Genre Rock Label MCA | Length 3:44 Writer(s) Pete Townshend | |
Released 19 October 1973 (UK)
1 November 1973 (US) Recorded May 1972 and June 1973 at Olympic Studios and "The Kitchen" in Battersea, London | ||
"Cut My Hair" is a song by The Who, written by Pete Townshend. It was released on the group's 1973 rock opera album Quadrophenia.
Contents
Background
"Cut My Hair" was written about the main character from Quadrophenia, Jimmy, trying to fit in with the Mod lifestyle and realizing the futility in trying to fit in.
A domestic interlude. The boy recalls a row with his folks that culminated in his leaving home. We also hear a news broadcast mentioning riots in Brighton between Mods and Rockers, events at which he was present the previous week.
"Cut My Hair" quotes multiple Who songs, including "I Can't Explain," "Out in the Street," and the High Numbers song "Zoot Suit" (on the same single as "I'm the Face".) The title of the song references "Almost Cut My Hair", a song by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
The end of the song directly refers to the clash between the mods and rockers at Brighton, mainly through the use of a newsreader reading the BBC Light Programme's 6:00 news broadcast. The sound of a kettle boiling ends the song.
Live history
"Cut My Hair" was performed by The Who during the British leg of the band's 1973 tour. However, the song was then dropped, only to be revived in 1996 and again in 2012.