The title “Teenage Wasteland” is sometimes incorrectly assigned to what 1971 British rock song?

“Baba O’Riley” is the first song on 1971’s “Who’s Next” by The Who. “Don’t cry. Don’t raise your eye. It’s only teenage wasteland” is the bridge between verses one and two. The chorus is, “Teenage wasteland. It’s only teenage wasteland. Teenage wasteland, oh, yeah. Teenage wasteland. They’re all wasted!”

Pete Townshend, who sings the bridge, wrote the song as a commentary about the scenes he saw at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival, August 15-18, 1969. The Who’s set, which they played on the evening of Saturday, August 16, was interrupted by Political Activist Abbie Hoffman. It rained through much of the festival, which attracted more than 400,000 young people, many of whom camped, drank alcohol, took illicit drugs, and had sex in the mud.

Townshend wrote the song as part of a follow-up to The Who’s first album, 1969’s “Tommy”, a rock opera that met with enormous success. The work, “Lighthouse”, was scrapped, but several songs were saved, “Baba O’Riley” being one of them. He named the song for two of his influences, Indian Philosopher and Spiritual Leader Meher Baba, and Terry Riley, an American composer and musician whose work was influenced by American jazz and the classical music of India.

The song has been used in many US television programs and commercials, as well as films. It is played before every home football game at the University of Georgia and at many New England Patriots home games during intermission between halves.