"Athena" (the working title being "Theresa") is a song written by

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

and recorded by

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

. It appears as the first track on the group's tenth album ''

It's Hard ''It's Hard'' is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Who. Released on 4 September 1982, it was the last to feature bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. It was also the second and final Who studio album with drummer Kenney Jones ...

'', released in 1982. Written for actress

Theresa Russell Theresa Lynn Russell ( Paup; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress whose career spans over four decades. Her filmography includes over fifty feature films, ranging from mainstream to independent and experimental films. Born in San Diego, ...

, the song was the first single from ''It's Hard''. The single was a moderate success reaching the top 40 in both Britain and America.

Background

"Athena" was originally written by Pete Townshend after an encounter with the American actress

. After seeing a Pink Floyd performance on their Wall Tour, with Russell and his friend, Bill Minkin, Townshend was rejected by the actress when he attempted to romance her. Townshend said of the incident: Under the working title "Theresa," the song's name was changed to "Athena." Despite this alteration, Townshend still felt the song was too personal, claiming, "It was just too revealing."

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

, however, disliked the song for this change. A demo for the original "Theresa" was first recorded and presented to The Who by Pete Townshend during the '' Face Dances'' sessions. However, the song was not used until ''It's Hard.'' On "Athena" Roger Daltrey and Townshend share lead vocals. John Entwistle also adds horns to the track.

Release

"Athena" was released as the first single from ''It's Hard'', backed with "A Man Is a Man" in Britain and "It's Your Turn" in America. The single achieved moderate chart success, reaching number 28 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but received good airplay on

album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-orien ...

and later

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

radio formats. "Athena" also reached number 40 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, making it both the band's last UK and US top 40 single. The single also reached number five in Canada. '' Billboard'' described it as a "comparatively lilting love song set to a fast but fluid track" and said it was "one of the Who's most melodic and warmhearted" songs. In addition to appearing on ''It's Hard'', "Athena" also was released on both '' The Ultimate Collection'' and the deluxe edition of ''

The Who Hits 50! Billed as The Who Hits 50!, The Who's 2014–16 tour was a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band. Roger Daltrey has referred to this tour as the band's "long goodbye" hinting that it will be the final tour for The Who. The tour co ...

'' compilation albums.

Live performances

The Who only played "Athena" a total of ten times on the band's 1982 tour, and have not played the song again ever since. On October 30, 2017, at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida, Roger Daltrey performed "Athena" live for the first time in 35 years.

References

1982 singles The Who songs Songs written by Pete Townshend Polydor Records singles Warner Records singles Song recordings produced by Glyn Johns 1982 songs {{1980s-rock-song-stub