| "The Rock" is an instrumental piece written by Pete Townshend of The Who, the second to last track on their double album Quadrophenia (1973), their second rock opera. It is one of the most musically complex pieces that Townshend ever wrote for The Who, combining all of the four themes of Jimmy, the protagonist of the opera, into one six-minute musical medley. At one point during the piece, two of the themes are played simultaneously, one of which is in 4/4 time and the other in 6/8 time. The 6/8 theme's tempo is slower in such a way that every bar of the opposing themes takes the same amount of time to play, giving The Who one of the most progressive sounds they ever achieved. The name of the piece is a reference to the location from which Jimmy tells the story of Quadrophenia. He finds refuge from himself in the pouring rain on a solitary rock in the sea. The piece has neither a definite beginning or end, as it begins with a fade-in from the previous track, "Doctor Jimmy" (containing "Is it Me?", Bassist John Entwistle's theme), and starting with the theme of "Bell Boy" ( Drummer Keith Moon's theme). This is followed by the themes of "Is It Me?", "Helpless Dancer" (Roger Daltrey's theme), and "Love, Reign O'er Me" (Townshend's theme). The finale is then the themes together - "Bell Boy" as the chord sequence, the introduction to "Love Reign O'er Me" on the piano, and "Helpless Dancer" on synthesizers. This suddenly stops with the sound of a thundercloud bursting and ... |
