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After headlining last night’s London 2012, Olympic Closing Ceremony, it’s time for this feature to pay dividends to my favourite band of all time. The Who’s ‘Baba O’Riley’ has the perfect intro. You don’t know exactly what is coming, yet you also realise that something special is about to happen. This is all due to the genius of Pete Townshend and the explosion of those memorable three chords, which changes the way you listen to music. It is probably also the reason that the UFC have adopted ‘Baba O’Riley’ as their official song of sorts, signifying the beginning of the main event if you ever have the privilege of watching a UFC event live.
What makes the track even more dynamic is the original drum track of Keith Moon, possibly one of the best drummers that have ever lived. Much in the way a lead guitarist takes over a track with a solo, Keith Moon would do the same whilst maintaining a rhythm and a pulse that his fellow band members could easily follow. The breakdown’s lyrical content is perhaps one of the most famous, and most heartfelt lines ever written, “Don't cry, don’t raise your eye, it’s only teenage wasteland,” capturing the emotion of every ignored teen and every dismissed youth across any generation, much in the same way ‘My Generation’ did six years before ‘Baba O’Riley’ was released.
WATCH // Baba O’Riley (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)
The Story
Despite widespread belief, ‘Baba O’Riley’ is the title of the song, which many people believe to be called ‘Teenage Wasteland’, thanks to the recurring lyric, however the song is named after its musical influences, Maher Baba an Indian spiritual master, and Terry Riley, the American rock musician.
The lyrical content was inspired by song-writer, Pete Townshend’s view of the Woodstock festival, which he thought became a celebration of drug and alcohol use. Drummer, Keith Moon, suggested the violin section and it is occasionally played live by lead singer Roger Daltrey on harmonica.
While the concept for ‘Baba O’Riley’ was born out of a 30 minute rock opera, Townshend is said to have broken down all the best bits for this song to open the album Who’s Next, where it reached #11 in the Dutch Singles chart, the album however reached #1 in the UK, and has gone 3x Platinum in the US.
What makes the track even more dynamic is the original drum track of Keith Moon, possibly one of the best drummers that have ever lived. Much in the way a lead guitarist takes over a track with a solo, Keith Moon would do the same whilst maintaining a rhythm and a pulse that his fellow band members could easily follow. The breakdown’s lyrical content is perhaps one of the most famous, and most heartfelt lines ever written, “Don't cry, don’t raise your eye, it’s only teenage wasteland,” capturing the emotion of every ignored teen and every dismissed youth across any generation, much in the same way ‘My Generation’ did six years before ‘Baba O’Riley’ was released.
WATCH // Baba O’Riley (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)
The Story
Despite widespread belief, ‘Baba O’Riley’ is the title of the song, which many people believe to be called ‘Teenage Wasteland’, thanks to the recurring lyric, however the song is named after its musical influences, Maher Baba an Indian spiritual master, and Terry Riley, the American rock musician.
The lyrical content was inspired by song-writer, Pete Townshend’s view of the Woodstock festival, which he thought became a celebration of drug and alcohol use. Drummer, Keith Moon, suggested the violin section and it is occasionally played live by lead singer Roger Daltrey on harmonica.
While the concept for ‘Baba O’Riley’ was born out of a 30 minute rock opera, Townshend is said to have broken down all the best bits for this song to open the album Who’s Next, where it reached #11 in the Dutch Singles chart, the album however reached #1 in the UK, and has gone 3x Platinum in the US.
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