Baba O'Riley (track)
by The Who
Baba O'Riley appears on the following album(s) by The Who:
- Who's Next (track #1) (this album) (1971)
- Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B (track #59) (compilation) (1994)
- The Kids Are Alright (track #10) (1979)
- The Ultimate Collection (track #20) (compilation) (2002)
- My Generation - The Very Best Of The Who (track #13) (compilation) (1996)
- Who's Last (track #5) (1984)
- The Story Of The Who (track #24) (compilation) (1976)
- Live At The Royal Albert Hall (track #11) (2003)
- The Who Hits 50! (track #25) (compilation) (2014)
- Live In Hyde Park (track #18) (2015)
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Baba O'Riley ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this track. | Show all 1,033 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 09/13/2026 14:44 | timcrotty | 8 | 95/100 |
| ! | 07/24/2026 09:33 |  MetalMan67 | 1,756 | 83/100 |
| ! | 07/24/2026 07:12 | Exist-en-ciel | 179,585 | 71/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 92.9/100, a mean average of 91.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.0/100. The standard deviation for this track is 12.1.
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Baba O'Riley forum mentions
Baba O'Riley comments
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Jasonconfused TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/25/2012 17:52 | #58884
Are you kidding me? This song is freaking perfect! Love the layers of music. Definitely an anthem for any fan of classic rock. The last minute or so with the violin is the best part.
Martini 10/18/2015 19:42 | #151652
One of the best album openers of all time.
What a fantastic way to start this iconic album. This is progressive rock disguised as hard rock. Just when you think the song can’t get any better, it keeps changing and surprising you with new instrumental bits and tempo changes. The moog synth lays down the musical foundation. Then the piano riff, later duplicated by Townshend’s guitar, starts to play. Then Moon’s powerful and thunderous drums come in. Then Daltrey’s raw and impassioned vocals cut through the mix. Pete shines on two guitar solos. And after the final breakdown, we are treated to a violin part that comes completely out of left field while the drums continue to build until the song is flying of the edge of a cliff. After the song ends, it feels like more than five minutes have passed. Brilliant opener and rightfully a classic rock radio staple.
poppmusic TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/22/2016 21:38 | #157369
The only song I can think of that is equally loved by both classic rock radio and hipsters.
Incredible opener. The three chord guitar riff (F5, C5, A#5), Keith Moon's drumming, the classic synth loop, Entwistle's powerful bass guitar lines are all incredible but the best things here are the beautiful, unique violin solo at the end and Roger Daltrey's vocals, his ability to bring Townshend's lyrics to life. His vocals are so believable. Nothing wrong with the song.
