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song: Let My Love Open the Door
artist: Pete Townshend
album: Empty Glass
released: 1980-04-21length: 2:39
6.9
(1498)
When people keep repeating
That you'll never fall in love
When everybody keeps retreating
But you can't seem to get enough

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door to your heart

When everything feels all over
Everybody seems unkind
I'll give you a four-leaf clover
Take all worry out of your mind

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door to your heart
(To your heart)

The only key to your heart
I can stop you from falling apart
Try today, you'll find this way
Come on and give me a chance to say
Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for
Release yourself from misery
There's only one thing gonna set you free
That's my love
That's my love

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door

When tragedy befalls you
Don't let it drag you down
Love can cure your problems
You're so lucky I'm around

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door to your heart
Pete Townshend

Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. His aggressive playing style and poetic songwriting techniques, with the Who and in other projects, have earned him critical acclaim.

Townshend has written more than 100 songs for 12 of the Who's studio albums. These include concept albums, the rock operas Tommy (1969) and Quadrophenia (1973), plus popular rock radio staples such as Who's Next (1971); as well as dozens more that appeared as non-album singles, bonus tracks on reissues, and tracks on rarities compilation albums such as Odds & Sods (1974). He has also written more than 100 songs that have appeared on his solo albums, as well as radio jingles and television theme songs.

While known primarily as a guitarist, Townshend also plays keyboards, banjo, accordion, harmonica, ukulele, mandolin, violin, synthesiser, bass guitar, and drums; he is self-taught on all of these instruments and plays on his own solo albums, several Who albums, and as a guest contributor to an array of other artists' recordings. Townshend has also contributed to and authored many newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts, and he has collaborated as a lyricist and composer for many other musical acts.

In 1983, Townshend received the Brit Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 1990 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Who. Townshend was ranked No. 3 in Dave Marsh's 1994 list of Best Guitarists in The New Book of Rock Lists. In 2001, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of the Who; and in 2008 he received Kennedy Center Honors. He was ranked No. 10 in Gibson.com's 2011 list of the top 50 guitarists, and No. 37 on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of 250 greatest guitarists of all time. He and Roger Daltrey received The George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA on 21 May 2016.

Artist Website
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Comments ( 135 )
Posted 8 years ago by coloradojohn:
Maybe it's an anachronism nowadays, but when this and so many songs from this superb solo album (Empty Glass) were all over the airwaves and our stereos, it was a definite sing-along, and a well-appreciated anthem, a bright spot in the murky, quirky times myself and the world were going through... High School was over, gas went past a dollar a gallon with no end in sight, especially since Iraq and Iran were perpetrating Hell and killing millions of each other; Ronald Ray-guns was ~ unbelievably, go figure ~ Our New President, and things were anxious, man, things were tense... And this song, and a resurgence of Tommy and Quadrophenia, and The Wall, and Talking Heads, and weed, and beer; yes, these were things that seemed to help us keep our minds, perhaps by loosening them a little, and you know what? I enjoyed hearing this here today on RP, and don't recall hearing it here before.  RP makes me smile a lot.
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Posted 4 years ago by dandueck07:
This song was, in my humble opinion, not the best one on the album, Empty Glass, but I loved that album.  In 1980 I bought my first and only new sports car, a Mazda RX7, and met the lady I was to marry.  She liked this album/cassette more than my car, so I figured she was an obvious choice for a marriage partner.  (The car is long gone, but my wife is still as beautiful and still sticking with me.)

And for those who compare Townshend's voice to Daltry's, I say "not fair".  Like comparing Lennon and McCartney for their voices.  I loved Townshend for his overall musical talents (and because he has a nose that makes mine look small in comparison).
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Posted 6 years ago by Laptopdog:
I played the crap out of Empty Glass back in the day. I don't know why, but that album moved me more than just about any other album of that time. This song was probably my least favorite, and yet it got all the airplay. Which was fine with me. Not a bad song on the album.
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Posted 6 years ago by Proclivities:
Catalytic wrote:
Back in high school my friend's dad thought the song was "Let Milo Open The Door", which has stuck in my head ever since...
 
As if that inconsiderate prick Milo would ever have opened the door for anyone.
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Posted 11 years ago by Catalytic:
Back in high school my friend's dad thought the song was "Let Milo Open The Door", which has stuck in my head ever since...
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Posted 1 year ago by coloradojohn:
HOW GREAT WAS THIS ALBUM?! I knew every song by heart by the end of that summer, and my infatuation and saturation with it lasted for years... It felt like every song was a heart-felt message that spoke directly to me, and/ or for me, and it seemed as if they were written by someone that not only understood my teenage angst and difficult awakenings to the joys and pains of the blessings and curses of Romance -- and my struggles with a severely dysfunctional family -- but could articulate and turn it all into such glorious and often even quite profound music. When I saw The Who play in April of 1980, with my hard-core Who buddy Todd B., I felt witness to a collective genius in ultimate fulfillment of Music's power. Few souls on Earth have such a masterful command of Music as Pete, and few bands could ever exhibit such raw power and intensity in its celebration! Pure inspiration, for me!
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Posted 1 year ago by GingerandMe:
Pete Townsend is such a good guy who has had to take a lot of shit but hey he came through it.
Saw The Who in 1975 when I was sweet sixteen!  Complete with Keith Moon.
What a band and what a night!!
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Posted 8 years ago by kurtster:
bobcanna1 wrote:
Big fan of the Who but in my opinion they went way too commercial with this one... not one of my favorites. 

 
Its not the Who.  Its a Townshend solo album.  A widely analyzed one at that.  The track Rough Boys was supposed to have been written for Bette Midler but she declined to do it.

Have the LP. 
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Posted 9 years ago by Peakmecca:
Good song, maybe more popular in the movies than The Beachboys,, these movies/shows, more to come: 

Look Who's Talking (1989)Grosse Pointe Blank as "E. Cola Mix" (1997)Mr. Deeds (2002)Jersey Girl as "E. Cola Mix" (2004)Along Came Polly (2004)Click (in trailers) (2006)Dan in Real Life (2007)Doctors (soap opera), season 11, episode 106 (2009)Old Dogs (2009)How Do You Know (in trailers) (2010)Take Me Home Tonight as "E. Cola Mix" (2011)Red Dog (2011)Hit and Run (2012)The Newsroom (2012) - cover by Luminate used in the second season finale, "Election Night, Part II" (September 15, 2013)Californication (April 13, 2014)The Goldbergs, season 1 "Why're You Hitting Yourself?" (2013) the "E. Cola Mix" played at end before credits. A cover of the song by Stacey Markus is used at the end of episode nine ("The Invitation") of the 2015 Netflix original series Grace and Frankie
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Posted 13 years ago by sirdroseph:
I like this song, not as much as the sister song; you better, you bet which is very similar though sung by Daltrey, but I still like it.
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Posted 17 years ago by oldviolin:
To your heart...
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Posted 17 years ago by ronniegirl:
My boss used this song as the first dance with his new wife at their wedding this year. She said NO MORE WHO. I run into him at concerts. Cool boss.
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Posted 1 year ago by tragic_king:
Its a bit off-topic, but I'm reading a book now called Year Zero where there is a Townshend line in space to keep aliens from storming Earth to attend a Who concert. Cute book and Pete is awesome live!
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Posted 1 year ago by GingerandMe:
 lily34 wrote:


wow, this took me back.
i have always been a huge fan of the whole album (and of pete). and i was only reminded of it a couple of weeks ago thanks to RP.  


Take a bow lily34 and I truly mean that my friend.
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Posted 1 year ago by lily34:
 coloradojohn wrote:

Maybe it's an anachronism nowadays, but when this and so many songs from this superb solo album (Empty Glass) were all over the airwaves and our stereos, it was a definite sing-along, and a well-appreciated anthem, a bright spot in the murky, quirky times myself and the world were going through... High School was over, gas went past a dollar a gallon with no end in sight, especially since Iraq and Iran were perpetrating Hell and killing millions of each other; Ronald Ray-guns was ~ unbelievably, go figure ~ Our New President, and things were anxious, man, things were tense... And this song, and a resurgence of Tommy and Quadrophenia, and The Wall, and Talking Heads, and weed, and beer; yes, these were things that seemed to help us keep our minds, perhaps by loosening them a little, and you know what? I enjoyed hearing this here today on RP, and don't recall hearing it here before.  RP makes me smile a lot.



wow, this took me back.
i have always been a huge fan of the whole album (and of pete). and i was only reminded of it a couple of weeks ago thanks to RP.  
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Posted 4 years ago by acolt:
e_b wrote:
1994?  I thought this was early 80's.
 

Yep, released 1980. The Greatest Hits album was released in '94.
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Posted 6 years ago by junebaby65:
No great singer, Pete.  Roger he ain't.
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Posted 7 years ago by stalfnzo:
coloradojohn wrote:
Maybe it's an anachronism nowadays, but when this and so many songs from this superb solo album (Empty Glass) were all over the airwaves and our stereos, it was a definite sing-along, and a well-appreciated anthem, a bright spot in the murky, quirky times myself and the world were going through... High School was over, gas went past a dollar a gallon with no end in sight, especially since Iraq and Iran were perpetrating Hell and killing millions of each other; Ronald Ray-guns was ~ unbelievably, go figure ~ Our New President, and things were anxious, man, things were tense... And this song, and a resurgence of Tommy and Quadrophenia, and The Wall, and Talking Heads, and weed, and beer; yes, these were things that seemed to help us keep our minds, perhaps by loosening them a little, and you know what? I enjoyed hearing this here today on RP, and don't recall hearing it here before.  RP makes me smile a lot.

 
Well said.
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Posted 9 years ago by hempmandan:
So many good solo tracks...Haven't heard this in a decade...
 
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Posted 10 years ago by EdmoJoe:
I love the disagreements about the song. Maybe it matters the time and place we were when we first heard the song. This one I think is great and takes me to a good place.
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listen:
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