From album
The Who
The Who · 1980 · Track 11
Details
TonalidadG#
Compás4/4
Tempo96 BPM
Duración3:23
CompositorPete Townshend
ÁlbumThe Who
Año1980
Credits
Music Pete Townshend
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The story behind
The story of "Magic Bus" is an interesting journey that began long before it was recorded. Pete Townshend wrote it in 1965, at the height of the recording of their first album, My Generation. However, the song wouldn't see the light of day until 1968. When it was finally released as a single in the United States and Canada in July 1968, and then in the United Kingdom in October, it became a very popular track for The Who, although it reached number 26 on the UK charts and number 25 in the US. The piece was included on their 1968 album, Magic Bus: The Who on Tour.
To shape "Magic Bus", The Who resorted to a particular sonic detail: the claves, a wooden percussion instrument that produces a sharp click when struck. They had already used this same sound in 1966 in the song Disguises. Furthermore, the song's rhythmic structure is based on the well-known *Bo Diddley beat*. The song's narrative is presented as a dialogue between the "Driver" and the "Passenger" who wants to buy the bus to go see his girl. Curiously, the recording of the song featured backing vocals from Bob Pridden, the band's sound engineer, and Jess Roden, whom Townshend compared to a Steve Winwood-style voice.
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