From the Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy liner notes by Brian Cady:
Produced by Kit Lambert at IBC Studios on April 5, 1967.
"Merely a ditty about masturbation and the importance of it to a young man. I was really diggin' at my folks who, when catching me at it, would talk in loud voices in the corridor outside my room. 'Why can't he go with girls like other boys?'"
The recording was filmed for Swedish television.
Released in the U.K. as Track 604002 on April 22, 1967, it reached #4.
Released in the U.S. as Decca 32156 on June 24, 1967.
The U.S. radio stations, unlike the U.K. pirate stations, objected to the lyrics and it stalled at #51 in Billboard and #60 in Cash Box.
"Doctor, Doctor" was the B-side in both countries.
Track #8 on My Generation - The Very Best Of The Who. (2'45)
I used to wake up in the morning
I used to feel so bad
I got so sick of having sleepless nights
I went and told my dad
He said, "Son now here's some little something"
And stuck them on my wall
And now my nights ain't quite so lonely
In fact I, I don't feel bad at all
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
Pitcures of Lily solved my childhood problems
Pictures of Lily helped me feel alright
Pictures of Lily
Lily, oh Lily
Lily, oh Lily
Pictures of Lily
And then one day things weren't quite so fine
I fell in love with Lily
I asked my dad where Lily I could find
He said, "Son, now don't be silly"
"She's been dead since 1929"
Oh, how I cried that night
If only I'd been born in Lily's time
It would have been alright
Pictures of Lily made my life so wonderful
Pictures of Lily helped me sleep at night
For me and Lily are together in my dreams
And I ask you, "Hey mister, have you ever seen"
"Pictures of Lily?"
This song appears on:
Source Length notes Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy 2:43 Who's Better Who's Best 2:42 Thirty Years Of Maximum R & B 2:42 The BBC Sessions 2:35 The Who - The Ultimate Collection 2:45