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"Substitute" was primarily inspired by the 1965 soul single "The Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Pete Townshend became obsessed, particularly, with the line, "Although she may be cute/She's just a substitute." This then led Townshend to celebrate the word with a song all of its own.
For the American single, released in April 1966, a different vocal take was used that changed the line in the chorus, "I look all white but my dad was black", to "I try walking forward but my feet walk back." The complete second verse and chorus were also edited from the US release, reducing the track's length to two minutes and fifty-nine seconds.