[2] Who biographer John Atkins views the song as having "such purity of essence" that it may be the "quintessential Quadrophenia performance.
"[3] He describes it as being "simple and direct" without needed "cleverness, dramatic musical effects or complex arrangements.
[5] At the end, seagulls, crowd noises and waves can be heard, along with Pete Townshend walking along singing the sixth verse of "Sea and Sand".
[3] Atkins also notes that in the song Jimmy adopts a "wider philosophy than mod conformism," which is his objective through much of the album.
When recording this song it rained so hard in Battersea where our studio is that the walls were flowing with sheets of water.
The 2012-2013 Quadrophenia and More tour featured a full band arrangement of "Drowned" with Townshend on lead vocals.