| "Zoot Suit" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the High Numbers | ||||
| B-side | "I'm the Face" | |||
| Released | 3 July 1964 | |||
| Recorded | June 1964 | |||
| Studio | Fontana, London, England | |||
| Genre | Mod | |||
| Length | 1:59 | |||
| Label | Fontana | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Peter Meaden | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Parmeinter Peter Meaden | |||
| The High Numbers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Zoot Suit" b/w "I'm the Face" was the first single of the British rock band the Who, who recorded it under the name the High Numbers in an attempt to appeal to a mod audience.[1] "Zoot Suit" was written by Peter Meaden, the band's first manager. The song is a direct copy of "Misery" by the American R&B group the Dynamics, while the B-side, "I'm the Face", is a copy of Slim Harpo's "I Got Love If You Want It."[2] The single was meant for a mod audience, but failed to chart.[3] The band changed their name back to The Who, found new management, and released their own composition "I Can't Explain", which became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom.
Both songs embraced mod culture - a zoot suit being a fashionable item of clothing for mods, and a "Face" being mod slang for a well-respected member of mod society.[4]
- ^ John Atkins (2000). The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963-1998. McFarland. p. 31. ISBN 9780786406098.
- ^ Mat Snow (2 November 2015). The Who: Fifty Years of My Generation. Race Point Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 9781631061615.
- ^ "The Who Official Band Website - Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon | | Zoot Suit". Thewho.com. 3 July 1964. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ Rocco J. Gennaro (23 June 2016). The Who and Philosophy. Lexington Books. p. 53. ISBN 9781498514484.