Classic Song by the Who Now Selling Discounted Shoes

Clothes make the man, an old saying goes. And according to a new commercial for DSW, which uses the Who's classic “Who Are You,” it’s the shoes that define you.

In the spot, which is titled "Say Something Great," the discount shoe chain sets the Who's hit to a dizzying and colorful array of stills featuring a diverse collection of people engaged in some activity or another. The words that are superimposed onscreen construct the narrative: “Shoes say a lot about you. Say something great. Where’d you get your shoes?” (That last sentence reminds us of another rock classic, Steely Dan's “Pretzel Logic.") You can watch the commercial above.

“Who Are You” was the title track to the Who’s 1978 album, the last to feature drummer Keith Moon before his death. Pete Townshend wrote the song after spending the day in a business meeting with Allan Klein and then drinking with members of the Sex Pistols all night. Townshend passed out in a doorway and was woken up by a policeman, who sent him on his way. The story wound up as the first verse. An edited version of the song, which cut out three minutes and two uses of a word deemed unsuitable for radio, was released as a single and reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

This is the second Who song to make its way into a commercial this year. Last month, Cablevision began using a remix of “I’m Free” to promote their Freewheel Wi-Fi service. The new version is one of 15 Who songs that Townshend’s publisher has commissioned to be remixed for use in commercials, movies and television shows.

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