History YMMV / Tommy

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: For some reason, a good percentage of the Tommy {{Fandom}} seems to treat the Local Lad (''especially'' the Music/EltonJohn version) like he's a SissyVillain simply for being Tommy's rival when it came to being a champion at {{Pinball}}. As an unfortunate result, he occasionally ends up being treated like either TheScrappy or an AssholeVictim. To be fair, some versions of the musical do feature the Local Lad as something of an antagonist, but they're still pretty harmless in comparison to the other villains (calling Tommy a freak in the film version likely didn't do much to endear him to anyone).

* WTHCastingAgency: For TheMovie, you have Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Music/EltonJohn, Music/TinaTurner, Music/EricClapton, Keith Moon, [[CreatorCameo John Entwistle, Pete Townshend]]...[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers and]] Creator/JackNicholson. [[TropesAreNotBad He does a pretty good job, for not being a singer.]]

* EarWorm

* EpicRiff

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Could very well be part of why a lot of people in Music/TheWho FanDumb loathe the Music/EltonJohn version of "Pinball Wizard" with an immense passion. (That, and/or perhaps because at one point [[ItsPopularNowItSucks his version got almost as popular as the original]].) [[FridgeLogic Even though it was]] '''[[Music/TheWho Pete Townshend]]''' [[FridgeLogic who made most of the real changes]].

** In the movie, the [[OnlySaneMan Doctor]] was played by Creator/JackNicholson, who went on to play such shining examples of mental health as [[Film/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest Randle McMurphy]], [[Film/TheShining Jack Torrance]], and [[{{Film/Batman}} the Joker]].

* GrowingTheBeard: Before this album, Music/TheWho were considered a [[FifteenMinutesOfFame flash-in-the-pan]] UsefulNotes/BritishInvasion act known mostly for joke songs and [[RockersSmashGuitars destroying perfectly good musical instruments]]. Then along comes this record, really the first of its kind, featuring rock n roll songs with tight composition and performance and a sophisticated overarching story, sending the band's popularity skyrocketing to the rock legends they are today.

* EnsembleDarkHorse:

* WTHCastingAgency: For TheMovie, you have Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Music/EltonJohn, Tina Turner, Music/EricClapton, Keith Moon, [[CreatorCameo John Entwistle, Pete Townshend]]...[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers and]] Creator/JackNicholson. [[TropesAreNotBad He does a pretty good job, for not being a singer.]]

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: During the band's performance at {{Woodstock}}, the climactic moment of "See Me, Feel Me" happened to coincide precisely with [[CueTheSun the morning sun breaching the horizon]]. The group had a lighting rig (then a rarity) constructed to replicate this effect for later performances, [[spoiler:and it is nodded to at the end of the film adaptation.]]

** Did Tommy's followers want a quick fix from Tommy, which he refused to give them, or did they reject him because he tried to impose his way of thinking and lifestyle on them? The movie seems to lean more towards this interpretation.

* LoveItOrHateIt: The movie adaptation. It's either a time capsule of awesome 70's rock music based around an already-great set of songs, with some flawed by enjoyable acting, or it fails to understand the album entirely and makes up for creativity with dated 70's cheese.

* GrowingTheBeard: Before this album, Music/TheWho were considered a [[FifteenMinutesOfFame flash-in-the-pan]] BritishInvasion act known mostly for joke songs and [[RockersSmashGuitars destroying perfectly good musical instruments]]. Then along comes this record, really the first of its kind, featuring rock n roll songs with tight composition and performance and a sophisticated overarching story, sending the band's popularity skyrocketing to the rock legends they are today.

** "Fiddle About" has Tommy's [[CreepyUncle Uncle]] {{E|vilUncle}}rnie [[{{Lolicon}} molesting]] him. Arguably, it's turned into a very dark SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} by [[CrazyAwesome Keith Moon]], the band's drummer, in TheMovie.

** In the movie, the [[OnlySaneMan Doctor]] was [[Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest played by]] [[Film/TheShining Jack]] [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Nicholson]].

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: For some reason, a good percentage of the Tommy {{Fandom}} seems to treat the Local Lad (''especially'' the Music/EltonJohn version) like he's a SissyVillain simply for being Tommy's rival when it came to being a champion at {{Pinball}}. As an unfortunate result, he occasionally ends up being treated like either TheScrappy or an AssholeVictim. To be fair, some versions of the musical do feature the Local Lad as something of an antagonist, but they're still pretty harmless in comparison to the other villains.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: For some reason, a good percentage of the Tommy {{Fandom}} seems to treat the Local Lad (''especially'' the Music/EltonJohn version) like he's a SissyVillain simply for being Tommy's rival when it came to being a champion at {{Pinball}}. As an unfortunate result, he occasionally ends up being treated like either TheScrappy or an AssholeVictim.
** To be fair, some versions of the musical do feature the Local Lad as something of an antagonist, but they're still pretty harmless in comparison to the other villains.

** The entire soundtrack, really.

* CoveredUp: "Eyesight to the Blind" was originally by Sonny Boy Williamson II. The Who had also intended to use Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues" on the album, but couldn't find room for it, and so it had to wait until ''Live At Leeds'' to be covered.
** On top of that, when the Who performed Tommy on tour in 1989, they used Eric Clapton's arrangement of ''Eyesight'', from TheMovie, rather than their own arrangement from the album.
* DracoInLeatherPants: Uncle Ernie has a following, despite being a drunken child molester.

* EnsembleDarkHorse: Uncle Ernie, if you can believe it, has [[DracoInLeatherPants a whole host of fans]].

* HilariousInHindsight: In "Go To The Mirror!" the doctor thinks about the isolation shock caused when/if Tommy's senses return. When he does get them back, he mobilizes his cult of personality. {{Subverted}} later [[{{Foreshadowing}} when his followers leave him]] thanks to the unorthodox views he got from his experiences.

* IAmNotShazam: A common mistake even among the fans is to call the character who sings "Pinball Wizard", well, the Pinball Wizard (or, [[IAmNotLeonardNimoy in the movie's case]], Music/EltonJohn). He's actually called the Local Lad according to the scripts for the movie and the lyric sheet for the original album.

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: During the band's performance at {{Woodstock}}, the climactic moment of ''See Me, Feel Me'' happened to coincide precisely with [[CueTheSun the morning sun breaching the horizon]]. The group had a lighting rig (then a rarity) constructed to replicate this effect for later performances, [[spoiler:and it is nodded to at the end of the film adaptation.]]

* OneSceneWonder: Music/EltonJohn's appearance as the Champion/Local Lad in TheMovie is one of the most talked-about parts of the film (he even got third billing after Daltrey and Ann-Margret), and he barely even gets five minutes of screen-time. It probably didn't help that it was released in the UK the day after his twenty-ninth birthday.

* {{Squick}}[=/=]NightmareFuel: Every one of the three {{Villain Song}}s. What Kevin, the Acid Queen and Uncle Ernie do to Tommy are one after the other on the album (though "The Acid Queen" and "Fiddle About" are separated by a ten-minute long psychedelic instrumental), making things worse.

*** Made ''so much worse'' in the London Symphony Orchestra recording. Whose idea was it to cast [[Music/RingoStarr the Beatle who sang all the cute kid's songs]] as Uncle Ernie? You may never be able to listen to [[Music/TheWhiteAlbum "Good Night"]] ever again. And it becomes a '''''even worse''''' if you're one of those ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' fans who [[CantUnhearIt imagines every sentence he says ending with "...said the Fat Controller."]]
*** The chorus of "We're Not Gonna Take It" has the line '"We'll forsake you, gonna rape you, let's forget you better still," which the angry mob sings to Tommy. It's pretty disturbing to say the least.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Could very well be part of why a lot of people in Music/TheWho FanDumb loathe the Music/EltonJohn version of "Pinball Wizard" with an immense passion. (That, and/or perhaps because at one point [[ItsPopularNowItSucks his version got almost as popular as the original]].) [[FridgeLogic Even though it was]] '''''[[Music/TheWho Pete Townshend]]''''' [[FridgeLogic who made most of the real changes]].

* LoveItOrHateIt: The movie adaptation. It's either a time capsule of awesome 70s rock music based around an already-great set of songs, with some flawed by enjoyable acting, or it fails to understand the album entirely and makes up for creativity with dated 70s cheese.

*** Made ''so much worse'' in the London Symphony Orchestra recording. Whose idea was it to cast [[Music/RingoStarr the Beatle who sang all the cute kid's songs]] as Uncle Ernie? (Warning: may lead to constantly having to lift the needle off ''Music/TheWhiteAlbum'' before it gets to "Good Night", in spite of the [[NightmareFuel last]] [[LastNoteNightmare track]].)

** "Fiddle About" is even squickier in light of Pete Townshend being investigated for child porn, and his revelation that he was sexually abused by a relative when he was a child.

*** Made ''so much worse'' in the London Symphony Orchestra recording. Whose idea was it to cast [[Music/RingoStarr the Beatle who sang all the cute kid's songs]] as Uncle Ernie? (Warning: may lead to constantly having to lift the needle off The White Album before it gets to "Good Night", in spite of the [[NightmareFuel last]] [[LastNoteNightmare track]].)

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: During the band's performance at {{Woodstock}}, the climactic moment of ''See Me, Feel Me'' happened to coincide precisely with [[CueTheSun the morning sun breaching the horizon]]. The group had a lighting rig (then a rarity) constructed to replicate this effect for later performances.

*** Made ''so much worse'' in the London Symphony Orchestra recording. Whose idea was it to cast [[Music/RingoStarr the Beatle who sang all the cute kid's songs]] as Uncle Ernie? (Warning: may lead to constantly having to lift the needle off The White Album before it gets to "Good Night".)

* GrownTheBeard: Before this album, Music/TheWho were considered a [[FifteenMinutesOfFame flash-in-the-pan]] BritishInvasion act known mostly for joke songs and [[RockersSmashGuitars destroying perfectly good musical instruments]]. Then along comes this record, really the first of it's kind, featuring rock n roll songs with tight composition and performance and a sophisticated overarching story, sending the band's popularity skyrocketing to the rock legends they are today.