How Meher Baba and a Failed Rock Opera Shaped The Who’s "Baba O'Riley"

The useful part

The Guru, the Mystic, and the Rock Opera Behind The Who's "Baba O'Riley" Skip to main content Add us as a preferred source Pete Townshend, The Who in concert, Wembley Stadium. | Graham Wiltshire/GettyImages There's something about that opening riff in "Baba O'Riley." It practically shimmers with an infectious energy that has made countless stadium crowds scream with joy. --> There's something about that opening riff in "Baba O'Riley." It practically shimmers with an infectious energy that has made countless stadium crowds scream with joy.

How it works

• Townshend encountered Meher Baba in 1967 while working on Tommy, after a friend told him that many of the ideas he was putting into the project had already been expressed by the guru.
• --> After Tommy became a huge success, the pressure was on to create a follow-up.
• Eventually, Townshend became near-suicidal in his desperation to make the project work.
• They make him see and hear and speak so he becomes a saint who everybody flocks to." Life House: A Vision of a World Saved By Music --> Life House: A Vision of a World Saved By Music Shri Meher Baba |...
• That riff, as it turns out, was inspired by a spiritual guru named Meher Baba, who claimed to be the manifestation of God in human form.

What to take from it

This vision was also informed by Townshend's experiences on tour, where he felt awed and humbled by the power of music. "Because of its potential to awaken the dormant masses, rock music would be banned." --> "In Lifehouse, humanity would survive ecological disaster by living in pod-like suits, amused and distracted by sophisticated programming delivered to them by the government," Townshend explained of his strangely prophetic vision. "Because of its potential to awaken the dormant masses, rock music would be banned." A Secret Chord to Unite the Masses --> A Secret Chord to Unite the Masses The Lifehouse story would culminate with a music festival that had the capacity to liberate and unite humanity.

Example or evidence

• Tommy and the Silent Guru --> Tommy and the Silent Guru To trace the origins of "Baba O'Riley," it's necessary to take a look at the smash hit rock opera that preceded it.
• --> To trace the origins of "Baba O'Riley," it's necessary to take a look at the smash hit rock opera that preceded it.
• It told the story of a traumatized deaf, dumb, and blind boy who grows up to become a pinball-playing messiah.
• Born in Pune, India, Meher Baba later claimed to be an incarnation of God, akin to Jesus Christ and the Buddha.

Details worth keeping

That's not the only fact that might surprise you about "Baba O'Riley," the song by The Who that many people mistakenly think is called "Teenage Wasteland." --> That riff, as it turns out, was inspired by a spiritual guru named Meher Baba, who claimed to be the manifestation of God in human form. It was originally envisioned as the opening number in a wildly ambitious—and eerily prescient—rock opera Pete Townshend was creating at the time, which focused on environmental destruction, addiction to technology, and music's potential role in averting the apocalypse. In 1969, The Who's Tommy exploded onto the scene.

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• Loudersound: By 1973 The Who were bored and angry – and Pete Townshend knew he had one last chance to hold the band together and unify them in the eyes of their fans