A Little Is Enough

"A Little Is Enough"
Single by Pete Townshend
from the album Empty Glass
B-side"Cat's in the Cupboard"
ReleasedSeptember 1980
Recorded1980
GenreRock
Length
  • 4:42 (Album version)
  • 3:10 (7" version)
LabelAtco Records
Songwriter(s)Pete Townshend
Producer(s)
Pete Townshend US singles chronology
"Let My Love Open The Door"
(1980) 		"A Little Is Enough"
(1980) 		"Keep on Working"
(1980)

"A Little Is Enough" is a single written and performed by Pete Townshend, also known for being the guitarist for The Who. The track appeared on his album, Empty Glass.

Background

Pete Townshend pledged that "A Little Is Enough" was meant to make the best of Pete Townshend and Karen Townshend's fitful marriage. "I was able to very easily put into words something that had actually happened to me when I was a thirty-four-year-old," he said. "It's very emotional, but it's also very straightforward and clear."[1]

Townshend has also said that the song was inspired by an encounter with his spiritual guru, Meher Baba's, secretary, Adi Irani.

Meher Baba's secretary Adi Irani made a visit to London around this time, I tried to get his advice. 'My wife doesn't love me anymore,' I said.'What should I do?' 'She doesn't love you at all?' he wobbled his head as he spoke. 'She said she loved me a little.' 'Ah!' Adi clapped his hands and smiled. 'A little! That's good. Love is universal. Limitless. So even a little is enough.' I wrote a song called 'A Little Is Enough', and recorded it using the same system as I'd used on "Let My Love Open The Door". Although I'd always thought my love songs were terrible, I think this is one of the best songs I've ever written.

— Pete Townshend[2][3]

Pete Townshend also said that he preferred "A Little Is Enough" to his US top nine hit "Let My Love Open The Door" by saying that "Let My Love Open The Door" was just a "ditty".[1]

The song also makes a reference to Rémy Martin in the lyrics "I'm like a connoisseur of champagne cognac, the perfume nearly beats the taste."

Release and reception

"A Little is Enough" was released on the 1980 Empty Glass album, where it was the eighth track on the album. The track was then released as the second US single from said album, where it was backed with "Cat's in the Cupboard" (also from Empty Glass). The single was modestly successful, hitting #72. It was followed up by "Rough Boys" in America. The single wasn't released in Britain, where another single from Empty Glass, "Keep On Working" was issued instead.

Record World called it a "stunning triumph" and said that "the vocal urgency is awesome."[4] "A Little Is Enough" was cited as a highlight from Empty Glass by AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine.[5]

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 72

References

  1. ^ a b "100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Rolling Stone. 16 November 1989.
  2. ^ Pratt, Carrie. "Meher Baba". petetownshend.net.
  3. ^ Giles, Jeff (21 April 2015). "35 Years Ago: Pete Townshend Releases His First Proper Solo Album, 'Empty Glass'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 27, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  5. ^ Allmusic 'Empty Glass' review
  6. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X