WCSX Classic Cuts : Baba O’Riley
WCSX Classic Cuts
The Who: “Baba O’Riley”
The Hook: The right song at the right time for The Who — it took them to another level without their having to add another musician.
Album: Who’s Next
Year: 1971
Writer: Pete Townshend
Stats: The five-minute-plus song wasn’t released as a single in the U.S., although it was in the U.K. and The Netherlands. It got to number-11 on the Dutch singles chart.
Background: Pete Townshend wrote “Baba O’Riley” at his home studio in London and presented it to the other members of The Who in the form of a demo tape. Singer Roger Daltrey recalls what he thought when he heard it for the first time.
Who singer Roger Daltrey on his thoughts when he first heard Pete Townshend’s demos for “Baba O’Riley.” OC:…new level. :25
“As soon as I heard the first synthesized noises coming out of ‘Baba O’Riley,’ I though ”Whoo, this is something new.” We didn’t want to get another member of the band in to play instruments, so this was the perfect thing for us, we had these things to play to on tape. In some ways that was perfect, in other ways it was a bloody nightmare, because you were then stuck in a pattern that you couldn’t get out of. But it really took us to a whole new level.”
