Overture (The Who)

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"Overture"
Song by The Who
from the album Tommy
Released	May 23, 1969
Recorded	September 19, 1968 to March 7, 1969
Genre	Rock
Length	5:21
Label	Polydor
Writer(s)	The Who
Producer(s)	Kit Lambert
Tommy track listing
	"Overture" (1)	"It's a Boy" (2)

"Overture" is a song by the British rock band the Who released in 1969. It is the first track on the album Tommy. It is 5 minutes and 21 seconds long. The track is in fact an overture: it serves as the instrumental introduction to a dramatic and instrumental composition.

"Overture" was released both as a single and on an EP in late 1970. It was also covered by a band called The Assembled Multitude, whose version of the song received significant airplay.

The track features sections of many of the other themes found on the rest of the album, including "1921", "Go to the Mirror", "See Me, Feel Me", "Listening to You", "Pinball Wizard" and "We're Not Gonna Take It". Three minutes and twenty seconds into the song, the opening riff to "Pinball Wizard" can be heard (albeit in a different key).

Overture also mentions the disappearance of British army Captain Walker, father of main character Tommy Walker, during World War I. Captain Walker isn't expected to be ever seen again. This plays a crucial role in the plot, made evident just one track later in "1921".

A shorter version of "Overture" can be found on Thirty Years of Maximum R&B.