View source for Pinball Wizard

{{Short description|1969 single by the Who}}
{{for multi|the New Seekers album|Now (The New Seekers album)|the video game|Macadam Bumper}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Pinball Wizard
| cover      = Pinball Wizard Germany PS.jpg
| caption    = Continental European picture sleeve
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Who]]
| album      = [[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy]]
| B-side     = Dogs Part Two
| released   = {{Start date|1969|3|7|df=y}}
| recorded   = 7 February 1969
| studio     = [[Morgan Studios|Morgan]], London
| venue      =
| genre      = *[[Hard rock]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.guitarplayer.com/artists/1424/the-25-greatest-acoustic-songs-in-hard-rock--video/53859|title= The 25 Greatest Acoustic Songs in Hard Rock|last1= Bosso|first1= Joe|date= 11 May 2016|website= [[Guitar Player]]|publisher= [[NewBay Media]]|access-date= 5 August 2016}}</ref>
*[[power pop]]<ref>{{cite book|first=Bob|last=Stanley|title=Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9emZAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT348|date=13 September 2013|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=978-0-571-28198-5|page=348}}</ref>
| length     = {{Duration|m=2|s=57}}
| label      = [[Track Records|Track]] (UK)<br />[[Decca Records|Decca]] (US)
| writer     = [[Pete Townshend]]
| producer   = [[Kit Lambert]]
| prev_title = [[Magic Bus (song)|Magic Bus]]
| prev_year  = 1968
| next_title = [[I'm Free (The Who song)|I'm Free]]
| next_year  = 1969
| misc       = {{External music video|header=Lyric video|{{YouTube|hHc7bR6y06M|"Pinball Wizard" by the Who}}}}
{{External music video|header=Live video|{{YouTube|-J03yCE15rg|"Pinball Wizard" (1970, live) by the Who}}}}
{{Extra album cover
 | header = Alternative release
 | image = Pinball Wizard by the Who UK single.webp
 | caption = Side A of the UK single
 | type = single
 }}
}}

"'''Pinball Wizard'''" is a song by the English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Who]], written by guitarist and primary songwriter [[Pete Townshend]] and featured on their 1969 [[rock opera]] album ''[[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy]]''. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 19 on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].

The B-side of the "Pinball Wizard" single is an instrumental credited to [[Keith Moon]], titled "Dogs Part Two".  Despite the title, it has no musical connection to the Who's 1968 UK single "[[Dogs (The Who song)|Dogs]]".

==Story==
The lyrics are written from the perspective of a [[pinball]] champion, called "Local Lad" in the ''Tommy'' [[libretto]] book, astounded by the skills of the opera's eponymous main character, [[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy Walker]]: "He ain't got no distractions / Can't hear those buzzers and bells / Don't see no lights a flashin' / Plays by sense of smell / Always gets a replay / Never seen him fall / That deaf dumb and blind kid / Sure plays a mean pinball.",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1542163|title=Pinball Wizard Lyrics|website=lyrics.com}}</ref> and "I thought I was the [[Bally Manufacturing|Bally]] table king, but I just handed my pinball crown to him".

Townshend once called it "the most clumsy piece of writing [he'd] ever done".<ref>Remaster Liner Notes to Tommy "Deaf, Dumb and Blind kid" by Richard Barnes</ref> Nevertheless, the song was a commercial success and remains one of the most recognised tunes from the opera. It was a perpetual concert favourite for Who fans due to its pop sound and familiarity.

==Position on the album==
In late 1968 or early 1969, when the Who played a rough assembly of their new album to critic [[Nik Cohn]], Cohn gave a lukewarm reaction to it. Following this, Townshend, as ''Tommy''{{'}}s principal composer, discussed the album with Cohn and concluded that, to lighten the load of the rock opera's heavy spiritual overtones (Townshend had recently become deeply interested in the teachings of [[Meher Baba]]), the title character, a "deaf, dumb, and blind" boy, should also be particularly good at a certain game. Knowing Cohn was an avid pinball fan, Townshend suggested that Tommy would play pinball, and Cohn immediately declared ''Tommy'' to be a [[masterpiece]].<ref name=Alsheimer /> The song "Pinball Wizard" was written and recorded almost immediately. The single version was slightly sped up and runs to 2:57, whilst the natural length album version runs to 3:04.

==Reception==
''[[Cash Box]]'' said "Pinball Wizard" was "sensational", saying "Retaining the joyful exaltation of early pop rock, the Who add a proficiency and modernization that clicks with the accuracy of a [[Beatles]]-gone-heavy."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Cash Box|access-date=2023-05-09|date=22 March 1969|page=18|title=CashBox Record Reviews|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1969/CB-1969-03-22.pdf}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' described the single as "a solid beat rocker."<ref name=bb>{{cite news|newspaper=Billboard|access-date=2021-02-20|date=22 March 1969|page=71|title=Spotlight Singles|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1969/Billboard-1969-03-22.pdf}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' described it as an "exciting side."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Single Picks of the Week|magazine=Record World|date=March 22, 1969|page=1|accessdate=2023-05-09|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/60s/69/RW-1969-03-22.pdf}}</ref>

==Live performances==
This song is one of the band's most famous live songs, being played at almost every Who concert since its debut live performance on 2 May 1969. The live performances rarely deviated from the album arrangement, save for an occasional jam at the end sometimes leading to another song. Bootleg recordings show that this song has been known to last as long as eight minutes (at a concert at the [[Rainbow Theatre]] in London on 3 February 1981), although live versions lasting as long as that are extremely rare. Pinball Wizard was also played during the [[Super Bowl XLIV]] Halftime Show on 7 February 2010.

==Personnel==
*[[Roger Daltrey]]&nbsp;– lead vocals
*[[Pete Townshend]]&nbsp;– backing vocals, co-lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
*[[John Entwistle]]&nbsp;– bass guitar
*[[Keith Moon]]&nbsp;– drums

==Charts and certifications==
{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2017}}
{{columns-start}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Chart (1969)
! Peak<br />position
|-
| Australia [[Kent Music Report]] 
| style="text-align:center;"|45
|-
| Canada ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Top Singles<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5950&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5950.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5950|title=Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=26 May 1969 |access-date=2019-07-01}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
|Finland ([[The Official Finnish Charts|''Soumen Virallinen'']])<ref>{{cite book |last=Nyman |first=Jake |title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja |publisher=Tammi |year=2005 |isbn=951-31-2503-3 |edition=1st |location=Helsinki |page=135|language=fi}}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|32
|-
|France
| style="text-align:center;"|89
|-
|Germany
| style="text-align:center;"|25
|-
|Ireland
| style="text-align:center;"|14
|-
|Netherlands 
| style="text-align:center;"|12
|-
|New Zealand 
| style="text-align:center;"|8
|-
|South Africa ([[Springbok Radio|Springbok]])<ref>{{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965 – March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(W).html|access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>
|align="center"|6
|-
|Switzerland
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
| UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref>[Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2002]</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|19
|-
|US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' Top 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19690531.html|title=Cash Box Top 100 5/31/69|date=30 June 2016}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|}
{{column}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Chart (1969)
! Rank
|-
|UK<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sixtiescity.net/charts/69chart.htm#top100|title = Sixties City – Pop Music Charts – Every Week of the Sixties}}</ref> 
| style="text-align:center;"|47
|}

===Certifications===
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Who|title=Pinball Wizard|award=Gold|certyear=2022|relyear=2004|id=14998-1463-1|access-date=2 December 2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
{{columns-end}}

==Elton John versions==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Pinball Wizard
| image      = Pinball wizard by elton john Philippine single.png
| alt        = side-A label
| caption    = Side A of the Philippine single
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Elton John]]
| album      = [[Tommy (soundtrack)|Tommy soundtrack]]
| B-side     = Harmony
| released   = 12 March 1976
| recorded   = April 19, 1974
| studio     = [[Ramport Studios|Ramport]], London
| venue      =
| genre      = *[[Hard rock]]
*[[glam rock]]
| length     = 5:14
| label      = *[[DJM Records|DJM]] (UK)
*[[Polydor]] (Promotional Only) (US)
| writer     = [[Pete Townshend]]
| producer   = [[Gus Dudgeon]]
| prev_title = [[Grow Some Funk of Your Own]] / [[I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)]]
| prev_year  = 1976
| next_title = [[Don't Go Breaking My Heart]]
| next_year  = 1976
| misc       = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|xyFB3QjGX0A|"Pinball Wizard" by Elton John}}}}
{{External music video|header=Live video|{{YouTube|rYmoxipzVUo|"Pinball Wizard" (live, 1975) by Elton John}}}}
}}

The song was performed by English musician [[Elton John]] in [[Ken Russell]]'s 1975 [[Tommy (1975 film)|film adaptation]] of ''Tommy''. This version was released in 1975 as a promotional single only in the US, and in 1976 in the UK, where it reached number 7. Because it was not released as a commercial single in the US, it was ineligible to be listed on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] chart. It did however make the US [[Radio & Records]] airplay chart, where it reached number 9.

John's version uses a piano as the song's centerpiece in place of the acoustic guitar in the original. In the film, John's character is shown playing his pinball machine via a small piano keyboard. He acknowledges that Tommy is a threat, but initially believes he will not be able to beat him for the championship. As the match progresses, he is soon proven wrong, and concedes defeat when Tommy maxes the score counter. His adaptation also features additional lyrics specially written by Townshend for the movie version, as well as a subtle inclusion of musical phrases from the Who's 1960s hit "[[I Can't Explain]]" during the outro. Similarly, the Who's later cover of Elton John's "[[Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting]]" included parts of "[[Take Me to the Pilot]]". Unlike most of the soundtrack's music, which featured various combinations of the Who and some of the era's best session players, Elton John used his own band and producer [[Gus Dudgeon]] for the track. John has performed the song as part of his Las Vegas [[Red Piano Show]], as well as on various tours. To date, it is the only cover of a Who song to reach the top 10.<ref name=discover>{{cite news |last=Sexton |first=Paul |date=20 March 2018 |title= Elton John Sure Played A Mean Cover Of 'Pinball Wizard'|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/elton-john-sure-played-mean-cover-pinball-wizard/ }}</ref>

John performed the song with an extended closing jam during his 1975 tour. This version appears on the 2-CD 30th Anniversary release of [[Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy]], with the live disc of the June 21, 1975 concert from Wembley Stadium. 

Elton opened his 'Final UK Show' at Glastonbury in 2023 playing the song.  

The song has subsequently been performed by [[Taron Egerton]] who portrayed Elton John in the film ''[[Rocketman (film)|Rocketman]]'' (2019).

===Personnel===
* [[Elton John]] – lead vocals, piano
* [[Davey Johnstone]] – acoustic and electric guitars, backing vocals
* [[Dee Murray]] – bass, backing vocals
* [[Nigel Olsson]] – drums, backing vocals
* [[Ray Cooper]] – tambourine, [[conga]]s

===Chart performance===
In Toronto, "Pinball Wizard" spent two weeks at number one on the [[CHUM Limited|CHUM]] survey.<ref>[http://chumtribute.com/75-05-10-chart.jpg CHUM Hit Parade, May 10, 1975]</ref> In Chicago, "Pinball Wizard" remained on the [[WLS-FM|WLS]] Musicradio Survey as an "extra" for five and a half months, from mid-April to late September as an album track in heavy rotation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls750927.htm|title=Wls092775}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1976)
! Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia<ref name="Australian Chart Book 1970–1992">{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|type=doc|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|title-link=Kent Music Report}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|88
|-
|{{singlechart|Ireland2|13|song=Pinball Wizard|access-date=22 June 2017}}
|-
|UK<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/pinball%20wizard/|title=pinball+wizard – full Official Chart History – Official Charts Company|publisher=Official Charts Company}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
|US Radio & Records<ref name="Whitburn">{{cite book| last = Whitburn| first = Joel| title = Radio & Records Top Pop Hits 1973–2009| publisher = Sheridan Books| year = 2019| isbn = 978-0-89820-231-1|page=70}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|}

==Other cover versions==
* The song was featured in a medley with another song from ''Tommy'' ("See Me, Feel Me") in a recording by the British pop group the [[New Seekers]] in 1973. This version reached No. 16 on the UK charts and in Australia, No. 28 in Canada,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.4812.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles – May 5, 1973}}</ref> and No. 29 on the U.S. Hot 100.<ref>{{cite book |title=  Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=611}}</ref> 
* In 1977, [[Barry Williams (actor)|Barry Williams]] performed the song during a "Songs from Movies" medley on an episode of ''[[The Brady Bunch Hour|The Brady Bunch Variety Hour]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nichelson |first=Ted |date=2009 |title=Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of the Brady Bunch Variety Hour |url=https://archive.org/details/lovetoloveyoubra00nich |url-access=limited |publisher=ECW Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/lovetoloveyoubra00nich/page/n303 291]|isbn=9781550228885}}</ref>
* [[Tenacious D]] also regularly perform the song as a part of a medley of songs from Tommy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tenacious-d-who-concert-medley/|title=Tenacious D Dig Into Who Catalog for Concert Medley|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=30 June 2012 }}</ref>
* British Rock Band [[Mcfly]] have also covered this song. (Their cover was used in a promo for [[Two and a Half Men]] on [[Comedy Central (British TV channel)|Paramount Comedy]] in 2005).

==Legacy==
Bruce Springsteen makes a reference to the song in his song "[[4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)]]", in the album ''[[The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle]]'', with the lyric "And the wizards play down on Pinball Way".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brucespringsteen.it/DB/sd3.aspx?sid=3|title=Bruce Springsteen Lyrics database : 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)|website=brucespringsteen.it|access-date=2016-11-29}}</ref> The track is also featured on the video games ''[[Rock Band 2]]'', ''[[Rock Band Unplugged]]'' and ''[[Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore 2]]''.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Using the phrase "pinball wizard" to describe a high-quality pinball player is common, both in works of media and among the general public. Several pinball tables feature a "[[Glossary of pinball terms#W|wizard mode]]", a state of play which is meant to be reached only by skilled players. Within the pinball community, the phrase's use is sometimes controversial: this is primarily due to its ubiquity, with many players having become tired of hearing it.<ref name=Alsheimer>{{Cite web |last=Alsheimer |first=Colin |title=Are You a Pinball Wizard? Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About a Pinhead's Least Favorite Phrase |url=https://www.kineticist.co/post/pinball-wizard |website=Kineticist}}</ref>

Several pinball machines have been produced with a "Pinball Wizard" theme. Two of these, produced at the time of the [[Tommy (1975 film)|''Tommy'' feature film]]'s release, have only an oblique relation to the song: ''Wizard'' was wholly unlicensed, only taking inspiration from the song and film, while ''Capt. Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,'' a table ostensibly with an [[Elton John]] licence, used the singer's likeness as he appeared in the film, where he played the "Pinball Wizard". Both of these machines were produced in the mid-1970s by [[Bally Manufacturing]]. Two decades later, [[Data East Pinball]] also produced ''[[The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard]]'', a licensed machine capitalising on the album's [[The Who's Tommy|stage adaptation]].<ref name=Alsheimer />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{YouTube|4AKbUm8GrbM|The Who – Pinball Wizard}}
* {{YouTube|__dU0X1N_T0|Elton John – Pinball Wizard}}

{{The Who singles}}
{{Tommy}}
{{Elton John songs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1969 singles]]
[[Category:1975 singles]]
[[Category:1976 singles]]
[[Category:The Who songs]]
[[Category:Elton John songs]]
[[Category:Works about pinball]]
[[Category:Songs written by Pete Townshend]]
[[Category:Decca Records singles]]
[[Category:DJM Records singles]]
[[Category:MCA Records singles]]
[[Category:Polydor Records singles]]
[[Category:Track Records singles]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert]]
[[Category:1969 songs]]