TL;DR: The Who’s Pete Townshend said The Beach Boys inspired one of his band’s songs.A future member of Led Zeppelin worked on the track as a session musician.The song became a big hit in the United Kingdom. The Beach Boys | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images The Beach Boys influenced songs by other artists. For example, The Who’s Pete Townshend said The Beach Boys inspired one of his band’s songs. Notably, a member of Led Zeppelin performed on the track as a session guitarist. The Who’s Pete Townshend said Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page worked on ‘I Can’t Explain’ In his 2012 book Who I Am: A Memoir, Townshend discussed The Who’s ‘I Can’t Explain.