What was the original working title of the song 'Baba O'Riley'?

The original working title of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” was “Teenage Wasteland.” The song was written by Pete Townshend for Lifehouse, an ambitious rock-opera project intended to follow Tommy. When Lifehouse was abandoned, the song was reshaped and recorded for The Who’s 1971 album Who’s Next.

“Teenage Wasteland” was never the song’s official released title. Townshend chose “Baba O’Riley” to honor two major influences: Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba and minimalist composer Terry Riley. The repeated phrase “teenage wasteland” comes from the lyrics and became so closely associated with the song that many listeners use it as an informal title.

The song’s distinctive opening keyboard pattern was created with a Lowrey organ’s marimba-repeat feature. Townshend originally imagined a synthesizer generating music from Meher Baba’s personal characteristics, but that concept did not come to fruition. The finished track was recorded in 1971 and became the opening song on Who’s Next.

A common mix-up is treating “Teenage Wasteland” as the official title. It is best understood as the song’s famous lyrical refrain and working title, while “Baba O’Riley” is the canonical release title.