[5] Following the performance, Townshend became tempted by a female groupie, but he instead went back to his room alone, possibly as a result of the teachings of his spiritual leader, Meher Baba.

"[6] When "Behind Blue Eyes" was to be released as part of the aborted Lifehouse project, the song was sung from the point of view of the main villain, Jumbo.

Backed with "My Wife" in the US and "Going Mobile" in Europe, the song reached #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #24 on Cashbox,[5] with the latter calling it "another Townshend masterpiece in traditional Who fashion.

Songs written in alternating sections were a feature of Townshend's writing of the period, going back at least to Tommy, where the technique was used in "Christmas" and "Go to the Mirror!"

In the WB television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the episode "Where the Wild Things Are" (2000) features the character Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) singing a cover of the song.

The show's creator, Noah Hawley, sings the track with Jeff Russo on backing vocals as well as any instruments used in the song.

[16][17] In Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred's live action trailer, pop singer Camila Cabello covers Behind Blue Eyes, exclusively premiered by Rolling Stone.

Elsewhere in Europe, it became a top-twenty hit in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland while peaking at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.

It depicts Berry and Limp Bizkit's vocalist Fred Durst in a relationship similar to the storyline of the film.