For this installment of Studio Daze we are going to head back to 1964 while Jimmy was but a mere studio guitarist and examine his work on The Who's classic single "I Can't Explain".
"I Can't Explain" was The Who's first single released under their new name (they had previously been named The Detours and The High Numbers). The song bears a striking similarity to the band's contemporaries The Kink's hit "All Day and All of the Night". The Who's guitarist, Pete Townshend noted the song's similarity to "All Day and All of the Night": "It can't be beat for straightforward Kink copying. There is little to say about how I wrote this. It came out of the top of my head when I was 18 and a half." In an interview with Q Magazine in 1994, Roger Daltrey also noted to the similarity of early The Who singles to material being put out by The Kinks, and the influence of The Kinks on The Who,
"We already knew Pete could write songs, but it never seemed a necessity in those days to have your own stuff because there was this wealth of untapped music that we could get hold of from America. But then bands like The Kinks started to make it, and they were probably the biggest influence on us – they were certainly a huge influence on Pete, and he wrote 'I Can't Explain', not as a direct copy, but certainly it's very derivative of Kinks music."
In 1974, Jimmy Page sat down for an interview with Nick Kent, a reporter for Creem Magazine and discussed his contribution to the classic tune. "'Can’t Explain,’ that I played rhythm guitar on—actually I wasn’t really needed, but I was fortunate enough to find myself there. Just strengthening up riffs, that’s all—just two guitars doing it instead of one." This claim was reinforced by producer of the session, Shel Talmy in an interview with Guitar World in 1996, "It was my first session with the Who, so I was hedging my bets. Jimmy was there in case Pete couldn't cut it. But Pete was just fine."
This song is pretty simple and straightforward. Jimmy just played rhythm on the track, but I've included the solo for the hell of it. Enjoy!
 |
| Jimmy Page & "The Who" drummer Keith Moon |
Here are the chords used in the song:
E x7999x
D x5777x
A 577655 and x02255 and x022xx
Asus4 xx775x
B 799877 and x2444x
Bsus4 xx997x
C#m x46654
[intro and main pattern]
||:E D D |A E E :||
|E D D |A E E |
Got a feeling inside (Can't explain)
It's a certain kind (Can't explain)
I feel hot and cold (Can't explain)
|E D D |B E E |
Yeah, down in my soul, yeah (Can't explain)
|E D D |A E E |
I said... (Can't explain)
I'm feeling good now, yeah, but (Can't explain)
Dizzy in the head and I'm feeling blue
The things you've said, well, maybe they're true
I'm gettin' funny dreams again and again
|E D |B |
I know what it means, but...
[chorus]
|E |C#m
Can't explain, I think it's love
|A Asus4 A |B Bsus4 B
Try to say it to you when I feel blue, but I
[optional riff from 12-string]
|--------------------|-----------------|
|5---5--5-5-5-5------|7-7-7-7-7-7------|
|6---6--6-6-7-6------|8-8-8-8-9-8------|
|7---7--7-7-7-7-7-7--|9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--|
|--------------------|-----------------|
|--------------------|-----------------|
|E D D |A E E |
But I can't explain (Can't explain)
Yeah, you hear what I'm saying, girl (Can't explain)
[first solo)
|E D |A E |E D |A E |
|-----4-2-----|-----------------|------------------|--------------|
|-----0-------|-----------------|------------------|--------------|
|2-/4----1^---|-----------------|------------------|--------------|
|-----------0h|2--2p0--0----0-0h|2-0h2--2p0-0------|--------------|
|-------------|------2----------|----------2-2-0-0-|--------------|
|-------------|-----------------|---------------3--|3^-0-3^--0\/--|
Dizzy in the head and I'm feeling bad
The things you said have got me real mad
I'm gettin' funny dreams again and again
I know what it means but...
[repeat chorus]
Can't explain
I think it's love
Try to say it to you
When I feel blue
But I can't explain (Can't explain)
Just give me one more time now, yeah (Can't explain)
[second solo)
|E D |A E |
|-----16-14~-----|-------------------------------|
|--------15------|-------------------------------|
|14-/16-------12h|14-12^-------------------------|
|----------------|------14--12h14-12h14-12h14-12h|
|-----------0----|-------------------------------|
|----------------|-------------------------------|
|E D |A E |
|---------------------------|------------|
|---------------------------|------------|
|---------------------------|------------|
|14-12--12~-----------------|----5-7--5~-|
|-----14----14-12-10-12-----|5-7---------|
|-----------------------12\-|------------|
|E D |A E |E D |A E |
|---------2--|--------0---|----0-----0--|0-0-0-0------|
|---------3--|-2h3p2------|---0-----0---|0-0-0-0------|
|--1------2--|-2----2---1-|-------------|-------------|
|--2---0--0--|------------|-------------|----0/0/0-2--|
|--2---------|0-----------|/4----/5----/|7-7-5/5/5-2--|
|0-----------|-------0----|-------------|----------0--|
I said I can't explain, yeah
You drive me outta my mind
Yeah, I'm the worrying kind, babe
|A A E
I said I can't explain
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