Baba O'Reilly - The Who

*sigh* Oh, this has got to be my favorite song on the planet. One of the (many) reasons The Who is my favorite band. It's heaven from beginning to end. Just pure musical relief. I love it.

I had a dream, er, daydream I guess, I might've been a bit awake, when this song was playing. And it was so beautiful... I pictured a person, not really a specific person, just a young, probably female person, running. Running across a giant open grassy field. Just running under a grey sky. Then, she came to the end of her field and got in a car. (At this point the song had progressed to the second part of it, where there are no lyrics) And she got in her car, drove in back across this giant field as fast as she could. And as the song came to an end... she drove it across the edge, she drove it across a cliff.

Now I see that in the back of my mind when I hear this song. I don't mind it at all, it's a lovely sort of dream, I guess she dies, but it doesn't seem like she loses. It seems like she wins. Like she beats the world. It's a very happy, free, sort of song, and it does make me want to run, so I suppose that's where this dream came from.

But people... I adore the tune. Love is not a strong enough word. It's like, if you could translate the feeling of dancing in a rainfall to music, this is what you would get.

Have I convinced you this is a good song yet?

And PLEASE...

Don't even fucking mention CSI.

 

Well, as you know, The Who is my favorite band, but "Baba O'Riley" isn't one of my favorite Who recordings. It's certainly a great album opener, and the intro to this day sounds futuristic, but as a whole it's not all that impressive.

Townshend has written much better songs in his time with The Who. For me, "Baba O'Riley" doesn't even comapre to "A Quick One, While He's Away," "Pictures Of Lily," "I Can See For Miles," "Tattoo," "Odorono," "Our Love Was," "Sunrise," "Rael," "Melancholia," "Magic Bus," "Overture," "Amazing Journey," "Pinball Wizard," "We're Not Gonna Take It," and the list goes on...

 

Magic Bus?

haha, no way!

It may not be his best work, however I am emotionally attatched to my music.

 

Well, I especially like the live versions. I don't know, I just prefer psychedelia...

I understand.

 

The synthesizer work on this track was inspired by Terry Riley, who Pete Townshend was very much into at the time.

And speaking of Terry Riley, I urge everyone to check out his work.

 

Look at that, I learned something new about my favorite song.

Thanks

 

Hi l/yp ! That is a wonderful song to space out to,done it a number of times! A brain rest! Peace

 

yeah, I like the earlier stuff as well, especially their early 60s singles.

 

I love that song. Thats really the only who song i like. Its is also one of the best covers i have ever seen another band play. Acoustic Syndicate at R&R owned this song.

 

Well, hmmm... I was watching a movie about the album, Who's Next and it was really cool to watch Pete talk about the song. It was going to be a part of the Lifehouse project that never happened, but I think the song works well on its own.


He discussed the line where Roger Daltrey screams, "They're all wasted!" and says the line isn't about being wasted as in, drunk/stoned/wasted, but really about waste. Wasted ambition, wasted talent, like there could be so much more than what we're doing, we are wasting by spending our time on superficail things when we could be chasing someting bigger. I think that could really be true of all of us...

whatever though. This song came on right before I went to bed last night and it made me smile. It's nice the little things life'll do for you.

 

Yes, Lifehouse was Townshend's failed, multimedia extravaganza consisting of a rock opera, film, and soundtrack that focused on a story about how, more or less, a musical note could change/save the world...

"There once was a note, listen!"

 

I think I read on his website he was going to attempt it again... ut eh, I don't think it could work now. Just how old he is, Keith and John being dead, and just the way the world of music is.

People just don't believe in the power of rock & roll anymore!

 

He did release a book, and I think a CD or two, of it...

 

hmmm... really? I didn't know that.

I must get my Who history straight!

 

Overture!!!!!! "Captain Walker didnt come home, his unborn child, he'll never know him. believe him missing with a number of men, dont expect to see him again!"

most people i let listen to this album they really only like the end when the acoustic part takes over, but i acually love it all. especially the acoustic part towards the end. but i enjoy it all really.

damn, yea theres so much better songs than that one, babe. Shit id say almost every song on the Tommy album is better...gah overture, its a boy, 1921,sparks,acid queen...damn so many!.... AMAZING JOURNEY!!!!!

Amazing Journey/Sparks has got to be my favorite who song. ive made it final. this song. to me. explains all it can about a mushroom or lsd trip experience. lol honestly this song has have to be the best vivid depiction of this. i have now taken shrooms and we played this song while i was tripping and honestly...everything that was said in the song i saw..these are the lyics..

Deaf Dumb and blind boy
He's in a quiet vibration land
Strange as it seems his musical dreams
Ain't quite so bad.
Ten years old
With thoughts as bold as thought can be
Loving life and becoming wise
In simplicity.
Sickness will surely take the mind
Where minds can't usually go.
Come on the amazing journey
And learn all you should know.
A vague haze of delerium
creeps up on me.
All at once a tall stranger I suddenly see.
He's dressed in a silver sparked
Glittering gown
And His golden beard flows
Nearly down to the ground.
Nothing to say and nothing to hear
And nothing to see.
Each sensation makes a note in my symphony.
Sickness will surely take the mind
Where minds can't usually go.
Come on the amazing journey
And learn all you should know.
His eyes are the eyes that
Transmit all they know.
Sparkle warm crystalline glances to show
That he is your leader
And he is your guide
On the amazing journey together you'll ride.

after all of this.."Sparks" hits....now...once it hits...you are launched into a pyschedelic journey into space..ill tell you, really the only thing i can say about this experience was...Freedom...and peak...oh my dear lord a peak...Amazing Journey/Sparks, and shrooms or lsd...is probably the best combination. man...anyways sorry for rambling on

 

It's a boy, Mrs. Walker. It's a boy...

 

okay, okay, I can see how you could say the songs from "Tommy" are better... but still no. Same with "A Quick One", I see how you could say that, but still... nope, Baba O Reilly is better.

But "Pictures of Lily"? Definitely no. Even if it is a song about wankin off, it's still not cooler...

 

when i think of baba o'reily, i think of son of sam and the girl next door. on the girl next door, they have, in the ending a pretty cool montage of his future and everything and they play this song in the background. its really cool. as well as in son of sam. they acually jam out to this song, its pretty crazy. im not putting the song down by saying the other songs are better but just saying what i feel. but i freaking love this song, its a VERY VERY VERY good song. i love it as well as all the others peace

 

Oh, yeah I saw it in that movie "The Girl Next Door"... hmmm, didn't like that so much.

 

Well, I've heard "Pictures of Lily" called one of the best examples of 60's, British psychedelia...