"A Quick One While He's Away" is a 1966 medley written by Pete Townshend and recorded by The Who for their album A Quick One. In the performance on their Live at Leeds album Townshend calls the 9 minute "epic" track a "mini-opera" and introduces it as "Tommy's parent". This song tells the story of an unnamed girl who is left stranded by her lover "for nearly a year." Her friends inform her that they "have a remedy"; the remedy comes in the form of Ivor the Engine Driver. As luck would have it, the original lover returns near the end to catch the couple "in the act," as Townshend says. The girl confesses her infidelity, and she is forgiven.-1... Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born May 19, 1945 in Ealing, London) is a rock guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with The Who. ... The Who is a British rock band. ... A Quick One (1966) was the second album released by rock band The Who. ... Live at Leeds (1970) is The Whos first live album, and indeed is their only live album that was released while the band was still recording and performing regularly. ... Tommy (1969) is one of The Whos two full-scale rock operas, and the first musical work explicitly billed as a rock opera. ...

This song is the The Who's first venture into the rock opera genre. A studio recording appears on their A Quick One album, and a live recording appears on Live at Leeds. A video performance was made for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, and can be seen on that video or on Jeff Stein's documentary film The Kids Are Alright. A rock opera or rock musical is a musical production in the form of an opera or a musical in a modern rock and roll style rather than more traditional forms. ... A Quick One (1966) was the second album released by rock band The Who. ... Live at Leeds (1970) is The Whos first live album, and indeed is their only live album that was released while the band was still recording and performing regularly. ... The Kids Are Alright soundtrack album cover The Kids Are Alright is a documentary film about the British rock band The Who, including live performances, promotional films, and interviews from 1965 through 1978. ...