‘Boris The Spider’: The Who horror song born from a drinking session with The Rolling Stones
Carnaby Street, stacks of speakers, Italian scooters, and exploding drumkits – these are just some of the images conjured up upon mention of The Who. Led by the songwriting mastery of Pete Townshend, the youthful rock rebels emerged from London’s mod subculture during the mid-1960s and quickly established the definitive sound of the swinging sixties. Anthems like ‘My Generation’ typified the rebellious nature of Britain’s post-war youth, but not every Who track was quite so profound in its offering.
Townshend first formed The Who with a distinct artistic manifesto, which became unavoidably evident on the band’s debut single ‘I Can’t Explain’. The song had been written in the vein of The Kinks ‘You Really Got Me’ in a successful attempt to appeal to producer Shel Talmy. However, subsequent singles were much more original in their output. ‘Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere’, for instance, brought the blossoming world of pop art into the musical sphere, creating something that perfectly toed the line between artistic integrity and pop potential.
Nevertheless, the band were consistently looking for ways to expand and diversify their sound. Their 1968 record The Who Sell Out, for instance, was unlike any other album available at that time, using satirical advertisements and jingles to create a postmodern masterpiece within a seemingly unsuspecting LP. It was attitudes like this which eventually led to groundbreaking concept albums and rock operas like Tommy or Quadrophenia. At the same time, the band always coveted the idea of collaboration and shared ideas.
Although Townshend was always the primary songwriter of the band, each individual member had their own moment in the spotlight when it came to songwriting. Their 1966 sophomore album, A Quick One, featured songwriting contributions from every member of the group, including bassist John Entwistle.
Although his talents often go underappreciated when it comes to the discourse surrounding The Who, Entwistle was an utterly essential part of the band’s infectious sound. Even still, the bassist was not often entrusted with songwriting responsibilities, with his most prominent effort being 1966’s ‘Boris The Spider’ from A Quick One.
This bizarre horror song tells the tale of a spider named Boris crawling up a wall only to have his arachnid life cut short when the narrator bludgeons him with a book. Entwistle employed a guttural Spike Milligan-inspired vocal style for the chorus, adding both to its horror and comedic nature. Stranger still, the song was reportedly a favourite of Jimi Hendrix.
So, where did this strange tale of eight-legged terror arise from? Reportedly, Entwistle was having a drinking session with fellow bassist Billy Wyman of The Rolling Stones. During their revelry, the pair began coming up with funny names for animals – as one does – when they struck upon the idea of a spider called Boris.
Entwistle went on to write the song in six minutes, which feels more believable when revisiting the piece, and it subsequently found its way onto the tracklisting of A Quick One, in addition to capturing the hearts of Who fans everywhere. Entwistle didn’t write a lot of tracks for the band, but the cult following amassed by ‘Boris The Spider’ suggests he probably should have done.
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