My Top 1000 Songs #57: I Can See For Miles

1967's brilliant The Who Sell Out is both a joyous celebration of lightweight pop music and a cheeky send-up of pop radio. Yet much like "Good Vibrations" on the Beach Boys' otherwise wigged-out (and foolishly aborted) Smile , Townshend serves up the perfect pop single in the midst of the madness. "I Can See For Miles" is really the pinnacle of Townshend's short-form popcraft before moving on to the expansion of the form on Tommy and ultimately sliding from pop to rock on Who's Next .

It's a master...