A Quick One, While He's Away
| "A Quick One, While He's Away" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Who | |
| from the album A Quick One | |
| Released | 9 December 1966 |
| Recorded | Early November 1966 |
| Studio | IBC, Pye and Regent Sound (London) |
| Genre | |
| Length |
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| Label | Reaction |
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend |
| Producer(s) | Kit Lambert |
"A Quick One, While He's Away" is a 1966 song written by Pete Townshend and recorded by the Who for their second album A Quick One. The song also appears on the album BBC Sessions. In the performance on their Live at Leeds album Townshend calls the nine-minute "epic" track a "mini-opera" and introduces it as "Tommy's parents".
The song tells the story of an unnamed girl whose lover has been gone "for nearly a year". Her friends inform her that they "have a remedy"; the remedy comes in the form of Ivor the Engine Driver. When the lover returns, the girl confesses her infidelity, and she is ultimately forgiven.