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Let My Love Open the Door

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"Let My Love Open the Door"
Single by Pete Townshend
from the album Empty Glass
B-side"Greyhound Girl"
ReleasedJune 4, 1980
Genre
Length2:44
LabelAtco
Songwriter(s)Pete Townshend
Producer(s)Chris Thomas
Pete Townshend UK singles chronology
"Rough Boys"
(1980) 		"Let My Love Open the Door"
(1980) 		"A Little Is Enough"
(1980)
Pete Townshend US singles chronology
"Keep Me Turning"
(1977) 		"Let My Love Open the Door"
(1980) 		"A Little Is Enough"
(1980)

"Let My Love Open the Door" is a song written and performed by Pete Townshend from his 1980 album Empty Glass. That year, it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.[3][4] It peaked at number five on RPM's Top 100 singles chart.[5]

Soon after the single's release, Record World anticipated that the song would "turn on pop radio to what AOR has known for weeks."[6]

Background

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Although Townshend is a devotee to the religious guru Meher Baba, he claimed in the liner notes of his Anthology CD that "Jesus sings" on the track.[7] Cash Box called it a "joyous, blissful tune [that] features a stirring keyboard-synthesizer melody and multi-tracked high harmonies."[8] Record World called it a "timeless pop-rocker."[9]

"Let My Love Open the Door" was released as the second single from Empty Glass in Britain, where it was backed with the non-album tracks "Classified" and "Greyhound Girl." The song was a minor British hit, reaching number 46.[10] The song saw more success when it was released as the debut single from Empty Glass in America, where the song reached number nine.[11] It was Pete Townshend's only solo top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, but the Who's song "I Can See for Miles", which was written by Townshend, reached the same position on the chart 13 years earlier.

Initially, Townshend's manager despised the track due to it "not sounding like Townshend," and wanted it to be removed from Empty Glass.[7] However, upon the song's chart success, his manager called to apologize.

Despite the song's critical and commercial success, Pete Townshend did not consider it one of his best songs. He told Rolling Stone in an interview that "Let My Love Open the Door" was "just a ditty," also claiming that he preferred his minor U.S. hit "A Little Is Enough" from the same album.[7]

In 1996, Townshend released a new version of the song, called "the E. Cola mix", turning the song into a ballad. This version appeared in different television shows and film soundtracks.[12]

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the Empty Glass liner notes.[13]

Chart performance

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The song has been used frequently in film, most notably the comedy genre, often as trailer music for Jerry Maguire and How Do You Know. It has been featured in the closing credits for Mr. Deeds, Look Who's Talking, Jersey Girl, Along Came Polly, Red Dog, Old Dogs, Put Grandma in the Freezer, Grosse Pointe Blank, Hit and Run, The Adam Project, respectively. In Dan in Real Life, the song is performed by Steve Carell and Dane Cook and is covered by Sondre Lerche for the film's soundtrack.[21] In 2004, the song was used in commercials for JCPenney during the holiday season.[citation needed] In 2021, it was used in the "All Night Long" episode of the Apple TV+ series Acapulco during the last scene and end credits.[citation needed] It was played after the wedding vows in the season finale of the Netflix series My Life with the Walter Boys.

References

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  1. ^ "80 best love songs of the 1980s". Cleveland. August 31, 2018.
  2. ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1980". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 387–388. ISBN 9781493064601.
  3. ^ Unterberger, Richie (2012-06-14). "Let My Love Open the Door". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  4. ^ "Pete Townshend, 'Empty Glass' | 100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Rolling Stone. 1989-11-16. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  5. ^ a b Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca.
  6. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. June 14, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Let My Love Open the Door". Songfacts.com.
  8. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 14, 1980. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  9. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. June 14, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  10. ^ "Pete Townshend UK charts". Official Charts.
  11. ^ "Pete Townshend US charts". Billboard.
  12. ^ Logan, Lizzie. "It's Time to Talk About Hollywood's Obsession with Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door"". FLOOD. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  13. ^ Empty Glass (CD booklet). Pete Townshend. Atco Records. 1980.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 312. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  17. ^ "Pete Townshend Canada Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Pete Townshend Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Collectionscanada.gc.ca". Archived from the original on April 25, 2016.
  20. ^ Musicoutfitters.com
  21. ^ Grimm, Bob. "Dan in Real Life". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
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