The Who - Baba O'Riley
(5:01)1,003,091 plays (191,377 listeners)
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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.
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.
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Shouts
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no1sia wrote:
2.33-3.03
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no1sia wrote:
this is music.
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unlovely wrote:
i don't need to be forgiven...yeayeayeayeayeaaa!...love singing that part.
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IaxIsev wrote:
yes, this, wish you were here, and stairway to heaven
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pittmeister wrote:
Is this a song you like to have played at your funeral ? click here!
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freeridr wrote:
Don't cry !
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mazx1976 wrote:
I love this song... this is my first listening song in last.fm.... it was hard to choose but I did..... The Who: Baba O'Riley
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Rrona wrote:
one of my fav.
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pyramidExpander wrote:
Not the 8-plus minute version!!! Where's my Moon solo???
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mbeniowski wrote:
and that's what i call a nice pice of hard rock music :D
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TheFishV2 wrote:
;-]
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Godisfinger wrote:
The worlds greatest song, no doubt!
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darkphilli wrote:
it doesn't get any more epic then this
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vero18 wrote:
tension!!!!!
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stop_jackin_it wrote:
Don't start messing w/ the wiki now :D
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stop_jackin_it wrote:
"No, this song is NOT called Teenage Wasteland. But it could be." LOL
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dbgirl wrote:
Good song
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Liloucat wrote:
je kiffe grave ce groupe !!
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Cheerleader25 wrote:
I only knew this song from CSI: NY, but complete it is much better ;)
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xoxsaramarie wrote:
awesome song, i love love it.
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