The Who - featuring vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend - have released an official lyric video for their iconic 1971 hit, "Baba O'Riley". The video was uploaded to YouTube on September 18, 2020. 

"Baba O'Riley" is taken from The Who's 1971 album, Who's Next. Townshend originally wrote the song for his Lifehouse project, a rock opera intended as the follow-up to the Who's 1969 opera, Tommy. "Baba O'Riley" was initially 30 minutes in length, but was edited down to the "high points" of the track for Who's Next. The other parts of the song appeared on the third disc of Townshend's Lifehouse Chronicles as "Baba M1 (O'Riley 1st Movement 1971)" and "Baba M2 (2nd Movement Part 1 1971)".

The song is in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll.

As part of YouTube’s #StayHome campaign, The Who recently closed a six-week celebration of their incredible live performances, with a two-part digital premiere finale.

The weekly series - “Join Together @ Home” - is on the band’s official YouTube channel. Each featurette (available digitally for the first time) appears as a YouTube Premiere, streaming live and rarely seen footage, mini videos and special screen footage. Culminating over two weekends with 5 and 4 songs respectively from a sensational show at Piazza Grande, Locarno, Switzerland in July 2006, these performances include the band’s first ever live performance of "Greyhound Girl".

Roger Daltrey said, “It’s a very special show, I didn’t even remember this film existed! We were getting together after a 3-year hiatus. The show was in an extraordinary place, in the town square, with people dancing on their balconies. I have very fond memories of it.”

“Join Together @ Home” is in partnership with The Who and Eagle Rock Entertainment and will stream exclusively on YouTube. “Join Together @ Home” is free to view, but fans are encouraged to donate to co-beneficiaries The Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America - directly via the link provided here.

As Patron of both charities, Roger Daltrey has raised much needed awareness and funds to help support young people with cancer, both in the UK and the US. He has been the driving force behind Teenage Cancer Trust’s iconic comedy and music shows, held at the Royal Albert Hall for the last 20 years.

Teenage Cancer Trust has always had incredible support from the music industry and relies on donations but due to Coronavirus, saw essential income generating activity, like the Royal Albert Halls shows, cancelled. With income estimated to drop by as much as half this year; the charity needs to raise £5m to maintain frontline services so events like “Join Together @ Home” are more important than ever.

With Teen Cancer America fundraising events also cancelled, they face a shortfall and need your help more than ever. Your donation can help to continue improving the lives and outcomes of teens and young adults with cancer. Nearly 90,000 adolescents and young adults face a cancer diagnosis every year in America, and every hour another young life is lost. The Coronavirus is not just impacting fundraising, but increasing the risks for immunocompromised cancer patients, and adding to the growing burden of hospitals and caregivers.

As you have faced the inconvenience of isolation these past months, please think of the many teenage cancer patients who are in the fight of their lives. Follow your local guidelines, stay safe, relax and watch The Who, and do one of the most important things you can do today, donate to help teens facing cancer.

Trailer:

(Photo - Rick Guest / NEC Group)