Eminence Front

"Eminence Front" is a song by the Who, written and sung by lead guitarist Pete Townshend. It appears on the group's tenth studio album It's Hard (1982). The single entered Billboard Hot 100 on 25 December 1982, reaching number 68.^[3][4]

"Eminence Front"
Cover of the cancelled UK single
Single by the Who
from the album It's Hard
B-side	"One at a Time"
Released	December 1982
Recorded	1982
Genre	Arena rock,[1] funk[2]
Length	5:39
Label	Polydor (UK) Warner Bros. (US)
Songwriter(s)	Pete Townshend
Producer(s)	Glyn Johns
The Who singles chronology
"Athena" (1982) "Eminence Front" (1982) "It's Hard" (1983)
Promo music video
"Eminence Front" by the Who on YouTube

Background and recording

In the song, Townshend sings about the delusions and drug use of the wealthy and hedonistic. The lyrics describe a party in which people hide from their problems behind a façade. Townshend has introduced the song in live performances with: "This song is about what happens when you take too much white powder; it's called 'Eminence Front'."^[5] In an interview, Townshend explained:

"Eminence Front" was written around a chord progression I discovered on my faithful Yamaha E70 organ. I hesitate to try to explain what it was about. It's clearly about the absurdity of drug-fueled grandiosity, but whether I was pointing the finger at myself or at the cocaine dealers of Miami Beach is hard to recall.^[6]

Personnel

The Who:

• Pete Townshend – lead vocals, lead guitar, Yamaha E70 organ, backing vocals
• Roger Daltrey – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• John Entwistle – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Kenney Jones – drums

Additional Personnel:

• Tim Gorman – electric piano

Release

"Eminence Front" was scheduled to be released as a single in the UK by Polydor Records in 1982; the catalog number was WHO 7 but the single was never released. The picture sleeve, by Richard Evans, depicted a 1930s Art Deco house in Miami.^[7] The single in its picture sleeve was finally released in 2017 as part of the Who's The Polydor Singles 1975-2015 box set.^[8] It was released as a promotional 12-inch single in both the US and UK, and as a 7-inch single in the US and Canada.

Critical reception

In a wholly negative review of It's Hard, Robert Christgau gave faint praise to "Eminence Front" as the album's high point, sarcastically noting how the aging Townshend "discovers funk. Just in time. Bye."^[2] Cash Box said that it "rides along on Pete Townshend's cleanly slicing guitar and the band's patented synth sound" as well as a "strong bottom" from the drums and bass guitar."^[9] Rolling Stone ranked the song as the Who's tenth best song, stating, "'Eminence Front' showed they could connect Townshend's new wave-influenced solo work with the classic sound of Who's Next."^[6]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1982–1983)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[10]	68
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11]	5