• Writer: Pete Townshend
• Producers: The Who and Glyn Johns
• Recorded: June 8th, 1973, at Olympic Studios in London
• Released: October 1973
• Players:
  Roger Daltrey — vocals
  Pete Townshend — piano, guitar, synthesizer
  John Entwistle — bass
  Keith Moon — drums
• Album: Quadrophenia (MCA, 1973)
• Also On:
  Quadrophenia soundtrack (Polydor, 1979)
  Who’s Greatest Hits (MCA, 1983)
  Scoop (Atco, 1983) (Pete Townshend)
  Who’s Last (MCA, 1984)
  Join Together (MCA, 1990)
  Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B (MCA, 1994)
  The Ultimate Collection (Universal, 2002)
  Scooped (Redline, 2002) (Pete Townshend)
• The closing track of the Who‘s second album-length opera, Quadrophenia, “Love Reign O’er Me (Pete’s Theme)” was released as a single in the U.S. about a month before the album. It peaked at Number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Coming at the end of the Quadrophenia story, “Love Reign O’er Me” offers an emotional plea for peace, serenity, and shelter from the confusion, alienation, and conformity themes of much of the rest of the album.
• The subtitle “Pete’s Theme” reflects the album’s system of assigning a musical theme to each of the bandmembers.
• Some consider the song one of Roger Daltrey‘s best recorded performances, while Pete Townshend‘s guitar work has become among the most familiar in the Who’s repertoire.
• The strength of “Love Reign O’er Me” as a stand-alone song was reinforced by its inclusion in every Who tour after the band stopped performing Quadrophenia in its entirety.
• The Quadrophenia album peaked at Number Two in both the U.S. and the U.K. It was also the group’s fifth consecutive million-seller.

FAST FORWARD:

• The Who decided to continue on after drummer Keith Moon‘s death in 1978. They brought in Kenney Jones from the Faces to take Moon’s place. He eventually left and was replaced by other drummers.
• The Who technically broke up with a farewell tour in 1982, but they’ve continued to perform over the years, including a 1989 reunion tour, and a road version of Quadrophenia in 1996 and 1997.
• Townshend oversaw productions of The Who’s Tommy on Broadway in New York City and in London, both of which were hugely successful.
• The Who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.