1967 Psychedelic Rock Anthem Was Somehow a Legendary Band's Only Top 10 Smash
One iconic rock group surprisingly only had one song break into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 U.S. music chart throughout their entire career, and that's The Who. The beloved British rock band finally achieved this accomplishment in 1967 with the song "I Can See For Miles."
The song was released as an official single on the group's third studio album, The Who Sell Out. Other songs on the record include "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand," "Relax," and "Armenia City in the Sky." The album also did well on the music charts in the U.S., peaking at 48 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
In the U.K., the band's home country, it also performed well, peaking at No. 10 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart. But it was also one of their worst-performing singles at the time. Despite the arguably impressive chart performance of the song, "I Can See For Miles" ended up being a longtime disappointment for the band's guitarist and songwriter, Pete Townshend.
Related: 1978 Soft Rock Classic Producer Called a "Piece of Crap" Was Nearly Scrapped Before Hitting No. 1
He admitted in his autobiography, Who I Am, which came out in 2012, that he had loved the demo for "I Can See For Miles" so much that he saved the track for when the band needed a surefire success, convinced it would soar to No. 1, particularly in the U.K. He even called the song his "ace in the hole," assured that it would "flatten all the opposition," with The Who competing against plenty of major talents on the music charts at the time.
Although "I Can See For Miles" didn't do as well as Townshend hoped, it was still well-received by fans of the band and rock music. It's also maintained a great legacy and was included in Rolling Stone's 2004 edition of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
Related: 1982 Classic Song Inspired by Iran's Ban on Rock Music Became The Band's Biggest U.S. Hit
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 10:09 PM.