When I was twelve or thirteen (many moons ago), my friend Steve was in love with The Who. Specifically, he was in love with "You Better You Bet", and he'd play it - constantly - on his Walkman as I'd walk with him on his paper route. Steve did a great job of sneering as he sang the chorus, and I was amused by his Roger Daltry impression. But the song didn't do much for me. I heard the song on the radio the other day, and on a nostalgia trip, I downloaded it from iTunes. While I know some Who fans dismiss the song, I have to say I'm really digging it right now. The melody's catchy (I love the backup "whoos" - you can just SEE Townshend and company leaning in over the mics) and the song rocks with tempo changes in the right places. But it's the lyrics that put it over the top. There are so many songs about lust - some would argue that rock 'n' roll actually embodies and is rooted in it - but few, if any, evoke it with such a fine sense of humor and levity. I forgot just how funny the song was until I heard it again, especially when Daltry croons, "When I say I love you, you say, 'YOU BETTAH!'" with a full Cockney accent. That line perfectly captures the sweet frustration of knowing someone who KNOWS you're over the barrel for them, and plays it fully to their advantage. Not in a mean or malicious way, but playfully. Teasing, Flirting. Call it what you like. The point is simply that Daltry captures it perfectly. What I'm trying to describe is the spirit of the song. It flips the traditional power dynamic between men and women on its head, without going all sado-masochistic. It acknowledges just how weak men are when it comes to sex (as if it's a big secret!) Not that we would ever admit it, of course. Faced with the fact that he's in no position to make demands, Daltry still manages to play it cool - "I'm not into your passport picture, I just like your nose." That's us in a nutshell - calm, collected, and willing to beg as long as we can retain some pride. Or stick our foot in our mouth.