10 Perfect Rock Songs From 1971
2. Baba O Riley - The Who
As weird as this sounds, the Who weren't really in the best of positions at the turn of the decade. Even though they had released the greatest concept album of all time with Tommy and the definitive live album in Live At Leeds, one question still hung over their heads: how the hell are we going to top this? Most rock bands couldn't imagine making something that was on that level again, but Baba O Riley made it sound like it was going to.
While the accompanying rock opera Lifehouse was eventually shelved and the songs became Who's Next, the opening track paints a great picture at where the project was headed. Embracing synthesizers long before the '80s made them sound cold and calculated, the opening of this song practically feels like stepping into the future, only to have Keith Moon's giant drum fill bring us back down to Earth.
What's even more of a knockout are the lyrics to the song, which talks about people trying to find salvation not unlike the hippies of the previous decade. Though the key line of the song is 'teenage wasteland,' this isn't the sound of free love and finding your own path. These are the leaders of the revolution that have turned their back on the rebellion and are forging their own path. It's not an easy task, but it's one that we all have to take sooner or later.