The song is about a man who has gone out and gotten drunk and been gone for a period of time (due to being locked up in the drunk tank) and is in fear of his wife because she thinks he was spending time with another woman.
My Wife playlist
written by bass guitarist John Entwistle.
released in 1971
Who's Next,
6 November 1971
"My Wife" was the fourth track on "Who's Next" recorded at Olympic Studios May 1971.
While it did appear on Who's Next
it was thought that it was not a part of the Lifehouse project[2],
which was confirmed in 2000, when it was not included in Pete Townshend's Lifehouse Chronicles box set.
The song drolly describes, in first person, all the things he needs to have or do to protect himself from her wrath.
"My Wife" is arguably John Entwistle's highlight on "Who's Next" being that he takes on the lead vocals, bass guitar, piano, and horn sectionUnusually, this song does not feature a guitar solo, which is most likely because Entwistle could only "write on bass guitar or in my head, just transfer it to manuscript paper, or piano,"[5] and did not play the guitar. Instead of a guitar solo, in the longer breaks between verses there is a horn part by Entwistle. This song is in the key of B major.In 1979 "My Wife" was again released as a B-side single, this time to "Long Live Rock". This version was recorded live and released on The Kids Are Alright. What is rare about this version is that it was the only song released from The Who's 1977 concert at the Kilburn State Theatre in London.[6] The rest of the songs were not released until 2008 on the DVD The Who at Kilburn: 1977. The song is unlike the studio version as it has a guitar solo by Townshend but no piano or horns.
In November 1973, Entwistle re-recorded the song and released it on his third solo album Rigor Mortis Sets In. A live version of the song was featured on the two-disc compilation album So Who's the Bass Player? The Ox Anthology which was released on 22 March 2005.
During an interview Pete Townshend described "My Wife" as "the best new rock number on the album [Who's Next]."[5]
Critic Mark Deming called "My Wife" the "comic relief" on "Who's Next".[7]
While it's certainly true that Pete Townshend has a keen sense of humor, on Who's Next, the album salvaged from the pieces of the stalled Lifehouse project, Townshend gave John Entwistle the honor of penning the album's comic relief number, and he certainly came up with a corker. "My Wife" is built around a theme as old as vaudeville -- after a few too many drinks, Entwistle runs into a spot of trouble with the law and doesn't make it home that night. His spouse, however, is convinced he's absent because he's been seeing another woman, and now she's on the warpath, and Entwistle is convinced he's got a lot of running to do to escape the wrath of a woman scorned. Not a brilliant premise, to be sure, but Entwistle milks it for all the absurdity he can -- fast cars, planes, bodyguards, guns, martial arts experts, and even tanks aren't enough to keep Entwistle safe from his enraged one-time beloved, and the taller the tale gets, the more amusing it becomes. It helps that Entwistle married his lyrics to a cracking good tune, in fact one of his best -- "My Wife" roars along with a bluesy élan that doesn't get in the way of its commendable physical momentum, and Entwistle fortified the Who's enthusiastic performance with a rollicking piano line and some well-placed horn overdubs (the brass, of course, being played by Entwistle himself). "My Wife" is easily the least-weighty song on Who's Next, but in many ways that's the song's greatest virtue; Lifehouse was as serious and inward-looking a project as the Who would ever attempt, and in the midst of the complex puzzle assembled on Who's Next, "My Wife" served as a reminder that the Who were more than just the platform for a visionary musical genius -- they were a damn good rock & roll band who knew how to give the crowd a good time, and don't let anyone tell you that's not important.
Because of excessive live performances John Entwistle wrote "The Quiet One" to replace this song, although he would still perform the song for his solo career and his later performances with The Who.[8]
Rob Mitchum of Pitchfork Media called it "the only listenable song of [Entwistle's] writing career."[9]
He wrote it, sung it, and played bass, piano and brass on it.
And I picked the wrong precinct
Got picked up by the law
And now I ain't got time to think
I just love that line.
yes,
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