“Behind Blue Eyes” is a song by the English rock band The Who. It was released in October 1971 as the second single from their fifth album Who’s Next and was originally written by Pete Townshend for his Lifehouse project.^[2][3] The song is one of The Who’s best-known recordings and has been covered by many artists

“Behind Blue Eyes” originated after a Who concert in Denver on June 9th, 1970.^[4] Following the performance, Townshend became tempted by a female groupie, but he instead went back to his room alone, possibly as a result of the teachings of his spiritual leader, Meher Baba.^[5] Upon reaching his room, he began writing a prayer, the first words being “When my fist clenches, crack it open…” These words later appeared as lyrics in the “climactic rocking section” of “Behind Blue Eyes.”^[5]

When “Behind Blue Eyes” was to be released as part of the aborted Lifehouse project, the song was sung from the point of view of the main villain, Jumbo. The lyrics are a first-person lament from Jumbo, who is always angry and full of angst because of all the pressure and temptation that surrounds him, and the song was intended to be his “theme song” had the project been successful. Pete Townshend said the song’s lyrics:

“Behind Blue Eyes” really is off the wall because that was a song sung by the villain of the piece [Jumbo], the fact that he felt in the original story that he was forced into a position of being a villain whereas he felt he was a good guy.^[5]

The version of “Behind Blue Eyes” on the original Who’s Next album was the second version the band recorded; the first was recorded at the Record Plant in New York on 18 March 1971 and features Al Kooper on Hammond organ.^[6] The first version was released as a bonus track on the 1995 CD reissue of Who’s Next.

“Behind Blue Eyes” was initially considered for a UK single release, but Townshend claimed that the song was “too much out of character” for the British singles market.^[5] However, the song did eventually see a single release in France, Belgium, the United States and the Netherlands. Backed with “My Wife” in the US and “Going Mobile” in Europe, the song reached #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #24 on Cashbox.^[4]

Pete Townshend has also recorded two solo versions of the song. The original demo of the song was featured on the Scoop album. The demo along with a newer recording of the song featuring an orchestral backing was featured in The Lifehouse Chronicles.

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