The Who » Tracks » Baba O'Riley

The Who – Baba O'Riley (5:01)

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About This Track

Baba O’Riley (often mistakenly called “Teenage Wasteland”) is the opening track of The Who’s 1971’s album Who’s Next, written by guitarist Pete Townshend. Lead singer Roger Daltrey takes the vocals for most of the song, while Townshend sings the middle eight: “Don’t cry/don’t raise your eye/it’s only teenage wasteland”. The title of the song is derived from this combination of the song’s philosophical and musical influences: Meher Baba and Terry Riley. Townshend originally wrote “Baba O’Riley” for his Lifehouse project, a rock opera that was to be the follow-up to The Who’s 1969’s rock opera Tommy.

Townshend derived the song from a Lowrey Berkshire home organ experimental recording, which the band reconstructed. Drummer Keith Moon had the idea of inserting a violin solo at the coda of the song, during which the style of the song shifts from crashing rock to an Irish folk-style beat. Dave Arbus, of East of Eden, plays the violin in the solo heard during this section.

“Baba O’Riley” was going to be used in the Lifehouse project as a song sung by Ray, the Scottish farmer at the beginning of the album as he gathers his wife Sally and his two children to begin their exodus to London. Although the Lifehouse project was later scrapped, many of the songs were released on The Who’s 1971 album Who’s Next. The song was released as a single in several European countries, but in the US and the UK was only released as part of the album. It has been a concert staple after its release. A remixed version is used in the title credits of the popular drama CSI:New York.
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Albums featuring this track

  • The Ultimate Collection (disc 1)
    The Who Play
    Buy
  • Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B
    The Who Play
    Buy
  • Greatest Hits
    The Who Play
    Buy
  • Who's Better, Who's Best
    The Who Play
    Buy
See all 30 albums

Shouts

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  • grandfunk49

    Moon...

    Monday morning

  • CrazyStar69

    Is Pete Townshend god?

    Saturday afternoon

  • Regular-Sh0w

    Amazing song, House remind me of it again.

    Friday evening

  • Schizm88

    I freakin' love this song. It's so uplifting!

    last week

  • ikrazs

    This song reminds me of CSI :D

    last week

  • zocsman

    TAQUEOPARIU! FODA FODA FODA!

    last week

  • demo1960

    Classic Townsend, with a lot of help from Roger. Phenominal,

    10 days ago

  • Sound-Of-Nature

    C'era una volta il Rock...........

    13 days ago

  • Ariues

    great great song! i wish we had a song like this man

    14 days ago

  • TschanFarang

    real good stuff :)

    19 days ago

  • whoknoz

    we're all wasted!

    19 days ago

  • BikerWriter

    Have you heard the live version of this that was done at The Concert for New York City in the days following the Attack on September 11th? Oh, kiddies, you HAVE to find that....there's nothing better!!!!!

    20 days ago

  • placebobsh

    this is THE BEST who song

    23 days ago

  • Liloucat

    GREAT :)))))))))

    26 days ago

  • sidekuma

    geil

    26 days ago

  • braithwaite31

    LLLLOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    27 days ago

  • platonsnesar

    teenage wasteland[5]

    28 days ago

  • JosephCagdason

    teenage wasteland[4]

    29 days ago

  • flybygraffiti

    teenage wasteland[3]

    last month

  • DThreatening

    Perfect!

    last month
See all 1,843 shouts

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