Baba O'Riley

original song written and composed by Pete Townshend; first performed by The Who

"Baba O'Riley" is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by Pete Townshend. Roger Daltrey sings most of the song, with Townshend singing the middle eight: "Don't cry/don't raise your eye/it's only teenage wasteland". The song's title comes from this combination of the song's philosophical and musical influences: Meher Baba and Terry Riley.[4]

"Baba O'Riley"
Single by the Who
from the album Who's Next
B-side"My Wife"
ReleasedOctober 1971 (1971-10)[1]
RecordedMay 1971
StudioOlympic, London[2]
GenreHard rock[3]
Length5:00
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)Pete Townshend
Producer(s)The Who
The Who singles chronology
"Let's See Action"
(1971)
"Baba O'Riley"
(1971)
"Behind Blue Eyes"
(1971)
Audio
"Baba O'Riley" on YouTube

Personnel

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The Who

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Additional personnel

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Charts

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The Who performing "Baba O'Riley" live at Manchester Arena in 2014
1972 chart performance for "Baba O'Riley"
Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 80
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 11
2012 chart performance for "Baba O'Riley"
Chart (2012) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[8] 200
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 55

Certifications

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Certifications for "Baba O'Riley"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[10] Platinum 50,000 
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Platinum 600,000 

 sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

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  1. "Baba O'Riley". ung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  2. Who's Next 1995 Remastered Liner Notes Page 17
  3. Atkins, John (1 February 2000). The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963–1998. McFarland. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-7864-4097-9.
  4. The Who: The Ultimate Collection, page 12
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Who" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  7. "The Who – Baba O'Riley" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  8. "The Who – Baba O'Riley" (in French). Les classement single.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  10. "Italian single certifications – The Who – Baba O'Riley" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 19 June 2020. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Baba O'Riley" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  11. "British single certifications – Who – Baba O'Riley". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 June 2020.