I'll Be Back

Album: Who (2019)
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Songfacts®:

  • This smooth, soulful song is the only track on Who where Pete Townshend, rather than Roger Daltrey, sings lead.
  • The song was inspired by Townshend's interest in the writings of Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba and his belief in reincarnation. He explained to Mojo magazine:

    "We can't all accept the scientific view that there is no other life. The idea for that song was - challenge. Have one song which is about what you would like to believe: the Indian teaching that says karma is a result of reincarnation and we work out our karma with reincarnation. That idea is hidden away in all religions. The Calvinists and the Lutherans and the Catholics and the Sunnis and the Shias, they all destroyed it. But it's there. We often meet people we somehow feel we've known before, there's no denying it.

    The other thing is, on a superficial level, The Who album is: well, we're back. You might not like it, it may work for you, it may not. But we're here and guess what dash we'll be back again."

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