SDShad (Chris) -- There is room for more than one opinion about the meaning of a work that is as complex and ambiguous as Quadrophenia. I have always heard "Love, Reign O'er Me" as the song Jimmy sang after his aborted suicide/baptism, when he awakened to his own identity and worth as an individual rather than as a member of a group that he had previously identified with but ultimately found wanting. I hear sadness and regret in the song, but also self-awareness and a knowledge of something greater. So it's not sad to me, but I respect your own perspective on it as being just as valid as mine. Like a lot of art (I have a lot of respect and admiration for Townshend), it doesn't just deal with one theme or emotion at a time -- it jumbles a lot of them together, just like "real life" does, allowing each listener to relate to the elements that mean the most to him or her individually.

In the "sad song" sweepstakes, I would also mention "Independence Day" by Bruce Springsteen -- he wrote it about his father's death, and it's a very moving song. I realize that expressing admiration for Springsteen probably comes pretty close to heresy in the opinions of some, but I offer no apologies for it -- he's another of the great ones, in my opinion.