the opening track, the writer said 'I don't really know how I imagine the boy walks away from the rock or... whether he wins or loses.'[1]
References
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Atkins 2000, p. 193.
- ↑ Cooper, Tim (2 July 2015). "Pete Townshend: 'Music has always suffered from being tied to politics or religion'" – via The Guardian.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "The Who's 'Quadrophenia' At 40: Classic Track-By-Track Review".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion. Canongate. 2007. pp. 321–. ISBN 978-1-84195-973-3. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Gennaro & Harison 2016, p. 153.
- ↑ Marsh 1983, p. 414.
- ↑ The Who (2 July 2013). The Who: Quadrophenia: Authentic Guitar TAB Edition. Alfred Music. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-1-4706-2577-1. Search this book on
Sources
- Atkins, John (1 February 2000). The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963-1998. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-4097-9. Search this book on
- Gennaro, Rocco J.; Harison, Casey (23 June 2016). The Who and Philosophy. Lexington Books. ISBN 978-1-4985-1448-4. Search this book on
- Marsh, Dave (1983). Before I Get Old: The Story of The Who. Plexus. ISBN 978-0-85965-083-0. Search this book on
