| -> | | | | as a demo from the sessions that took place for the |
| One of the most celebrated lyrics from The Who, | | | | abandoned 'Lifehouse' rock opera. Some of the lyrics |
| Teenage Wasteland is sung in an emotional, almost | | | | in the track can be attributed to the storyline of |
| breaking voice by guitarist and songwriter Pete | | | | 'Lifehouse', as the song was intended to be sung by a |
| Townshend during the bridge to the song 'Baba | | | | farmer who was moving his family into the city of |
| O'Riley' from the 'Who's Next' album. Townshend had | | | | London, explaining the 'Out here in the fields' line. This |
| put together an instrumental synthesizer demo in 1971 | | | | lyric, however, has since found resonance as a |
| which was over 9 minutes in length and consisted of a | | | | metaphor for many who could identify with the feelings |
| series of rising and falling arpeggios. He played it for | | | | of the song's protagonist, however removed from the |
| the band after the rock opera he had previously been | | | | original meaning their life might be. For The Who |
| working on had collapsed and left him an emotional | | | | Teenage Wasteland represented a less literal concept, |
| wreck. The Who took many bits and pieces of music | | | | with Townshend explaining that he used it to rail |
| from that project along with songs that other band | | | | against those unwilling to work to improve the world |
| members had been working on and combined them to | | | | around them. |
| form the new album. In some cases, songs were split | | | | The song's synthesizer parts weren't the only unique |
| up and sewn together, and this is how 'Baba O'Riley' | | | | musical aspect of the track. In the last section of the |
| came to be written. The synthesizer demo was | | | | song the guitars fade away to reveal a violin playing a |
| combined with an entirely different track called | | | | folk-inspired, whirling dervish of a rhythm. This was |
| 'Teenage Wasteland' and the end result was the | | | | unusual for a rock band at the time, and instead of |
| extremely successful opening track off of 'Who's | | | | being rejected by fans it became one of the song's |
| Next'. The 'teenage wasteland' lyric in the bridge and | | | | most endearing qualities. On occasion The Who will |
| chorus was so popular that the song is often identified | | | | employ a violinist in a live setting specifically for 'Baba |
| by this name. | | | | O'Riley', but usually the solo is performed by Daltrey on |
| The original song by this name was released in 1999 | | | | the harmonica. |