Love, Reign o'er Me

Townshend wrote it, and it dates to 1972 along with Is It in My Head, when both were meant for an unreleased album called Rock Is Dead, Long Live Rock. In the story it belongs to Jimmy, who is in a personal crisis and finds a spiritual redemption in pouring rain. Townshend said it refers to Meher Baba's remark that rain was a blessing from God and thunder was God's voice. He called it another plea to drown, only this time in the rain, and said Jimmy comes out of it a level higher.

Townshend sang the demo gently, as a tender love song. Daltrey turned it into something far bigger, and said the final scream is not on the demo. The ending of the album track includes a large percussion set played by Moon, who then kicked over a set of tubular bells.

Single and covers

It was released on 27 October 1973 as the second single from the album, with Water on the B-side in the United States and Is It in My Head in Belgium and the Netherlands. The 3:07 single version drops the rain sounds and the drum solo ending, and it reached number 76 on the US Hot 100. In 2012 Paste ranked it first among the 20 greatest Who songs, and in 2022 Rolling Stone placed it fifth among 50.

Pearl Jam recorded a cover for the 2007 film Reign Over Me, which took its title from the song. Eddie Vedder agreed after Daltrey approved. Rolling Stone ranked it fourth among the best covers of the past decade.

Live

It was played on the 1973 and 1974 Quadrophenia tour, then dropped until the 1982 farewell North American tour. The band played it at Live Aid on 13 July 1985, and on 1 July 2002 at the Hollywood Bowl, the first concert after Entwistle's death.