Pete Townshend seemed to be going beyond traditional rock and roll with The Who, he had to admit that ‘The Song is Over’ is still “A testament to the universe”.
But maybe that’s because the fans heard the song in the wrong context. (Farout) When looked at through the lens of Lifehouse, perhaps every track that turned on Who’s Next could have told a far more convincing story than Tommy could.
There are a few tracks that are close to the vision Townshend had in mind. ‘Baba O’Riley’ would have been a thrilling opening for a grand spectacle about finding new lands in the future, and the concept of finding the meaning of life through a musical note in ‘Getting in Tune’ is the most poignant metaphor for one’s love with music ever created.
‘The Song is Over’ works much better as a grand finale to Lifehouse's Bobby story. After finally summoning the courage to sing out, hearing him finally free himself from his self-imposed exile and work to become a human being again is incredibly profound.
Looking back on it, though, Townshend did consider the melody to be a little bit on the nose compared to the vision that he had in mind for the character, saying, “When we do get together musically in this way, it’s like we both acknowledge that there’s something greater than the two of us. I love this song. And a lot of people love it too. It’s an aspirational, kind of corny testament to the universe.”
Regardless of the sentiment, it doesn’t matter as long as the music kicks ass. Roger Daltrey puts everything he has into every word he sings, and despite the story being scrapped, Townshend’s tattered voice is the perfect sound to guide us through this tale of a kid learning what humanity is like again.
