Day After Day #146: Give Blood

Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4). 

Give Blood (1985)

Solo careers can be a tricky thing, especially when the band you were in is one of the biggest ever. On one hand, fans look at artists going solo as more material from the artists they love. On the other, they resent the solo artist for ditching the band and don't expect much. 

In Pete Townshend's case, he had made solo albums in the '70s and early '80s during breaks from The Who so there wasn't much controversy when he released his fourth in 1985, White City: A Novel. Plus, the band had famously embarked on their "farewell tour" in 1982, which was hilariously dubbed "Schlitz Rocks America" (I don't know how they talked the Clash into opening for them but it still cracks me up). The Who actually reunited earlier in '85 to play at Live Aid (as did Led Zeppelin and the original lineup of Black Sabbath) and would tour in 1989 for the 25th anniversary of The Kids Are Alright (and many more times over the subsequent years).

Townshend's '80s solo work was his most successful. Empty Glass (1980) included his biggest solo hit, "Let My Love Open the Door," which he would license endlessly for use in ads, movies and TV shows (as he would with many Who hits). The next album, 1982's All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, didn't sell as well but was excellent, with "Slit Skirts" among the standout tracks. 

White City: A Novel was actually an album and a longform video, but it wasn't a novel. But the album and film are based on a story about the low-income housing estate in the West London district of White City, near where Townshend grew up. The story, which is printed on the back cover of the album, details racial tension, economic struggles and the hopes of the kids who grew up in White City. It was a pretty lofty concept for a rock album, but then again, this was the guy who brought us Tommy and Quadrophenia. While White City doesn't quite reach those heights, it's still a pretty great record.

The first single, "Face the Face," was a big hit for Townshend, going to #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Mainstream Rock chart. It was a different sound for Pete, a horn-driven big band-style banger. The next single, "Give Blood," didn't chart in the U.S. or U.K., but it's a rock radio classic (and hit #5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart). Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour plays on the track, along with bassist Pino Palladino (who years later would join the Who's touring band after John Entwistle died) and drummer Simon Phillips; Townshend said he never actually played on the song other than to provide the vocals after the three musicians recorded a jam. 

The song starts slowly before Gilmour's iconic guitar riffing begins, with Townshend singing about how shedding your blood in a heroic fashion like going to war for your country can be a thankless pursuit.

"Give blood/But you may find that blood is not enough/Give blood/And there are some who'll say it's not enough/Give blood/But don't expect to ever see reward/Give blood/You can give it all but still you're asked for more."

Townshend said in an interview that postwar England was convinced that success is tied with the pursuit of heroism, whether as a soldier or in his case, the pursuit of stardom. But he wondered about those who stayed behind and just lived their lives, instead of giving their lives for a society that didn't care about their best interests.

"Give blood/But it could cost more than your dignity/Give blood/Parade your pallor in iniquity/Give blood/They will cry and say they're in our debt/Give blood/But then they'll sign and they will soon forget."

The song has an epic feel, appropriate for the subject at hand.

"So give love and keep blood between brothers/Give love and keep blood between brothers/Give love and keep blood between brothers/Give love and keep blood between brothers."

This album came out during my first semester at college and I played it a lot. It remains my favorite solo Townshend release. He would only make two more solo albums, spending most of the next 40 years doing Who tours. I suppose you can't blame him, but I would have liked to hear more music along the lines of White City.