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

[2][3][4] After seeing a Pink Floyd performance on their Wall Tour, with Russell and her friend, Bill Minkin, Townshend was rejected by the actress when he attempted to romance her.

Townshend said of the incident: The song was written after I had been to see The Wall with my friend Bill Minkin and the actress Theresa Russell who was about to marry the film director Nic Roeg with whom I hoped to work on a new version of Lifehouse.

The fact that he changed the title in that and didn't stick to what it was supposed to be lost its center to me.A demo for the original "Theresa" was first recorded and presented to The Who by Pete Townshend during the Face Dances sessions.

[7] 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!

[citation needed] On October 30, 2017, at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida, Roger Daltrey performed "Athena" live for the first time in 35 years.