It’s nearly four decades old, but “Baba O’Riley” by The Who remains one of the most potent rock-n-roll songs ever written – a thundering progression of power chords that yields to a frenetic Irish folk stomp/ violin solo (the latter being drummer Keith Moon’s idea).
Released in 1972, the song was originally thirty minutes long and was intended to be part of a rock opera.
It has been covered by numerous bands, most notably Pearl Jam.
Enjoy …
THE WHO: BABA O’RILEY
Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living.
I don’t need to fight
To prove I’m right
I don’t need to be forgiven.
yeah,yeah,yeah,yeah,yeah
Don’t cry
Don’t raise your eye
It’s only teenage wasteland
Sally, take my hand
We’ll travel south cross land
Put out the fire
And don’t look past my shoulder.
The exodus is here
The happy ones are near
Let’s get together
Before we get much older.
Teenage wasteland
It’s only teenage wasteland.
Teenage wasteland
Oh, yeah
Its only teenage wasteland
They’re all wasted!
Previously …
Beastie Boys – “Sabotage”
Beck – “Loser”
Ben Folds Five – “Rockin’ The Suburbs”
Billy Ward & The Dominoes – “Sixty Minute Man”
The Black Crowes – “Wiser Time”
B.O.B. – “Nothing On You”
Coolio – “Fantastic Voyage”
Cypress Hill – “Rock Superstar”
The Cure – “Burn”
Eminem (ft. Rihanna) – “Love The Way You Lie”
Filter – “One (Cover)”
Foo Fighters – “Times Like These”
James – “Born of Frustration (Live)”
Killers – “Shadowplay (Cover)”
Lady Ga Ga/ Beyonce – “Telephone”
Led Zeppelin – “Your Time Is Gonna Come/ Black Mountain Side”
Led Zeppelin – “Misty Mountain Hop”
LL Cool J – “Mama Said Knock You Out”
Midnight Oil – “Dreamworld”
Monster Magnet – “Negasonic Teenage Warhead”
The National – “All The Wine”
Naughty By Nature – “O.P.P.”
Nine Inch Nails – “Piggy”
Nine Inch Nails – “Hand That Feeds”
Owl City – “Hot Air Balloon”
The Outfield – “I Don’t Need Her”
Panic At The Disco! – “Karma Police” (Cover)
Pavement – “Range Life”
Pearl Jam – “Alive”
Queen – “Somebody To Love”
Smashing Pumpkins – “Geek, U.S.A.”
The Spin Doctors – “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues”
Stevie Wonder – “I Believe (When I Fall In Love This Time It Will Last Forever)”
Sting – “Fortress Around Your Heart”
Tom Petty – “The Waiting”
Twilight Singers – “The Twilite Kid”
U2 – “Until The End Of The World”
U2 – “Where The Streets Have No Name”
The Waitresses – “I Know What Boys Like”
Weezer – “Put Me Back Together”
Yeasayer – “Ambling Alp”
By Boz Martin August 31, 2010 at 1:17 pm
GREAT TUNAGE, SIC!!!!
“Baba O’Reilly”, like all of the songs on Who’s Next, was written by Peter Townsend when he was staying at the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, an ashram/retreat in the Briarcliff Acres area near NMB, devoted to the late “Avatar” Meher Baba of India. The rock opera TOMMY, of course, was dedicated to Baba, and contains many allusive/symbolic references to him in its songs. He spend much of his time during that period working on the tunes in The Barn, very close to the beach.
Baba devotees were not allowed in that building (sacred to the memory of Baba in their eyes) at those times, he was allowed to work there due to his VIP status. Several of them, according to first-hand recollections, would gather just outside the opened doors and listen to him play the tunes on his guitar while composing them. Quite an experience for lovers of fine rock music, no doubt.
The leadership of the Baba Center was really high on Townsend for a good while, until he got busted for smack. Now they don’t talk about him all that much. Nor does he seem to have all that much to say lately about Meher Baba. In all likelyhood, that mutual falling-out had much to do with Townsend not going ahead with the proposed rock opera mentioned above. But still, the guru and his teachings were obviously quite a potent inspiration for a lot of terrific music.