The lyrics describe fear of being sexually inadequate in the face of a prostitute . The singer wants to have an emotional connection with the prostitute but she only sees him as dehumanized and recognizes his sexual insecurity . He is concerned that he did n't bring her " to the height of ecstasy . " It features a guitar-like assault throughout the song , described by Pete Townshend as sounding like " a musical Mack truck " and is actually Entwistle 's heavily distorted eight-string Alembic bass . Chris Charlesworth feels that the bass dominates the song to an extent that none of the other elements of the song matter . Who biographer John Atkins says the song has a " muscular texture " and is " fully realized " but that it represents an " orthodox heavy rock format " that the band usually shunned . The Who FAQ author Mike Segretto considers it one of Entwistle 's " catchier songs , " attributing its lack of chart success to its being " too heavy " and " too mean " for the 1977 singles chart . Segretto considers the song to be underrated , finding humor in the situation but stating that " genuine vulnerability makes the song more than a good giggle and undercuts the performance 's cock-rock attitude . " But it was not a favorite of Who lead singer Roger Daltrey , who complained that it went " on and on and on and on . " It was performed occasionally on The Who 's 1979 tour with Entwistle on eight-string and Townshend playing one of Entwistle 's Alembic basses used on the 1975-1976 tours . It made its return to the setlist in 1989 , with Townshend originally on electric guitar on the two Toronto dates in June and acoustic guitar for the rest of the tour . It was disliked by Roger Daltrey , who thought that although it had clever lyrics , it was too long . On the original recording and in its 1979/1980 performances , Daltrey sang the lead vocal ; in 1989 Entwistle sang it . " Trick of the Light " was included in the two-disc edition of '' The Who Hits 50 ! ''
1979 tour
The Who Tour 1979
Trick of the Light (The Who song)