[3] "The Song Is Over" is one of the tracks on Who's Next with lead vocals by both Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey and piano work by Nicky Hopkins.
"[4] Atkins considers Daltrey's vocals to be the song's strongest feature, but he also praises Keith Moon's "superbly controlled" drumming, John Entwistle's "expressive" bass and the "beautiful, rich synthesizer chords on verses.
"[4] The music is based on a chord progression that Mike Segretto said is "sad and hopeful" and "guaranteed to jerk tears.
[1][5] Rolling Stone critic John Mendelsohn rates "The Song Is Over" as being among Daltrey's and Townshend's best work, describing it as "an unutterably beautiful song" in which Townshend sings exquisitely over a gentle piano background before and in between Daltrey charging in exhilaratingly over a hard part with breathtaking chord changes in the manner of the "Listening to you I hear the music .
[2][9] In the 4th edition of the Rolling Stone Album Guide, critic Mark Kemp described it as a "great Daltrey vocal vehicle.