Pete Townshend Let’s One Direction’s “Baba O’Riley” Homage Slide

Angry fans of One Direction have struck again, and this time the victim is The Who.

Pete Townshend issued a statement Friday to put an end to rumors that The Who were seeking legal action against the British boy band over their song “Best Song Ever,” which is undeniably similar to the Who’s “Baba O’Riley.”

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The rumors alleged that The Who wanted One Direction’s “Best Song Ever” taken off of YouTube.

“No! I like the single. I like One Direction,” says Townshend. “The chords I used and the chords they used are the same three chords we’ve all been using in basic pop music since Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry made it clear that fancy chords don’t mean great music – not always.”

Townshend added that avoiding similarity between songs is not always easy. “I’m still writing songs that sound like ‘Baba O’Riley’ – or I’m trying to!”

Do you agree that the songs are similar? Let us know in the comments.