The Weird Story of Baba O'Riley by The Who

Who is Baba O’Riley? Baba O'Riley is one of The Who's most famous songs. Written by Pete Townshend and serving as the opener for their album Who's Next, Baba O'Riley captivated listeners with it's iconic arpeggiated intro, Roger Daltrey's emotional vocals and intriguing conceptual themes. A perfect follow-up from their acclaimed rock opera, Tommy. But who actually is Baba O'Riley? This video explores the songs interesting origins.

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▶️▶️▶️CHAPTERS▶️▶️▶️

00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Tommy
02:16 - Lifehouse / Baba O'Riley
08:26 - Recording Baba O'Riley
10:43 - Legacy
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[MusicMongoose]

Is Baba O’Riley your favourite Who song? If not - what is?

[JoshMaxPower]

I did a triathlon in 2010 and almost collapsed. The song got me on my feet and motivated me to finish. LONG LIVE THE WHO MAXIMUM R&B

[diatonicdoug]

There is not a single bad song on Who’s Next. Played it to death when it came out

[plasma]

Pete Townsend is a musical genius. We are so fortunate that he didn’t burn out. I love his stuff!

[tmjudd]

I'd have never guessed the true origins of this song. I'm an old fart from the Vietnam Conflict Era. I love the song, but always thought it was written about the jungle fighting and all of the youthful kids being killed during that bloody debacle. Every time I hear that song it takes me back to those days...

[jaymo]

I knew what Baba O'Reily was about when my music teacher in the 70's shared his story about being a devotee of Mehar Baba. He had stickers and prints of Baba in the classroom. Not only that, he actually knew Pete Townsend as a fellow devotee. My teacher also had the letters him.and Townsend exchanged. We were blown away knowing our teacher knew a musical legend personally.😊
Correction: Isle of Wight Festival was in August 1970. Was the 2nd to last gig Jimi Hendrix played at before his untimely passing in September 1970.

[backcountrylifemagazine]

Just last week, while driving with my 12 yr old daughter, I introduced her to Baba O’Riley…and more Who tunes….. She’s a huge fan now too.

[danielcobbins]

Pete also recorded a solo album, in 1972, called "Who Came First." Two songs from "Lifehouse, " are on the album, "Pure and Easy, " and "Let's See Action." There are pictures of Meher Baba, on the album jacket, and there is a prayer song titled "Parvardigar."

[Obleo]

Inayat khan’s daughter, Noor although a pacifist, was a British WII spy. A wireless operator working with the French resistance. Refusing to leave France and her partisans without a radio she was captured and executed. I love Baba O’ Riley and often wondered about the name. I was a teenager when it came out. Thanks for the insight

[g-woody]

Pete was ahead of his time, he basically conceptualized digital created audio based on analog inputs. Before that kind of technology was available.

[JohnCunningham-syug]

Remember playing this LP over and over
Master piece😊

[jerrymcdaniel]

Behind Blue Eyes is my Favorite. Won’t get fooled again a close second. Baba O’Riley is a good song too but I have a better appreciation of it based on this video. This album is in my top 5 of all time.

[roberthanks]

Going from "Lighthouse" to "Who's Next" was a brilliant move. Sometimes less is more, a lot more.

[patrickreilly]

Wow... nice information.♡.
The song left an indelible mark in my mind as well as my heart. In 1990? We were at a Grateful Dead show at Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas. The band was.ending its 2nd set when my eldest son 2-3 yrs old disappeared. The stadium, seats and field were packed. Soon all exits in all directions would empty out. I panicked. I grabbed the gaurds, sent walki-talki everywhere. His name is Grail O'Riley. 35lbs. Tye dye shirt. I was besides myself. Just then, the Grateful Dead stepped on stage for their encore and broke into the WHOs "Baba O'Riley". Never done before by them. Thanks Jerry ♡. Needless to say my son was fine. Chased a balloon up several rows where a couple had him wait for his parents. "Out here in the feilds....it's only teen age waistland"

[tinahs]

Wow...that's so much more complicated than I imagined. I always thought Baba O Riley was a nickname of someone's grandmother (like Nana or Nonna in some cultures) and the song was an examination of the youth culture as seen from the eyes of a much older person, who valued hard work (in the fields, for example) over wasteful teenage pursuits such as lounging, listening to rock music, and consuming certain substances (ie the line "we're all wasted")

I guess I get this from the fact that the same guy wrote " My generation"

[th_Doctor]

Just to note, Baba is not a name either first or last, it is an honorific which means father, grandfather, wise old man, or sir in Persian. It is used as a mark of respect to refer to Hindu ascetics and Sikh gurus.

[MrChetanG]

The whole album of "Who's Next" was my favorite front and back.
Listened to this album hundreds of times.
The Who was one of the greatest Live bands to every play!!!
I saw them live in concert 3 times in the 70's.

[DoubleACbg]

An edited version of “Baba O’Riley” was utilized as the theme for the US television show CSI: NY, the second spinoff from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (which utilized an edited version of another Who song, “Who Are You” as its theme song)

[ivant]

One of the great Who songs! Cool back story. Crazy, after all these years of hearing it.

[cuervojones]

"I don't need to fight to prove I'm right and I don't need to be forgiven" Classic