{"id":5697,"date":"2026-09-22T12:54:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T16:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=5697"},"modified":"2026-09-22T12:54:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T16:54:47","slug":"the-concept-of-the-whos-tommy-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-concept-of-the-whos-tommy-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"The Concept of The Who\u2019s \u2018Tommy\u2019 Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After years of planning and talking about the project, The Who<\/a> released their acclaimed rock opera, Tommy<\/a><\/em>, in 1969. Nearly all of its tracks were written by Pete Townshend. He had been working on the project for years before it finally materialized. It was largely his vision, too. Townshend was inspired by Indian spiritual mentor Meher Baba and wanted to explore his teachings through music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tommy<\/em> is considered The Who’s breakthrough album. It was a huge critical and commercial success for The Who and is still one of their most beloved works, with over 20 million albums sold. It was turned into a movie in 1975, directed by Ken Russell and featuring Tina Turner as “the Acid Queen” and Elton John as the “Pinball Wizard.” In 1993, it became a Broadway musical, and it’s also been adapted into a ballet, orchestral performance, and opera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it wasn’t the band’s first time playing with a concept, Tommy<\/em> was their first rock opera. Quadrophenia<\/em> would follow just a few years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is ‘Tommy’ About?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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