Maybe as holistic a musician as they come is Pete Townshend. As the front man of The Who, he not only brings a tonne of energy and charisma, but his guitar playing and creative focus also radiate a core element of complete musicality. This altered not just the direction of rock music in the 1960s and 1970s but also the general environment.
What’s even more fascinating is how infrequently the musician offers compliments, and when he does, he does so with precision and a distinct sense of purpose. Given that he has previously criticised widely recognised bands like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, it frequently begs the question of what music the performer actually thinks is truly good to hear.
Though it might not always seem like it, Townshend does have a few favourite artists and albums. These include Brian Wilson’s “genius” album and The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds,” which he once described as “poetic.” He even went so far as to express his gratitude for Wilson. He said, “I love him so much it’s just terrible.”
While he appreciates the sounds of the band’s magnum opus and many other rock and alternative projects that arose during that period, another group drew his attention. The band in question doesn’t generally seem to fit into his repertoire of beloved favourites. Surprisingly, though, ‘SOS’ is his favourite song, and the band is ABBA.
This fact becomes even more apparent when one considers that people played the song nonstop when it debuted in 1975. Even the most ardent heavy metal fan probably gave in to its alluring Swedish groove. Pete Townshend was the same. He once told The Independent that “SOS” was the greatest pop song ever written. “It taps into whatever elemental musical self we have with all those Swedish folk elements.”
All his father would listen to at the time, and the pop anthem’s distinctive notes filled the house. So, Pete Townshend had no choice but to allow it to become ingrained in his bones, good or bad. Fortunately, he ended up loving the song so much that it ended up becoming the greatest pop song ever written in his opinion. So, perhaps it was for the best after all.
Around this time and in the years that followed, the musician would come to associate himself with several pop classics, such as Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall, but nothing would ever quite evoke the emotions evoked in the mid-1970s by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Fortunately, Townshend was already going to be spoiled. A few months later, the group released “Mamma Mia“. You can only imagine how happy this made Townshend, who loved pop music, unwittingly.
