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The Who - Love, Reign O'er Me

I would contend that "Love, Reign O'er Me" is one of the most climactic and rewarding endings to an album in the history of rock & roll. It comes at the conclusion of a four-sided rock opera, begins with the sound of rain and ultimately ends with Keith Moon beating the shit out of his drums right after Roger Daltrey bellows "Looooooooooooove!" as if he is literally in the process of casting his life into the storming Atlantic Ocean while simultaneously absorbing every hardship, letdown and impossibility that he has ever faced.
This is The Who at the peak of their powers. "Love, Reign O'er Me" was released in1973 as the second single from the band's sixth album and second rock opera, Quadrophenia. However, the deeper context of the song can only be truly experienced through listening to the entirety of Side 4 (Dr. Jimmy > The Rock > Love, Reign O'er Me). "The Rock," and six-minute instrumental, has a proggy, Celtic jig feel, similar to the extended break in their earlier hit "Baba O'Riley." It builds an impenetrable wall of tension through the melodies of his ARP 2500 synthesizer. Finally, as "The Rock" subsides, the rain enters and "Love, Reign O'er Me" takes the listener on a cathartic journey home.

The Rock

 Love, Reign O'er Me



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