Getting in Tune

"Getting in Tune" was originally conceived as part of Townshend's abandoned Lifehouse project.[1][2] The song's lyrics begin by noting that the singer doesn't really have anything to say.[2] Rather he claims that "I'm singing this note 'cause it fits in well with the chords I'm playing/I can't pretend there's any meaning here or in the things I'm saying."[1] However, the singer is fed up with this superficiality, and thus is "Getting in tune to the straight and narrow."[2] Music critic Robert Christgau considers this line the real theme of the Who's Next album.[3] Another line notes that "I'm going to tune right in on you."[1] It is left ambiguous whether he is referring to a woman or a spiritual figure.[2] The lyrics reflect the contradictions Townshend was feeling between his desire for spirituality and self-understanding against his persona as a hard-drinking hard-partying rock star.[2] Along with the previous song on Who's Next, "The Song Is Over," "Getting in Tune" also incorporates a theme of the power of music, both socially and spiritually.[4] Author Chris Charlesworth interprets the song as using a band tuning up for a show as a metaphor for creating harmony among diverse groups.[5]

The music begins with session musician Nicky Hopkins playing a gentle tune on the piano while John Entwistle plays bass.[1] Roger Daltrey sings the opening lines softly, but explodes on the line "I'm going to tune right in on you," supported by Keith Moon's drum fills.[1] The music then relaxes again.[1] There is a duet in which Daltrey exchanges the line ""Getting in tune to the straight and narrow" with Townshend (low harmony) and Entwistle (high harmony), a section Allmusic critic Tom Maginnis considers "the song's catchiest hook."[1] However, the music becomes more frantic again towards the end.[1] Moon provides laid back drumming throughout most of the song, but speeds up for the frantic portion of the song at the end.[1][2] Unlike many other songs on Who's Next, the instrumentation for "Getting in Tune" does not include synthesizers.[4]

Rolling Stone critic John Mendelsohn praises the dynamics of the song in the way it alternates lyrical passages with more powerful rock passages, increasing the effect of both.[6] Mendelsohn also praises Daltrey's singing.[6] Allmusic critic Tom Maginnis praises the song's arrangement as "brilliant" and praises "the band's mastery of dynamics, tension, and release techniques coalescing seamlessly with strong, memorable melodies."[1] Authors Steve Grantley and Alan Parker call the song "an accomplished mid-tempo Beatlesque number" and state that the "spiritually questing lyrics are matched by some strong playing," particularly singling out Hopkins' piano playing and Moon's drumming.[2] Chris Charlesworth calls the song "another fearless rocker" and "a showcase for Roger [Daltrey] at his absolute best."[5]

"Getting in Tune" was included on the soundtrack to Jerry Maguire.[7]

The song was performed live by the Who in February 1971, before the release of Who's Next, at shows at the Young Vic, but has been played live sparingly since.[1][2] Although the song was not often played live since 1971, it was included on the 2003 live album Live at the Royal Albert Hall.[8] Townshend included a version of the song on his solo album The Lifehouse Chronicles.[9]