The term "power ballad" gets thrown around a lot, but few of the songs described that way are anywhere near as powerful as The Who's classic "Love Reign o'er Me."
Originally written by Pete Townshend for a rock opera that never came to fruition (the working title was Rock Is Dead – Long Live Rock), "Love Reign o'er Me" ended up being the final track on the 1973 album Quadrophenia. Though the song never made it to the top of the charts, as a beloved live concert staple, it's been one of the band's most popular tunes for over half a century and is considered by many fans and critics to be one of their best.
In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked "Love Reign o'er Me" at #5 on a list of The Who's 50 Greatest Songs; a decade earlier, Paste ranked it at #1 on a list of the band's top 20 tracks. And now, in 2026, the song seems to be making a major comeback.
First, in April, "Love Reign o'er Me" was featured in the highly anticipated official trailer for the upcoming Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping.
Scheduled for release in November of this year, the latest entry to the blockbuster franchise stars Joseph Zada, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, and Kelvin Harrison Jr., and takes place in Panem 24 years prior to the events of the first movie.
Now, this month, "Love Reign o'er Me" has been making the rounds in another trailer, this time for the fifth (and final) of The Bear, premiering on Hulu on June 25.
If the trailer is any indication, the song is an especially appropriate pick for this last season of The Bear, as many of the scenes involve the characters dealing with an intense rainstorm and serious flooding in the restaurant (not to mention the ever-present financial stress that's been a major plot point all along).
As Townshend once explained, per American Songwriter, the lyrics for "Love Reign o'er Me" are about Jimmy, the main character in Quadrophenia, having a spiritual experience...and was inspired by something Townshend's guru said.
"It refers to Meher Baba's one time comment that rain was a blessing from God; that thunder was God's voice," Townshend said.
"It's another plea to drown, only this time in the rain," he continued. "Jimmy goes through a suicide crisis. He surrenders to the inevitable, and you know, you know, when it's over and he goes back to town he'll be going through the same s—t, being in the same terrible family situation and so on, but he's moved up a level. He's weak still, but there's a strength in that weakness. He's in danger of maturing."
Related: 1978 Rock Anthem, With 'Remarkably Complex' Guitar, Became Theme Song for No. 1 TV Show Decades Later
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