Power Pop

The song was written by group member Pete Townshend. It was produced by Shel Talmy, an American record producer who worked in England with groups such as The Who and The Kinks. The single was released in December 1964 in the U.S. and January 1965 in the U.K. This was their first single released as The Who. For their previous single, they had called themselves The High Numbers. “I Can’t Explain” went to #8 on the U.K. Singles Chart and #93 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It is a good explain of Sixties British invasion music.

Townshend was 18 years old at the time he wrote “I Can’t Explain.” He said it was about awkwardness in telling his girlfriend that he loved her. In Rolling Stone magazine, Townshend claimed he was tongue-tied because he was on Dexedrine, but then it was the Sixties, and that sounded cool, and maybe it was true and maybe it wasn’t.

The band members for the track were Roger Daltrey (lead vocals, tambourine), John Entwistle (bass guitar, handclaps), Keith Moon (drums, handclaps), and Pete Townshend (lead and rhythm 12-string guitar, handclaps). Backing vocals were by the Ivy League (session musicians John Carter, Ken Lewis, Perry Ford). Jimmy Page was on rhythm guitar, but there’s talk about whether or not his work made it to the final cut.

Here are the lyrics to “I Can’t Explain” by The Who:

” Got a feeling inside
(Can’t explain)
It’s a certain kind
(Can’t explain)

I feel hot and cold
(Can’t explain)
Yeah down in my soul, yeah
(Can’t explain)

I said
(Can’t explain)
I’m feeling good now, yeah but
(Can’t explain)

Dizzy in the head, and I’m feeling blue
The things you’ve said, well, maybe they’re true
I’m gettin’ funny dreams again and again
I know what it means, but

Can’t explain
I think it’s love
Try to say it to you
When I feel blue

But I can’t explain
(Can’t explain)
Yeah, hear what I’m saying, girl
(Can’t explain)

Dizzy in the head, and I’m feeling bad
The things you’ve said have got me real mad
I’m gettin’ funny dreams again and again
I know what it means, but

Can’t explain
I think it’s love
Try to say it to you
When I feel blue

But I can’t explain
(Can’t explain)
Forgive me one more time, now
(Can’t explain)

I said I can’t explain, yeah
You drive me out of my mind
Yeah, I’m the worrying kind, babe
I said I can’t explain”

For other songs by The Who: “Substitute,” “My Generation,” and “I Can See For Miles.”

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “I Can’t Explain” by The Who.