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TL;DR:

  • The Who’s Pete Townshend said The Beach Boys inspired one of his band’s songs.
  • A future member of Led Zeppelin worked on the track as a session musician.
  • The song became a big hit in the United Kingdom.
The Beach Boys on a beach
The Beach Boys | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The Beach Boys influenced songs by other artists. For example, The Who’s Pete Townshend said The Beach Boys inspired one of his band’s songs. Notably, a member of Led Zeppelin performed on the track as a session guitarist.

The Who’s Pete Townshend said Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page worked on ‘I Can’t Explain’

In his 2012 book Who I Am: A Memoir, Townshend discussed The Who’s “I Can’t Explain.” “We played [record producer] Shel Talmy the revised ‘I Can’t Explain’ and he booked us a session at Pye Studios to record it,” Townshend wrote. “Shel also brought in some additional musicians, which Kit had warned me he might do.”

A future member of Led Zeppelin worked on the song. “Keith [Moon] jovially told the session drummer who appeared to ‘scarper,’ and he did,” Townshend recalled. “Because Shel wasn’t sure I could play a solo, he had asked his favorite session guitarist, Jimmy Page, to sit in.”

The Who’s Pete Townshend said the song featured backing vocals similar to The Beach Boys’ style

The members of The Who weren’t the only ones singing on “I Can’t Explain.” “And because our band had rehearsed the song with backing vocals in Beach Boys style, but not very skillfully, Shel arranged for three male session singers, The Ivy League, to chirp away in our place,” Townshend said.

Townshend praised Talmy’s work on the Beach Boys-inspired track. “Shel Talmy got a good sound, tight and commercial, and although there was no guitar feedback, I was willing to compromise to get a hit,” Townshend wrote. “We wouldn’t know if the gamble would pay off until after the New Year.”

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How the song performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“I Can’t Explain” became a minor hit in the United States. The track reached No. 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for two weeks. The Who included “I Can’t Explain” on the compilation album The Ultimate Collection. The album hit No. 31 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 11 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “I Can’t Explain” was far more popular in the United Kingdom. There, the song reached No. 8 and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. Meanwhile, The Ultimate Collection peaked at No. 17 in the U.K., lasting on the chart for 10 weeks.

“I Can’t Explain” was a hit and it wouldn’t be the same without The Beach Boys.

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