"Eminence Front" is a song by the Who, written and sung by lead guitarist Pete Townshend. It appears on the band's tenth studio album It's Hard (1982). The single entered Billboard Hot 100 on 25 December 1982, reaching number 68.[3][4]
Background and recording
In the song, Townshend sings about the delusions and drug use of the wealthy and hedonistic. The lyrics describe a party in which people hide from their problems behind a façade. Townshend has introduced the song in live performances with: "This song is about what happens when you take too much white powder; it's called 'Eminence Front'."[5] In an interview, Townshend explained:
"Eminence Front" was written around a chord progression I discovered on my faithful Yamaha E70 organ. I hesitate to try to explain what it was about. It's clearly about the absurdity of drug-fueled grandiosity, but whether I was pointing the finger at myself or at the cocaine dealers of Miami Beach is hard to recall.[6]
Release
"Eminence Front" was scheduled to be released as a single in the UK by Polydor Records in 1982; the catalog number was WHO 7 but the single was never released. The picture sleeve, by Richard Evans, depicted a 1930s Art Deco house in Miami.[7] The single in its picture sleeve was finally released in 2017 as part of the Who's The Polydor Singles 1975–2015 box set.[8] It was released as a promotional 12-inch single in both the US and UK, and as a 7-inch single in the US and Canada.
Critical reception
In a wholly negative review of It's Hard, Robert Christgau gave faint praise to "Eminence Front" as the album's high point, sarcastically noting how the aging Townshend "discovers funk. Just in time. Bye."[2]Cashbox said that it "rides along on Pete Townshend's cleanly slicing guitar and the band's patented synth sound" as well as a "strong bottom" from the drums and bass guitar."[9]Rolling Stone ranked the song as the Who's tenth best song, stating, "'Eminence Front' showed they could connect Townshend's new wave-influenced solo work with the classic sound of Who's Next."[6]
Personnel
The Who
Pete Townshend – lead vocals, lead guitar, Yamaha E70 organ, backing vocals
^Sheffield, Rob (27 September 2022). "100 Best Songs of 1982". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2023. ...one final blast of greatness with "Eminence Front", one of their meatiest, beatiest arena-rousers...
