Eminence Front

A song about delusion and drug use among the wealthy.

"Eminence Front" is a track from the Who's tenth studio album, It's Hard, released in 1982. Written and sung by guitarist Pete Townshend, the song entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on December 25 of that year, peaking at number 68.

Townshend's lyrics examine the delusions and drug habits of the wealthy and hedonistic, centering on a party where attendees hide from their troubles behind a false front. He has introduced the song live by saying it is about what happens when someone takes too much white powder. The single was slated for a UK release by Polydor Records in 1982 with the catalog number WHO 7, but it never came out. Its picture sleeve, designed by Richard Evans, showed a 1930s Art Deco house in Miami, Florida. That sleeve finally saw release in 2017 as part of the Who's box set The Polydor Singles 1975–2015. Promotional 12-inch singles were issued in both the US and UK, and a 7-inch single appeared in the US and Canada.

Critical response was mixed. In a negative review of It's Hard, Robert Christgau offered faint praise, calling the song the album's high point and sarcastically noting that the aging Townshend "discovers funk. Just in time. Bye." Cashbox highlighted Townshend's "cleanly slicing guitar," the band's "patented synth sound," and a "strong bottom" from drums and bass. Rolling Stone ranked it the Who's tenth best song, saying it showed the band connecting Townshend's new wave-influenced solo work with the classic sound of Who's Next.

The track features Pete Townshend on lead and backing vocals, lead guitar, and Yamaha E70 organ; Roger Daltrey on rhythm guitar and backing vocals; John Entwistle on bass guitar and backing vocals; and Kenney Jones on drums. Additional musician Tim Gorman played Rhodes piano.

In popular culture, the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA have used the song since the 2000–01 season. In 2025, it appeared in the psychological thriller series Severance, first in the reveal trailer for the second season and then during the end credits of the third episode, "Who is Alive?".