Clare, Jim, Pete and Sally Simpson
Saturday, 31 January 2004 15:37![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apollaOK. Quick random ranty thought.
I haven't listened to Tommy for ages and ages. But the other week when I bought 'Uncut' magazine simply because it had a feature on Jim Morrison, there was a sidebar in it about famous sorts who weren't so fond of Jim as me (entitled Love Him Madly? Not Everyone Was Lit By Jim Morrison's Fire. Classy). And it had a thing in it that I did not previously know. It has a thing about how Pete 'Hopefully not actually a paedophile' Townshend wrote 'Sally Simpson' after: "observing an impassive Morrison watch a girl receive shocking injuries when she plunged head-first from the stage" during a Who/Doors show in New York in August 68.
I was reminded of reading this when I shoved on a Who CD for the first time in ages (inspired by a conversation with Lynsie yesterday about the interesting fact that 'Who Are You' is used as the CSI theme tune). So I went and dug out Tommy (I brought it to Sunderland of course). And I listened to 'Sally Simpson' and man it's about Jim. It's about the boorish, nastier side of Jim (called Jimbo by Ray Manzarek) and it's heart-breaking for me to listen to now. Before it was simply a cautionary tale of idols and such within the context of Tommy. Now it's always going to be about a girl who idolised Tommy/Jim so much she ended up horribly hurt. Reminds me of someone I know, though not physically hurt by him but who carries the scars of loving a tarnished hero within her heart.
Last verse of Sally Simpson that has always made me smile, before and after finding out Pete's inspiration was at the expense of my hero:
Sixteen stitches put her right and her dad said,
"Don't say I didn't warn ya!"
Sally got married to a rock musician she met in California.
Tommy always talks about the day the disciples all went wild.
Sally still carries a scar on her cheek to remind her of his smile.
(Townshend)
I haven't listened to Tommy for ages and ages. But the other week when I bought 'Uncut' magazine simply because it had a feature on Jim Morrison, there was a sidebar in it about famous sorts who weren't so fond of Jim as me (entitled Love Him Madly? Not Everyone Was Lit By Jim Morrison's Fire. Classy). And it had a thing in it that I did not previously know. It has a thing about how Pete 'Hopefully not actually a paedophile' Townshend wrote 'Sally Simpson' after: "observing an impassive Morrison watch a girl receive shocking injuries when she plunged head-first from the stage" during a Who/Doors show in New York in August 68.
I was reminded of reading this when I shoved on a Who CD for the first time in ages (inspired by a conversation with Lynsie yesterday about the interesting fact that 'Who Are You' is used as the CSI theme tune). So I went and dug out Tommy (I brought it to Sunderland of course). And I listened to 'Sally Simpson' and man it's about Jim. It's about the boorish, nastier side of Jim (called Jimbo by Ray Manzarek) and it's heart-breaking for me to listen to now. Before it was simply a cautionary tale of idols and such within the context of Tommy. Now it's always going to be about a girl who idolised Tommy/Jim so much she ended up horribly hurt. Reminds me of someone I know, though not physically hurt by him but who carries the scars of loving a tarnished hero within her heart.
Last verse of Sally Simpson that has always made me smile, before and after finding out Pete's inspiration was at the expense of my hero:
Sixteen stitches put her right and her dad said,
"Don't say I didn't warn ya!"
Sally got married to a rock musician she met in California.
Tommy always talks about the day the disciples all went wild.
Sally still carries a scar on her cheek to remind her of his smile.
(Townshend)