Quadrophenia Research Paper
Michelle Kahn
Mr. McCrary
AP Industrial World
Term Paper
The personalities of the Members of The Who as Represented by the Protagonist of Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by the English rock band The Who. The story involves social, musical, and psychological happenings from an English teenage perspective, set in London and Brighton in 1964 and 1965. The name, Quadrophenia, is a variation on the incorrect popular usage of the medical diagnostic term schizophrenia as dissociative identity disorder to reflect the four distinct personalities of Jimmy, the opera’s protagonist (“Quadrophenia.” Reference.com). The four distinct personalities of Jimmy, the main character of the album, each represent the personalities of the members of The Who. The protagonist of Quadrophenia, Jimmy, is a young Mod in the throes of self- doubt and alienation. He is a “working- class kid, disillusioned with a life of dead- end jobs, unsympathetic parents, and a psychiatrist who doesn’t understand him” (Neill 225). Jimmy also suffers from “quadrophenia” which was meant to be a spin-off of the personality disorder, schizophrenia. He is a schizophrenic who takes pills, a popular aspect of the Mod lifestyle, and his schizophrenia divides up causing him to become quadrophenic (“Quadrophenia- The Album”). The listener is immediately introduced to the four different personalities of Jimmy at the beginning of the album. In “I am the Sea/The Real Me” the listener can clearly hear how Jimmy is torn between the four different aspects of his personality, “Helpless Dancer// Is it me?// Bell Boy.// Love Reign O’er Me.” (“Quadrophenia- Lyrics”); he is struggling to figure out who the “real” him is. The first member of The Who, Roger Daltrey, was born at Hammersmith Hospital in West London on March 1, 1944 during a heavy World War II bombing raid. Both of his parents were staunchly working class; his father was an insurance clerk while his mother was a sickness beneficiary
Mr. McCrary
AP Industrial World
Term Paper
The personalities of the Members of The Who as Represented by the Protagonist of Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by the English rock band The Who. The story involves social, musical, and psychological happenings from an English teenage perspective, set in London and Brighton in 1964 and 1965. The name, Quadrophenia, is a variation on the incorrect popular usage of the medical diagnostic term schizophrenia as dissociative identity disorder to reflect the four distinct personalities of Jimmy, the opera’s protagonist (“Quadrophenia.” Reference.com). The four distinct personalities of Jimmy, the main character of the album, each represent the personalities of the members of The Who. The protagonist of Quadrophenia, Jimmy, is a young Mod in the throes of self- doubt and alienation. He is a “working- class kid, disillusioned with a life of dead- end jobs, unsympathetic parents, and a psychiatrist who doesn’t understand him” (Neill 225). Jimmy also suffers from “quadrophenia” which was meant to be a spin-off of the personality disorder, schizophrenia. He is a schizophrenic who takes pills, a popular aspect of the Mod lifestyle, and his schizophrenia divides up causing him to become quadrophenic (“Quadrophenia- The Album”). The listener is immediately introduced to the four different personalities of Jimmy at the beginning of the album. In “I am the Sea/The Real Me” the listener can clearly hear how Jimmy is torn between the four different aspects of his personality, “Helpless Dancer// Is it me?// Bell Boy.// Love Reign O’er Me.” (“Quadrophenia- Lyrics”); he is struggling to figure out who the “real” him is. The first member of The Who, Roger Daltrey, was born at Hammersmith Hospital in West London on March 1, 1944 during a heavy World War II bombing raid. Both of his parents were staunchly working class; his father was an insurance clerk while his mother was a sickness beneficiary
Cited: Barling, David M. "John Entwistle." Www.thewho.net. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://www.thewho.net/Content/Biographies/John_Entwistle.html>. Barling, David M. "Keith Moon." Www.thewho.net. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://www.thewho.net/Content/Biographies/Keith_Moon.html>. Barling, David M. "Pete Townshend." Www.thewho.net. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://www.thewho.net/Content/Biographies/Pete_Townshend.html>. Barling, David M. "Roger Daltrey." Www.thewho.net. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://www.thewho.net/Content/Biographies/Roger_Daltrey.html>. Neill, Andy, and Matt Kent, eds. ANYWAY ANYHOW ANYWHERE- The Complete Chronicle of THE WHO 1958-1978. Michael Friedman Group, 2002. Print. "Quadrophenia- Lyrics." Quadrophenia.net. Web. 16 May 2010. <http://www.quadrophenia.net/album/lyrics.html>. "Quadrophenia." Reference.com. Web. 15 May 2010. <http://www.reference.com/browse/quadrophenia "Quadrophenia- The Album." Quadrophenia.net. Web. 2 May 2010. <http://www.quadrophenia.net/>.