American Songwriter recounts how a fraught 1978 meeting with music business figure Allen Klein inspired Pete Townshend to write The Who's hit single "Who Are You". Klein, previously involved in The Beatles' bitter break-up, had by then become entangled with The Who's finances, and Townshend endured a gruelling encounter attempting to resolve his royalty payments. The episode left him feeling exploited despite years in the industry, and the frustration he carried away from it directly shaped one of the band's best-known songs.

After the meeting, Townshend spent 12 hours with Klein and his former manager Chris Stamp before leaving with only a cheque and a sense of grievance. He then went drinking at London's Speakeasy club, where he clashed with Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, mistakenly berating him as if he were Johnny Rotten. Townshend later passed out in a Soho doorway and was woken by a police officer the next morning; he wrote "Who Are You" that same day. The song, lead single from the 1978 album of the same name, reached the Top 20 in both the US and UK and remains one of The Who's most recognisable tracks.