When you think of mid-’60s rock bands, few big names are less alike than The Who and The Beach Boys. The Who were a ragtag British Invasion group known for playing super-loud “maximum” R&B and being the first band to ever destroy its instruments on stage.
On the other hand, The Beach Boys, the clean-cut kids from Hawthorne, California, cultivated a much gentler sound based on intricate harmonies and stories about surfing, girls, and cars.
In 1966, The Who, fresh off their first big hit, “My Generation,” performed four songs live on Music-Hall de France. Among them were two covers, “Dancing in the Street,” made popular by Martha and the Vandellas, and “Barbara Ann,” originally written by Fred Fassert and performed by The Regents in 1961. In 1965, The Beach Boys covered the song, and it hit #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #3 in the U.K.
The Who’s performance of “Barbara Ann” is curious because it rocks much harder than The Beach Boys’ version and features a falsetto sung by drummer Keith Moon, one of rock’s most notorious partiers. In 1966, The Who recorded the song for a U.K. EP called Ready, Steady, Who.
Who was Barbara Ann?
It’s believed that Fassert’s sister inspired Barbara Ann. Surfer duo Jan and Dean covered the song in 1962, which inspired The Beach Boys to take a shot at it. Fortunately, Dean Torrence from the group happened to be in a studio in Hollywood when The Beach Boys recorded “Barbara Ann,” so he was invited in to sing the falsetto with Brian Wilson. Although Torrence never received credit for the performance, Carl Wilson can be heard at the end of the song saying, “Thanks, Dean.”
Why did The Who play ‘Barbara Ann’?
Although The Who’s choice to perform a Beach Boys staple may sound like it came out of left field, Moon was a huge Beach Boys fan. “The funny thing about Keith, though, he was a total Beach Boys nut,” The Who singer Roger Daltry said, according to Far Out magazine. “Even in the ’70s, if The Beach Boys had asked Keith to join them and leave The Who, he’d have left us. He was an absolute fanatic. That first night he joined us, his hair was bright ginger ’cos he’d gone out and bought a bottle of peroxide to become a Californian bleach blond – but with his jet black hair and the peroxide, he’d gone like a bloody carrot.”
The Who played ‘Barbara Ann’ once again in the 1970s
The Who played “Barbara Ann” while on tour in 1966 and ’67, but set it aside as the band grew in popularity. They dusted off their old cover in a 1977 Shepperton Studios rehearsal and filmed it for the band’s 1979 documentary The Kids Are Alright. Sadly, Moon died in 1978 before the film was released.
This version features a loud guitar solo by a duck-walking Pete Townshend, clearly doing his best Chuck Berry impersonation.
